Since he has an all around rifle already he might look a specialty round. 257 Weatherby on the smaller end or 340 Weatherby on the upper end. I would vote for the 257 Bee as it could be used for anything out west.
From Nosler
Designed to provide a shorter COAL in cartridges such as the 257 Roberts, these have a shorter ogive curve and a slightly more rounded profile than the standard Nosler 25 Cal 115gr partition.
From load data
Warning! Notes: The .223 Remington barrel is 16.1 inches. (Handloader #276 - Feb, 2012)
Be Alert: Publisher cannot be responsible for errors in published load data.
Wt. Bullet Powder Manufacturer Powder Charge Velocity (FPS)
50 Alliant AR-Comp 25.2 2918
Remarks:
How is the brass. Was it neck turned, weight sorted or any other treatment? Also have you checked the concentricity of the loaded ammo?
I would also do a deep clean of the barrel, I use a foaming bore cleaner.