The only time I can think of is the calibers they don't make.
Like .311" and 348" .423"
I have a 6.5X54 mann/scho that needs 160 gr round nose bullets to feed well. They don't make bullets for my 404 Jeffery or my 348 Winchester. . So I don't use Noslers, because they don't make what I need for those rifles.
But for the sizes they do make they are the gold Standard in my opinion.
I know of no other bullet that expands well at 1400 FPS and still holds enough weight at 3000 to punch deep.
Some others will retain more weight but don't open up at speeds lower then 1900. I like Barnes for hunting at close range and out to about 400 yards, but beyond that the bullets don't open up well. Same with Swifts.
Both Swift and Barnes will retain more weight, but that's not an issue if the Partitions are exiting the game. (Which they do in the guns and bullet weights I use)The idea of retaining weight is for penetration. If you have 100% penetration, more weight is just theoretically an advantage, but not a real advantage.
