No, the Nosler Partition did not work "perfectly from day one." If you read the excellent biography of "Big" John Nosler (which he was called later in life, due to his grandson John), GOING BALLISTIC, the first Partitions grouped into about a foot at 100 yards. That was in 1946, but when the original lathe-turned version was introduced commercially in 1948 they were still not considered very accurate--though the first Partitions I bought and used in the mid-1970s shot into "around" an inch in both my Remington 700 .270 and sporterized 1903 Springfield .30-06.
The accuracy improved some when Nosler started making Partitions by impact-extrusion in the late 70s, but they still continued to tweak them in various ways to make them better. The techniques included core hardness and jacket "geometry," and are ongoing.
I knew Big John, but we never talked about bullet-making--except for his comments on the inaccuracy of the first, experimental Partitions! Have had a number of conversation about bullet-making with Bob and "young" John Nosler, as well as Randy Brooks. Have yet to hear about ANY bullet that was absolutely perfect right out of the gate, either from them or other bullet makers.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
