33 Nosler a GOOD Powerhouse .338 for Hunting???

[Slick8]

As long as ADG and others make quality brass I don't care about factory support myself.

I don't shoot any factory ammo other than .223 in my AR's or use factory ammo.

The 7 SAUM is a great example. Remington as let it along with the other saums die a slow death but it's become popular among target shooters and hunters so premium brass and dies are available. There's a chance that the PRC will cut into this a bit but I hope not.

 

[MagnumManiac]

As long as ADG and others make quality brass I don't care about factory support myself.

I don't shoot any factory ammo other than .223 in my AR's or use factory ammo.

The 7 SAUM is a great example. Remington as let it along with the other saums die a slow death but it's become popular among target shooters and hunters so premium brass and dies are available. There's a chance that the PRC will cut into this a bit but I hope not.

Ammo and or brass is not the issue, it's rifles chambered in said cartridges by the parent company and as I look at what's available, the 300RUM is the only cartridge chambered in ALL models.
I guess I should be happy that I bought a rifle in 300RUM in 2021 that was made in 2015, at least there are virtually no issues with it like the latter made rifles, no primary extraction, cocking pieces machined too short, etc, etc.

Cheers.

 

[Slick8]

Good point, outside of the custom / simi-custom word rifles aren't being chambered in those mentioned in much of any volume.

Too bad because they bring a lot to the table.

 

[SSG Graybush]

I plan on dropping parts off in the next month for a 33 nosler. I picked up 300 rounds of peterson brass so I should be set for a few barrels and a lifetime I'd expect. Even with the amount of tinkering I do, shooting steel for fun, and hunting I think barrel life should be pretty good with the capacity vs bore diameter.

I have a 338 edge now and have had a 338 Rum, 338 Sherman Max, and a 338 Sherman Mega. If my project had a lapua bolt face I would do a 338 norma improved for a mag fed rifle.

I think if you get your hands on some peterson brass you will be happier than with nosler brand. Having peterson brass available is the only reason I considered the 33 nosler. If it wasn't for that I probably would have got a different action for the norma.

I hope you continue on with your build.

Peterson makes the Nosler 33 Nosler. Well they did, I don't know now. I have 200 pc's. Gonna start that this summer with a 300 wm action, barrel has 1500+ rds through it. The 33 Nosler gets 338 LM velocities with 18% less powder, I read.

 

[Slick8]

I love the nosler cartridges but a LM it is not.

I just can't see the 33 being the smallest capacity nosler case keeping step with a LM. I know wiki says it will and perhaps so with light bullets. If running 250s and above in the same barrel length it doesn't get there IMO.

Not trying to rain on your parade, just don't want to see you expecting something that's not there.

BTW-If building a LM, I'd build the improved version which is a further step up.

 

[liv4thehunt]

This was my plan when I had a 33/28 Nosler reamer built. 28 Nosler is one of the top 5 most popular calibers, so there will always be plentiful brass. I set my reamer up with 300 grain Berger's with the boat tail at the base of the neck. Touching the lands at 3.750 so it would fit in a cip mag. So far it's been impressive. On a 26" Bartlein- Berger 250's over 3000, hornady 270 eldx at 2950, and Berger 300's over 2800. I could have just used my 33 Nosler reamer and 28 head space gauges, but I wanted the bullet out another .100.

 

[Slick8]

^^^^ I like it. I'm doing a similar build but on a 30-28 set up for 245s or heavy Mono's like Hammer an Badlands.

That's some impressive numbers from a magazine fed round.

 

[SSG Graybush]

I love the nosler cartridges but a LM it is not.

I just can't see the 33 being the smallest capacity nosler case keeping step with a LM. I know wiki says it will and perhaps so with light bullets. If running 250s and above in the same barrel length it doesn't get there IMO.

Not trying to rain on your parade, just don't want to see you expecting something that's not there.

BTW-If building a LM, I'd build the improved version which is a further step up.

True, saying LM "velocities" means ball park. Case capacity doesnt lie.
I went 33 nosler cuz its kinda the 6.5 cm of the 33 calibers Imo. Medium case size, designed for heavy for caliber bullets. But I want to shoot 160 or 185 ttsx with it, maybe a Badlands if they make a <190 gr. For intermediate ranges in bear country. So the smaller sized modern case appealed to me. Am gonna try to find a light to medium load at about 2900-3000 fps with one of those ttsx. But with twist enough to shoot the heavies if I change my mind.

 

[wyomingboy]

I just had my 338 Win Mag re-chambered for the 33 Nosler AND I had the gun smith take the "spacer" out of my magazine so I am no longer married to COAL of 3.340" ! The 250gr, Sierra hunting bullet that I used, can now be loaded out to 3.358" and the big advantage is now the VLD bullets like the Hornady 230gr ELDX, which is longer than the 250gr Sierra can be loaded to a COAL of 3.440" and the big one, the 270gr ELDX can be loaded to a COAL of 3.511".
That was really the only downfall of the 338 Win Mag is the longer VLD bullets have to be seated so deep you lose so much case capacity. I probably could have stayed with the 338 Win Mag and just taken the mag spacer out and gotten a big gain with the VLD bullets, but it's so inexpensive to re-chamber, so why not. The brass and re-loading dies were all available at my LGS.
I'm actually hoping to get to the range this morning to shoot the 1st round of the 230gr bullets.

 

[Slick8]

I think the nosler is a great choice for that goal. Imo-the LM would have been overkill.

I'd think some 180-200 hammers would make for a brutal combo.

 

[skipglo]

Well was going to give anyone a deal on chambering a Nosler 33 if they liked it. Seems like the 33 Nosler is right around a 338 Win.
I did some reading, but people that like it and use it should be able to give first hand info.
Is this another cartridge that is going by the wayside????

I think it is destined to disappear. Not enough manufacturers have picked it up and Nosler can't supply almost anything right now. I know I have no interest in it..I'll stay with my 338 lapuas!

 

[3chester]

Had the 338 Win Mag, since Hector was a just a pup. Few years back, seen a few $3-5 grand N up Sponge Bob painted 33 Nosler rigs showing up at gun shop. Kinda thought, hey now, but then looked at the fine details, hundred FPS or so increase, $3 brass, maybe just another swing N a miss. Seems the 1959 Winchester original version still works good enuff.

 

[Mike D Texas]

I love the nosler cartridges but a LM it is not.

I just can't see the 33 being the smallest capacity nosler case keeping step with a LM. I know wiki says it will and perhaps so with light bullets. If running 250s and above in the same barrel length it doesn't get there IMO.

Not trying to rain on your parade, just don't want to see you expecting something that's not there.

BTW-If building a LM, I'd build the improved version which is a further step up.

It's likely the listed difference in SAAMI max pressure that makes it appear that way. I didn't the same comparison with a 338 Norma Improved vs 338 Lapua. The Norma is listed at a higher SAAMI max pressure than the Lapua and it was only showing a 50fps difference between the 2.

However, I can't see pressure difference making up that large of a gap between the 33N and 338 Lap.

 

[best defense]

Is anyone currently or in the recent past using a 33 Nosler???
How do you like it?
Pros and Cons.
Brass available
Is there a "Nosler Following" or did it die down?
The 33 Nosler seems to have pretty good Ballistics for a .338 caliber and a powerhouse for that caliber.

We always enjoy LRH Member opinions!

I discovered Nosler bullets about 20 years ago. Where did the time go? It seems like just last week I was only 55.
Anyway, It was shortly after I got my first custom rifle, an 8mm Mauser rebarrelled to .338 Win Magnum. Not a 33 Nosler but close.
There were plenty of bullets and powder was cheap back then. I was still relatively new to reloading.
I wanted to hunt with my new (old) rifle so since I was on the cusp of figuring out some of the nuances of reloading I bought 3 different kinds of bullets and started going thru the 4 different loading manuals I had. Several people had been bending my ear about the Nosler Partition so that is one of the bullets I bought. I also bought some Sierra Game King bullets and some Speer, all in 338 of course. The Speer bullets did fairly well, grouping just over an inch at 100 yards, the recoil was serious but not too much to handle with something less than a maximum load. The Sierra bullets did a little better, keeping 5 bullets just inside an inch at 100 yards. Last to go into the mix were the Nosler Partition bullets which went into a little over 3 inches at 100 yards with the same powder charge I had used on the Sierra Game king bullets. I was still about 2 grains shy of what the book said was maximum load for the Nosler, so I started increasing the powder charge about 1/2 grain at a time. When I got done, I had a very sore shoulder and a group that would go into 2 inches at 180 yards.
What I discovered was that while Sierra bullets are much more accurate and forgiving in the accuracy department at lower speeds, they also have their limits. Nosler bullets are not as forgiving in the accuracy department, but if you take the time and extra effort to push them about as hard as you can, they will eventually hit the lands hard enough to engrave the lands into the bullets and that is where the Nosler bullets excell. I suppose due to the web in the partition bullets, they don't catch the lands as well as the Sierra Game King bullets do at slower speeds, but when they do engage the lands and spin as they were designed to do, they are devistating on the terminal end.