Browning’s Best 9 Elk Rifles

Published on September 23, 2025 by Jace Bauserman

Elk hunting is my obsession. It’s not something I like or love; it’s much more than those two words can describe. God built me to be an elk hunter. I think about elk hunting 24/7/365. I train year-round, running many marathons and mountain ultramarathons, so I can better dominate the elk woods. Never confuse obsession with something you merely like or love.

I’m not writing that to motivate you or change your thinking. This is just me, and it’s an unhealthy way to think, but I don’t plan to change. My unhealthy obsession has led me on a 25-year quest across the West in search of the monarch of the mountains. It has also led me on a journey to discover the best elk gear possible.

I work hard all year to earn a few magical encounters in a few states each fall with some big, stinky, heavy-horned brutes. There is no room for error on my part or for my gear to fail me. For this reason, I put my elk-hunting trust in Browning rifles, and over the years, I’ve filled the freezer using many different makes and models.

Here are my top 9 go-to Browning elk rifles.

X-Bolt 2 Speed

The meat and potatoes of Browning’s X-Bolt 2 lineup is the X-Bolt 2 Speed. This rifle is available in a range of elk-killing calibers. You’ll appreciate the highly customizable Vari-Tech stock that is easy to adjust. The LOP has a 1-inch range of adjustment using the included internal spacers. The comb height also has 1-inch of vertical adjustment to ensure precise eye-to-optic alignment. The Speed’s fore-end is sleek, feels excellent in the hand, and I love the black overmolded gripping surfaces. Interchangeable sporter and vertical grips customize grip angle and finger-to-trigger reach.

A standard rifle that performs like a custom-built make, the Smoked Bronze Cerakote finish protects against rust and corrosion while keeping elk-spooking shine down. The fluted sporter-weight barrel reduces weight and is fitted with a radial muzzle brake to reduce felt recoil. I appreciate that the barrel tapers coming out of the action to allow additional clearance for a large-bell scope.

Like all X-Bolt 2 models, Browning redesigned the receiver for additional bolt guidance surface area that equates to even smoother operation. Of course, OG X-Bolt lovers still get to enjoy that short, quick 60-degree bolt lift, which promises rapid cycling and clears large optics.

X-Bolt 2 Hunter Composite

The least expensive X-Bolt 2 model in the line, Browning's X-Bolt 2 Hunter Composite, easily makes my Best Browning Elk Rifle list. Last fall, I took the rifle chambered in 7mm Rem. Mag. to New Mexico and crushed a mature 6x6 bull from over 300 yards. When you go with a gun that wears the Buckmark, you don’t have to empty your bank account to find an effective elk killer.

You’ll love the spiral-fluted bolt and Vari-Tech stock with adjustable comb, interchangeable grips, and overmolded grip surfaces. The only significant differences between the Composite and the Speed are that the Composite is only available in Black with a non-reflective matte blued finish on a non-fluted sporter contour barrel.

I love the adjustable, multiple-lever DLX trigger, and like the Speed, the new 1-1/4-inch thick Inflex recoil pad soaks up post-shot felt recoil like a sponge, keeping you in your scope.

X-Bolt 2 Speed Carbon Fiber & Carbon Fiber SPR

Yes, two different rifles, but make no mistake, they’re in the same family. The primary difference between the Speed Carbon Fiber & the Carbon Fiber SPR is that the SPR models feature shorter carbon fiber/stainless steel barrels that are optimized for use with a suppressor. Adding a suppressor adds length, and length adds weight and reduced maneuverability. With the Carbon Fiber SPR, you can have your cake and eat it.

Both models showcase new X-Bolt 2 styling and the Vari-Tech stock with adjustable LOP, comb, and interchangeable sporter and vertical grips to maximize shooter customization. The Preferred Barrel Blanks stainless steel barrel on the SPR is wrapped in carbon fiber and features a 5/8"-24 muzzle threading with Recoil Hawg. The Preferred Barrel Blanks stainless steel barrel on the Carbon Fiber features 5/8"-24 threading with Recoil Hawg; however, barrel lengths are standard based on caliber. The Recoil Hawg reduces felt recoil up to 76 percent.

Both rifles are available in a wide range of elk-killing calibers, and both provide remarkable downrange accuracy through the wrapping process that every Preferred Barrel undergoes.

X-Bolt 2 Speed LR

I’ve killed three bull elk with three shots from Browning’s original X-Bolt Speed LR. One shot was over 600 yards, and still, the bullet hit within 1-inch of where I felt my crosshairs were when the shot broke. I will never not own an X-Bolt 2 Speed LR. Browning also offers similar rifles in the X-Bolt 2 Hell's Canyon McMillan LR with Game Scout stock and the X-Bolt 2 Western Hunter LR.

I realize this is an elk article, and while I’ve yet to drop a tan hide with a dark mane with the X-Bolt 2 Speed LR, I did kill a 300-plus yard Southeastern ibex and Iberian mouflon ram in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of southern Spain this past spring. Mountain hunting is mountain hunting, and accuracy is accuracy. Keep that in mind. I leave next week for a September elk hunt with my X-Bolt 2 Speed LR.

Built for long-range success, the Speed LR has elk-killing features like longer, caliber-optimized, sporter-weight barrels with belled muzzles and radial muzzle brakes. I love the new Plus Magazine System, which is easy to eject, load, and re-insert. The magazine has a feature that secures the shoulder of the cartridge to prevent damage to bullet tips under recoil and allows for increased ammo capacity (check state regulations). The aluminum Picatinny rail is ideal for bipod mounting, and the extended bolt handle with an ergonomic knob shape makes cycling easy. The action is bedded at the recoil lug and the rear action screw to free-float the barrel. If you want to experience long-range accuracy at its finest without investing thousands of dollars, do yourself a favor and get an X-Bolt 2 Speed LR and fill the freezer with elk meat.

X-Bolt 2 McMillan Pro Carbon Fiber & McMillan Pro SPR Carbon Fiber

Pick your elk-killing poison based on how and where you hunt with this dynamic duo. I took the McMillan Pro Carbon Fiber SPR to the Dark Continent and stacked up 10 critters with it in June of 2024. In September of 2024, I killed two 6-point bulls with the rifle chambered in .300 Win. Mag. This rifle is a tack driver! Like the Carbon Fiber and Carbon Fiber SPR, the McMillan Pro SPR Carbon Fiber sports barrel lengths shorter than standard barrel lengths for increased maneuverability if a suppressor is added.

Both McMillan Pro Carbon Fiber rifles feature McMillan Game Warden 2.0 carbon fiber stocks with accent graphics, and the Cerakote Carbon Gray finish on the lightweight Pro stainless steel action protects and reduces unwanted shine. I love the stock’s high comb with a deep recess into the beefy grip. The Game Scout design bridges the gap between a hunting and an ultra-stable target stock. Both rifles will make you more accurate than you ever thought possible. The Pachmayer Decelerator recoil pad succeeds at reducing felt recoil, allowing you to stay in the scope to gauge the animal’s reaction to your shot and send a follow-up shot if necessary.

The 20 MOA Picatinny optics rail with bubble level makes for easy scope mounting, and the aluminum Picatinny rail works well with most bipods.

X-Bolt 2 Mountain Pro SPR Tungsten and SPR Smoked Bronze

The same rifle, with two different metal parts finishes — Tungsten and Smoked Bronze — Browning’s Mountain Pro rifles are premium, lightweight bolt-actions engineered for those who roam far in search of elk nirvana.

The new Pro Stainless Steel Receiver, spiral fluted bolt, and aluminum bolt handle reduce overall weight, as does the new carbon-fiber stock with height-adjustable comb and bronze/gray graphics. Browning added an integrated Picatinny rail for easy bipod attachment, and QD sling swivel cups ensure rapid attachment and detachment of the sling. The one-piece design of the stock uses wrapped carbon fiber to make it stronger, lighter, and ultra-rigid. A rigid stock reduces flex, increasing accuracy whether you must take a quick off-hand shot or one where a bipod or shooting rest is used.