X-Bolt Hells Canyon Questions

[LK2HNT]

Just bought myself a new Browning X-Bolt Hells Canyon in the .300 RUM. Not a top of the line rifle but Im a on a Budget. Put a Vortex Crossfire 2 scope on top. Few questions. Firstly what is the general opinion on the rifle I bought? I heard good things which Is why I chose it, but I figured Id ask again here. Secondly is a question on ammo. I Live in Alaska and hunt Caribou, Moose, Goats, Bears primarily. Id shoot a wolf if I came across one. I bought this gun to retire my old .308 to my son who took his first moose with it last fall. I chose the .300 RUM because I feel it can do everything in Alaska pretty well. Im thinking a 190-200 grain bullet would serve me well for Caribou, Moose And if I ever surprise an angry Bear it will pack a decent wallop, but I need the round to shoot flat also for the often times long open terrain shots on Moose and Caribou. I hear the 180's shoot well, but was thinking something a little heavier might be a better bet. The .300 RUM can launch a 200-220gr pill pretty well. Thank you for any insight or experiences. I bought this gun as a do it all Alaska gun.

 

[LK2HNT]

I know the .338 is a pretty well rounded AK gun, but my good buddy always raves about the performance of his .300 RUM so I bought the same, Plus we hunt together A lot so if he ever or I ever forget ammo or lose ammo r something we can use each others in a pinch.

 

[TNKnoxville]

My HC Speed 30 06 and Max Long Range 300 Win Mag shoot a wide range of ammo. Mine like ELDx, Federal Trophy Bonded Tips and Fusions. I'll be shooting the 220 ELDX's from my 300 Win and Trophy Bonded Tips from my 30 06. All less than 1 MOA.

 

[BAKPAKR]

Are you going to be limited to factory ammo or are you going to reload? I have two 300 RUMs. I have used 200 gr Nosler Accubonds on two moose (one Shiras, one Canada) and a 200 gr Barnes LRX on another Shiras. All three were at 50 yards or less. The Barnes bullet worked very well.

I will soon be putting a 1:9“ twist barrel on and I am going to try the 199 gr Hammer Hunter bullets. I think your rifle has a 1:8” twist so it should handle long, heavy bullets well.

 

[LK2HNT]

My HC Speed 30 06 and Max Long Range 300 Win Mag shoot a wide range of ammo. Mine like ELDx, Federal Trophy Bonded Tips and Fusions. I'll be shooting the 220 ELDX's from my 300 Win and Trophy Bonded Tips from my 30 06. All less than 1 MOA.

I was wondering if I should just zero in my rifle with the 220gr and just hunt with that as im in Alaska and 220gr wouldnt be overkill for Moose or Bear, Maybe a little overkill for Caribou as my .308 with 180gr has killed plenty right dead.

 

[LK2HNT]

Are you going to be limited to factory ammo or are you going to reload? I have two 300 RUMs. I have used 200 gr Nosler Accubonds on two moose (one Shiras, one Canada) and a 200 gr Barnes LRX on another Shiras. All three were at 50 yards or less. The Barnes bullet worked very well.

I will soon be putting a 1:9“ twist barrel on and I am going to try the 199 gr Hammer Hunter bullets. I think your rifle has a 1:8” twist so it should handle long, heavy bullets well.

Factory loads only for right now at least as I have never re-loaded anything in my life. yes barrel is 1/8 twist

 

[Rs3003]

All the browning rifles I’ve shot I used factory Federal Premium Accubond. They shot great. 30 cal 180 grain and 243 cal 95 grain. Partitions shot good also out of the 243.

 

[BAKPAKR]

I hope you are able to find some factory ammo that
shoots well. The Precision Hunter ammo shoots well in my 6.5 Creedmoor, but not so well from my 30-06. I haven’t tried it in my 300s.

Also, from my limited experience, a bullet from a 300 RUM needs to be fairly stout to hold together at close range.

 

[mainbeam pursuit2]

I have a X bolt Hells Canyon, so far I'm very happy with it. Accurate with both factory and hand loads. The barrel cleans up quick and easy. I did put the Mcarbo spring in the trigger, seems to really help mine. Some say it didn't help theirs. I'm a big fan of the 300 rum its a great round .

 

[Spoonman]

I have a hells canyon 7mm and it shoots very well, a 300wsm hell’s canyon that shoots very well also and a xbolt pro long range in 300wm that absolutely loves factory Berger 215 hybrids.

 

[TNKnoxville]

I've had Pendelton Ammunition work up a custom load for my 300 Win Mag. The results were 0.55 MOA and 2795 fps with the 220 grain ELDX. Should smack them hard.

 

[Pbgunrunner]

Great rifle, I have an xbolt western hunter in 28 nosler that I'm setting up myself. My only caution for you is on your scope choice, I'm a vortex geek and one is going on my rifle, but I wouldnt use the crossfire on a hard kicking, hard use rifle, they are a good entry level glass, but I'd at least want to be in the viper line for your gun and neck of the woods. There are several places that allow you to buy at 1/2 suggested retail if you are law enforcement or military, it's worth looking into!

 

[LK2HNT]

Great rifle, I have an xbolt western hunter in 28 nosler that I'm setting up myself. My only caution for you is on your scope choice, I'm a vortex geek and one is going on my rifle, but I wouldnt use the crossfire on a hard kicking, hard use rifle, they are a good entry level glass, but I'd at least want to be in the viper line for your gun and neck of the woods. There are several places that allow you to buy at 1/2 suggested retail if you are law enforcement or military, it's worth looking into!

Is the Crossfire series known to be knocked off zero with a hard kicking rifle?

 

[Pbgunrunner]

Any entry level scope would raise my caution, absolutely nothing wrong with the vortex per se, but you are asking ALOT out of a scope- a hard kicking gun to be used for hunting in an extreme environment. The scope you chose would meet the minimum standards at best, as would entry level scopes from ANY manufacturer! In my opinion I'd rather have a $500 rifle with $1000 in scope and mounts vs a $1000 rifle with $500 in scope and mounts. Theres just SO much that can go wrong in a scope with the lenses, springs, adjustments, waterproofing, etc...any one goes and you have a ruined hunt or worse, a wounded animal. Try the mid range vortex, Burris, leupold, etc....most have lifetime warranties, so even a used one us an option (you can send it in to be checked). Just the difference in lens coatings at low light will make a huge difference in performance.

 

[LK2HNT]

Any entry level scope would raise my caution, absolutely nothing wrong with the vortex per se, but you are asking ALOT out of a scope- a hard kicking gun to be used for hunting in an extreme environment. The scope you chose would meet the minimum standards at best, as would entry level scopes from ANY manufacturer! In my opinion I'd rather have a $500 rifle with $1000 in scope and mounts vs a $1000 rifle with $500 in scope and mounts. Theres just SO much that can go wrong in a scope with the lenses, springs, adjustments, waterproofing, etc...any one goes and you have a ruined hunt or worse, a wounded animal. Try the mid range vortex, Burris, leupold, etc....most have lifetime warranties, so even a used one us an option (you can send it in to be checked). Just the difference in lens coatings at low light will make a huge difference in performance.

Makes sense. I guess what throws me off is I bought a Cheapy Ruger American .308 about 7 yrs ago that came with a Redfield 3x9 scope, whole package for like $600. I zero'd in that scope 7 years ago and have never touched it since. Its killed 6 Caribou and 2 Moose and that guns been bounced through the backcountry both in my SxS and hundreds of miles hiking the mountains, not one issue ever LOL. I would think a Vortex, even a $250 Crossfire 2 would still perform better than that probably $75 Redfield!.

 

[Pbgunrunner]

And it very well may. But the recoil impulse of that 300 is MUCH sharper than a .308. Again, your call my friend. You'll never know until you try, I just hope that if it does go bad it's at the range, not pointing at the animal of a lifetime. I'm in Iowa, so I have to pay alot to go on hunts that you do in your backyard. So I buy the best I can when it comes to equipment and ammunition, because it might be a $10k once in a lifetime trip for me! Buy once cry once I guess! As proof of my point, I have a Vortex Razor LHT coming for my xbolt 28 nosler going in Talley rings. Good luck and good hunting.

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

Is the Crossfire series known to be knocked off zero with a hard kicking rifle?

Where you at in Alaska? I’m in wasilla and I got a couple of scopes I’m not using. One is a viper 3-9 and one is a Leupold 3-9 freedom CDs.
I like the crossfire line, but it is an entry level scope. I’d be hesitant to put it on any of my hunting rifles.
matter of fact, all my hunting rifles have Leupolds vx3 on them. My kids all have crossfire, Diamondback, and vx2 on them.

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

Makes sense. I guess what throws me off is I bought a Cheapy Ruger American .308 about 7 yrs ago that came with a Redfield 3x9 scope, whole package for like $600. I zero'd in that scope 7 years ago and have never touched it since. Its killed 6 Caribou and 2 Moose and that guns been bounced through the backcountry both in my SxS and hundreds of miles hiking the mountains, not one issue ever LOL. I would think a Vortex, even a $250 Crossfire 2 would still perform better than that probably $75 Redfield!.

Leupold owns Redfield.
I like vortex and I love Leupold.
I prefer the crossfire line over the viper line. Seriously. To my eyes the crossfire is clearer. Though the edges are a little more distorted.

 

[tdot]

After shooting a blacktail deer in the neck at 10 yards with a 308win, I've stopped using Accubonds for my hunting rounds. It vapourized the vertebrae, but didnt exit. That was at 2650fps with a 180grain AB. RUM velocities are far higher. I'd always had fantastic results when hitting soft tissue, but that was the first time I'd hit bone.

As a result I've been experimenting with solid copper bullets and been much happier with the results. They perform from 0 yards out to max ranges that are beyond where I hunt. Drop the weight of the bullet, increasing the velocity and the results are awesome.

I feel much more confident in the solid coppers for Grizzly protection as their performance has just been so much more consistent for me.

 

[Pbgunrunner]

Hammer bullets for sure!!