#.28Nosler

Nosler has teamed up with Boot Campaign to help raise funds and awareness for injured veterans by producing 22 custom limited-run Model 48 rifles. And while they might be a little too rich for my blood, I’m sure some of you out there can spare the cash for a good and honorable cause like this. For the rest of us, Boot Campaign does accept donations directly through their website.

At SHOT Show 2020, Browning Ammunition announced the addition of three new cartridges to their catalog – 6mm Creedmoor, 28 Nosler and 350 Legend. In total, there are seven new loads added to the following five ammunition lines: BXC, BXS, BXR, Long Range PRO and FMJ. Let’s see how the company describes each of these ammunition lines and what loads of the new cartridges are included in them.

Christensen Arms has had The Mesa rifle on the market for approximately one year. To commemorate this simple milestone, they are adding a splash of color to it by the way of a Burnt Bronze Cerakote. All of the original specifications remain the same, but now you have the ever-popular choice of a Cerakote finish in the tactically-attractive Burnt Bronze.

Is the US Army pushing for a new high-powered 6.Xmm caliber with their new NGSAR program? Recently, the listing for the NGSAR industry day in December was updated with a document describing in part the agenda of the second conference. Scheduled for 9:45 in the morning in the document is a 15 minute long presentation on “Ammunition Data – Surrogate Projectile and Specs”, presented by Todd Townsend, David Charowsky, and Mark Minisi. Minisi’s name may not be well-known, but it will be familiar to astute students of recent wound ballistics literature: It was Minisi who developed the finite element analysis-based tissue damage model, which has been refined over the past decade at ARDEC through PM Maneuver Ammunition Systems (PM-MAS). Mr. Townsend is also likely representing PM-MAS, now under the leadership of Colonel Hector Gonzalez. 

In the coming decades, it is likely that one of the biggest challenges facing small arms ammunition designers will be solving the problem of how to deal with advanced body armors. The problem is already percolating to the surface, as Level IV body armor – which is immune to virtually all general issue rounds below .50 caliber – becomes more available and less expensive. Already, an individual can equip themselves with a full set of Level IV plates and a carrier for less than $1,000. As armor improves, it will only get lighter, cheaper, and more resistant to fire.

The Mesa and Ridgeline series of rifles from Christensen Arms are some of their most affordable. Now they are adapting to the rising .28 Nosler and hard-hitting .450 Bushmaster calibers as well. Two niche calibers with very different uses. The .28 Nosler is great for hunting big-game or targets when you need to phone in a long-distance hit. The .450 Bushmaster may never be ideal for a 1,000 yard gong, but it will definitely roll a pig into next week. Now you can have your pick of either caliber in the Mesa or Ridgeline.