28 nosler load help

[junior]

Fairly new to loading and having a hard time with 28 nosler load.

Ive got a Browning Hells canyon long range Mcmillan, 26" barrel, purchased with only 20 rounds through it. I put another 30 rounds through of factory ammo and its grouping sub MOA on sand bags so I started the loading process.

Im hoping to be able to shoot the 195 gr Berger EOL. Im shooting new Nosler brass, RL33, and CCI 250 primers.

I measured COAL but had to seat a little deeper, I'm at the max I can fit into the magazine. Ran a test with 5 different loads, increasing by .5 grains each, 5 shots each. SD was 19 on the best group and I noticed pretty much each shot got faster even with allowing barrel to cool between shots.
Since the best group was the hottest load, I ran another test this time increasing by .2 grains. I didn't get any improved numbers so I kept going hotter by .2 grains with the next test. Finally I feel like I've maybe found "the node"

85.3 grains: 3120, 3114, 3121
85.4 grains: 3128, 3115, 3119

Pretty much all of the loads, including the ones with SD closer to 20-30 were still shooting 1-1.75 MOA at the range, which given my shooting skill and no lead sled or sand bags is honestly as much as I could ask for as far as accuracy goes at this point.

Problem is, I'm starting to have pressure signs with just slightly more difficult lifting the bolt, and a stamp on the brass from the bolt face.

Is the consistency just settling in as the barrel is finally "broke in"?
Do I lower the charge back down looking for a different node at a slower speed?
Do I switch powder? All the other recommended powders are near impossible to find right now of course...
Is it just a mix of many factors- brass, break in, seating depth, powder, etc... and this is all just part of the "fun" of reloading??

Thanks roksliders, looking forward to any advice anyone wants to share. Pretty much everyone on here has better experience and knowledge than I!

 

[junior]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[unclericco]

Those two together are a pretty good indicator of pressure, well that and you are almost 2 grains over max load for those bullets. Max load is 83.7 according to Berger. I was hitting pressure on my 28 with the exact same components at max load.

I changed to N-570 and can load it up to max with no pressure signs.

 

[junior]

yikes. thanks for pointing that out. I didn't realize I had been looking at max load for RL33 but for a different bullet. Has N-570 been as hard to find as Retumbo and H1000?

Thanks!

 

[coues craze]

Reloader 33 works great in the 28s but is very dirty so make sure you are cleaning regularly. I have to clean mine every 25-30 shots to maintain accuracy. My gun likes the 180 hybrids better than the 195s. It’s not a browning though. Secondly I’d do a seating depth test as recommended by Berger, and don’t be surprised if they shoot well with a lot of jump. I know you are limited by your mag box but a simple test starting .010 off the lands will give you a lot of information. Lastly that picture of brass looks to be showing a lot of pressure.

 

[junior]

Great insight thanks coues.

I’ve heard a lot of people having better luck with 180’s. I think I’ll look at seating depth and drop back down and try one more ladder test with the 195 but if I’m not having luck I’ll go to a different bullet or powder


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[unclericco]

n-570 is notoriously hard to find, but RL-33 is a great powder for your rifle as well. You're getting some good velocity with it, I'd maybe just tone it down a bit. Heck as long as I'm 3,000 FPS with my 28 I'm happy.

 

[junior]

yeah for sure. Ive been more than happy with velocity, im fine even being slower, i was counting on being in the lower 2900s or so with 195 gr projectile so I'm thrilled with what its shown so far. Will make some adjustments and stick with RL33 for now since thats what Ive got several pounds of. Thanks guys.

 

[snowcamoman]

You will likely gain some velocity as you shoot more. I gained almost 100fps at the 100 round count in my 28. N570 is magic in mine, but finding it can be tricky. I'm up at 3200fps and no pressure signs, but might back my load down slightly, as I think I'm just over the accuracy node.

 

[RosinBag]

If you were shooting factory ammo sub moa, did you measure that coal? Did you run your reloads at that length? Maybe your gun likes that length. I would also back order the n-570, I think it is much more temperature stable than rl-33.

 

[junior]

Yeah if I can find H1000 or 570 I will grab some and test it out. For now I’ll drop down. Yeah the COAL of the factory ammo is a fair bit shorter. I guess I hadn’t thought of shortening the seating as I thought the shorter the jump the better, but not always the case I assume?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Cahunter805]

Junior
Nosler brass is soft. You will get a faint ejector mark even on lower charges and even many factory loaded rounds also.
That said the velocity node with most factory 28Nos/RL33/195s seems to be around 3050. I’d drop down a few grains and work up to around 83-84gr and see how it does.
If nothing good try to find some Retumbo and see how that does.

 

[junior]

Sounds good thank you. I got the load data from Berger and they recommended RL33, retumbo, H1000, or N570. Unfortunately 33 is the only one I’ve been able to find consistently locally.

I’ve got the next ladder test loaded up for between 81-84.5 so fingers crossed this will settle in and finalize things.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bluetick78]

A good friend that shoot rockchucks with bought a 28 Nosler in a Seekins havak PH2. He spent several months testing different loads that included H1000, Retumbo, RL26, and RL33. He's settled on 83.7 gr of RL33 with the 195 EOL. Its unbelievably accurate at long range. We shot 19 chucks at 400+ on Wednesday, with the longest just shy of 700. Plenty of misses, but hit percentage was over 50%. On a target the size of a low-slung housecat, I was impressed.

 

[junior]

After that last ladder test I still didn’t hit anything real consistent and had pressure around 82.5 grains which seemed odd as I didn’t notice it until over 84 my last test.

I dropped lower and did 1 shot of each load starting at 78.3 all the way to 82 grains by .2 grain increments. I finally understand/saw what optimal charge weight or a node is like. I had almost a grain and a half with 6 different shots all grouping super tight and within 10 FPS of each other between 3030-3040 fps.

I’ll trial multiple shots of each between 79.8, 79.9, 80.0, 80.1, 80.2 and go from there. Would be convenient to land right on 80!

Thanks again for help from everyone. I was able to find a few pounds of H1000 in case this didn’t pan out so we’ll see how temperature makes this load fluctuate. I’ve been shooting at 30 degrees most of the last few weeks and it’s supposed to be up to 70 next week.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk