Nosler’s diversification from bullets to loaded ammunition to firearm manufacturing has created a premium brand that’s unique in the big-game-hunting marketplace. While there is no shortage of competitive products for anything Nosler makes, no other single company offers the same combination of baseline shooting equipment. What has emerged is a brand-loyalty strategy that promises to earn the Oregon based firm a commanding-position in its targeted market segment, providing all of its products live up to the standard-of iconic Nosler bullets, such as-the Partition and Ballistic Tip.

Though the Model 48 rifle may not provide the degree of innovation that elevated the Partition-few products ever will-this semi custom bolt-action series has nonetheless been-widely acclaimed since it was first launched in 2006. One variant, the M48 Professional, is intended to be the best-hunting rifle that an owner will gladly beat up in the harshest conditions on the planet. The rifle’s fiber-reinforced composite stock is nearly impervious to bumps, drops and rude weather, and is outfitted with glass-bedding and aluminum pillars to mate and function-like carefully fitted armoring for the barreled action. The barrel is rust-defying stainless steel, and all the exterior metalwork wears a corrosion resistant Cerakote finish. Internal-working parts are treated with a dry lubricant called Micro Slick, originally formulated to prolong high-speed engine life.

The Professional boasts the same clean lines as its stablemates, but because the stock and metal wear matching matte-black finishes, the rifle has a decidedly no-nonsense persona. A sculpted-cheekpiece gives form and function to the butt, and first-time shooters will note the relatively thick wrist, yet another bow to durability. The stock is lightly-pimpled to promote a sure grip, but the rifle’s only other adornment is the Nosler name stamped prominently on the floorplate.

The action was developed by Nosler-machinists over the course of decades of building-house rifles to test bullets and ammunition. While the twin-lug arrangement is quite commonplace, it is also ingeniously simple and strong. However, the Nosler action differs-from most in that it utilizes a flat-surfaced receiver that is more rigid than the round-receivers currently offered by so many makers. The action’s fluted bolt rides smoothly via a left-side raceway coupled with a full-length guide rail that fits into a groove in the righthand bolt lug. The bolt face is recessed and the extended ring that cups the cartridge-base incorporates a sturdy, Sako-style extractor. Upon lockup, that ring “nests” within a counter-bored breech to guard against case-failure issues.

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Nosler Model 48 Professional