Reloading 28 Nosler

Tom Erickson

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Minnesota
I finally loaded up some rounds . Using 168 Barns LRX . After measuring the bullet length I came up with 3.530 . I backed it off .040 so I'm at 3.490 I'm using H1000 started at 76 gr went to 77, 78 , 79 ,and 80 . I shot 4 shot groups 80 gave me my best group but the bolt started getting stiff at what point do you stop and maybe start playing with the bullet depth
 

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That is why I shoot a ladder test in .5 grain increments. At the first sign of pressure I back off 1 grain and that is max in that rifle. Then I take the flat spots in velocity and load around them to find the best powder charge then I do seating depth test starting at .010 off and in .025 increments. Most times you will find something you like in there. If not I change something but most times it is bullet. I have shot 300 rounds in a 6 Creedmoor one time determined to get it to shoot ELD-X because I wanted it to. Learned my lesson. Finally tried a Berger 105 hybrid and bam one hole groups.
Don't get hung up on velocity with modern scopes just dial and shoot. A tight group is just teasing you to try and stay in that high node. Don't you will regret it.
 
I would go back to 78 grains and do the whole thing over again and go by .3 grain increases back up to 80. Then find the group with the best SD and then try a seating depth test. .3 grains is a lot. I think .5 is way too much. Just my opinion. A ladder works too, but I don't have a 4-500 yard range to properly do it on. So I stick to OCW and it works very well for me. The 28 nosler is tricky, and finicky, .04 seems to be a good spot for the LRX.
 
If it was me, since this works for me is why I am recommending it, I would run a seating depth test first at the lowest powder charge, you can run it by doing the Berger bullet seating chart or you could do your own starting at .010 off lands down to .090 off lands moving .010 off for each at four shot strings for each. This will tell you what the rifle likes, once you find the best group out of those, then load four more at that seating and see if it repeats. If so, then start working on powder charge's at .5gr increments until you hit pressure or you find a group you like with low SD/ES numbers. Since this is a 28 Nosler, I would not burn to much powder and bullets to move from .5 MOA to .25 MOA, the barrel will last around 700 to 900 rounds, depending how hard you run it. Good luck and have fun.
 
You need more resolution? 1 grain jumps are too wide. I'l start with .5 grain loads, find pressure, back-off to "safe" no pressure indicators, graph it in Excel, to find my velocity flats, then do more testing in that area at .3-.4 grain increments. Then when a stable powder load is identified, I'l test seating depths, up & down, from the original starting seating depth, in .010 increments. And with 28 Nosler, being as miserly as possible, because it will wear a barrel pretty quick! Then take it out to distance for validation. That's where I'm at, my current 28 Nosler barrel and another on the way.
 
You need more resolution? 1 grain jumps are too wide. I'l start with .5 grain loads, find pressure, back-off to "safe" no pressure indicators, graph it in Excel, to find my velocity flats, then do more testing in that area at .3-.4 grain increments. Then when a stable powder load is identified, I'l test seating depths, up & down, from the original starting seating depth, in .010 increments. And with 28 Nosler, being as miserly as possible, because it will wear a barrel pretty quick! Then take it out to distance for validation. That's where I'm at, my current 28 Nosler barrel and another on the way.
I was out last weekend 76.2 seemed to be the best now I'm going to start playing with bullet depth
 
I'm using Ramshot LRT for the 180-195's and picked up a pound of Ramshot Magnum for the 175's today to give a try this weekend. My current barrel has 3200fps node with the 180 ELDM/Retumbo/CCI250/Nosler brass, but the brass was done to get it there and the only pressure sign was expanded primer pockets, I discovered when decapping and checked with Swage Gage, nothing else! Switched to Hornady and after annealing it, it's better than the soft Nosler and giving stable pressure up through the charge weights, with LRT! Waiting for the Peterson 28 Nosler on Friday, to give a go to.
 
At what point do you change bullets ?
I found 76.2 gr gave me my best group.
I then went to bullet jump shot 6 ,4 shot groups at .010 adjustments my best group is 1 inch at 100 witch sucks I can get sub 1/2 groups with factory loads. So do I give up on barns LRX and try nosler Accubond . I'm kind of stuck using H1000 could not find any powder and when I did it was 8 # so I'm kind of stuck there. I've used cci and federal primers no real change si just trying to figure out what my next step should be .
Thanks for any help
 
Are you absolutely positive, that 76.2gn is you velocity node? I thought I had a node last week, when I did my seating depth tests, it wasn't! I also do .010" up and down, from my starting depth too, which usually gives a high probability of finding what the rifle likes, in very few rounds, which is what we want with this over-bore cartridge.

On powder, H1000 I found to be on the "fast" side for big seven cases. It usually pressures out, before you get speedy velocities, but it's normally accurate, this from years of working with 7STW.
Keep working with it and you'l find what you want, but you may have to make a compromise somewhere along the way?
 
So should I just continue sitting the bullet deeper I started .020 off the land I'm at .070 . I have 150 rounds through the barrel I'm afraid if something doesn't start working I'll shoot out the barrel before I even find a load that works .that's why i was wondering if i should just go to the Accubond since i know my gun shoots those in factory loads very well.
 
So should I just continue sitting the bullet deeper I started .020 off the land I'm at .070 . I have 150 rounds through the barrel I'm afraid if something doesn't start working I'll shoot out the barrel before I even find a load that works .that's why i was wondering if i should just go to the Accubond since i know my gun shoots those in factory loads very well.
That's the risk.

I haven't used Accubond bullets (B-Tips, Custom Comp) , Nosler's are usually pretty tolerant of seating depth, so if that's what works, use it. Once you find a load with a Big Seven, stay with it and don't chase other combinations, because these barrels are short life.
 
That's the risk.

I haven't used Accubond bullets (B-Tips, Custom Comp) , Nosler's are usually pretty tolerant of seating depth, so if that's what works, use it. Once you find a load with a Big Seven, stay with it and don't chase other combinations, because these barrels are short life.
That's what I'm afraid of. Just not sure if I should keep trying or just start all over .
 
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