New Browning X-Bolt 2 Hunter model wont eject\open bolt after 20 rounds.

[sammaz]

I have 20 rounds through my new Browning X-Bolt 2 Hunter model in WinMag 300. After firing the 20th shot the bolt wont open to eject the spent round. It seems the bolt wont roll all the away open and just keeps cocking the firing pin when it cycles.

Any suggestions? This is my one hunting rifle :/

 

[grfox92]

Was there heavy bolt lift on the first 19? Was there difficulty ejector before the 20th?

Sent from my SM-G990U using Tapatalk

 

[sammaz]

Rubber Mallet tap to the bolt handle forced it to fully rotate and eject!....There was a small bit that was left to rotate that was stuck.

Yes on the heavy lift on the first 19. but there was no problem with the ejection when it did hit full rotation.

Going back to the range in a few to shoot some more.

 

[Weldor]

Caliber? ammo type. 20 hard bolt lifts? Did you degrease it from the factory, chamber , barrel ETC?

 

[sammaz]

WinMag 300 Nossler 180gr

From the factory ran patches down the barrel to remove any factory oil prior to first shots...then after 5 rounds cleared copper fouling and repeated until no copper fouling was found. Then the bolt stuck. I did not remove or add any grease to\from the bolt

 

[Weldor]

Is the chamber dry? I've had hard bolt lifts with residual oil or bore cleaner left in the chamber. I always use acetone with a swab to wipe the chamber before shooting. Just a thought.

 

[sammaz]

I did use a gun cleaning q-tip stick to check the fouling on the face of the bolt...didnt find much there

 

[TaperPin]

What a shocker.
If it happens again, running a cleaning rod down the muzzle and “bouncing” it on the stuck case while applying hand pressure to the bolt is much less likely to damage the bolt handle or crack the ejector. If someone were to take a rifle to a gunsmith to get a stuck case out that’s what they would do.

 

[Onehorse]

I have 20 rounds through my new Browning X-Bolt 2 Hunter model in WinMag 300. After firing the 20th shot the bolt wont open to eject the spent round. It seems the bolt wont roll all the away open and just keeps cocking the firing pin when it cycles.

Any suggestions? This is my one hunting rifle :/

I had the exact same thing happen to my brand-new X Bolt 2 today (Oct. 31, 2025). Did 20 break in shots. Then 5 shots later, the bolt won't lift to its highest position and open/eject. I was using handloads but was way under max with zero pressure signs and relatively low velocity on the chronograph. Rifle was cleaned and I always run a clean patch through and look down the bore before going to the and shooting. I called Browning and have arranged to send the rifle back for inspection and repair. This is my first Browning. Is this a common problem with Browning X Bolts? Never had this problem with any of the rifles from Remington, Ruger, Winchester, Tikka, Mauser, etc. that I've owned for well over 60 years.

 

[sammaz]

Thanks for the info…I will be sending mine back too after elk season

 

[Onehorse]

What a shocker.
If it happens again, running a cleaning rod down the muzzle and “bouncing” it on the stuck case while applying hand pressure to the bolt is much less likely to damage the bolt handle or crack the ejector. If someone were to take a rifle to a gunsmith to get a stuck case out that’s what they would do.

THANKS SO MUCH! I tried that technique this morning and it worked perfectly. It only took a couple of light taps, and I could feel the case moving ever so slightly until it just dropped out. I like the finesse approach much better than the "just pound on the bolt handle" idea..
Of course, getting the stuck case out doesn't educate me about what caused the case to get stuck. So, I've got to work on finding that out. After wiping he chamber thoroughly, I put the case that was stuck back in and closed the bolt to see what would happen. It got stuck again, but this time I knew how to get it right out. So, I am thinking it has something to do with the case brand (Hornady), or maybe just this particular case (could be on me, not Hornady). I'll keep trying different things until I find out the cause.
Another tip for anyone else who wants to try this method : I made a little "straw" out of several wraps paper and placed it in the end of the muzzle of my rifle to protect the crown.
THANKS AGAIN!

 

[Weldor]

Re-size that 1 piece of brass and see if it sticks. I have a good friend going through the same thing with a 6.5 PRC . I loaned him my Lyman case gauge so he can see if he is re-sizing the case correctly and we did find a burr in chamber with a bore scope. Also found a tiny piece of brass shaving stuck on the chamber wall by the neck.

 

[TaperPin]

THANKS SO MUCH! I tried that technique this morning and it worked perfectly. It only took a couple of light taps, and I could feel the case moving ever so slightly until it just dropped out. I like the finesse approach much better than the "just pound on the bolt handle" idea..
Of course, getting the stuck case out doesn't educate me about what caused the case to get stuck. So, I've got to work on finding that out. After wiping he chamber thoroughly, I put the case that was stuck back in and closed the bolt to see what would happen. It got stuck again, but this time I knew how to get it right out. So, I am thinking it has something to do with the case brand (Hornady), or maybe just this particular case (could be on me, not Hornady). I'll keep trying different things until I find out the cause.
Another tip for anyone else who wants to try this method : I made a little "straw" out of several wraps paper and placed it in the end of the muzzle of my rifle to protect the crown.
THANKS AGAIN!

Glad that helped. Hopefully it’s an easy fix to keep it from happening.

 

[UnckleBob]

Call Browning and have them look at it. I had the same problem. They had a gunsmith polish my chamber.

 

[Onehorse]

Call Browning and have them look at it. I had the same problem. They had a gunsmith polish my chamber.

Thank you.

 

[8mille]

Chamber may need to be polished. Quality control for American brand name rifle manufacturers is the pits. Winchester sucks, starting to sound like Browning too. Remington was somewhat shitty as was Marlin. I’m pretty tired of American quality control. The bean counters can give a crap less and only care what their bottom line is ; so there is a race to the bottom to cut corners. I’d rather they use better grade materials, put more effort into consistency and fit and finish; and just charge more. Out of respect to buy American I’ve tried over the years to buy American classics.
All I experienced is issues. Going back to foreign made Deluxe for a couple of more factory rifles and will keep my expectations limited for those. The others from now on will be custom. American manufacturers are dumping all over the American consumer. They all are actually. I gave up on Ford. Even Toyota let out some crap Tundra where it was a great vehicle. A lot has to do with costs and electronics, circuit boards and such. All bullshit low grade crap. For guns I’d save and buy Deluxe minimum or custom only. For other so called durable goods as in appliances, TV, etc. I’ll expect to swap them out when they inevitably need service that costs almost as much to buy new. For vehicles, it is what it is. Sad but true. Sorry I got off topic a bit, but people need to know the shit that’s being sold to us here.
For your firearms save and buy the best quality you can afford.
PS- Winchester 70 Supergrade and Super maples suck as far as quality control. I held five Super Maples in my hands and passed on every one of them. Caveat Emptor(buyer beware). They would never let this crap out of the factory years ago. I’ve read reviews and seen YouTubers complaining about poor machining, poor fit n finish, etc.,etc.,etc. Not worth the hit or miss risk anymore.