22 Nosler?

[.308 Norma]

In the July edition of American Rifleman, there’s an article by Aaron Carter about the 22 Nosler. The article starts off with, “The Million-Dollar Question: Why?” Well, that’s what I’m asking – Why?

I’ve read the article 3 times, and from what I’m gathering a person could convert a regular AR-15 into a 22 Nosler, and have an AR-15 that performs almost like a 22-250 with similar weight bullets. But I thought AR-15s could be converted to 22-250s anyway. Am I wrong? I’m just asking – not meaning to upset any 22 Nosler fans out there.

 

[Corn-Picker]

In the July edition of American Rifleman, there’s an article by Aaron Carter about the 22 Nosler. The article starts off with, “The Million-Dollar Question: Why?” Well, that’s what I’m asking – Why?

I’ve read the article 3 times, and from what I’m gathering a person could convert a regular AR-15 into a 22 Nosler, and have an AR-15 that performs almost like a 22-250 with similar weight bullets. But I thought AR-15s could be converted to 22-250s anyway. Am I wrong? I’m just asking – not meaning to upset any 22 Nosler fans out there.

The 22-250 is too long for an AR, it's 308 length. The 22 Nosler is sort of like a 6.8 SPC necked down to 22 caliber.

 

[.308 Norma]

The 22-250 is too long for an AR, it's 308 length. The 22 Nosler is sort of like a 6.8 SPC necked down to 22 caliber.

Thanks Corn-Picker.
That answers my question. I had no idea that the 22-250 was too long for an AR.
THR is a great forum, isn't it?

 

[RPZ]

The 22-250 is a necked down .250 Savage, and if I recall correctly in addition to being longer than the 5.56x45, is fatter and has a somewhat tapered case profile. I think the Nosler is basically a fatter 'x45 case, perhaps with a steeper shoulder to the neck - kind of like the old "Ackley Improved" cartridges.

 

[LoonWulf]

Olympic used to make an extended ar-15 in the wssms and the .22-250.

The .22Nos, is basicly a .22-6.8SPC with a rebated rim, at least according to the cartridge drawings. Ive been tasked by a buddy to look into it, and since i have some spare ar parts i MAY build one to mess with.

 

[wahsben]

http://www.guns.com/2017/01/18/22-nosler-hot-new-caliber-cool-new-guns/

 

[Jack B.]

Sounds like the 22 Nosler is more trouble than its worth. IMO.

 

[wahsben]

Sounds like the 22 Nosler is more trouble than its worth. IMO.

It doesn't sound like a problem to me. It offers higher velocity for the AR 15 platform so better for longer distances. Nothing difficult about it.

 

[LoonWulf]

I agree, and since all you need is a barrel and 6.8 mag so cost is minimal.

If for some reason cases go extinct your not out alot of money. And again from the drawings, it looks formable from 6.8. In which case you would need a 6.8 bolt head......still cheap way to add 250-300fps

 

[salt&battery]

well if they do not put a 1x7 or 1x8 twist in the rifles it would not offer much unless 75 grain bullets are used

 

[LoonWulf]

well if they do not put a 1x7 or 1x8 twist in the rifles it would not offer much unless 75 grain bullets are used

Unless you wanted to drive 40-55s to ludicrous speed. From an ar-15.

I think a 24" heavy barreled gun might be neat for long range plinking and varmint shooting. And a fast twist 18-20 would be nice for low recoil small medium game.

 

[Jim Watson]

I don't want an auto that throws oddball brass in the weeds.
I have bolt actions for hotter ammo than .223.

 

[Jack B.]

It doesn't sound like a problem to me. It offers higher velocity for the AR 15 platform so better for longer distances. Nothing difficult about it.

Don't have an AR 15.

 

[salt&battery]

Unless you wanted to drive 40-55s to ludicrous speed. From an ar-15.

I think a 24" heavy barreled gun might be neat for long range plinking and varmint shooting. And a fast twist 18-20 would be nice for low recoil small medium game.

a 45 grain bullet going 3500 FPS could easily be outshot past 200 yds with a 75 -80 grain going 2900 FPS and it would be flatter then a 55 at 3300 FPS all the way to 700 yds

 

[LoonWulf]

a 45 grain bullet going 3500 FPS could easily be outshot past 200 yds with a 75 -80 grain going 2900 FPS and it would be flatter then a 55 at 3300 FPS all the way to 700 yds

How many folks launch 75-80s at stuff like prairie dogs? Ive never had the chance personally, but all my reading suggest that lighter pills are usually used.

Nosler also lists 55s at 3500, 69/70 at 3150 (70grn rdf having an advertised bc of .4 and change), and the 77s at 2980. Based on a 24" barrel.
Again id guess theres a market for the lighter pills at high velocity or stiff like the .22-250 would be twisted faster on a regular basis.

And i agree the 69+ are really where I like the idea of the cartridge, and would benefit with the faster twist. I just think that theres a group of shooters, probably the same guys that bought .204s, that would be well served with a slower twist barrel.

 

[salt&battery]

How many folks launch 75-80s at stuff like prairie dogs? Ive never had the chance personally, but all my reading suggest that lighter pills are usually used.

Nosler also lists 55s at 3500, 69/70 at 3150 (70grn rdf having an advertised bc of .4 and change), and the 77s at 2980. Based on a 24" barrel.
Again id guess theres a market for the lighter pills at high velocity or stiff like the .22-250 would be twisted faster on a regular basis.

And i agree the 69+ are really where I like the idea of the cartridge, and would benefit with the faster twist. I just think that theres a group of shooters, probably the same guys that bought .204s, that would be well served with a slower twist barrel.

a lot of guys get off on velocity but light bullets useless for long range work. to me there is no sense pushing a light bullet real fast to shoot at 100 yds. I have a ruger target rifle and put a 1x8 22-250 barrel on it use 80 grain bullets. cheap way to get to 1000 yds

 

[cdb1]

A .243 in an AR-10 platform speaks to me whereas a 22 Nosler in an AR-15 doesn't, that's why we have choices.

 

[RecoilRob]

So the 22 Nosler offers a couple hundred fps more than a .223 with same weight bullets and in return reduces barrel life proportionally...or more. If you have a particular situation where the .223 just can't quite get the job done (have no idea what this would be) but don't want to change platforms or go up in caliber...then the Nosler option is one you have at hand.

Personally....I can't see anyone even thinking about taking one to a big dog town with a case of ammo and doing some serious eradication. Sure...it would do the job, but likely need a fresh barrel after the experience. The .223/5.56 offers a lot of performance at a level of decent barrel life and this balance can be tilted either way to your preference. I'm not much in favor of speeds over 3200 fps as they seem to push over the performance benefit vs barrel life equation. And using super expensive VLD type bullets to eradicate varmints is also not optimum IMHO. The 22 Nosler will appeal to those who want to show up with something different and would be fun to experiment with...but long term I'll be surprised if it gets much traction.

 

[salt&battery]

So the 22 Nosler offers a couple hundred fps more than a .223 with same weight bullets and in return reduces barrel life proportionally...or more. If you have a particular situation where the .223 just can't quite get the job done (have no idea what this would be) but don't want to change platforms or go up in caliber...then the Nosler option is one you have at hand.

Personally....I can't see anyone even thinking about taking one to a big dog town with a case of ammo and doing some serious eradication. Sure...it would do the job, but likely need a fresh barrel after the experience. The .223/5.56 offers a lot of performance at a level of decent barrel life and this balance can be tilted either way to your preference. I'm not much in favor of speeds over 3200 fps as they seem to push over the performance benefit vs barrel life equation. And using super expensive VLD type bullets to eradicate varmints is also not optimum IMHO. The 22 Nosler will appeal to those who want to show up with something different and would be fun to experiment with...but long term I'll be surprised if it gets much traction.

I get my thrills not from killing that much as I like to shoot long range . many times shooting 8-900 yds at the pile of dry dirt next to a gopher hole. cant do that with light bullets. we are told a million times to spend over 1K on a rifle and 600-1000 for a scope and mocked if a guy does not but to spend 5-8 dollars a box more for 100 bullets is not recommended. we are also instructed when shooting the 6.5 Creed and the massive amount of shooting to get good at long range not to reload but to buy over $20 a box for ammo

 

[Gtscotty]

well if they do not put a 1x7 or 1x8 twist in the rifles it would not offer much unless 75 grain bullets are used

All of the barrels I've seen offered for the 22 Nosler are twisted 1/8, so that's not a problem, in fact one of Nosler's big selling points is that their factory ammo pushes a 77gr bullet at 2,950 fps from an 18" barrel.

The owner of the one 22 Nosler I've had a chance to shoot said that velocity was accurate from his 18" upper, a pretty decent step up from .223. Prior to shooting his, I was pretty skeptical of the round, but after sending several down to the 700yd berm and doing some reading, I now think it's probably one of the more sensible alternative AR rounds for some purposes, and definitely the most interesting of all the new Nosler branded rounds.

With 250 fps extra, the Nosler round is going to do better in the wind and carry more energy at all ranges than .223. I really think the Nosler would stand out in a DMR style AR Build, and when started collecting parts, I thought seriously about getting a 22 Nosler barrel. One of the nice features of the Nosler round over something like the 6.5 Grendel for this purpose, is that .224 bullets are usually quite a bit cheaper than even the lighter 123gr .264 bullets.

Nosler elected to use a rebated rim when they necked down the 6.8 SPC so you don't even have to buy another bolt, 6.8 mags are pretty cheap, plentiful and reliable. The only serious downside I see to the 22 Nosler is brass... For now, you can either shoot Nosler factory to get brass, or buy Nosler brass direct... At Nosler brass prices. Not Weatherby expensive, but also not cheap, especially compared to 5.56 range pickup. But performance costs, nothing is going to compare price wise to .223/5.56, but if the higher performance is worth it to you, the 22 Nosler might be a good option.

As an aside, what I really think would be interesting is if you could still get the LWRC Six8 receivers that were made a little larger to accommodate the special 6.8spc PMags designed for the Jordanian contact. Those PMags allow for 2.32 OAL, seems like enough that you could seat some of the even heavier, longer, slicker .224 bullets in the 22 Nosler case and get them up to useful velocities.

 

[salt&battery]

All of the barrels I've seen offered for the 22 Nosler are twisted 1/8, so that's not a problem, in fact one of Nosler's big selling points is that their factory ammo pushes a 77gr bullet at 2,950 fps from an 18" barrel.

The owner of the one 22 Nosler I've had a chance to shoot said that velocity was accurate from his 18" upper, a pretty decent step up from .223. Prior to shooting his, I was pretty skeptical of the round, but after sending several down to the 700yd berm and doing some reading, I now think it's probably one of the more sensible alternative AR rounds for some purposes, and definitely the most interesting of all the new Nosler branded rounds.

With 250 fps extra, the Nosler round is going to do better in the wind and carry more energy at all ranges than .223. I really think the Nosler would stand out in a DMR style AR Build, and when started collecting parts, I thought seriously about getting a 22 Nosler barrel. One of the nice features of the Nosler round over something like the 6.5 Grendel for this purpose, is that .224 bullets are usually quite a bit cheaper than even the lighter 123gr .264 bullets.

Nosler elected to use a rebated rim when they necked down the 6.8 SPC so you don't even have to buy another bolt, 6.8 mags are pretty cheap, plentiful and reliable. The only serious downside I see to the 22 Nosler is brass... For now, you can either shoot Nosler factory to get brass, or buy Nosler brass direct... At Nosler brass prices. Not Weatherby expensive, but also not cheap, especially compared to 5.56 range pickup. But performance costs, nothing is going to compare price wise to .223/5.56, but if the higher performance is worth it to you, the 22 Nosler might be a good option.

As an aside, what I really think would be interesting is if you could still get the LWRC Six8 receivers that were made a little larger to accommodate the special 6.8spc PMags designed for the Jordanian contact. Those PMags allow for 2.32 OAL, seems like enough that you could seat some of the even heavier, longer, slicker .224 bullets in the 22 Nosler case and get them up to useful velocities.

you know I followed the link to the nosler site and did not see what barrel twist was used

 

[a-sheepdog]

I think that it may also need an adjustable gas block, at least according to the Nosler article I read in American Rifleman.

 

[Gtscotty]

you know I followed the link to the nosler site and did not see what barrel twist was used

Yeah, they don't really come out and say it, but their own production bolt gun has an 8 twist (scroll to the chart):
https://www.nosler.com/m48-liberty-rifle

Also, most of the AR barrels I can find have an 8 twist:

https://www.whiteoakarmament.com/shop/barrels.html?barrel_caliber=156

Most of those WOA barrels have an 8 twist, although they offer a few varmint oriented barrels that have a 12 twist.

https://www.odinworks.com/22_Nosler_Barrel_p/b-22-18-dmr-r-tg.htm

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...ontour-1-in-8-twist-18-fluted-stainless-steel

While looking around at barrels, I saw this 22 Nosler upper for sale:

https://sandersarmoryusa.com/produc...less-steel-22-nosler-complete-upper-assembly/

Looks like a strangely good deal given that the barrel and gas block alone go for $300. It makes the Odin Works .223 Wylde barrel, gas block and BCG I just ordered for $275 seem like not as good of a deal....

 

[wahsben]

Don't have an AR 15.

Yes, if you don't have an AR 15 it definitely would be a problem but the OP was talking about an AR 15 so it's another option.

 

[ants]

Some guys are really turned on by a new cartridge like this. Good !!! Totally cool.

Some guys are really happy with a standard .223/5.56mm. Good !!! Totally cool.

Some guys took their .223/5.56mm and opened up to Ackley Improved for a little boost. Good !!!

Some guys went to 243/6mm, or 25 cal, or 30 cal, or [insert personal cartridge choice here]. Good !!!

You see, there are no wrong choices for you, IF you make your own choice.
Let us make your choice for you and it might be wrong. You choose for yourself.

One thing I keep in mind: When something is new, you pay premium price.
Wait a short while, prices plummet for high quality barrels in the new chambering.
I am absolutely certain I will shoot 22 Nosler some day, when the price plummets.
And I'm talking price plummet for both barrel AND brass. It will happen. I'm patient.