Estimated reading time: 11 minutes
AAAA maple glam with real teeth. In 6.5 Creedmoor, the X-Bolt 2 Medallion Maple stacked tight groups, ran smooth, and looked like a custom without the custom bill.
This beauty turns into a beast with ammo it likes, and you do not have to be a Fudd to appreciate it.
Stunning Maple Looks That Hunt
When I requested a Browning X-Bolt 2 Medallion Maple rifle for testing, I expected an ordinary X-Bolt 2 with a wooden stock somewhat lighter colored than Browning’s walnut-stocked rifles.
I was wrong. When I unboxed the gun, I was stunned. The richly figured maple stock was one of the most beautiful stocks I have ever seen on a factory production rifle. My first thought was, “I just converted to blondes.” My second was, “If this rifle shoots as good as it looks, it may not go back.”
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Why Wood Still Wins
Factory wood-stocked rifles are a relative rarity these days. There is no question that synthetic stocks now rule the market, and with good reason. They have come a long way since the earliest, cheap, and ugly Tupperware plastic stock. Synthetics now include carbon fiber and other materials that are durable and light. More importantly, they are impervious to changes in moisture and humidity, so they will not shift point of impact with the weather.
But there is one thing that synthetic stocks will never do. In my opinion, they can never match the beauty of high-grade wooden stocks, which brings us to the debate over old birch, walnut, and maple. Birch has long been used in cheaper firearms, while walnut has been the primary wood of choice for quality rifle stocks for a very long time. While less common, maple stocks offer several advantages.
Why Maple On A Hunting Rifle
Maple tends to be denser and heavier than walnut, making it generally stronger and more stable. That is why you often find it in top custom guitars and stringed instruments. Maple also takes checkering very well. About 130 types of maple trees exist worldwide, and stocks can have many kinds of figure, including burl, flame, birdseye, curly, quilted, and fiddleback. With their lighter color, properly finished high-grade maple stocks can look spectacular.
A prime example is the X-Bolt 2 Medallion Maple rifle I received, which wraps the advanced features of the X-Bolt 2 into an immensely stylish package. That starts with the use of a beautiful grade AAAA white maple stock, which translates to extra fancy or exhibition grade, depending on who is doing the grading. Browning did not stop there. The Medallion also sports Rosewood fore-end tips and grip caps, reminding me of stylish touches on Weatherby rifles of yesteryear. Unlike the old Weatherby Monte Carlo stocks, the X-Bolt 2 stock has classic straight contours and looks, but the gun still feels nimble and quick to the shoulder with its sporter contour barrel. Despite the wooden stock, the gun weighs just 6 lbs., 10 oz.
Checkering That Works Not Just Ornament
Well-executed 18 LPI point style checkering in all the right places enhances the functionality and aesthetics of the stock. There is also an Inflex 1.25-inch recoil pad. The richly figured maple stock contrasts nicely with the rifle’s lustrous blued steel finish on the barrel, bottom metal, and scroll-engraved receiver.
The Medallion Maple X-Bolt 2 is available in chamberings from 243 Win up to 300 Win Mag. Stops in between include 6.5 Creedmoor, 308 Win, 6.5 PRC, 6.8 Western, 270 Win, 30 06 Sprg, 7mm Rem Mag, and 7mm PRC. Barrel lengths vary by chambering and may be 22, 24, or 26 inches. My test rifle, chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, has a 22-inch chrome moly steel barrel with a high gloss finish. The barrel, threaded M13 – 0.75, wears a radial muzzle brake sized to fit flush with the barrel diameter. This keeps the lines of the rifle clean.
Silk Smooth Action 60 Degree Throw
I hesitate to use the word elegant in describing a rifle, but here it fits. Refinement extends to the action, where beauty is more than finish deep. As with all X-Bolt 2 models, the redesigned action has an additional bolt guidance surface. The result is an action that cycles very smoothly, even with a short 60-degree throw for ample scope clearance. An attractive spiral fluted bolt helps keep debris out of the chamber and further enhances cycling. The bolt itself was redesigned from the original X-Bolt and fitted with an improved bolt knob and handle. The action is bedded at the recoil lug and action screws for stability and to free float the barrel for enhanced accuracy.
The rifle employs a flush-fitting detachable rotary magazine that drops freely into the hand when you depress the release lever on the magazine itself. The polymer magazine is built tough and shows the level of attention to detail that is standard with X-Bolt rifles. The magazine retains cartridges by the shoulder rather than allowing them to ride freely. This contributes to accuracy by preventing bullets from slamming into the magazine wall upon recoil and damaging bullet tips. Capacity varies by chambering, but the magazine on my 6.5 Creedmoor holds four rounds.
DLX Trigger Crisp And Consistent
The gun comes with Browning’s newer single-stage DLX Trigger, a three-lever design that I rather like. It has virtually no creep, take-up, or overtravel. Perhaps that is why the trigger pull weight feels a little lighter than it is. I measured the pull weight at 3.5 pounds. Browning says the triggers are set at that weight when they leave the factory. The trigger is adjustable down to three pounds, but I left it at its factory setting for testing. That was not a detriment because the trigger breaks so crisply and consistently.
A tang mounted two position safety is within easy reach of the thumb of the firing hand. When engaged in the rearmost position, the safety locks the bolt down. I prefer that on a hunting rifle, especially when moving through thick cover, so the bolt does not snag on a branch and open inadvertently. You can still access and safely cycle rounds through the action thanks to a bolt unlock button at the top of the bolt handle. You can also tell at a glance if the bolt is cocked when a red metal cocking indicator protrudes from the rear bottom of the bolt shroud.
X-Lock Mounting Rock Solid Zero
Atop the receiver is one reason X-Bolt rifles got their name. The X-Lock riflescope mounting system doubles the standard number of base screws from two per base segment to four. The result is a rock-solid attachment of scope to receiver, assuming you torque all screws to spec.
To give the rifle every opportunity at the range, I topped it with a Zeiss Conquest V4 6-24×50 set in Talley lightweight rings. It is one of my favorite scopes for hunting and range testing. I have used this scope to shoot accurately out to 1,000 yards.
Velocities for five tested factory 6.5 Creedmoor rounds were slightly slower, by 58 fps on average, than factory stated velocities. That was no surprise given the rifle’s 22-inch barrel.
Superb Accuracy With The Right Loads
The big surprise was how accurately this rifle shot with ammo it liked. The rifle printed sub-MOA average groups at 100 yards with all three tested loads using 140 to 143-grain bullets. The best of the bunch was a Hornady 143-grain ELD-X Precision Hunter load, which turned in 0.59-inch average groups and a 0.35-inch best group. Nosler 140-grain American Whitetail and 140-grain Match Grade RDF also produced very tight groups. That included a 0.17-inch best group for the only match load tested, with two of three bullets going into the same hole.
The rifle was not as fond of two lighter loads, 130-grain and 127-grain. Results were still acceptable for most hunting, with those loads turning in 1.55-inch and 1.37-inch groups, respectively. I did not give the rifle as much time to cool between shot strings with these loads, and groups opened up slightly as the relatively slender barrel heated. That is fine because this rifle is not designed to shoot long strings in competition.
It is designed to be a highly refined and accurate hunting rifle, and in this role it excels. With ammo it likes, this beauty turns into a beast. Make no mistake, this rifle makes a statement. If you have a fondness for accurate rifles with high-grade wooden stocks, the X-Bolt 2 Medallion Maple is a bargain with an MSRP of $1,949.99. You can pay a lot more for a custom rifle that looks this good and shoots this well.
Browning X-Bolt 2 Medallion Maple 6.5 Creedmoor Accuracy
| Load | Avg. Velocity (feet per second) | Avg. Group 100 yards | Best Group 100 yards |
| Nosler American Whitetail 140 gr. | 2,580 | 0.86 | 0.71 |
| Federal Terminal Ascent 130 gr. | 2,704 | 1.55 | 1.18 |
| Hornady Precision Hunter 143 gr. | 2,653 | 0.59 | 0.35 |
| Nosler Match Grade 140 gr. RDF | 2,587 | 0.67 | 0.17 |
| Barnes VOR-TX LR BT 127 gr. | 2,808 | 1.37 | 1.02 |
Note: Velocity was an average of three shots, measured with a Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph. Accuracy is from three three-shot groups at 100 yards in wind varying from 5 to 10 mph.
Browning X-Bolt 2 Medallion Maple Specs
Action/Length: Bolt action/short action
Chambering: 6.5 Creedmoor, as tested
Wood Grade: AAAA
Stock Finish: Satin
Barrel: Chrome-moly 22-inch sporter
Rifling Twist Rate: 1:8
Threaded: M13-0.75
Chamber Finish: Polished
Barrel Finish: High-gloss blued
Receiver Finish: Gloss blued
Magazine/Capacity: Detachable, 4-rounds
Sights: None, X-Lock scope mounting system
Trigger: Adjustable, 3-5 lbs., gold plated
Trigger Guard: Alloy with Buck Mark in gold
Weight: 6 lbs., 10 oz.
Overall Length: 42 inches
Length of Pull: 13 5/8 in.
MSRP: $1,949.99
Pros And Cons
- Pros: AAAA maple stock looks and feel, sub MOA with 140 to 143 grain loads, smooth 60 degree action, crisp DLX Trigger, rock solid X-Lock mounts
- Cons: Lighter 127 to 130 grain loads were less impressive, slender barrel heats during fast strings, wood requires a little more care than synthetic
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Mike Dickerson is an award-winning writer who has published thousands of magazine and newspaper articles. He is an avid hunter and recreational shooter with decades of experience, specializing in rifles, shotguns, optics, and ammunition. He is also a proud Vietnam veteran who maintains close ties with the US military.
Experience
- Decades of hunting experience spanning North America
- Deep relationships with major industry manufacturers
- Extensive training in long-range shooting
- Stories published in virtually every major American hunting and gun magazine
- Highly experience wildlife and landscape photographer
