Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles A response from Nosler.....

Cannot disagree. But Nosler is a little different animal - in that you can purchase directly from them.
And they set the MSRP - they'll obviously be higher or no retailers would play.





But when we can buy boutique bullets for less cheddar, there's a problem.

I killed my first deer with a Nosler Ballistic Tip handload. I've visited their place in Oregon a few times over the years. For me, what was once NBT territory is now mostly Hornady offerings or even Speer. What was NAB or Partition territory is going to Barnes as my supplies run out. I'll still grab some Nosler 2nds if the price is right, but I don't hold my breath and wait, I just move on......

I'm calling it for what it is... Drug Dealer pricing...

Double your prices, and you are selling only one third of the amount of product you use to sell, then you are losing money.
Nosler has alienated a lot of their customer base who have been solid users for decades. In a competitive market, what they are doing shooting themselves in the ass, unless the Nosler family is trying to jack up the value in the short run, and are looking for a big name buyer just to cash out.

Whoever is advising them on the prices they set, needs to be fired. If they are building a new manufacturing facility, then they better hope they have enough in sales to justify its existence and the expense. What they have now was built back in 1967, when they moved from to Bend from Ashland OR. They were also given a long term break on taxation, by the city of Bend, to secure their business being based there.

Well Bend has grown dramatically in the last 50 plus years and is all woke and liberal nowadays, so like good democRATs their taxes are off the charters. I'm sure the city Fathers are want a big chunk of all that money Nosler has made and has had lower taxes for the last 50 years... and now that party is over.

Oregon's business climate ran by leftist DemocRATS, is busy chasing away businesses. IN the shooting and hunting world, anyone who has followed this Measure 114, should be able to see that. One reason Weatherby moved to Wyoming from California. Oregon liberals are striving to have the toughest gun laws in the nation, in a mainly rural state, shows the business stupidity of our dope smoking liberals.... yet they lead the way in legalizing drugs, and are how to Antfia and BLM up in Potlandia.

I'm not sending much of my hard earned money Nosler's way anytime soon. I find I am using Speer products more and more, just like I use to...

Great post John. I wanted to say the som biotches have gone woke in my post as well, but then that seems to offend people. What the dems have done to that state is part of the reason I don’t live there anymore. Bend wants to be some kind of a high desert miniature version of Portland. It’s sickening. Guys scoff at my remarks before about the younger Nosler family running things and that they are driving away customers. This has been evident for the last couple years. Looks like some are finally waking up to this.

Frankly, I have never used Nosler bullets very much. One reason is I could find Sierra, Speer and Hornady in 100 bullet boxes except for heavies like 250 gr. 35 caliber and the like. Two experiences with Nosler bullets left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. The one bullet they make I really like is the 30 cal, 165 Accubond. I've only taken one animal with it but it was impressive, considering I felt it was actually too lightweight for the job. I've always like a heavy for caliber bullet for most of my hunting. Probably over the years I've hunted game, started reloading in 1954, did my first hunt ever in 1949 my handloaded ammo used strictly Sierra bullets. That was mostly because they were the easiest to buy in San Francisco where I lived at the time. Game was usually deer and the bullet usually used was the 150 gr. 30 ca. Pro-Hunters although they weren't called that back then IIRC. When I later left California for good, I loaded some ammo for a friend who favored 80 gr. bullets and wasn't too pleased with the meat damage from the reloads. He did like the way they blew jackrabbits up though. He talked me into tryin 180 gr. bullets for the 30-06 and when I switched to a .308 I went back to the 150 gr. to gain some distance, I didn't like the meat damage from the .308 so gambled on some 165 gr. Speer Hot Cores and never looked back. It turns out that Speer bullet is also the only one my Ruger M77 will shoot with any king of accuracy. I've ben using it on deer ever since. he 165 gr. AB is about the heaviest bullet one 30-06 I have that has any accuracy. No Idea what the twist rate is in the barrel but I think it may be slower than 1 in 12". It's on an FN Mauser that was installed free and the barrel itself was all of $100.00. Would have been a fantastic deal if it would've shot 180 gr. bullets well. I used it as a back up rifle on an elk hunt and when the scope crapped out on my .35 Whelen it was either take the scope off the 06 or just use the 06. I chose the latter and it all worked out just fine. I have a very good supply of the 165 gr. Speer Hot Cores and if the 06 likes them I'll use them when my small supply of ABs runs out.
PJ

Nosler bullets have no peer, IMO. I'm betting they sell all they can make and have people waiting in line. Hornady is the one who went "woke", with Steve mandating the jab and all to his employees.

I run a small mfg business, not firearms related. Before seeing this thread, a few days ago, I said to one of my guys, "It's just plain harder to run the business, than it used to be." Customers, suppliers, regulations, you name it, there's a lot more administrative overhead in damn near everything. On top of that, as a society we've denigrated skilled trades, and it's a major problem across many industries, including metalworking. It's hard to find skilled people to make precision product, and you have to pay them a lot more than you did 10 years ago.

We buy a lot of raw materials, and arrange for subcontracting, and I'd say a lot of manufacturing companies have actually lost capacity in the past 10 years - especially after the pandemic. Most of that is due to loss of skilled workers, but it's also harder to find good office people too - buyers, schedulers, engineers, you name it. I'm lucky that I've had a fairly free hand from the company owners, and I've taken the approach of paying what I need to pay to get people in, that we need to operate. If my costs go up, I'll raise prices to maintain profits, and keep the business healthy and well able to serve customers. Some businesses focus purely on short-term results - or, the operations people know what to do, but are held back by financial types who only want to harvest profit, and not put any back into the business.

I like and prefer Nosler bullets. Whatever their exact challenges are, the odds are they are complex, and not easily solved.

tex_n_cal - that's a good (and different) perspective. And you're right.

Exactly.

That may be true, but in the case of .400J and .404J (which is all I care about) Hornady is back at it hard. I waited on them for what seemed like forever, and I've recently built up a lifetime supply of .400J bullets and brass. Even the double boys have restarted chambering for the .400J.

Now I just wish they'd offer up a 300 grain DG-X Bonded for the 9.3mm to pair up with the 300 grain DGS. Their reason (excuse) for why they haven't is just a head shaker...
I'll keep asking (nicely)...

I check various suppliers from time to time to see if items I use are available, especially available and on sale. Those BTs have been scarce, and as my most used .30 cal bullet, I was glad to find some. I load them interchangeably with ABs of the same weight in my .308, sometimes ten of each in a box. I agree pickings at SPS have been pretty slim; sometimes I wonder why they even send out emails when they don’t have anything to sell. Maybe once they get their operation back to normal, things will get better. I’m not locked into anything, but when something works, I buy more.

When 6.5 ABLRs were unobtanium, I tried Gold Dots in my Grendel and was pleasantly surprised. Reasonably priced, accurate, and based on a sample of one, good killers. I got about 12 inches of penetration before it sailed off into the ether. DRT. Wouldn’t mind trying some in .308, if I ever find some….. Those seem to be forever sold out.

About the same thoughts. I used alot of Nosler and still have a ton, but buying more ain't likely in the cards unless I am getting 2nds or deals on em.

I was in Sportsmans Warehouse today and the had a few boxes of 150gr .308 gold dots.

Well I would not say that 1 307, 2 30-30, 3 300 savs, 7 308's, 1 doz 30-06's, 2 30-06 wildcats, 3 300 win mags, 1 308 Norma mag and 1 30-338. I have more than a few .308" bullets but was out of 165 nbt and npt's. I just buy wtf I want..mb

They just opened one of those near here. I’ll look. Thanks.

If only in fairness,Nuzzler has been eclipsed for decades and offers nothing worth a flying fhuqk. Hint.

Bless their hearts for trying though........................

Do you mean the 450/400 or the 404J? Doesn't matter because it's not available anywhere. And they have "no plans" for the 450NE, 375Fl, 405 WCF, 404J, and a whole host of other calibers.

Nosler inflates there BCs tremendously and so it's no surprise that they inflate there excuses as well! I have grown more of an appreciation for Hornady as a company and nowadays that's where I put my cash.

He wishes people were WhoreDing his products "for calibers they don't even have".

Typical BS politician like response to avoid a question. They can go in the same "screw them" category as Hornydee. Plenty of better manufactures out there that are worthy of support.

As far as Nosler goes I can survive without them. I have only used the Accubond in my Kimber Montana in 325wsm but BT’s I’ll use occasionally as I have plenty, especially in .308 165 & 180 but wish I could round up some .358 BT’s.

As long as Barnes continues with the TSX/TTSX I can feed everything and be happy.

ETA…I don’t use Partitions and never have, nothing wrong with their performance as they’re a fine bullet. I’ve tried to use it in several calibers but I always got better accuracy with others so the Partition was an easy pass. I use A-Frame’s or Trophy Bonded Bear Claws if I’m using C&C (aside from BT’s). I hunt with monos usually but I’ll use whatever good C&C for deer sometimes.

I should clarify that the accuracy I was getting from the Partition was plenty acceptable and more than adequate for hunting, groups were usually around 1.5” or so. I just got big hole accuracy with others so that’s what I chose.