Nosler has introduced a new big-game magnum cartridge each of the last four years. First was the 26 Nosler, followed by the 28, 30 and this year the 33 Nosler, also dubbed the Patriarch.
The numbers may not have decimals, but they do represent approximate bullet caliber. With a case length of just 2-1/2 inches, all of the cartridges fit .30-06-length rifle actions. To hold a magnum load of powder they are .550 inches diameter at the base end, the fattest of modern magnum cases excepting the massive Lapua.
Fat cases of various lengths have been a trend in recent years, holding larger volumes of powder by having less case body taper and sharper shoulders.
From inception, the 26 Nosler was designed to be king of the hill in 6.5mm cartridges with only the obscure .264 Winchester Magnum coming close in potency. It has since been topped by the 6.5-300 Weather by Magnum, which needs a longer action for a longer case and also kicks harder because it burns more powder.
I doubt we’ll see higher velocity any time soon. Most older magnums, including the .300 and .338 Winchesters as well as the .340 Weather by, generate a SAAMI specified maximum pressure of 54,000 pounds per square inch. The Nosler series (and some other newer magnums) generate 65,000 psi.
No doubt the Nosler cartridges are tailored for big-game hunters who want to take shots at long range, and Nosler’s timing couldn’t have been better as they are a perfect match for modern rifles and high-tech scopes with range finders and ballistic calculators built in.
A decade of rave reviews for the 6.5 Creed moor sold shooters on the advantages of a .264 bullet that could stand toe to toe with a .300 Winchester Magnum at 1,000 yards. For sure, the Creedmoor was introduced as a paper puncher, not a 1,000-yard hunting round. But putting even more powder behind a .264 bullet in the 26 Nosler stretches hunting range to new levels and does so without the punishing recoil of bigger calibers.
This story is from the November 2017 edition of FUR-FISH-GAME.
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This story is from the November 2017 edition of FUR-FISH-GAME.
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