Nosler Model 21

[Rharfo]

I have a 48 in 260. Maybe the new 21 action is smoother since it’s Mack Bros.

 

[Knoxp]

Anyone put one on a scale yet to see what they really weigh?

I weighed my 6.5 PRC tonight and it showed 6lbs 13.5oz, which is 6.84lbs, right in line with the advertised 6.9lbs for the PRC model.

Again, I cannot get over how much I am enjoying this gun, it’s not that it’s the best of the best or my own custom rifle, it is that each component is fit and finished to the highest degree. It makes me think back to when we thought of craftsmanship and pride in work.

Now mind I don’t even have ammo to cycle through, well at least for a few days until my first box arrives!!!

 

[Be350ka]

Update:

My rifle is headed back to Davidson’s who will likely be sending it back to Nosler. I’ll update when I get word on what is going on with the rifle.

 

[Wapiti151]

Sorry to hear this! I’m waiting on ammo for mine and will be testing like you did. Is there anything that you noticed prior to putting rounds in when it comes to the mag/feeding issue?

Looking at mine after your post, it appears the rear of my mag follower is definitely coming up against the bolt, so when I cycle all the way to the rear…their is the slightest bit of hang up when the bolt tries to slide over the back of the follower. Would never notice if I didn’t REALLY look at it. Can’t feel it catching at all.

 

[Be350ka]

Sorry to hear this! I’m waiting on ammo for mine and will be testing like you did. Is there anything that you noticed prior to putting rounds in when it comes to the mag/feeding issue?

Looking at mine after your post, it appears the rear of my mag follower is definitely coming up against the bolt, so when I cycle all the way to the rear…their is the slightest bit of hang up when the bolt tries to slide over the back of the follower. Would never notice if I didn’t REALLY look at it. Can’t feel it catching at all.

Looking at my follower I wouldnt have known that anything was amiss. Once I loaded the magazine with two rounds you could tell something wasn’t quite right 90% of the time. The left/top round would pivot on its shoulder allowing the base of the case to drop below the bolt face. A push here and a tap there on the round/follower/spring area would allow the case to picked up normally.
I thought that maybe I could look at this another way and push down on the top round and close the bolt. I’d then cycle the bolt as if it had been fired and about 90% of the time I get the bolt riding over the left/top round. If you cycled the bolt several times the follower would then move to the proper position and feed the round. However, some of the feeds would have been a serious jam as it was picking up the case initially and then it would override it again. All in all a bad situation.
I decided that what I had seen gave me a good picture to paint for whoever the rifle goes to for repair. I included a spent case with shoulder dimples (caused by something in the chamber) and major scratches from the bolt overrides. I didn’t want to attempt any fix on my own since I’m no gun smith and a new rifle like this should be right out of the box.

It is what it is. Things don’t always go 100% in my favor and that’s okay. My scope has been ordered and I’m still researching rings so that will keep me occupied. However, as nice as the rifle is, what happens next will surely be the meat of the story. This is where a company can make a name for themselves with their customer service. Good or bad.

 

[z987k]

I weighed my 6.5 PRC tonight and it showed 6lbs 13.5oz, which is 6.84lbs, right in line with the advertised 6.9lbs for the PRC model.

Again, I cannot get over how much I am enjoying this gun, it’s not that it’s the best of the best or my own custom rifle, it is that each component is fit and finished to the highest degree. It makes me think back to when we thought of craftsmanship and pride in work.

Now mind I don’t even have ammo to cycle through, well at least for a few days until my first box arrives!!!

That's good to hear. It seems like rather often manufacturers are quite off on their weights.

 

[Knoxp]

Looking at my follower I wouldnt have known that anything was amiss. Once I loaded the magazine with two rounds you could tell something wasn’t quite right 90% of the time. The left/top round would pivot on its shoulder allowing the base of the case to drop below the bolt face. A push here and a tap there on the round/follower/spring area would allow the case to picked up normally.
I thought that maybe I could look at this another way and push down on the top round and close the bolt. I’d then cycle the bolt as if it had been fired and about 90% of the time I get the bolt riding over the left/top round. If you cycled the bolt several times the follower would then move to the proper position and feed the round. However, some of the feeds would have been a serious jam as it was picking up the case initially and then it would override it again. All in all a bad situation.
I decided that what I had seen gave me a good picture to paint for whoever the rifle goes to for repair. I included a spent case with shoulder dimples (caused by something in the chamber) and major scratches from the bolt overrides. I didn’t want to attempt any fix on my own since I’m no gun smith and a new rifle like this should be right out of the box.

It is what it is. Things don’t always go 100% in my favor and that’s okay. My scope has been ordered and I’m still researching rings so that will keep me occupied. However, as nice as the rifle is, what happens next will surely be the meat of the story. This is where a company can make a name for themselves with their customer service. Good or bad.

I may have missed it, what caliber did you go with?

I haven’t tried mine yet as my ammo should be here this week. I hate that happened for your rifle, but I’m certain this is a correctable issue and will be remedied to your satisfaction. I’m interested to see what groupings these rifles produce, I’ll have ammo but still haven’t decided on my scope.

What did you elect to go with scope wise? I’m still pondering the switch of scope bases.

 

[Be350ka]

I may have missed it, what caliber did you go with?

I haven’t tried mine yet as my ammo should be here this week. I hate that happened for your rifle, but I’m certain this is a correctable issue and will be remedied to your satisfaction. I’m interested to see what groupings these rifles produce, I’ll have ammo but still haven’t decided on my scope.

What did you elect to go with scope wise? I’m still pondering the switch of scope bases.

I have the 6.5 PRC. And yes I have absolute faith that this will be corrected. It’s a mechanical “Thing” and sometimes they have slight hiccups.

I went with the VX6 3-18x44. I’m going to take everything to Eurooptic and look at rings/bases in person to ensure I can get it low enough for my liking.

First thing is first though.

 

[Midnightz71]

I bought a m21 280 ackley 2 weeks ago. Havent shot it yet. The fit and finish is the best Ive seen aon a factory rifle. I love the m16 style extractor. The trigger adjusted down to 2 pounds and breaks excellent. the stock is beautifully fitted with a nice texture. The gun is balanced perfectly. The action isnt as smooth as a 700 but is still nice. My only gripe is the bases are too high for my liking. Hopefully Talley will come out with some and it would be perfect to mount the scope lower. i believe a 50mm objective would clear with low rings. I would prefer to mount a 1 inch 40mm just barely off the barrel for a lightweight hunting setup. I have a 1 inch 40mm mounted in low warne rings and there is a lot of room between scope and barrel and the cheek weld is too low. you have to hold your head up in an unnatural position. Mounting the scope lower may not provide bolt clearance. It appears I can mount 1/8 inch lower and still clear bolt but not much more than that. Will live with the height until there are other options. Love everything else about the rifle

 

[Doc Holliday]

I bought a m21 280 ackley 2 weeks ago. Havent shot it yet. The fit and finish is the best Ive seen aon a factory rifle. I love the m16 style extractor. The trigger adjusted down to 2 pounds and breaks excellent. the stock is beautifully fitted with a nice texture. The gun is balanced perfectly. The action isnt as smooth as a 700 but is still nice. My only gripe is the bases are too high for my liking. Hopefully Talley will come out with some and it would be perfect to mount the scope lower. i believe a 50mm objective would clear with low rings. I would prefer to mount a 1 inch 40mm just barely off the barrel for a lightweight hunting setup. I have a 1 inch 40mm mounted in low warne rings and there is a lot of room between scope and barrel and the cheek weld is too low. you have to hold your head up in an unnatural position. Mounting the scope lower may not provide bolt clearance. It appears I can mount 1/8 inch lower and still clear bolt but not much more than that. Will live with the height until there are other options. Love everything else about the rifle

How many degrees would you say the bolt lift is?

 

[Midnightz71]

Im not sure but it doesnt have near the scope clearance a 700 does. Ill try and take a picture later with the bolt open. The bolt is threaded however for aftermarket options

 

[Knoxp]

Im not sure but it doesnt have near the scope clearance a 700 does. Ill try and take a picture later with the bolt open. The bolt is threaded however for aftermarket options

I bought a m21 280 ackley 2 weeks ago. Havent shot it yet. The fit and finish is the best Ive seen aon a factory rifle. I love the m16 style extractor. The trigger adjusted down to 2 pounds and breaks excellent. the stock is beautifully fitted with a nice texture. The gun is balanced perfectly. The action isnt as smooth as a 700 but is still nice. My only gripe is the bases are too high for my liking. Hopefully Talley will come out with some and it would be perfect to mount the scope lower. i believe a 50mm objective would clear with low rings. I would prefer to mount a 1 inch 40mm just barely off the barrel for a lightweight hunting setup. I have a 1 inch 40mm mounted in low warne rings and there is a lot of room between scope and barrel and the cheek weld is too low. you have to hold your head up in an unnatural position. Mounting the scope lower may not provide bolt clearance. It appears I can mount 1/8 inch lower and still clear bolt but not much more than that. Will live with the height until there are other options. Love everything else about the rifle

Im surprised on your action. Mine is the smoothest “factory” action I’ve had. There is a good video of it being newly released where you can see them hold the bolt open and then as they move the rifle every so slightly the bolt is sliding forward. Mine is that smooth and I’ve only cycled it 20 times. The action is manufactured by Mac Brothers.

 

[Be350ka]

Im surprised on your action. My is the smoothest “factory” action I’ve had. There is a good video of it being newly released where you can see them hold the bolt open and then as they move the rifle every so slightly the bolt is sliding forward. Mine is that smooth and I’ve only cycled it 20 times. The action is manufactured by Mac Brothers.

Same here. Mine was super smooth. Not Tikka smooth but pretty darn close.

 

[Midnightz71]

 

[Midnightz71]

Rifle standing at 90* straight up and down and you can see the bolt doesn’t open or close until you touch it.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Rifle standing at 90* straight up and down and you can see the bolt doesn’t open or close until you touch it.

Good looking product. Does the stock feel textured or relatively smooth?

 

[Knoxp]

Rifle standing at 90* straight up and down and you can see the bolt doesn’t open or close until you touch it.

That’s wildly strange. Is the bolt being held back by the floor plate? Is it that stiff through the entire range of motion? Again you can see in the video where they jostle the rifle and the bolt is open and it literally slides an inch forward just from barely being touched, that’s how mine is. Mine is actually smoother than any of my Tikkas, what is interesting though is mine is tight on tolerances, So much so that the bolts bluing has started to wear in a few spots, it seems like you’re tolerances are maybe even tighter than mine causing it to be that stiff. Just thinking out loud.

 

[Knoxp]

Good looking product. Does the stock feel textured or relatively smooth?

The stock is definitely textured, it is nice though and I like it better than the webbing texture. This is more of an an applied spray finish.

 

[kipper09]

Mine came in today. The Stock is textured. Not smooth at all. The fit and finish seems good. Lot of good components used on this rifle. Shilen barrel, Mack brothers action, trigger tech, ag composite stock and wyatts box. Mine weighs 6lbs 15.7 ounces chambered in a 28 nosler. Gotta figure out the scope situation. Kinda leaning towards a zeiss v6 3-18x50. And ring setup still not sure on.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Midnightz71]

Good looking product. Does the stock feel textured or relatively smooth?

Textured but not tacky. It has better grip than my model 7 Alaskan wilderness McMillan but I do prefer the cheek piece on the Alaskan. A cheek piece is only thing I’d change about the stock. The stock will be perfect though once I’m able to mount scope lower. Will have to wait on aftermarket options for that