Nosler's new Reduced Drag Factor bullet line

[Biggabe]

This might be interesting. Will have to see about giving these a try when they come out. Here's
Nosler's news release this morning. Coming out in .22, 6mm, 6.5mm, and 30cal.



Nosler Inc. announced today the first of several new innovative products slated to roll out over the coming weeks with the release of their new RDF™ Reduced Drag Factor bullet line. RDF™ features the highest BCs and smallest, most consistent meplats of any hollow point match bullet line on the market.

The RDF™ line was designed from the ground up by Nosler’s world-class team of engineers with the goal of delivering exceptionally high BCs that result in the flattest trajectory and least wind drift possible. Several key design factors contribute to the RDF’s game-changing performance. Nosler’s meticulously optimized compound ogive, which bridges traditional tangent and secant bullet shapes, is insensitive to seating depth, allowing handloaders to seat bullets with ease, an advantage for competitors who often load hundreds of rounds per sitting in preparation for a match. Also lending itself to the bullet’s sleek form factor is a long, drag reducing boattail, making the product optimal for long range efficiency.

When compared side-by-side, shooters will immediately notice a striking visual contrast between Nosler’s RDF™ and today’s leading industry match bullets, with a hollow point so small it’s nearly undetectable to the naked eye. The bullet’s tightly profiled design boasts a 40% average reduction in meplat size, completely eliminating the need to point and trim tips—a laborious step performed by match shooters in order to achieve increased ballistic efficiency and an edge over the competition.

“Long-range competitive shooting has quickly become one of the fastest growing shooting activities in the world, and quality bullets are the cornerstone of the sport” said John Nosler, Executive Vice President for the company. “Our engineers were challenged with delivering a bullet that would drastically reduce aerodynamic drag and increase ballistic consistency, providing shooters with an indisputable advantage in the field. What we achieved is a leap in match bullet technology that we predict will become the winning differentiator for shooters across the country, and around the globe.”

 

[Berger.Fan222]

I dunno. I've learned to trust Berger, Sierra, and Hornady a lot more than Nosler when it comes to ballistic coefficients.

What are the odds Nosler is finally telling the truth?

 

[rifleman700]

I have seen Berger adjust their BC's as many as three times on some bullets - 7mm 168 CH for example, so would you call them liars also?? Every bullet company measures their BC's at different ranges and in different ways so I don't think that makes them liars, it just makes their test methods different. Data compiled at shorter ranges will always have higher averages, and that does not make them liars. And when you start talking elevation and temperature when establishing BC's then you are adding another variable that may be different. When I shoot out to transonic range to establish the BC in my individual rifles the BC I end up with is never the same as the manufacturers listed BC but I don't call them liars.

All this being said it would be nice for Nosler to come out and tell us how they do establish their BC's to put an end to all of this finger pointing or at least update the numbers. Barnes for example, if I remember right established their BC's at 300 yards. These BC's they have are not that far off compared to Bryan Litz's own testing on these same bullets. Mine or your testing could put them anywhere in between the two.

Sierra bullets have been a little generous in their numbers also along with Hornady until Hornady started testing with a Doppler. Bryan Litz and Hornady have the best method IMO.

I am glad we have so many good companies producing great bullets. I welcome anything new.

 

[Ned Ludd]

If their points are uniform and look as good the ones pictured, they will likely sell a lot of these. Although they currently only have a few listed and the bullets weights aren't what I would consider optimal in terms of maximizing BC for the respective calibers, the BC values they report look quite good for bullets of that particular weight class.

 

[Beau]

Wish they would have done an 80 instead of the 70gr .224" bullet!

 

[IdahoSharpshooter]

"Compound Ogive." Is that like the "Hybrid" design by Brian Litz?

SAAMI has their nose in everything these days. Wouldn't it be nice if they would adopt the G7 as SAAMI Spec for a standard and request all of the bullet manufacturers to use it?

 

[John Russell]

"Compound Ogive." Is that like the "Hybrid" design by Brian Litz?

SAAMI has their nose in everything these days. Wouldn't it be nice if they would adopt the G7 as SAAMI Spec for a standard and request all of the bullet manufacturers to use it?

SAAMI is not in the BC standards game. And different bullet designs require different "G" form factors - you cannot plug all bullets into one type of BC.

 

[Berger.Fan222]

"Compound Ogive." Is that like the "Hybrid" design by Brian Litz?

SAAMI has their nose in everything these days. Wouldn't it be nice if they would adopt the G7 as SAAMI Spec for a standard and request all of the bullet manufacturers to use it?

The great thing about standards is there are so many of them.

I'd prefer to let the market do its work. The G1 BC is actually a better model for a lot of bullets, even some boat tails if they tend to be shorter and fatter or if they have a shorter boat tail with a suboptimal tail angle.

If SAAMI were to have some standard about BC, I would hope it would entail measurement accuracy.

 

[JRS]

The BC was derived from a third party in actual field testing. $29.00-$35.00 per hundred should garner some attention

 

[Baddog0302]

Wish they would have done an 80 instead of the 70gr .224" bullet!

70 gn .224
140 gn. 6.5
175 gn. .308
I guess they choose these weights based on what Wt. would appeal to the most shooters

 

[eric32]

I hope they come out with a 155gr 30cal.

 

[hogpatrol]

Competition, you gotta love it! I'm sure may of our fellow forum members will be well qualified jurors during the trials.

 

[RonAKA]

A little off topic, but I wonder if Nosler is buying the jackets to make them from Berger? I believe they are buying their brass from Norma. And the other question now that Lapua owns Berger, if they will continue to sell jackets to other bullet makers, or if they withhold them to maintain a competitive advantage?

 

[jfseaman]

Missing 284/7mm

When will they be in stock.?

 

[JRS]

A little off topic, but I wonder if Nosler is buying the jackets to make them from Berger? I believe they are buying their brass from Norma. And the other question now that Lapua owns Berger, if they will continue to sell jackets to other bullet makers, or if they withhold them to maintain a competitive advantage?

Nosler has produced their own bullet jackets for decades, to include BR jackets.

 

[Beau]

70 gn .224
140 gn. 6.5
175 gn. .308
I guess they choose these weights based on what Wt. would appeal to the most shooters

I didn't know anybody shot 70gr .224 bullets!

 

[Berger.Fan222]

I didn't know anybody shot 70gr .224 bullets!

I think this may be an early attempt to corner a potential new market that develops around the new NRA Mid-Range (Prone) Tactical Rifle (AR) (PROVISIONAL) category. Nosler may have figured out that the .224 bullet market for F-TR was going to be prohibitively difficult to compete in and decided they's have an easier time getting a lead in the new discipline.

I gotta say, if the BC is accurate, this bullet would be fairly attractive for that application (and others where one wants a high BC bullet that feeds from an AR magazine.)