I've had A-Bolts and 700's, pro's and con's either way. I've looked at the x-bolt and am quite honestly not too impressed. In my opinion, they are a cheapened A-Bolt.

I prefer the 700's, and absolutely love the fit, finish, and feel of the new CDL's, and I've always like the BDL. 700 parts are easy to find, they can easily be customized, and all 700's I own consistently shoot sub MOA with the right loads. Plus the 700's are made in the USA. Not bashing Japanese made products, or trying to be a protectionist, because I have Japanese made products like Bushnell scopes -- but there's something nice about owning guns made in the USA.

I had an A-Bolt that shot MOA all day long with factory rounds, but traded a friend for one of my 700's in .243 Win that shoots particular hand load's 0.5 MOA. My brother had a Medallion that had a terrible finish on the stock -- the barrel channel was cut so crooked it had a very large gap on one side, and pressed firmly against the barrel on the other. After arguing with Browning about it, the factory finally replaced it. With the new stock, it's a great shooter. He recently bought a stainless stalker A-Bolt that is an absolute tack driver. He likes Browning's because they have a great assortment of left hand bolt actions. He also likes the BPS's because of the bottom eject and tang safety -- again, nice for a lefty.

Browning has a great brand and marketing department, and thus, a great following. I myself will take 870's and 700's all day long over A-Bolts, X-Bolts, and BPS's. That's just my opinion and where my money goes. Others, like my brother, may differ, and that's perfectly fine. It's their own money too.