Browning X Bolt in 28 Nosler

If you were looking at a "deal". Probably a good pass.

If you are looking for a 28 Nosler. 2 observations and 2 comments.
It has about 4,000 ft lb at the muzzle.
It has about 100 ft lb recoil.
Get a quality action for it.
Go big or go home ;)
 
I have an X-Bolt Long Range Max and my son has an X-Bolt Stalker, both in 28 Nosler. Load development on my son's rifle was super easy, we loaded 162 ELD-X up to pressure and backed off half a grain with RL 33 and the bullets .020" off the lands, 3370 FPS and one hole at 100yards. Bear in mind that this load is WAY longer than 3.34, I don't recall exactly but it is around 3.67" or thereabouts. First round impact on a MOA target at a little under 1100 yards. Had to back the load down a little at about 90 rounds on the barrel, it was over 3400 fps and showing flat primers and ejector marks. Loaded RL26 up to pressure and with the 162 it's making the same speed as 33 with a lot less powder, still one hole groups. Dropped the charge down and switched to magnum primers, ran pressure back up to the same speed and it's a one hole group. It really doesn't care much what you feed it, just get the pressure up and load consistently and it will stack bullets. It's an absolute beast to shoot though, truly a miserable swear word swear word swear word, no brake and 8.5 pounds scoped and loaded ready to go it kicks HARD and FAST. No load development just a pressure test with the Berger 195 was easily under an inch also, but the recoil was even worse so didn't pursue it. Load development on my 28 has stalled. It was shooting everything about an inch doing pressure tests, and those pressure tests were with LRT and US869 because they were all I could get for slow powders at the time, and they suck in long load 28N. LRT loads like a dream but it is too slow even with the 195. 869 is even worse. I also found a bit of an inconsistent crown which has been fixed so it should shoot even better than before, if it shot powders that were sub optimal and low pressure at or just under an inch across 7-8 grains of powder I expect it to shoot one hole like my son's rifle. Being slightly heavier and running a brake and/or a suppressor it's not violent at all to shoot. I need to get back to this one and finish load development, I really believe it's going to hammer. So based on the results of these two so far I ordered another Long Range Max in 300WM the other day, got it for a LOT less than the 28, seems like they are closing them out for the X-Bolt 2 and I don't think you can get a better rifle for the money.
 

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