The 28 Nosler has made a name for itself as an outstanding hunting cartridge capable of delivering lots of energy on target accurately. We have multiple videos on the 28 Nosler on our YouTube Channel Handloader TV.
In 2019, the Nosler Mountain Carbon Rifle was announced at the SHOT Show, as many rifles and countless products make their debut at this large event. The rifle was instantly interesting, as many Nosler rifles have served in the field with distinction. My own personal experiences with Nosler rifles have been overwhelmingly positive and filled with success. From its introduction onward, this rifle has been working, and given its experience, it has quite a tale to tell. I am sure we can all say we’ve seen a lot in the last six years; this rifle can easily say the same. It may seem odd to cover a rifle that is six years old, chambered in a cartridge that is 11 years old. Some may find it refreshing to know that this rifle has a history and proven track record in mud, blood and maybe even a bit of magic. Rather than trusting a press release, engineering, or a manufacturer’s claims, this rifle and cartridge have been tested in the field under real conditions by real folks for multiple years. The accolades of the rifle are many and tell most of the story. The information presented in this article can only be gleaned by the trials and testing it has endured. This article is its story.
The Nosler Mountain Carbon is an ideal hunting rifle thanks to its light weight of just 6 pounds bare.
Matching the cartridge case to the chamber is a critical step to not only increase precision but also increase brass life. In this example, the gap between the case and the chamber walls is exaggerated for illustration purposes.
The rifle itself is a Nosler Mountain Carbon Rifle chambered in 28 Nosler, starting out with the cartridge since it was here before the rifle. It is based on the 404 Jeffery, and in a world where cartridges rise and fall, the 28 Nosler has held its own and filled a niche in the hunting world that few other cartridges can do. It conducts a delicate balancing act of velocity, bullet diameter, energy and recoil on a stage that is constantly shifting as new cartridges are introduced. Yet the 28 Nosler has remained longer than most cartridges in recent years; in fact, the rifle
availability has only grown alongside component diversity as well. When I first started tinkering with this cartridge, Nosler was the only source for brass; now there are numerous other excellent options from not just Nosler but Peterson Cartridge, Atlas Development Group (ADG) and Hornady, to name a few. This illustrates how the 28 Nosler has secured a position on the stage when it comes to cartridges. 
Multiple brands of 28 Nosler cases have been put to the test over years of use. Peterson Cartridge cases were ultimately selected for the longest brass life and excellent uniformity from case to case.
The rifle that houses this fine cartridge is a Nosler Mountain Carbon Rifle built on the M48 action with a proprietary ultra-light carbon fiber
stock, a threaded Proof Research 24-inch barrel (1:9 twist) and a Timney trigger which breaks clean and crisp at 3 pounds. All said and done, without optics, the rifle weighs in at a mere 6 pounds; with the addition of optics and mounts, the final weight comes to 7 pounds, 6 ounces. That is a lot of cartridge in a lightweight package, but with the addition of a suppressor or muzzle brake, the recoil is more than manageable. The final thing added to the rifle was an ARCA rail so the rifle could be used in conjunction with a tripod. This was easily accomplished by drilling a few holes and using screws and tee nuts to secure it to the lightweight stock. The cost was less than $35.00 and worth double that when used in the field and out hunting. 
The highlight of this rifle’s story is being taken on a remarkable Arizona early bull elk hunt. The cartridge and bullet did not disappoint, offering exceptional terminal performance and external ballistics.
Over the years, this rifle has been used to develop many loads, and the current round count on this barrel is pushing 800 rounds. Yet, it is still performing well despite this high round count, which is a genuine
concern with the cartridge, with barrels often burning out between 700-900 rounds depending on many variables. Looking at the table, we can see that the performance of this rifle has been very good across years of working up loads with it. While barrel life is a concern for most shooters, especially with this cartridge, the average shooter can get many years of hunting and practicing for hunts without needing a fresh barrel. For the others, the performance gains are worth sacrificing some barrel life. 
A wide array of high-quality components were used and tested over many years with this rifle. The 28 Nosler thrives on slower-burning powders thanks to it’s large case capacity and 7mm (.284 inch) bore diameter.
The 28 Nosler has no doubt found its niche within hunting circles, and as a result, most of the ammunition
is of the more premium hunting variety. This also makes factory ammo expensive and handloading a more than worthwhile endeavor, as you can easily pay for a press, premium cases, dies and a hefty amount of components and still save money across the life of a barrel. Admittedly, this barrel has less than 150 rounds of factory ammo through it, the rest being handloads. That said, the factory ammo does shoot quite well, no doubt thanks to the Proof Research cut rifled barrel and keeping the barrel cool and relatively clean whenever testing is conducted. 
This 10-shot group measured out to 1.11 inches and a second 10-shot group squeaked in just under an inch. The more you shoot, the more your groups will open up, but for a hunting rifle on elk-sized game, this puts the effective range well beyond what I would personally consider ethical limits. This is impressive performance from a hunting rifle and hunting bullet.
When it comes to handloading the 28 Nosler, the process is simple and straightforward, with many excellent powders, cases and bullets available today. When it comes to the case itself, Nosler, Hornady, ADG and Peterson cases have all been tested. Nosler cases are quite consistent, and their pre-prepped cases definitely speed up the tedious process of case prep. However, their life is comparatively shorter than ADG or cases from Peterson Cartridge. The primer pockets often loosen up enough to be of concern in 4-6 firings; the same was true with Hornady cases, and they required a chamfer and debur during the prep portion of the reloading process. The ADG cases for many years were my go-to cases, and I have no complaints with them. In more recent years, I have switched yet again, this time to Peterson cases; they have offered the longest life and the most consistent cases not only fresh out of the box but after multiple firings while attempting to keep sized-case dimensions as close as reliably possible to chamber dimensions.
As a whole, this rifle and cartridge have proven themselves to countless hunters and in our own testing and evaluation. When it came time to select a rifle for a once-in-a-lifetime Arizona bull elk hunt during the rut, this rifle was chosen, not only by me as a recommendation but also by my wife, who happened to have the prestigious tag; she selected it when there were hundreds of other options to choose from. She worked up her own loads and some of those are featured in the handload table. She proceeded to test the rifle as well and conduct her own evaluation. She was able to print 10 rounds just under an inch, which I was able to nearly duplicate a few months and about 75 rounds later. On the hunt, the rifle was a joy to carry and dropped the bull instantly after a single well-placed shot.
In a day and age where ultralight hunting rifles have changed as drastically as the cartridges they are chambered in, the Nosler Mountain Carbon Rifle as well as the 28 Nosler have not only set the bar for these other rifles to be measured but they are still a viable option today, especially for someone who has a fondness for the more traditional stocks and the sleek lines of a rifle in hand as opposed to being folded and contained on one’s backpack. Combined with the flat shooting, wind-bucking capabilities of the 28 Nosler, it creates a truly long-range capable, ultra-light hunting rifle with enough barrel life for years, if not decades, of hunting adventures. Maximizing the effectiveness of the wide array of bullets, powders, cases and primers via handloading makes the 28 Nosler one of my personal favorite hunting cartridges.
If you would like to know more, watch the video titled “My Favorite Elk Rifle & Load - 28 Nosler and Early Rifle Bull Elk” or “28 Nosler Handloads” on our YouTube channel Handloader TV.
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