270 x-bolt bullet choice

Hornady 130 gr SST Superformance

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What's the best round for this gun? My brother is having trouble getting his to group

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Probably base/ring/scope/user error. Most factory brands should group well enough for hunting.

Federal brand

I don't have a X-bolt, I second the Hornady SST. My Winchester 70 shoots these really well.

Hornady 130 grain SST all day long and twice on Sunday.

Nosler Accubond here

I don't own one of these so take or leave what I have to offer. There may be a reason that you have gotten several different answers for what the "best round" is for your gun.

What I've figured out over years of shooting is that you can take five different individual rifles, same model and manufacturer, same caliber, and get different results from the same ammo. The reason for this is that each of your five guns may have been built on different days, with different barrel orders, etc. In other words, each rifle is unique.

This leaves you with a couple of options.
1. Keep trying different ammo until you find what your gun likes. (Remember to shoot cold barrel and hot barrel groups)
2. Do what I finally started doing (assuming you don't load your own). Call up Larry Barnett at Superior Ammo. Ask him his recommendation for your application. Ask him to send you a 20 round sample box of 4 to 5 different loads (i.e. 5 rounds each of four different loads or 4 rounds each of 5 different loads). Then go to the bench. Shoot cold and hot. When you figure out what round shoots the tightest group, order it up from Larry.

Option 2 may be more expense and trouble than you're interested in, but unless your gun is crap it will result in nail driving rounds.

I made a point about the cold and hot barrel and should add cleaning. This may have been your problem with your first attempt already, if you weren't allowing the gun to cool and instead just slinging round after round.

My too long two cents.