-----update ------
my gunsmith called me today and told me my rifle is all set to pick up. when I got there I asked him what was wrong with it and he said he couldn't find any issues at all. he said he started from scratch, took my scope and mount off, then remounted them all. bore sighted it then shot several types and weight bullets through it, all of which grouped at around 2" at 100 yards once it was sighted in.
he showed me the target that was marked with the different ammo and weights (federal and remington) and the groups for each.
he said that after shooting about 4-5 rounds the barrel starts to heat up which makes the barrel band expand and will make the groups get larger. the barrel band is the band at the end of the barrel that loops around the magazine tube.
so, pretty standard stuff I guess. like most hunting / high caliber rifles, after shooting multiple rounds in a row the barrel gets hot and the groups start to spread out... that makes sense, b/c when I was sighting it in I literally shot 30 rounds in about 15 minutes. and the other gunsmith I took it to at the gun range shot at least 15 rounds trying to sight it in.
soooo, long story short, I think my gun is ok. I didn't have time to shoot it today but I am going out to the ranch this weekend and I will take a few test shots to see how she shoots, hopefully this is all taken care of. I really like the look and feel of the gun so I am hoping it is reliable.