Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Nosler Model 48...FEEDBACK?

Well this is a "cheaper" custom, coming in way below the 3500-4000 range...I was curious what the feedback has been on these...

accuracy?
build quality?

Its a howa action right?
Pac-Nor barrel?
Any info is appreciated

Have you ever handled one?

no

It's one of the poorest balancing, clunky stocked weapons I've ever handled. Undoubtedly they shoot, but the rifle wouldn't be for me. Wears a cheap, chopped glass handle to boot.

I'd take a Kimber Montana every day of the week, month, year, even if it cost the same as the Nosler rifle.

Just my take, and I've handled them many times over the last couple of years. Every time I pick one up I want to throw it down.

IMO, WAY over priced for what it is. For the same coin, I'd take a NULA every time.

Or buy three or four Kimbers and keep the one that shoots best.

It isn't a Howa action--but it is very close, because the guy who designed the Howa also designed the Nosler. They are made in the U.S., and have some nice features the Howa doesn't such as more precise final machining and steel bottom metal.

The stock is made by one of the very best companies. The barrel is Pac-Nor, and the whole rifle is assembled by a top custom gunsmith who really knows how to put together rifles.

I have shot 4 and they really shoot. They are not really a custom rifle but a very refined semi-production rifle.

wow 180 degree between the last 2 responses

No suprise there....and they are both from Montucky!

(not a slam either, just an interesting cyber observation)

MtnHtr

Both are right.

Some of the earliest nosler 48's had some problems with the machining and fitting of the actions.(3 years ago- the first ones that made it to SW in Fairbanks) They were more raspy than Lindsey Lohan after a bender.

The stock is from a custom maker who is the ultimate lightweight rifle maker.
The triggers(Timney(preadjusted) and barrels(pacnor match) are very good.

The difference between the first ones that I saw and the ones that I have seen lately was great.
The fit and form of the some of the last ones that I have seen are both very good.
48s are a very good gun and under the money for what you get.

However, chip in the extra bingo chips and get a NULA.
Why settle for a prince when you can get the KING!

Sincerely,
Thomas

No slam taken Mtn!

John PM'd me to tell me the stock is indeed a laid stock, not chopped glass and I think it's only fair to clarify that on this thread as it goes to quality of the rifle. I (wrongly) assumed because the stock is overly thick that it's chopped glass.

For me the rifle just doesn't feel right, but that's a highly subjective, personal thing.

One thing I have found over the years is that although some custom makers think they have the ultimate stock shape, people come in different sizes and shapes.

Yep, lotsa of personal subjective things! Lets see we got bullets, rifles, barrels, stocks, sleeping bags, packs, boots, baselayers, rain shells, shotgun shells, beer, women, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, :

MtnHtr

Exactly. A little while ago Brad wrote that the Kimber stock was of much better shape than the McMillan Hunters Edge, so it's obvious he has no idea what he is talking about...right?!?

Hey now, I made that VERY clear, for ME alone

Yeah, okay...I'll accept that.

i palyed with one once at SW, it was nice as far as i was concerned, but i dont think i would spend that much on a rifle unless it was some uber round like a 408 chey tac or a 50 BMG...

as mentioned before, the "feel" of a rifle is purely subjective. i love the weight of the ruger compacts, and the model 7 youths, but they are far too small for me at 6' 5"

I pretty much agree with Brad on this rifle.

I was excited when the local shop got some in. I hoped it could be the "perfect rifle" for me. Wrong!

For a rifle assembled of some of the finest components, it feels very square in the belly and the contour of the grip is wrong (dare I say it reminds me of a rem710/770?). The bolt handle is also disconcertingly close to my knuckles. As the rifle is light, I can just imagine the rifle coming back in recoil and rapping my trigger finger knuckle on the bolt handle.

I do not expect such deficiencies on a semi-custom rifle at that price. I would need to bend the bolt handle and change the stock contour.

I dropped it from my list. Still searching for the "perfect rifle". Someday I may find a NULA to look at, that may be a "perfect rifle".

I have one in .308, an early one in that series, and it had some feeding problems and other detail problems initially that they made right. They subsequently incorporated those changes into production I was told. They treated me very well through that process and it was easy to get in touch with the right people.
Unrelated to the problems mentioned above, the early one I have is not pillar bedded and I initially attributed some loosening of the action bolts to that. However, I now suspect that the real problem was a Cerakoted bolt slipping on a Cerakoted threaded hole after only a dozen shots or so. Some LOW strength, purple Loctite seems to have cured that. I do use a torque wrench...
Subjectively, the stock fits me very well and the rifle mounts and points well for me. The balance seems very good for offhand shooting, considering the fairly light weight. I like the barrel contour.
Objectively, the gun is a laser. It is significantly better than the accuracy guarantee. It will pile my 168 NBtips on top of each other at 200 hundred yards, and playing on steel out to 550 yds with the Z-600 reticle is a breeze. When the actions screws got loose however, it was a shotgun, but, that appears to be cured.
I would buy another, especially if offered in 6.5 Creedmoor.....

spr1 pm sent

The 48 is too much money.For that coin,you can not only get melvin Forbes stock,but his entire NULA.

I like the stock on 48 better then the 8400 wsm's and I've shot both models in the shortmags.

When it's all said and done,I see these 48's as being good rifles to pick up used when Nosler stops producing them and you can pick them up in the price range of a kimber.

If the stock is built by such a reputable company, why won't anybody mention the name?