Nine Years with the 22 Nosler

In January 2017, I recall being enamored  with a cartridge from Nosler that they had just announced, the 22 Nosler. In 2013, they announced the 26 Nosler with promises of shooting flat out to 426 yards and at the time being the fastest 6.5 commercially available 6.5-caliber cartridge on the market. There were some wildcats that were faster but nothing that was SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute) approved at the time. In 2015, Nosler released the 28 Nosler. Both cartridges were based on the 404 Jeffery and were beltless magnum cartridges ideal for big game. The 22 Nosler was obviously going to be designed for varmint and predator hunting and perhaps even deer with properly constructed bullets. I had preconceived notions about it being the fastest, flattest shooting 22-caliber cartridge with a commercial offering, finally beating the long-time speed king, the 220 Swift. 

When I finally saw the 22 Nosler, I must admit I was a little perplexed. This was a much smaller case than I was expecting from Nosler. It was not a large case; in fact, it was so short that it could be chambered in a mini-action or an AR-15, with a cartridge overall length of just 2.260 inches. No way this thing was taking the checkered flag from the 1935 speed king, the 220 Swift. A case that small just didn’t have the horsepower to run with it in the velocity race. I was expecting a souped-up 426 Hemi in a cartridge and instead got a 331 Hemi, which, while still a V-8, was much smaller than I was expecting. However, like the 331 Hemi, the 22 Nosler laid the groundwork for later cartridges, but not without its initial drawbacks. The first run of brass was a little soft, and when run in a gas gun (which was usually overgassed), the brass would easily develop burs. Not so good if you are a handloader looking for maximum performance and reliability.

There were also some issues with the AR-15s: they were usually overgassed and needed an adjustable gas block, and, in some cases, an H2 buffer weight would help or alleviate problems. However, the 22 Nosler was not competing with the 220 Swift, but rather the 223 Remington, one of the most successful commercial cartridges in terms of number of rounds produced and popularity. This was no easy feat and overcoming these issues would be challenging to say the least. Since the 22 Nosler was an easy conversion to make, only needing a simple barrel swap to work, many folks and even companies converted their 223 Remington/5.56 ARs to 22 Nosler and that is where the issues really began to show with oversized gas ports, non-adjustable gas blocks and buffer weights set up specifically for 223 Remington instead of 22 Nosler. 

As a result, right off the line, the 22 Nosler had “spun out of the hole” and was looking for traction, which it did find with me and a few others who were also looking for increased performance over the 223 Remington. The 22 Nosler did outperform the 223 Remington, especially in a bolt gun, which did not experience the same issues as the gas guns. Being a long-time user of the 223 Remington for coyotes and general varmint shooting, this is exactly what I was looking for. I wanted something that would offer a little more performance and provide a little more wind deflection, as that always seems to get me on those long shots across the prairies on hung-up coyotes. 

The 22 Nosler did just that, thanks to the 1:8 twist rate, which made it ideal for 75-80 grain projectiles, which happened to be among my favorite weights when it comes to coyote bullets. It also had enough horsepower to launch them at respectable velocities. For these reasons, I became an early adopter of the 22 Nosler, and I have used it extensively for nearly a decade. In that time, I have seen other cartridges come and go and watched the 22 Nosler slowly fade to obscurity, much like the 331 Hemi. However, I have stuck it out and have used both Nosler brass and Dogtown Brass, which is available from Midway USA, to keep my rifles running once I have enough firings to loosen primer pockets. 

In these nine years, I have gone through at least four large brass shipments and own two 22 Nosler rifles one AR and one bolt gun, which is the subject of this article. While I don’t have an accurate round count, the bolt gun sees a lot more use as the AR is usually reserved for coyote calling. A conservative estimate of 22 Nosler cartridges fired would be in the 4,000-round range, based on how many cases I’ve had to throw away and how many I have left. A little over half that number is likely the round count on this rifle. In that time and amount of use, I have really come to appreciate and enjoy the cartridge. Perhaps the memories of countless days hunting with it help. All in all, the cartridge is sound and it has proven accurate and reliable. 

The rifle itself is a beautiful Nosler M48 Heritage model, which is sadly long discontinued. In fact, at this time, I am unaware of any commercially available rifles chambered in 22 Nosler. Sometimes being an early adopter of a cartridge or rifle does pay off, as I now have a unique rifle that would be extremely difficult to get today. The rifle itself has a beautiful walnut stock with fine grain lines and excellent fit and finish. The bluing is a matte finish that has held up well over the years. The M48 Action is an excellent action, and while its footprint is unique and the aftermarket stock selection is limited, I have no intention of changing the stock. I have no doubt that if well care for, it will last several lifetimes. The action is strong and the bolt runs through the raceway like butter. The extractor and ejector have yet to be replaced despite the high round count on this rifle, which is rather impressive in my book, especially considering that some rather high-pressure loads have been fired in this rifle, exceeding the SAAMI maximum average pressure (MAP). This is not advisable and was done in a controlled environment to check pressure and velocity gains by bumping up to 62,000 pounds per square inch (psi) as opposed to the MAP of 55,000 psi. While the rifle handled it fine without any issues, the brass life is severely degraded and primer pockets become loose much faster. In addition, the SAAMI MAP should never be exceeded for safety reasons as you are removing a safety margin that is very valuable. 

This rifle has proven to be reliable and accurate with good loads averaging under .5 MOA for five rounds, Some loads are even better, as can be seen in the accompanying table. The rifle has made several trips to Spur Outfitters in Encampment, Wyoming, to shoot prairie dogs. The amount of prairie dogs on that ranch cannot be overstated. In the summer, when the sun is out, the dogs are basking on their mounds. It is easy to expend upwards of a few hundred rounds in a few hours. When shooting under such conditions, a rotation of rifles is employed, as barrels heat up quickly in the summer, and I burn up enough barrels in my regular shooting and testing. Therefore, rotating through 5-7 rifles allows the barrels to cool completely, saving money and improving accuracy. This 22 Nosler is almost always in the rotation, which is a major contributing factor to my experience and high round count with this rifle. 

In addition to these prairie dog hunts in Wyoming, my home state of Arizona has some limited opportunities to shoot prairie dogs and this rifle is always in the rotation there as well. Thanks to the Leupold VX-5 3-15x44 and an excellent Christmas tree-style reticle, combined with the soft recoil of the 22 Nosler, spotting impacts and correcting for misses is easy, even in breezy conditions. That Leupold optic has been on this rifle since the very beginning and has proven to track reliably, as well as being very durable. The locking turrets are a lifesaver for anyone who does a lot of traveling with their rifle. I cannot count how many times optics without such features are taken into the field only to find that after bumping around in the truck for a few hours they are no longer zeroed. 

In addition to prairie dog and ground squirrel shoots, this rifle has also served as a test platform for bullet testing and accuracy testing because I know what to expect with it thanks to spending so much time in the field with it. After all this time shooting and hunting with this rifle, I have only one minor complaint. The action is a standard short action M48; the 22 Nosler is slightly shorter than most short-action cartridges. As a result, there is a block placed in the back of the magazine well to shorten the magazine and facilitate proper feeding. It works very well as the rifle feeds flawlessly from the hinged floorplate magazine. The only issue with that block is that while in a shooting position on the bench, it makes the rifle a little tricky to load. A lot of times, I find the cartridges are placed too far forward, preventing the next round from going in, or too far back and being blocked by the magazine spacer. That said, the magazine will accept cartridges up to about 2.600 inches in overall length, which gives us plenty of room to seat bullets further out if so desired. 

While the 22 Nosler never became a super popular cartridge, it remains an effective and unique cartridge that paved the way for a lot of modern cartridges capable of functioning in the AR-15. It did so easily thanks to its rebated rim, which allowed it to use the same bolt face as the ever-popular 223 Remington. This gave folks a feeling that they could easily give this cartridge a try. Truth be told, it’s hard to unseat popular cartridges because most folks already have a rifle and cartridge combination that works. However, if you are looking for something a little better or if you don’t have a good 223 Remington, why not go with something that is a little bit better? These days, we have no shortage of ballistically improved cartridges over the 223 Remington that fit and function in the same-sized rifles – and the 22 Nosler was one of the very first. Even today, it still holds its own in the field.