John Nosler Honored with Pioneer Award

The NRA has named John A. Nosler the winner of the inaugural NRA Golden Bullseye Pioneer Award. “Mr. Nosler was the unanimous choice of an eight-member selection committee, acting on behalf of NRA members nationwide”, said NRA Publications Executive Director Joe H. Graham. One of the world’s foremost innovators in ballistics and bullet design, Nosler invented the Partition and other custom bullets. He pioneered the premium bullet category that has been widely adopted by big-game hunters, and has influenced bullet manufacturers worldwide.

If you’ve wondered how the Nosler Partition came to be, “In the fall of 1946, a stubborn, mud-caked Canadian moose failed to go down, despite a well-placed shot from John Nosler’s 300 H&H. On the way home from that trip, John started thinking about a way to make a bullet that would perform well every time, no matter what the size of the game or the shot angle. Over the next year, he experimented with bullet design, finally settling on a unique, dual core bullet that was really the first Partition®. The following fall, John and his friend, Clarence Purdie, both killed moose with one shot using John’s new bullet. After a few years of production on lathes, John developed the impact extrusion method of manufacture [that] produced bullets with extremely concentric jackets[.]” (From Nosler.com.)

To learn more about John Nosler and his bullet designs, get your hands on Going Ballistic, a “Professional Memoir” told by John Nosler to outdoor writer Gary Lewis. With over 150 photos, and many fascinating accounts, this book is available from Sun Publishing for $24.95. CLICK HERE to read a short sample from Chapter 11, “Penetration and Expansion–The Need for a Better Bullet”.

The John A. Nosler Endowment of The NRA Foundation, funded by Nosler Inc., sponsors the NRA’s Basic Rifle Training Program.

Revised ATF Transfer Form 4473 Required as of September 1

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has given notice that, effective 9/1/2007, all federal firearms licensees must use the revised Firearms Transaction Record Part I – Over-the-Counter (ATF Form 4473).

“In the immediate aftermath of the tragic events at Virginia Tech in April, many questions arose about whether the person responsible was prohibited under federal law from possessing a firearm and how the shooter passed the background check required before purchasing the two firearms used,” said ATF Acting Director Michael J. Sullivan. “ATF is clarifying this form in an effort to make it clear that any person who has been found by a court board or other lawful authority to be a danger to self or others is prohibited from purchasing a firearm or ammunition.”

The form clarifies the question regarding “mental defectives” and incorporates the definitions of this term set forth in the regulations, 27 CFR 478.11. The revision also incorporates certain provisions of the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-162) by adding “tribal offense” and “Tribal Law” to the definition of Misdemeanor Crime of Domestic Violence.