Another go round with the 28 Nosler.

[LoonWulf]

No Howas use their own trigger design, they dont even really take the same scope mounts like people say they do. LOL!

I think well start seeing some ARC bolt guns soon, tho i doubt Howa will be an "early" adopter.

Id like to get ahold of one of their carbon guns. The stocks are supposed to be Stockys, but I dont know who makes the barrel or if they are made in house by Howa.

 

[troy fairweather]

No Howas use their own trigger design, they dont even really take the same scope mounts like people say they do. LOL!

I think well start seeing some ARC bolt guns soon, tho i doubt Howa will be an "early" adopter.

Id like to get ahold of one of their carbon guns. The stocks are supposed to be Stockys, but I dont know who makes the barrel or if they are made in house by Howa.

I've never handled any of the stocky stocks, some seen well over priced for what they are. I'd really like to try making one of the carbon fiber stocks, just need to make a form from foam use the carbon tube and vacuum it to cure.

 

[LoonWulf]

Got about 70rnds down range on the 28 now and the more I shoot it the more I like the gun. The Peterson brass I picked up is noticeably tougher than the Nosler I was working with also.....guess Im buying more of it next chance I get LOL.
Current loads are a 185RDF in front of RL-33 and H1000. Ill need to chorno the RL-33 again, but the H1K was clocking 3150 with about 20fps ES. Im REMEMBERING the RL-33 clocking 3150ish also but with a lower ES.

Didnt locktite my scope base on and it came loose today, but before that pounding 5-6" groups into a 10" gong at 500yds was easy. The only two consecutive shots I put on paper at 240 were about .75" apart. After correction I hit the corner of a 1" shoot and see, and didnt fire at paper again.

 

[troy fairweather]

Any speed up yet on the barrel,

 

[LoonWulf]

Any speed up yet on the barrel,

Dont have enough data to say....Ill need to go thru my mag speeds logs and do more chrono work with both the h1k load and rl-33.

 

[Roknstevo]

So while the Browning Xbolt SLR is a very nice hunting rifle, I could never manage to get consistent groups out of it.
Turns out there was someone who liked it more than I did anyway, so it went down the river.
What I did with the funds was turn them into another Christensen. This time a Mesa Long Range.

Im much happier with this rifle for my expected usage (I even like the muzzle brake which is pretty rare with factory brakes).
Its big, blocky, and stable.
The stocks harder to adjust but gives me much more range, and has more adjustments. Its also much nicer feeling and banging it into stuff doesn't "pong" the way the X-bolts stock did. Ive used bits and pieces of stuff as spacers to adjust the stock to my liking.
The barrel is a significantly heavier profile (.825 at the muzzle), and is topped with a brake that pretty much does exactly what I want it to.
The Triggertech is miles ahead of the factory X-bolt trigger (and most other factory rifle triggers) which is a plus. This one seems to be adjustable down to about 2.5lbs, so Ill have to see what model it is. Both the Primarys in my other Christensen CFs will go down under 2, but the field in my Ranger stops at 2.5.

Honestly I cant say that the rifles actually "better" than the X-bolt over all, but I like it better. It also cost about 500 bucks more than the X-bolt did......Well, It also dosent try and eject shells straight into the scope turrets....that kinda sucked......

Ive installed a Riton X5 Conquer in Riton/Contessa rings on a Weaver picatinny rail.
All of that stuff got ordered when my buddy ordered the rifle for me, otherwise, Id have had to use spare parts and leftovers in terms of optics and mounts.

Anyway heres pictures of the rifle set up.
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Needed more than 3/8" spacers could give me....so i used the thead protectors off my other christensen barrels....Ill be going to ACE to get aluminum cable stops to use for spacers in the next day or three.....
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Went to the range today with the 28 and a few other rifles for sight and load work. I only had 19rnds all using the same load (which is what i used in the X-bolt also) of 85gr RL-33 with a Coal of 3.535 for a jump of .015.
Velocity was running at 3050, and accuraccy wasnt too shabby.
I need to use my phone to add the ballistic-X measured groups but heres the raw pictures.
View attachment 1015235

They all missed....too bad.....hahahaaha.
Just kidding....nice group.

 

[LoonWulf]

They all missed....too bad.....hahahaaha.
Just kidding....nice group.

LOL close enough to scare em to death!

Thanks for the reminder that I'd actually posted the velocity for the RL-33 loads lol....so the H1ks are probably a little crispy, or ive got room to come up with the RL33 loads.
brass looks fine, so ill run a load ladder upto 88gr of rl33 next time im out.

 

[LoonWulf]

Something of note....There were a number of dented necks on my first time out with this rifle, and id assumed they were from getting dropped or squished.
Turns out this one bounces brass of the scope turrets as well, tho only when the action is run fast, and it usually dosent leave them in the action unless the port is nearly vertical during ejection.

 

[troy fairweather]

Something of note....There were a number of dented necks on my first time out with this rifle, and id assumed they were from getting dropped or squished.
Turns out this one bounces brass of the scope turrets as well, tho only when the action is run fast, and it usually dosent leave them in the action unless the port is nearly vertical during ejection.

Need some eva foam or something to slip over the turret.

 

[LoonWulf]

Need some eva foam or something to slip over the turret.

I might put somethign on the turret, ive got some different foam pads i can use. Might also just ignore it, as long as the action isnt yanked open it tends to flip them out forwards of the turret.