Opinions on Noslers cartridge family

which nosler cartridge has the best chance of commercial viability?


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Canhunter35

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I would like to hear some opinions on Noslers new family of cartridges:

26 nosler I think will always hold a place of interest for people wanted absolute performance in an absolute hot rod of a cartridge and maybe will gain a following like the 257 wby has had for the last 60 years

28 nosler is the real winner. It offers tremendous performance in a long action cartridge. I think it might have the true staying power as commercial cartridge over the next decade

30 nosler directly competed with the 300wm but I don't think the small improvements in case design will be enough to knock the venerable 300 from its post

33 nosler is an interesting cartridge offering perhaps the most performance in 338 cal long action cartridge but with the lapau mag the king of 338 I have trouble seeing the cartridge carving a niche for itself

There's ppl on the forum who have forgotten more about cartridges than I know and I'm really interested in hearing their thoughts.
I left 22 nosler out because it's a seperate case design
 
I think they're all a fine opinion for someone looking to try something new. None of them will reinvent the wheel, but options are are always a good thing.
 
I think the only problem with the 28 nosler in factory rifles is the twist they put in it. The ones I have seen are 9.25 I believe....and most people that load for them will want to use a 180 grain or heavier bullet in them, because they have the ability to push them fast enough to take advantage of the enormous bc's. If they start making the factory rifles with an 8 twist, it's a winner. Another issue with the 28 is its barrel life, with 800 rounds being a typical barrel life. The 220 swift lost some popularity because of this same issue, and was transitioned to the popular 22-250.

The 30 nosler, as you said, competes with the 300 win mag, which is a large challenge to overcome. However, having a shorter OAL with the same performance, will give it an edge in the long range handloading community. Though, this group of people may not be large enough to push it to commercial production.

Just some of my speculation.
 
They are all fine cartridges.

There are many who would be very happy with the 26.
The 28 is everything the 7mm RUM was really supposed to be. Sorry STW guys, it also shorter.
The 30 is a nice fit for the less than RUM but more than WM or WSM.
The 33 has far more legs than a 338WM. Having taken game with this one, I love it. No it can't match a 338LM. Yes it can properly fit in a "normal" long action.

Cartridges that Nosler has not talked about but that are more likely than not coming 27, 35 and 37 as in .277, .358 and .375. I do not have confirmation that they will all make it but the 27 is now in SAAMI.

Now we need a 41 and a 45.

All the options larger than 33 would be considered dangerous game cartridges. Modern options for things like 358WM, 375H&H, 416Wby, 460 Turnbull or 460Wby.
 
Personally I think the 26 will die, the 28 will likely be thee big 7mm case killing the RUM and STW.
The 30 is in the same boat as the 28, I honestly see fewer reasons to build a Win or RUM than ever, I think this case will steady gain in popularity as more get out there. The only thing I think the Win has on it is the brass selection but if you have one good source of brass you really don't need more.
The 33 I find as appealing as the 26, this is one size I favor the RUM or Lapua, if I'm going larger than a 338-06 or 338 win I'm going all the way!!
 
Thing with the Nosler over RUM or Lapua is there are times when bigger is not better.

I would much rather hunt with my 338/26-Nosler than my 338 Edge or 338-378. With so many Mark V stocks, weight of rifle is not the issue. If I could set up anow ELR hunt for elk, black bear, any of the mountain goats, I might consider on of the boomers.

Now for LG or ELR target/steel boomers al the way.
 
Agree with the several opinions the 28 will thrive. No offense to owners, but my experiences with 7RUM never impressed me. Don't think the STW is done for, they just shoot too well. As for the 30, there are so many versions in .30 caliber one could fill two very large safes with them.
 
The 30 seemed like a reasonable cartridge for just about anywhere in the world. I bought enough ammo/brass I don't really care if it dies. My factory 1:10 twist leaves something to be desired for shooting the weight of copper bullets I want. I've always been a fan of .308 bullets, so many different cartridges available. Finding good bullets for the 30 Nosler brass that I have will never be an issue
 
I think the 28 would be a good seller if they were to offer it with the Berger 195s. I know most reload when they get into these calibers as I do, But for the guy that doesn't that would be a Great option to have on the shelves as the 28 and 195 seem to be a Marriage made in Heaven
 
After having a couple the 26 is too much of a good thing. I found them finicky to load for, performance isnt really any better than what you can get from a gap4s/wsm size case. Or at least very little gain from what guys with thise claim and what I could get with my 26's.
The 28 will stay- it is the right case length to seat the long bullets out and fit in a standard long action without single loading. And it is a happy medium of performance and recoil- not unlike what helped make the 7 rem mag popular.
The 30 is a crowded market- not much of a gap to fill there and the win mag is a pretty established case.
The 33 is also the perfect length to seat the long bullets out and still fit a rem (or clone) long action. From the bit I shot mine so far- its a step above the win mag for sure, and seems about 100fps under my edge ai. To seat bullets matching the boat tail to the case neck/shoulder the edge would be over 4"oal where the nosler is close to 3.7" (i seated a few like that but dont remember the coal off the top of my head) Which can be run without single loading- run an edge at 3.7" oal and your advantage over the nosler shrinks a tad. All that said without putting some rifles and brass for it in shooters hands it wont go anywhere.
 
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