Start by weeding out loading problems.

Hence either get a single round sled, or using a empty mag, feed each round fully in the chamber by hand, ride the charging handle down, then use the Forward assist to lock the bolt up for 5 shots.  Hence you want to do the feeds the same way for 5 rounds.


If you are still getting a first round flier still, then the barrel is bent and will need to be straighten, or you have some weird torque going on with either the barrel nut, the gas block, hand guards, or FS that is rearing it ugly head first cold shot through the barrel, or just did not get the bore completly lube free, and this first round shot is clearing the lube out of the barrel isntead.
Note, CLP in the barrel bore takes about 10 shots before you have burned it out of the bore via live fire, so when shooting for groups ,and not just using the rifle for service duty isntead, you need to back off on the amount of CLP being used in the rig.   Even here, you still want to use the first round after cleaning as just the fouling shot for the barrel, and not as part of the group (just put the first shot into the ground after cleaning, then start shooting for groups after the fouling shot has been fired down the bore.

If no first round flyer with a couple of groups shot from a cold dry barrel each time, then its a feed problem and you are not allowing the first round loaded by hand to feed and lock up the the bolt the same way its going to self cycle instead.  Here, you may have to debur a few items, but you still will need to charge the weapon the same way is self loads, hence pull all the way back on the charging handle and let go of it.  And yes, the rifle self loading is the same way, since the buffer stalls the bolt back at the back of stroke, so same amount of force when it strips the round and locks up the bolt.

Lastly beside bur problems, pull the bolt off the carrier and with the carrier and key, dry fit it to the upper receiver to make sure that the gas tube is correctly indexed with the carrier key.  Not only are we trying to get the bolt to lock up the say way over and over again, but to unlock the say way as well.  hence if the gas tube is not indexed with the carrier key, it going to cause a bunch of problems with uniformity bolt lock and unlock isntead.

Don't weed out CLP migration into the barrel during cool downs; that the first cold shot is clearing out of the barrel during that shot.

Hence if the rig is broken it so all the parts have self mated, and your are only going to hunt with the rig for a few shots only, then back off on the amount of CLP you are using to lube the rig.   Also, after you are done CLP and chamber brush scrubbing the chamber after bore cleaning first, after you have run your last dry patch down the barrel and out the muzzle to remove the fouled CLP, switch over to something like denature alcohol to make sure to get all the CLP remnants out of the chamber and bore.  The bore is going to be bone dry with no rust protection, so may want to do this just before the rig it put into action that morning and not during cleaning before hand where the rifle is going to be cases/safe for short term storage isntead.

Sweets is good, but is not Bore snake only good.

Would suggest that you get a one piece cleaning rod system and the needed items to do a detailed cleaning of the chamber-Bore-Crown between range-hunting sessions instead.  Hence problem could be that the copper has built up in the rifling to the point that is has become the problem isntead.

The ogive of the bullet should be the same for all the bullets of that specific bullet, and in regards to the metplat (tip of the bullet) since the bullet seating dies uses the ogive for it seating depth, The variances in the Metplat will not rear is ugly head until you are pushing the round a few hundred rounds isntead.


So if the ammo is being loaded all same/same (including a specific bullet brand and type), then you can weed out the ammo/bullet metplat instead for the first round flyer.
Note, since the bullet seating stem of the seating die uses the Ogive of the bullet for it bearing surface , and not the metplat/tip to seat a bullet, when you measure for OAL on a round, you have to use a bullet comparator isntead. Hence pick up the bullet along it Ogive, isntead of trying to messure to the tip to rim isntead.

Hell, in my match 168grHPBT bullets, before they are all "tipped" to uniform the metplat the same off the ogives, they vary .020" if they are measured from base to tip isntead.  Once trim tipped off the ogive, then if measured from base to tip, we are talking a variance AOL in the .0005" range of the bullets isntead.




So again, if we can weed out a loading problem that is causing the first round flyer on a cold barrel, a CLP migration problem happening as the barrel cools down and sits, not a copper fouling problem, not a problem with the floating barrel loose in the upper receiver, then most likely the barrel has a slight bend in it, and the first round shot is enough to heat the barrel up so it following shots are grouping together isntead.

Do me a favor, trash the bore snake and use a single one piece cleaning rod with brushes/rigs to clean the barrel isntead (always chamber to muzzle, including using a chamber brush to make sure that the chamber is spotless as well). Also, make sure that the barrel crown is clean, even if you have to use a solvent and Q-tips to get it clean (or just pull the FS if the inside of it and the crown are fouled beyond the point that using a Q-tip down the FS is not longer ideal).  Hence with the FS removed, give you a chance to take a good look at the muzzle crown for any damage/nic's as well that may be causing the first round flyer).

Also, I need single loaded rounds all through the shot strings, so empty mag in the well to just lock the bolt back,  hand feed the rounds into the chamber all the way, and then just use the bolt release to lock the bolt home on the fully loaded round.   This will weed out problems like the mag catch not being adjusted correctly to hold the mag high enough for a clean angle of attack so the round is not marred or bend on the load coming out of the mag to the feed ramps, as well as say burs on the front of the mag or barrel feed ramps that may be causing the rounds to be bent/marred differently between your first hand load, and the following rifle self loading instead.


If after this, your still getting the first round flyer, then it's the barrel nut.barrel retained to the receiver that is the problem, or the barrel that is slightly bent and needs to straightened instead. Also, don't screw around with two and few round groups.  You need to be shooting at least a 5 round group, with a 10 round group better yet.

Ditch the Hoppes gun solvent for the rifle.  
Hoppes Leaves behind a protective coating layer, and not only is  it a bitch to get it fire shot out of the barrel, collects fouling from the auto action to quickly choke it out, but when the CLP mixes with this protective layer (trying to disolve it away) creates an even more sticker mess.  Hence only use Hoppes cleaning solvents for a both action that will spent more time in storage, then actual firing time isntead.

So if you are cleaning the rifle  and not going to shoot it for a while (short term storage), clean the bore first with Sweets only, then clean the chamber last with CLP and the chamber brush.  Hence once you drive the chamber fouling out the bore through the muzzle with patches to the point you think you have both bone dry, will still leave enough CLP on the bore and chamber surface for short term storage.  Hence the morning  you plan to shot the rifle, can just use some denature alcohol on patch to de-foul the bore of any CLP (dry Teflon) instead.


If you are cleaning the night before you are going to shoot in the morning, then go the other way, hence start with the chamber and CLP first, then do the bore with Sweets last.  Trust me, Sweets leaves behind no protective coating/will strip any type of protective coating in place (even CLP) and will have the bore in a complete solvent free dry state instead.

So again, before the rifle is ready for service, bore needs to be bone dry with not protective layer that has to be fire shot out the barrel until it settles instead.   To take this one step further, if the plan is to only shoot the rifle say 50 shot between cleaning in a hunting type event, then Don't use CLP to lube the rifle after you used it to clean the rifle and the fouled CLP is wiped away.  CLP is great auto rifle lube, due to it cleaning abilities to allow the rifle to be shoot hundreds of rounds without problems, but since some of that CLP will migrate into the bore, you can get into the first rounds needed bore de-fouling problems (have to shoot the teflon out the the barrel again).  So instead,  the rifle is left if a very dry state after cleaning instead.  

Hence when the rifle is first cleaned with CLP, and the CLP wiped down, you are still leaving enough of the Teflon in the CLP behind, and in CLP, the dry Teflon is the lube part of it to start with (the wet part of CLP is the cleaner part).

Brand new production barrels have all kinds of problems, and why it takes about 250 rounds of live fire before the barrel settles in instead.


For starters, the barrel walls have to stress relieve from the rifling being button formed.
Next on the list, unification and polishing of the rifling via live fire.
Moving on, light burs not only at the gas port, but the throat and even crown that live fire will resolve as well.