GET 20% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER

Bears of the North

By Rafe Nielsen Published on February 13th 2024

There they were, four empty shell cases lying neatly amongst the river-worn rocks on a gravel bar in the middle of nowhere Alaska. The last remaining evidence of the chaos that had just ensued. That, and the dead grizzly laying a mere 100 yards from us. Four empty shell cases. I don’t know how many were needed; to be fair, only three were impactful as the fourth landed just as he crumpled into the dirt. But this was no time for one-shot bragging rights. Grizzlies are big, mean, and tough, and once that first round landed squarely on his shoulder, the only job I had left was to keep him on that gravel bar and away from the stands of heavy alders and out of the fast-running river.

The first round was easy. The bear was broadside, and he casually tore apart a rotting salmon. The shot was clean and sent a spray of mist off his wet hide. He was a dead bear but didn’t know it — frankly, neither did I — but I wasn't about to test him. With a hair-raising growl, he raised on his back legs and began to spin a pirouette.

The mist from the first shot still hung in the air as the second round knocked him off his feet. Before he could recover, the third round made a solid impact, and I was shocked to see him catch his legs and make a futile run for the river. That gave me a split second to throw a fourth round directly into the chamber, find him in my scope again, and anchor him as he piled up for good. I have no recollection of time, but as with most intense shooting situations, it felt like an eternity and an instant simultaneously. Ultimately, he traveled less than twenty yards and absorbed four well-placed shots. I held those four empty cases in my hand.

I can vividly remember each shot:

The sight picture through the reticle.
The sounds of impacts.
The growling.
The water spraying into the air.
The mad dash to escape.
The adrenaline.

That’s the testament to a good rifle. Just like the best umpire at a baseball game is the one who isn’t noticed, so it goes with a rifle — something that fits so well, so naturally, so instinctually, that the operation is barely noticed.

Enter the new Browning X-Bolt 2. When talking with our engineers on this new project, I dismissed their explanation behind the need for smoother bolt draw. I had shot the original X-Bolt since its inception and never had a single problem or concern with the operation of the action. But as they began to explain, I caught the vision. With a simple re-design of the back half of the receiver, they incorporated a more meaningful section of material that stayed in contact with the bolt longer during the cycling process, providing zero bind performance.

What I don‘t remember is any conscious effort to fire the gun. It was the most intuitive shooting I had ever done, so I marveled at the four empty cases on the gravel bar. I remember the shots but not the act of it.

The engineers called it enhanced bolt guidance and it didn’t take but a couple of rounds at the range for me to fully understand and appreciate the value of this new design. The refinements to the X-Bolt 2 receiver became readily apparent while running rounds quickly through the action as I practiced defending myself from the impending grizzly charge that my family was certain that I would face. While they didn’t fully grasp the advantage of this new package, I could more convincingly tell them that I was headed afield with a rifle I could trust my life with. Couple this new design with the already speedy 60-degree bolt throw and I was comfortably handling the smoothest, easiest-cycling, and most intuitive bolt-action rifle on the market.

Enhanced bolt guidance wasn’t the only thing that made those four grizzly rounds unnoticeable. Admittedly, I’m not a particularly picky trigger guy, but the new DLX Trigger caught my attention by not grabbing my attention. Incorporated initially into our Competition and Target models, the DLX Trigger uses a multi-lever design that optimizes sear weight and trigger movement for an even crisper and more consistent break. Or, as I experienced, essentially unnoticeable. I vividly remember each shot touching off exactly when I wanted it to. The connection between the mind, finger, and trigger was instantaneous. Once again, something so instinctive and intuitive in those heated moments pays off huge dividends.

The exact model I carried on this trek was the Pro McMillan SPR and was the perfect setup for an Alaska grizzly hunt. I noticed three particular things about this model:

The shorter barrel length of the SPR models — four inches shorter than standard lengths — is primarily used to help reduce the overall length once you add a suppressor. In this case, we didn’t bother with the suppressor, but we thoroughly appreciated the shorter barrel while maneuvering through the dense Alaskan brush.
The McMillan Game Warden stock fit perfectly. It took years for me to embrace the more vertical grip concept, but the more I have used it, the more I appreciate the application. I also found the added finger stop and flat thumb rest of the Game Warden grip positioned my hand perfectly and provided a considerable comfort and functional advantage.
The combination of the stainless steel receiver with Carbon Gray Cerakote finish and Carbon Fiber wrapped stainless steel barrel assured me that I had a tough rifle that was purpose-built for the Alaskan bush.

In addition to the rifle, we were also outfitted with the Leupold VX5-HD riflescope and the new Leupold BX 4 Range HD range-finding binoculars.

Despite the seemingly endless rain, wind, and heavy thickets to navigate through, my trust in the rifle never wavered and it handled those difficult conditions with polished ease. I honestly went into the field with the highest degree of confidence. Maybe that’s the real reason those four rounds found their mark.

I wasn’t the only hunter on this trip, though I was the last of three to punch my tag. My good friend and longtime hunting partner, Shawn Skipper of Leupold, had tagged out on a beautiful blonde bear the day before. The every-bit-as-good-of-a-friend, Joe Ferronato of Petersen’s Hunting, had also punched his tag a mere hour before me and only 50 yards behind me. Their stories are for another day. But today, I look at those four empty cases propped up on my mantle at home as a reminder of what good rifles, good people, and good experiences can bring you.