Saw some information about Nosler Factory Seconds on another discussion so I was just curious if anybody has used them and has had any success or failures with them. Thanks in advance.

I have been using them for over 15 years on various big game animals and I had good results. I have used their rifle and pistol seconds and I will continue to buy them.

I use them in about 4 calibers and couldn't be happier. When I open up a bag I give them a quick once over to see if anything major is wrong with them but I've never found anything.

Where do you find something like that? Do they offer the Accubond and Partition bullets?

YUP!!!

http://www.shootersproshop.com/reloading.htm

Like the others--I can't tell them from brand new. I really wonder if they are 2nds or just a way to sell more product to a "tighter market"!

They are the same as the first as far as I've been able to tell.

Reloader

I just started using them last year & can't find anything diff. about them. For half the price on partitions, you bet I use them.

quote:

Originally posted by kraky:
Like the others--I can't tell them from brand new. I really wonder if they are 2nds or just a way to sell more product to a "tighter market"!

I like to think I have good eyes, looking at rocks for a living, but I've never been able to see any obvious 'blemishes' or 'stains' on them either.

I almost have to agree with it being a 'way to sell to a tighter market'. especially since you don't see Sierra or Hornady or Speer selling 'Factory Seconds' for less than half price on line.

FWIW, I have bought online from their pro-shop and the shipping is fast and they only charged $7.95 to ship about 16 lbs of 375 bullets

No but Sierra used to sell 2nds form their storefront & results were sim. when I used them.

Hornady does not sell their seconds to consumers. They sell them to vendors who must sell them as "OEM" without identifying the manufacturer. Midsouth Shooter Supply has these Hornady seconds in their occasional OEM bullet sale, usually in August. Depending on the bullet and quantity they can be as little as one-sixth retail price. A couple of years ago I bought 600 .284" 154 grain Hornady Interbonds for 6 cents a piece.

Living in Idaho,Last week I was in Lewiston and the wife said why not stop by Speer/CCI and see if they will sell you seconds as the employee's take them home.I couldn't get through the door..Locked tight..Pick up a phone and state your buisness and she opened the door only to say,I can't nor can any buisness in Lewiston Idaho buy anything direct....

In other words if you want Speer products...Go east like Midway..Several Sporting goods stores in Lewiston refuse to by or carry Speer products..

Sad but true..

Jayco

Actually, you get Speer "Over-runs" through LoLo Sporting Goods in Lewiston. (208) 743-1031

quote:

Originally posted by Hot Core:
Actually, you get Speer "Over-runs" through LoLo Sporting Goods in Lewiston. (208) 743-1031

I did ask them as I bought 1,000 CCI #34 primers from them when I was there.He told me they have to order them through Spokane.I just found it odd that you or the local sporting goods stores can't get them direct.Lolo does carry stuff others won't but there caliber selection is limited.

Jayco

quote:

Originally posted by Turdy Point Buck:
Saw some information about Nosler Factory Seconds on another discussion so I was just curious if anybody has used them and has had any success or failures with them. Thanks in advance.

The ones I tried shot as good as the full-priced ones - I couldn't even see any blemishes, and they weighed as uniformly.....

I am lucky enough to have family real close to the factory in Bend, Oregon where Nosler is located.

I go up there several times a year and ALWAYS manage to go by Nosler and buy some seconds.

Recently I have shot pretty remarkable groups using Nosler "seconds". From the last batch I purchased I shot 0.5 inch groups using the 50 grain Ballistic Tips in my 22-250. I managed a 0.55 inch group with the 100 grain Partitions in my 25-06. I shot a 0.44 inch group in my .338 Win Mag using the 200 grain BT seconds.
And so on and so on.

The Nosler seconds are a great buy! Period!!

quote:

Originally posted by jaycocreek:
Living in Idaho,Last week I was in Lewiston and the wife said why not stop by Speer/CCI and see if they will sell you seconds as the employee's take them home.I couldn't get through the door..Locked tight..Pick up a phone and state your buisness and she opened the door only to say,I can't nor can any buisness in Lewiston Idaho buy anything direct....

In other words if you want Speer products...Go east like Midway..Several Sporting goods stores in Lewiston refuse to by or carry Speer products..

Sad but true..

Jayco

Jayco;

That is not exactly true, unless something has changed....

I have been in Lewiston several times and there is a gunshop downtown Lewiston.. I apologize on not knowing the name... but they do sell Speer factory seconds... guess Jack O'Connor use to hang out there a lot.....

They sell the bullets in paperbags.....

good luck
seafire

Geez-You guys had me thinking my Alzeimers/Dimentia has gotton worse.

I just called Lolo Sporting goods and asked thinking possibly I had talked to the wrong clerk when I was there.They "do not" sell Speer seconds but they have a few left in just a couple calibers from the good ole days.I was told by whomever answered the phone that Speer sells them at the gun shows and they can't get them anymore.

If I lived close to Nolser, I would be on there door constantly.

Jayco

I have seen some slight inconsistecies in the amount of exposed lead at the nose of Nosler Solid Base bullets in some lots of factory seconds. This hasn't seemed to have had any noticeable effect on their performance, however. With Ballistic Tips, a very, very small percentage will have a plastic tip that doesn't quite fill the ogive opening of the jacket.

Some of the "seconds" I have ordered have turned out to be overruns of bullets produced to sell to ammunition manufacturers and have had cannelures not found on regular Noslers. These, I am certain, are sold as "seconds" simply because there are uncataloged items, although they are otherwise identical to the corresponding retail bullet of the same weight and caliber.

I've used A-Square seconds, but only for practice as the mental factor just doesn't allow me to use them for hunting. Haven't used any other brand but would treat them the same.Just practice and not hunting. The A-Square bullets had some distinct jacket issues on a few but not something a guy couldn't work around with a little pocket knife work. They seemed to shoot OK and it is a cheaper way to work on load development with the bullet you will be hunting with.

I used a Nosler Factory Second .308 Caliber 180 Grain Partition Bullet shot out of a .300 Win Mag with AA 3100 powder and Rem regular primar to take a very nice mule deer buck at about 225 yards in Montana this year. I shot from the sitting position so aim was good. One shot. Deer didn't move but maybe 1 or 2 inches before piling up right there. Bullet went right through deer and was not recovered. Lungs and top of heart showed nice wound channel.

quote:

Originally posted by jaycocreek:
Geez-You guys had me thinking my Alzeimers/Dimentia has gotton worse. ...

Hey Jaycocreek, It has been about 5 years since I got my last order from them. Got quite a large amount at the time and have not had to reorder.

Darn shame they no longer carry the "over-runs", because I was getting some of them for 4cents each.

I believe Gordy is the name of the guy at LoLo that used to help me get everything I wanted.

Everything is ALWAYS changing.

I've shot at least 500 of them (partition secfonds) over the past year or two and can't tell the difference between them and the full price version. Mostly 250 gr. .338's and 180 gr. and 200 gr. .308's. A few have been tarnished. More than anything I have noticed the noses are less then perfect.

I've been buying Nosler seconds from Shooters Pro Shop, accessed via the Nosler website, now for the lst couple of years. The Seconds seem to be great, they offer the entire line of Nosler bullets, and the service is excellent.

LLS

I'll second the excellent customer service at Shooters Pro Shop. I've purchased a good bit of seconds from them in the past couple of years 30-06 and 7MM.

I had ordered 100 30 Cal 165 Grn partitions from them and they sent me 2 bags of 180 Grn Partitions. I called them up and told them what had happened and they sent me 2 bags of the 165 Grn at no charge. I asked about what to do with the 180 Grns and they said just use them for practice.

Now that's customer service!!!!.....and they have a life long customer in me!

As far as quality of the seconds goes, some have been a little tarnished, but no where near as bad as the last box of Hornady's I bought.

firstshot
--------------------------
Make your first shot count!

Don't believe it!

It is a source that I've used and have had good luck with. Some guys weigh them and sort them. I have just used them right out of the bag. Nate

The way it was explained to me Nosler has a bullet line on a conveyer belt and all the bullets are examined by a laser beam and when it finds somethin amiss a bar comes out and clean off the belt. Many of the bullets that come off with the bad one are just fine and instead of going back through them they just bag them up for sale as seconds. I have been using them for years. No problems yet. I usually get them from Shooters Pro Shop. Jim

I have had excellent luck also with the nosler seconds. However although most have been hard if not impossilbe to tell why they are seconds, I have received a few bags of .30 150 grn Accubonds that are tarnished to more colors than the rainbow with a majority of the poly tips missing. For the price, I will continue to purchase and use these without hesitation.

Jayco;

That is not exactly true, unless something has changed....

I have been in Lewiston several times and there is a gunshop downtown Lewiston..


Hi, Seafire -

I believe the place you are describing IS Lolo Sporting Goods, and I too have always been able to buy Speer "seconds" there. Jack O'Connor did hang out there a lot when he was alive.

(Used to, Lolo didn't even sell the bullets by quantity, but by the pound. Matter of fact, they were in a couple of those big, old fashioned, carousels like you used to be able to buy nails in at hardware stores. Just picked up the scoop, put about as many scoops as you wanted into a paper bag yourself, took it to the back counter a few feet away, they weighed it, and calculated the cost.)

Anyway, if they have quit selling "seconds" from Speer, it has been relatively recently. I bought them at Lolo for over 20 years.

Nosler Seconds are worthless please send them to me and I will get rid of them!

Nosler seconds are culled primarily due to cosmetic reasons that don't affect their performance. I have been shooting them for over
30 years and will continue to do so.

I like them! The work just like the firsts.

I just purchased some Sierra .38 cal. handgun bullets that SHOULD HAVE BEEN SECONDS! They were horribly oxidized and discolored. I'll have to give these Noslers a try. I didn't know these were avaliable. Bill T.

I cannot answer your question directly. There are a lot of "factory seconds" of Hornady bullets at the gunshows around here. They cost a LOT less. I finally decided to try them. I bought a bag of 100 - 155gr 30cal bullets. I also had a box of non-seconds of the same ones from Midway.

I weighed each and every one of both sets and put them in 1/10gr increments. The spread in the seconds was about the same as the non-seconds (0.7gr to 0.8gr from lightest to heaviest) --- except for one thing. There were about 5 of them in the seconds group that were just about exactly 150gr. A full 5gr off from what they were supposed to be. There was no visible difference that could seen between these and the good ones.

I think that they were probably changing over from 150gr to 155gr bullets and it takes a while to "flush" everything through. These are the seconds. Keep in mind that there has to be a reason that they don't well them at full price.

I've experienced no problems noted whatsoever with Nosler 2nds. Saves a few pennies and the performance is the same. Go forth and gather game wayward son!