Browning X-Bolt Question
 

This might be better suited in the new "gunsmith" section but I will ask here anyway.

Just picked up my new X-Bolt Hunter earlier this week. I am planning to adjust the trigger down and was wondering if it was possible to turn the weight adjustment screw too much? All the manual states is which way to turn it.

One easy way to find out...adjust and test for feel/safety.

Removing the screw completly will give you the lightest setting wich is around 3-3.5 lbs.If its not light enough you can buy a replacement spring from these guy http://www.erniethegunsmith.com/catalog/c2_p1.html.

So it is safe to completely remove the screw?

Tests will tell. (1) Safety on, pull the trigger, release the safety. (2) solid hits to the gun with the safety both on and off. Unloaded, of course :D

I bought the X bolt hunter and I thought it felt pretty crisp out of the box :) but this was also coming from a Win M94 30-30 so anything was going to feel great!

trigger pull
 

Did not remove screw. Loosened as far as i could. Trigger pull gauge went off at a little under 3.5 lbs. Good to hunt with. Trigger on my x-bolt actually got smoother the more i shot it. love the gun.

If you can afford a X-Bolt you can afford to have your smith do a basic trigger job on it (proud owner of a Stainless Stalker in .338 Win Mag).

I always have my smith do a trigger job and hand lap the barrel on all my rifles before I run the first round down the tube.

All my rifles shoot under 1" MOA after I break-in the barrel at the range (+/- 100-150 rounds); .17 HMR to .338 Win Mag.

Then they are "ready" to hunt with...............


I wish all my rifles were built like the X-Bolt !!!

My X-Bolt and a Tikka T-3 are the only factory rifles I own which did not need a trigger job, IMO. They only needed to be lightened.

Now to the original question, I wound up removing the screw completely and safety checked the rifle and all was well. My biggest concern is something getting in the trigger housing now that the scew is gone. I thought about covering the hole with a thin layer of silicon? Any other ideas?

You should be able to buy a much shorter allen head set-screw at any decent hardware store that will just fill the threaded hole and then blue (not red!) loctite into place.

I had thought about that as well. Think I will give that a try first. If I find a screw that will work....would it be better to put the loctite on the threads of the screw itself or the threads and the housing?

Just a drop on the screw and let it set up a bit before you install it.

VAhuntr,

You said it yourself; maybe better posed for a gunsmith.................$1,000 rifle + $$$ scope.


Worth $65 for a basic trigger job from a certified Smith rather than "rigging" it !?!?


Just trying to make sense of saving a few buck on a $1,000 rifle.


Some will say that, "they never met a rifle that came out of a box that couldn't use a basic trigger job".

Least expensive way to accurize a rifle. IMHO and my Smith's.

I understand what you are saying but....to me it is not rigging it. The manual tells you how to adjust the trigger weight on the X-Bolt....just does not tell you how far to turn the screw. From what I understand, the Browning Feather trigger will only adjust so far up or so far down.

Now, if I was changing a spring to lower the weight even further, then I would take it to a gunsmith.

I just recently sighted my X-bolt 300 mag, after aligning my 2 groups were under 1", one actually being 3/4". My a-bolt 270 shoots groups consistently under 3/4" best being 3/8". Factory ammo, never had a trigger job or lapping the barrel, not bad for out of the box.