nosler m48

The Model 48 Liberty possesses all the traits that have earned Nosler Rifles a reputation for fantastic performance and robust dependability. Featuring a lightweight synthetic stock top quality components and protected by a hearty allweather finish the Model 48 Liberty Rifle is ready for any condition Mother Nature has to offer.

nosler m48

All Nosler M48 rifles, whether classed as “production” or “custom,” are hand assembled at the Nosler plant in Bend, Oregon USA. Premium components are carefully assembled to the highest standards. Every rifle is proof tested and “NP” is marked on the barrel and receiver.

They are designed and built to be simple, rugged, weather resistant and MOA accurate with available Nosler ammunition. All Nosler rifles must pass a stringent fit and function quality control inspection before they are shipped.

The composite stocked M48 Liberty model that is the subject of this review is available in 20 different calibers, ranging from .22 Nosler to .33 Nosler and hitting all of the Nosler calibers and most of the other popular calibers in-between. These M48 Liberty rifles are built on two action lengths, short (.308 length) and long (.30-06 length).

nosler m48

Our friends at Nosler suggested that we review a rifle in their new .22 Nosler caliber. We initially declined, on the basis that the .22 Nosler was designed primarily for AR-15 type actions and these are not our cup of tea. However, when Pat Mundy (Nosler’s Senior Marketing Communications Specialist) told us the .22 Nosler was soon to be available in the Model 48 bolt action, our ears perked-up.

We had hoped the new .22 Nosler, a small .223 Rem. length cartridge, would be offered in a new extra short (.223 length) action, but it was not to be. Our test rifle uses a normal, .308 length, M48 short action with the addition of a spacer behind the sheet steel magazine box to adapt it to the shorter .22 Nosler cartridge.

nosler m48

This is the way most “short” bolt action rifles are adapted to even shorter cartridges, such as the .204 Ruger and .223 Remington. Of course, it also means the same M48 action (unlike AR-15 actions) can easily accommodate the .22-250 and .220 Swift for varmint hunters interested in the highest performance .22s.

All M48 actions are CNC machined from a solid steel billet, blue printed and trued after heat treatment. The receiver has a flat bottom and an integral recoil lug, as all bolt actions should, but few do today. The open action top makes loading a single cartridge, or clearing a jammed cartridge, easy.

This is a push feed design that uses a bolt with two large, Mauser type, front locking lugs. Bolt rotation is 90 degrees and cocks on opening. Nosler uses a guide rail slot in the right hand locking lug that, along with tight tolerances, minimizes bolt wobble. A substantial extractor of the AR-15 type at the front of the bolt gives a good bite on the case rim to yank fired cases from the chamber and a plunger ejector in the fully recessed bolt face reliably kicks them clear of the action.

nosler m48

The bolt body is cast as one-piece (including the handle and knob), then CNC machined and heat treated. It incorporates shallow longitudinal fluting to reduce friction and binding during operation. A recessed bolt face fits into a counter-bored barrel. The bell-shaped bolt knob has a ring of checkering around its circumference.

Should gas escape from a ruptured cartridge case, there is one round and two oval gas vents in the bottom of the bolt to direct it into the magazine well and away from the shooter. The steel bolt shroud is small, tidy and prevents escaping gas from flowing around the one-piece firing pin into the shooter’s face. The firing pin shroud also serves as a coking indicator.

nosler m48