Boddington's Results with the 26 Nosler

[EOD Diver]

Not sure if you guys saw it, but Craig Boddington (think he made General) was getting some pretty stellar velocities with the 26 Nosler in Guns & Ammo. He clocked a 140 AB at 3,425 FPS out of a Nosler M48 with a 26" pipe. That means that 3,500 should be a snap with that 129 ABLR pill. Not too shabby. Relative to SD, not sure if you can get to 3,400 with a 7 Ultra and a 160 grainer and I don't think you can pull off 3,400 with a 190 in 300 Ultra. Nope, that's 30-378 Bee country and means you're burning 122 grains/shot with a just a smidge more recoil. You gotta love it when a company underrates its products or is conservative in its reporting. Kinda reminds me of the muscle car era when the big three were reporting that their 426, 427, and 428 big blocks had about, ohhh, 300ish horsepower to get around insurance companies. Kuddos to Nosler.
Joe

 

[DrMike]

I believe Boddington was brevetted, Joe. Still, he has my admiration on two fronts--one for his advance through the ranks, and two, for his sensible writing. I do tend to trust Boddington; but, then, he is from KS.

 

[Guy Miner]

Wow. Great results from the new cartridge. Hard to think of something better for say, pronghorn & mule deer hunting... Hmmmm...

I have always been impressed with Boddington. Yes, as I recall the promotion to General was temporary, which is done sometimes. Making full Colonel in the Marines is impressive enough to me!

Regards, Guy

 

[salmonchaser]

Two of the very best writers on the Art of the Rifle were Marine Corp colonels. Says a lot about the Corp. Both Cooper and Boddington should be in everyone's library IMHO.

 

[FOTIS]

I really would like to see what pressures he is running. Nosler is tough brass like the rum brass. Not soft, thus fooling many loaders. Some are getting 3200 fps with 200 gr in the 300 rum which is 30-378 country. These 300 rum loads can not be within SAAMI.

 

[Guy Miner]

I really would like to see what pressures he is running. Nosler is tough brass like the rum brass. Not soft, thus fooling many loaders. Some are getting 3200 fps with 200 gr in the 300 rum which is 30-378 country. These 300 rum loads can not be within SAAMI.

When I made my brief (less than a year) foray into the .300 RUM world, I heard all sorts of good stuff about Retumbo and the 200 gr Nosler AccuBond.

Got a box of Remington factory ammo, 200 gr Nosler Partitions, and ran them over the chronograph at 3190 fps! :shock:

I saw a couple in that string of fire that did break 3200 fps...

Closest I got to that with Retumbo and 200 gr bullets was about 3150 fps, and recoil was enough to drive me away. In all fairness it was a relatively light Rem 700 CDL, and despite the recoil, it was very accurate. So yeah, there are some loads that run up in the neighborhood of 3200 fps with a 200 gr bullet. I thought it was pretty cool that I had two CDL's shooting at about 3100 - 3200 fps, just that one had a 115 gr bullet and the other used a 200 gr bullet!

Sold it off to a younger, tougher Marine.

Regards, Guy

 

[SJB358]

Wow! Awesome results. It is a screamer and a full 150-200FPS what I get with my 264. I really have trouble thinking it could be "better" than my 264, but it would be the cats meow with some 140's for just about anything!

I have a book signed by Col. Boddington. He visited our CP site sometime around 97-98 I think. I recognized him right off the bat. After getting permission I ran back to the barracks, recovered his book on rifles and found him when he was through with the dog and pony show. I was a LCpl at the time.. Really nice guy and always seemed to write sensible stuff.

As for the 300 RUM, It must be the thicker cases, but Brian runs the 200AB's right at 3200 pretty easily in his Sendero and sems to have great case life and there is no denying how accurate that big blaster is.

 

[Ridge_Runner]

I get 3340 with a 160 AccuBond in my 26" lilja barreled 7 stw, 3575 with a 160 in my 7mm allen, its mostly hype I'm thinking the same capacity makes the same horsepower, pressure makes velocity, capacity makes pressure, not knocking the 26 at all but there are other cases that will do the same.
RR

 

[bobnob]

I suspect the 26 Nosler might cause a ripple of renewed interest in the 264 Win.

For my part, the 26N concept appeals to me but I just know I don't need the extra 200fps. But the discussion about the new cartridge has me thinking a 264W might be the ticket for nailing pigs over long crop shots and ringing gongs with my mates while they burn barrels out with their ultra mags!

 

[Guy Miner]

I don't think a 26 Nosler is going to have any better barrel life than an Ultra Mag.

We're talking a very "overbore" cartridge.

The .264 Win mag never had a reputation for being easy on barrels either...

Guy

 

[bobnob]

No but if I got 2500rds out of a 264 tube that would last me a few years. And I wouldn't be burning 85g of powder either which is nice.

 

[Ridge_Runner]

I suspect the 26 Nosler might cause a ripple of renewed interest in the 264 Win.

For my part, the 26N concept appeals to me but I just know I don't need the extra 200fps. But the discussion about the new cartridge has me thinking a 264W might be the ticket for nailing pigs over long crop shots and ringing gongs with my mates while they burn barrels out with their ultra mags!

I get 3200 with a 140 in a 30" barreled 6.5 gibbs burning less than 63 gr. of powder, it does well on deer to 1100 yards
RR

 

[SJB358]

I get right at 3200 with the 264 Win Mag in a 26" barrel. I use 67.6 grains of RL25 for that load. It's funny, but when you compare the Gibb's and 264WM to the 26 Nosler, the first two look efficient! HA!

Bob, you'd like a fast a 6.5. There are so many good ones to be had and the bullet selection is really danged good.

 

[longrangehunter]

I think if someone wants and/or needs a super magnum in a 6.5/264 caliber for long range hunting applications, the 26 Nosler will fit the bill. But that is a specialized cartridge in my opinion.

First off, it's not really needed for anything under 300- 400 yards in realistic terms. Any of the smaller 6.5's can easily handle a clean harvest on a medium size game animal within that range. Long range hunting though it does bring something to the table in the 6.5/264 caliber choices. But for something traveling at those hyper speeds, anything shot up-close would be disaster to any bullet. Blood shot would be extreme for a meat hunter.

So really we're talking strictly about a long range hunting caliber because barrel life would never survive extended strings of fire. You'd want to save this type of gun for only taking shots on game, and keep strings to a minimum, three shots. Using something like the 26 Nosler for target practice or putting a lot of rounds down range at steel isn't conducive to such an overbore caliber. But as a long range Western Plains/Eastern Bean Field/Alpine Tundra hunting rig it would work very well......

But so do a few others. Although my 6.5/300 WSM is way short of those velocities, it is packaged in a short action that doesn't require a 26" or more barrel, and yet is still light enough to carry great distances over steep terrain. Not that something longer and/or heavier can't be hauled around, ultimately that depends on the person whom is carrying it?

To me it's a lot like my 300 Jarrett, a little heavy at 10 lbs., but will take Trophy Game animals cleanly at long distances. Is it any better, depends on who you ask? 30 caliber vs. 264, for me I'd say from a single standpoint it would perform as well in flight with far less recoil. Others might say the larger caliber would provide more energy? Yes but at a cost of increased recoil, which for some hunters can not shoot as well between the two. I seriously doubt that any energy deficit is going to make a Game animal any less dead on a good shot with a properly constructed bullet.

Sooner or later there is a point of diminishing returns, many hunters have no need for a 800-yard Elk or a 1,000-yard Deer rifle. But a few will and feel the need to own such a caliber. To each his own!