Frustrated with new 28 Nosler

[Detour]

I purchased a new Fierce Edge carbon fiber barrel in .28 Nosler. I starting to work up good long range elk hunting load. I broke the barrel in with a box of factory Hornady 162 ELD-X. Only shot the last three rounds for groups, it wasn't impresseive 1.5" group. All groups are three shots. I wasn't to concerned. Bought a box of Nosler 160 accubond factory loads. Couldn't get better then 1.5" group either. So I took my bullet removal tool and extended the COAL out to 3.340 since they were short from factory. I did shoot a 1/2" group with them, 1 group. Maybe three lucky shots. I give the gun 10 - 15 minutes between groups and 2-3 minutes between shots. Barrel never has gotten hot. All of my shooting so far has been at an indoor 100 yard range off sand bags.
So know I'm onto developing some hand loads. I have only tried RL33 so far.
Berger 180 gr VLD hunter, 88 grains RL33 all three loads, CCI 250 primers
.010 off lands. vertical string - 1.68" group
.050 off land vertical string - 1.3" group
.090 off lands vertical string - 1.9" group
all vertical strings go from shot 1 high shot 3 lowest. All three groups go from high to low. Left and right is good

New Nosler brass. Neck trimmed to .0155 thick
Case OAL 2.575
Neck outside diameter after being shot .320

I'll try a ladder test maybe this coming weekend. and break out the chronograph.

Questions I have are:

1. should I trim my neck diameter? Is .0155 a bit too tight?
2. Why am I getting vertical string with shot 1 being high and 3 being low?
3. Should I use once fired brass for better groups? Have only used new brass run thru my RCBS FL sizing die and neck trimmed to .0155.

Feeling flustraded since this gun is about 6x more expensive then my Ruger MKII .300 WM that will shoot 1" or under with almost anything you throw at it. I'm new to precision reloading. I have reloaded for years, but never for 1/2 MOA accuracy. I weighed every case, bullet, powder to exact accuracy. Each loaded round had less then 1 grain of tolerance. distance off lands were less then .0015 tolerance. I feel they should've grouped better out of a new rifle of this quality.

 

[Mram10us]

Assuming my math is right, you have .006" clearance in the neck, so you should be good there. 28 nos get very dirty, very fast. Give it a thorough clean and try again. 180s seem to like h1000. I didn't have much luck with 33 and 180s. As for stringing, I have had carbon barrels show the string too. Like to sit next to a guy at the range and see if they don't. 6.5-284 has a carbon and it doesn't string with 3.

 

[jasonco]

Assuming my math is right, you have .006" clearance in the neck, so you should be good there. 28 nos get very dirty, very fast. Give it a thorough clean and try again. 180s seem to like h1000. I didn't have much luck with 33 and 180s. As for stringing, I have had carbon barrels show the string too. Like to sit next to a guy at the range and see if they don't. 6.5-284 has a carbon and it doesn't string with 3.

What he said: 28's get real filthy, real quick, the nature of the beast.

 

[Tidus56]

Also I have noticed they get even dirtier with RL33. Atleast more so than the H 1000 and Retumbo loads I have used. Could be just a random occurrence.
Doesn't fierce send a target with every gun that leaves their shop? If so how does theirs look?

 

[jlvandersnick]

1. math tells me your neck should be fine . you have .005
Did you weight sort brass? ?

my experience with vertical stringing..... it could be a bedding issue

 

[Detour]

1. math tells me your neck should be fine . you have .005
Did you weight sort brass? ?

my experience with vertical stringing..... it could be a bedding issue

I did weight sort brass and bullets with a digital scale.

Bedding, I hope not, I can run a thick piece of paper all the way up the the recoil lug.

 

[jlvandersnick]

paper won't really tell you whether or not it's a good bedding job....only tells you that it's free floated.

since you neck turned. the mandrel should have made it so you have really consistent seating tension. . . so it should be a neck tension issue

the fact that all groups are vertical.......I think bedding.
Does fierce actually bed their rifles?

 

[C S Fever]

I did weight sort brass and bullets with a digital scale.

Bedding, I hope not, I can run a thick piece of paper all the way up the the recoil

paper won't really tell you whether or not it's a good bedding job....only tells you that it's free floated.

the fact that all groups are vertical.......I think bedding.

Does fierce actually bed their rifles?

I agree could be an action screw that's not quite torqued properly as well!

 

[Detour]

paper won't really tell you whether or not it's a good bedding job....only tells you that it's free floated.

since you neck turned. the mandrel should have made it so you have really consistent seating tension. . . so it should be a neck tension issue

the fact that all groups are vertical.......I think bedding.
Does fierce actually bed their rifles?

No bedding material around barrel. A steel L shaped piece of metal that is bedded into stock, then the action attache's to the metal piece. I'll call or check website for fierce torque specifications and double check

 

[LongBomber]

How did you pick the 88 grain load? The vertical stringing can be from the load itself and not be a rifle issue.

Have you done a full load workup and the 1.3" all vertical group is the best you found?

 

[DJ Fergus]

I don't have a 28 nosler but I do have the stw. I run 180 elds. I would either run Berger's or eldms. I'm not impressed with the eldx. I do nothing with the necks on virgin nosler brass & yes the neck tension is tight. I tried less neck tension and it didn't like it. I'm seated about .007 from the lands. 80.4 grains of N570 gets me aprx 3180. I have a 28" bbl. My guess is you will find a good node somewhere between 3040fps to 3060. And another node somewhere between 3150+3200. I couldn't capitalize on anything between those two nodes.

 

[jasonco]

I don't have a 28 nosler but I do have the stw. I run 180 elds. I would either run Berger's or eldms. I'm not impressed with the eldx. I do nothing with the necks on virgin nosler brass & yes the neck tension is tight. I tried less neck tension and it didn't like it. I'm seated about .007 from the lands. 80.4 grains of N570 gets me aprx 3180. I have a 28" bbl. My guess is you will find a good node somewhere between 3040fps to 3060. And another node somewhere between 3150+3200. I couldn't capitalize on anything between those two nodes.

175 ELDX's came apart in my 26" 1/9 twist, when velocity approached the high node 3200fps! I don't use them.

 

[Ed AO]

Could it be your scope?

 

[Mram10us]

Could it be your scope?

Great point. How many times do guys find scope hardware has loosened up?