Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles The Nosler Partition Rehab Program

I've been a Nosler bullet bigot since, well, forever.

So, I'm in my local SW as my usual last stop on my weekly vittles run into town. And from way over there I can see newly stocked boxes of Nosler bullets. Awesome.

I walk over there, and holy smokes, they're Partitions. 6.5mm Partitions. Then I look closer, and OMG, they want $72 for a 50 count box of Nosler Partitions.

Then, in a flash it hits me; Nosler is tired of making Partitions and they want old fuds like me to move on to NABs and E-tips. How do ya do that? Why price them Partitions out of existence.

The problem with the plan is COVID. Yup. The last two years when Partitions and NABs were unobtainium, I used 4 - 143 grain ELD-Xs on 4 elk. Hmmm...

So, I think their Rehab Program is gonna work, just not the way they think it will. I also have a bunch of 165 gr. CXs loaded up to test in the .30-06.


I wonder if the Rehab Program graduates will be having reunions....? dunno.

Same boat as you. Still use a bunch of Nosler's, but hell if I am paying that sorta money for them.

Midway is $75 a box for that same bullet. I cannot see it. E-Tips are also $60-75 a box. I might buy Ballistic Tips here and there for a rifle that loves them, but that's going to be about it in the future.

6.5mm TTSX bullets are $45 a box at Midway. It wasn't long ago that a TTSX and a Partition cost about the same.

I’ve even stopped buying the seconds at SPS, they’ve raised the prices to more than I’m willing to give for firsts.

I’m rapidly becoming a Hornady man.

Hornady has been the only company in the past 3 years that has been able to both supply the shelves and keep prices reasonable.

I’ve worked up great loads with Hornady that I wouldn’t have done otherwise, and with the cost of load development, primers, and powder - I’m not about to go through that process with another bullet that cost twice as much.

Especially since I found that the Interlocks are amazingly accurate and have great terminal performance.

Nosler and Sierra missed the boat.

I've moved to the Accubonds over the Partitions but not necessarily because of the prices. I've had very good luck with the Accubonds in several rifles and will probably move all my rifles to them soon. My 26 Nosler loves the 140 ABs and even my 338 also shoots them very well. I've never had what I would call a failure with the Partitions, but I have had them come apart and cause more damage than I thought necessary. My son and brother have noticed the same thing on deer and elk we have shot .
Of course, after I switched the prices have gone up so much I'm probably not going back , but then as well as the ABs work I don't have any reason to...

This. I've got enough Interlocks to keep me shooting for a very long time.


Okie John

i will buy nosler when a good deal is to be had but as stated hornady was the only company to put hunting bullets on the shelves the last few years with minimal price increases so i have gradually switched over to

Yup. I've enough 250 gr. NABs for chasing Sable, and the 180 gr. NPT has been dialed in with the .30-06 since forever.

But when they're gone, they're gone. Movin' on.

I suppose I've got several thousand Partitions in 6.5, .277, and .308. I'm set for a couple of lifetimes. Ditto Accubonds and Ballistic Tips. Thank you SPS, and pre-2020 purchases.

Starting out I'd go with Hornady, Sierra, Speer, and Lapua and likely bypass most of Nosler's offerings.

F'em.

Switched to Speer Grand Slams years ago, for both the .270 Win(150 gr.) and 6.5x55(140 gr.)... for ~ $0.22/pop.

Pushed at moderate velocities (2800/2700 fps, respectively), the game won't know the difference.

Lose a coupla points of BC, but not enough to rule out 350 yd. shots, or even further.




GR

Ironic: Hornady bullets replacing Partitions now. It was a Hornady bullet failure that prompted John Nosler to design his iconic bullet.

Indeed... 70 years ago!

I never knew it was a Hornady.. not doubting, just never read anything that said that. I didn’t think Hornadys were around till years after the PTs were around.

See my Avatar.. ha ha..

Good man, I mean "kid"..

They have kept me supplied with good pistola bullets as well. Was at a store last Saturday and paid $19.99/box of 124gr XTP'S for my 9mm. Yes, hornady was the only bullets on the shelves too. Fu ck Nosler...

I have plenty in 6mm, .270, and .30 for my hunting and probably my sons’ hunting for the foreseeable future. Just loaded 40 150gr for my new ‘06, and have an order for some 160gr .270s from the son who has my old pre-64. Have one box left of those.

At the prices quoted here, I won’t be buying more either. Years ago, Grafs had 150gr Partition Gold (steel cup in the base) for $8 a box. Still have three boxes. Only been a couple of years since SPS was selling 150gr overruns for $20.

Due in part to COVID's money showers from the government, current inflation, and lack of a work force, many companies are attempting to make big decisions about their image and path forward. Lots of them see a chance to reinvent themselves as boutique companies who cater to those who want the best and don't mind paying for it.

This streamlines things for the corporation... economies of scale, less SKUs, fewer worker salaries, etc.

But a lot of them are about to find out that when every company read the same books and went to the same seminars, some are going to lose. All consumers cannot choose the buy once cry once model in every facet of their lives. At some point, consumers will have to choose between their premium car, premium cable, premium ice cream, premium silverware, and platinum dipped coat hangers...only so many dollars available. So not every company can belong to the diamond stickpin set.

Someone still has to invent, manufacture, and sell the average person an average product that works...well...well-enough.

So we will find other options while the $3 per bullet companies will either find a way to compete or go out of business still blaming we rubes for being too dumb to understand. Lol

Not likely an interlock. After 70 years, I think Hornady bullets are just a tad better now. What's fu cking Nosler is his offspring. Woke offspring wanting more money. It is not going to end well for them. Bend is aiken to California now, as they have many many Californians that have moved in. Their demise is on them, not John Nosler. RIP..

...is this a bad time to remember that Hornady was apparently in love with the vaccine mandates?

They make platinum-dipped coat hangers!!!!?

Gotta get me some.

They make superfluous hyperbole. I'm a fan. Lol

It was a Hornady that blew up in the shoulder.

Thanks buddy. I never knew that. I’d always assumed it was a WW or RP bullet.

I've had zero Nosler bullets delivered in the last 3 years. Hornady on the other hand, a couple thousand in the same time period.

So they cost 2 bucks each ? Who cares ? Not for hunting woodchucks. Check sight in and kill animal --- 5 rounds.

Don't have to remember, I never forgot.
First thing to come to mind when the Hornady love fest started.


Darn shame too.

Sierra has gotten awfully proud of their common hunting bullets also.



Up the pole.
It's not about affording them, it is about spreading your cheeks
when the rainbow flag parade goes by.

Some, might get in in the end. But they aren't volunteering.

I believe Nosler has produced some of the finest bullets ever made available, but some of the "worst" will get the job done just as well in many situations (based on paying attention to others' experiences...my own kills have been with Nosler almost exclusively but I am open minded enough).

They'd best get their shit together or they'll be hsitory.

Touché my Man, well played.

I think it’s conceivable Nosler’s prices are possibly being affected by rising costs at all stages of production and shipping,

Been to a grocery store lately?

Hornady may be next.

There is no doubt rising prices for raw materials is affecting a lot of companies right now, including bullet companies. I have heard that lead is up over 200% and copper is up about the same in the last couple years. No company can absorb that kind of cost without raising their prices or closing the doors. Keeping employees these days also means offering more competitive salaries, benefits, and other allowances, which all cost money.

However, it seems the door has swung a bit too far to the high side . I'm convinced there is an awful lot of price gouging going on these days no matter if it is bullets, powder, or lumber... one of the reasons I started trying the Accubonds was due to the substantially lower price. I wanted to try the Ballistic Tip hunting but I just couldn't convince myself to use them on elk. Once I started looking at the Accubonds and found they were a bonded bullet (duhh), I tried them and the accuracy I always look for first was there and the BC was up to a decent standard so I bought several boxes in different calibers.

The other reason I stick with Nosler is that I have had a couple failures with Hornady Spire Point bullets- not the interlock, which I have had pretty fair success with. The Accubonds have recently taken a jump in price also, but I have enough to last me a while and I hope this pricing contest goes away before I have to buy more...

Bob

It's your money. Use it as you see fit. I sold some of my last partitions at the clubs gunshow last Saturday. I think it was 150 .277 150gr. (maybe 153 pcs if I remember more correctly) partitions for $75... I still have a bunch of 150gr 7mm Partitions that I can burn up though. Won't be buying anymore Noslers after that. Don't expect prices to go down any at all on them either. You can mark my words. How many of you guys have even been to the Nosler store in Bend?? That's what I thought.. The last bull elk fell to Hornady interlock and TTSX. Both of which are far less expensive than the partitions these days.

They're smoking a lot of dope over there in Bend OR evidently....

evidently they haven't heard there is a major recession going on in this country now...

Joe's not sending out anymore free money....

There are shortages on everything, to include jobs...

Guess their main clientele are all of these out of state Illegal dope growers, and then the Mexican ones ( cartels) and other foreigners
growing dope all over Oregon...

I'm an ex Nosler customer at this point...plain old Hornady 6.5 mm in 129 gr SP or 140 grain SP are working just fine for me...
at a much lower price point.... Speer even moreso.

Most assuredly it is Noslers fault dope became big in Oregon....and they sell all they can to the dopers and the Mexican cartel. Yea the cartel shooters love partitions. You need to go change a head casket. Tell me please...which machines do the cartel reloaders use? They go thru a lot of ammo, so it must be the best.

No InState dope growers, they are all from somewhere else????

w/ a $0.22 bullet (currently $0.44) like the Speer GS, it allows one to work up good loads, shoot a lot, and Then go out and kill game w/ it.

Just know the performance envelope, as it is a little smaller then the NP.




GR

I have moved away from Nosler too. I feel they have priced their bullets far beyond what I consider to be fair market value. So, I have decided to work up loads using Barnes and Sierra Game Changers for all my rifles and put Nosler in my rear view mirror.

I am also with Ohio, it will take a good old fashion recession to cure the current indifferent attitude that many industries have towards their customers’ wants and needs. And-I believe this cure is going to happen in the not too distant future.

I got lucky a while back at a gun show. I was setting up my table when the guy next to me was setting up Guy was a lot older than me and seemed a bit feeble so I helped him get his stuff and put it on his table. He was just a reloader well stocked with bullets. He figured old age had caught up with him so wanted to sell out. He had mostly bullets and as we talked I saw he was getting tired and the show hadn't even opened up yet. Maybe a half hour before it opened. I asked what he would take for the whole batch of bullets and said $10 box. It took most of my working cash but well worth it. That stash will last a lot longer than me. Mostly .270, 7mm, and .308" bullets, roughly 5 to 7 boxes in each caliber in Nosler Partitions alone. Quite a bunch of Speer Hot Core and both versions of Grand Slams (Old and new style)as well. ai'll never run out as long as I live.
PJ

As much of a Nosler homer that I’ve been, I transitioned to Hornady a few years ago. I’ve never even seen a 150 gr 7mm AccuBond but I can find 150 gr 7mm ELDX easily.





P

Ive shot my share of Nosler bullets down through the years and killed plenty of stuff with them but as already mentioned the prices of these bullets have gotten out of hand. Before the China-demic virus started I found a deal on some 7mm 150gr Nosler Ballistic Tips. I bought a thousand of them. Wished I would have bought more but Ive probably got enough to last me the rest of my life.

That’s a damned good score PJ!

Man, I wished you sent me a text. Those are good ones for any 270!

I agree with that but they aren’t that good compared to others that we can buy today, for less money. Barnes, Swift, Hammers, etc have all kept their prices in check while Nosler hasn’t. I’d bet they are not being made with a special copper only they can get.

In Cabela’s today they had a 50 count box of Nosler premium brass in 7x57 for $126.99 plus tax. I’m sure it’s gonna be there for a while.

Sorry buddy. I was with a buddy at the gunshow 2 Saturdays ago. We had 2 tables and I took a bunch of stuff to sell. I don't have a 270 anymore, and those were collecting dust. I should have thought of you, sorry buddy. The show went pretty good. I got some H4831, more Big Game powder and some more 7mm 162 ELDX bullets. Traded some of the H335 powder I had for that stuff, so it didn't cost me any cash. I only paid $26/pound for that H335 last year, so it was a great trade!! I like it when that happens. Almost bought a nice all original Pre 64 model 70 30-06 for $700, but it was a low comb and I passed. Had it been a montecarlo, I probably would have bought it at that price.

Hornady kind of wins by default. They have supplied the market while Noslers are MIA. I’d pay Nosler’s price for certain applications but there are very few to be found. It seems they’ve quit on me.

Both copper and lead prices are down. The metal prices are pretty reasonable at the moment but who knows what their supplier is charging or if they need to commit to an agreed price contract.

As much as I don't like Hornady's late pandemic decisions and corporate BS I think the Interlock and the Speer bullets are probably good enough to take game and have moved to them as well.

I've been getting emails the last few days from SPS on sales on seconds and I'm starting to see a trend toward lower prices already. Now that the economy is slowing down it looks like perhaps they are getting caught up to demand and they need to move some?

I'm seeing Lead free expanding point, Accubonds, and even some Partitions in several calibers dropped to around $.50 a bullet to move inventory. A peak at the future ? Hard to say but I will be back on board when pricing gets back to pre Covid levels on a regular basis again...

Have enough Abonds and BallisticTips to hunt for a while. Also some TSX and TTSX. Prettier than Hornady but not at those prices. Interlocks are like a well built but homely girl glad to get a date.

Hornady basic bullets work for me at sane velocities. Basically at 2800 fps or less muzzle velocities. For my magnums I would rather use the GMX and or Interbonds. Unfortunately I can never get a decent group in any of my rifles using these 2 bullets.

All the GMXs I've tried have shot well, but are VERY load finicky, so it can take a lot of fiddling around to dial them in. Just a few tenths of a grain can be the difference between a cloverleaf and buckshot. The Monoflexes have behaved the same way for me in levers, as well.

Will Partitions even matter in the future? If you're young enough I think you'll see lead bullets phased out for hunting in the future. First on public lands, (that's how they sneak it in), and then on private land. Just wait and see.

That’s gonna happen on all federal lands before 2024 depending on the mid terms. The feds will twist arms, cite environmental benefits, plus bribes of more .gov money then the states will comply.

I think so too, and now work up a mono as well as traditional load for everything I get. As soon as CA got it through, I saw it as becoming a matter of when, not if, nationwide and decided to be ahead of the curve on it.

Could it be they want to price them high to drive customers to factory ammo, either their own or stuff made by others with Nosler bullets? I almost never bought factory CF ammo in the past, but component prices and availability have me snapping up bargain-priced “ready-made”.

I believe that’s part of it. As far as bargain priced factory i suppose it depends on the use. Over the last 4-5 years I layed in a pretty good supply of 556 at any where from 23 cents per to just recently picked up a bunch of Norma 556 for 37 cents and 9mm plinkers. I still load for what really matters, but those 2 don’t fit the bill.

Very good score. That stuff still happens at small town gunshows.

I've pretty much gone away from Partitions for the most part. Just too much meat damage even though they are very accurate in my rifles. I have found the Accubonds are just as accurate, are bonded and create a perfect mushroom, and are about half the cost of the Partitions so I'm migrating over to them when my Partition stash is gone.

I see that Nosler is starting to offer lead free bullets in several of their most common hunting calibers including 338, 300, 270, 264, and several others. If everything does go to lead free at least they will be ahead of the curve a bit. I would like to hear if anyone is using any of these bullets at the moment and how they like them... anyone?

I've used the Nosler ETips a bit in 30 cal. Haven't shot any bigger game with them, but in terms of loading they've been very finicky like the GMX. They'll shoot, but it was a real chore dialing a load in. They seem a lot more sensitive to length than the TTSX as well as with powder charge.

Hoo boy, now there's another issue...

Way back when I considered using their "Safari" grade (or however they called it then) ammo on a buff hunt. I bought a box to test and grab MVs. On pressing the trigger the very first round went "click". Looking it over at the shooting bench I couldn't really see if the issue was ammo or firing pin. I then chambered a second round and pressed the trigger and it went "click" too. Damn.

My hunting partner had his H&H at the next bench as well. I took 1 round from the factory ammo he was using and chambered it. It went "bang". Double damn.

Back home with bright lights and with Nosler on the phone it was clear that it was light primer strikes. Eventually it turned out it was a batch of brass with out of spec primer pockets and the primers set too deep. So much for "Safari" grade quality control.

They didn't offer to return my money, but they did offer to send me a hat for my troubles. Haven't used their ammo on anything since.

I have used the 130 ETip a bit on elk and caribou. It was easy to get to shoot in my rifle and has killed very well. I recovered one on a hard angled shot on a bull elk and it looked like a magazine advertisement.

I’ve only shot game with them out of the 270Wby but have shot some in my wife’s 270Win. They shot fine there too but we don’t need mono metal bullets for what she uses it for.

Is Sierra still making hunting bullets. I’ve had to switch everything over to Hornady because of availability. I’m not much of a premium bullet guy because most cup and core will kill just about anything. A heavy for caliber is pretty dependable. Edk

They do, but they've mostly been making runs of the match bullets. I snagged some 110 Varminters and 125 Pro Hunters a while back, but those have been few and far between.

Nosler must have heard the whining - SPS has the 140 gr. Partition blems for $21/50.

I LOVE Noslers! That said lack of availability and cost have made me move over to Hammers.

75-100 bux for 50 partitions-----when you can find them---- is just too much.

Yep, no thanks. Too many other great bullets out there to pay that.

Supply chains don't all run at the same speed. Manufacturers don't all buy from the same suppliers at the same time for the same price. When Hornady bullets and others also significantly go up in price as the price of their materials, labor, and transportation increases?
When demand goes down, manufacturers will begin to discount their products to the distributors and big retailers, who will in turn run sales on the items. But unless the bottom falls out of the world economy in a big way, it is highly unlikely we will ever see 2020 discounted prices for handloading components again.

I have enough variety and quantity of powder, primers, Partitions, Ballistic Tips, TTSXs, E-Tips, Sierras, etc, for all my fav hunting, varmint, self defense, and paper punching rifles and handguns to probably last me the rest of my life, so I'm not really risking much skin in the game--at least for the time being....

Yeah, some of us point them to threads like these.

with my military discount I got them for $18.90 so I got 5 bags should last me a long time.

They were hummers in my 264 with Retumbo.. Wanna say I was easily up over 3200, very accurate as well.

I found them cheaper - already loaded by Norma in 6.5x55
A number of online sources have them for about $25 a box. Brass, primers and powder thrown in for free...

Never have problems finding Lapua Scenars at decent prices....I hear they can kill a critter or two...

I am set. Shooters Pro shop had some 180 g ,30 cal partitions 2nds for $13 a box a few years back. I bought 6 boxes.Between them and my 220 gr Sierra RN, I won't need to buy another 30 cal bullet in my life.

I have enough .277 130 gr. partitions to last me and my son several lifetimes.

I've been a Interlock fan ever since Remington stopped selling Core Lokts to handloaders, maybe before that too. I try to keep interlocks on hand, but I shoot them into paper quite a bit.
I have quite a few partitions in 24, 25, 27, 28, 30, & 37. I don't need partitions in 35 and the interlocks work fine. I probably could let the 37's go to someone who needs them.
In the 60's I owned a 264 and the only decent big game bullet in my opinion was the partition, but the cost was too much for me. Now, I own no 6.5's or 338's and I can live with that
I probably wouldn't need to buy more, though every now and then I NEED a certain bullet weight in a caliber.

This is something that everyone should keep in mind. Change isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Rejecting any component or reloading accessory/equipment based on problems experienced 10 or more years ago isn't wise. Poor designs or defects get rectified quickly...or else. No company wants a bad reputation or go out of business. Ask Barnes, RCBS, Lee and others.

Do you remember when Barnes had expansion problems with their copper bullets? They probably would appreciate everyone forgetting that. They rectified the problem though. Does anyone remember when RCBS/Speer/Blount/CCI companies were being bought and sold and RCBS dies weren't well made? That was in the late 1970s, I believe. How are RCBS dies now? Lee has had their fair share of problems too. I've always believed that they release some products before they are ready, and let the reloading public finish the development.

Partitions are great bullets, but for my needs, they are unnecessary and overpriced. Even their cup and core BTs are high priced.

Every reloader should choose what works best in their unique situation. What you need is based on where you hunt. And we pursue different species, at different ranges, in different weather.

A lot of it comes down to how it affects the pocket book. Nosler has been raping its customers over the past 2 years. A lot of us won't forget that.

I think you'll find that Nosler has been doing it for longer than that. Up here at least. In Canada, they are one of the most expensive bullets. Frankly, if I needed something more than a cup and core bullet, I would give Barnes a hard look before I'd consider a Partition.

I just took a quick look at Cabelas up here. These prices are CDN, but it doesn't matter.

Nosler 130 gr .277 Partitions are $100 for 50.
Barnes tipped TSX 130 gr. bullets are $70 for 50.

Hornady Interlock .277 130 gr. bullets are $70 for 100 or $35 for 50.

For my needs, I would never consider Nosler or Barnes.

Had to beat the terminal ballistics of the Partition. Don't always shoot so good but really accurate sometime.

Not really. They were the schite back in the day but there are a lot of comparable bullets these days. At a lot more cost effective price point.
I've killed stuff with NP's, Barnes "X" bullets, Accubonds, Interlocks, Grand Slams, Hot-Cors. Core Lockts and on and on.
Wanna kill stuff? Put it where it matters.

I've been the same way lately. The seconds are way more than the firsts used to be. I still have quite a few 2nds patituins I paid about $12 /bag for. Especially 243 and 308s in 180 and 200g. I used to always feel confident in the thick stuff with just a 30-06 and a 200g portion at about 2700. It just works. Although the 200g accubond does too. I still have about 20 bags of those but keep killing game with 215g Berger hybrids since they came out.

Bb