Long barrels and composite stocks belong together on a rifle meant to get wet. This Browning X-Bolt 2 Hunter has a 26" blued barrel and a composite stock, listed under part number 036003297.

The 26" barrel suggests one of the magnum cartridges, which usually need the extra length for velocity. Practice from a rest and from field positions so your first shot in the woods is not your first shot with the rifle. Wipe the metal down after damp mornings and keep the bore clean, and a rifle like this can last for generations.

A composite stock does not swell in the damp or shift point of impact the way some wood stocks can. For a hunter in the coastal plain, where mornings are wet and the marsh is close, that stability is worth something.

Blued steel looks good and takes oil well. Wipe it down after every hunt and it will last a lifetime.

The X-Bolt 2 line is a refined version of the original with improvements the maker documents. Buy it new. It ships to a North Carolina FFL dealer for pickup and the background check.