As we made our way down the dirt road into the Nail Ranch there was still a small amount of dust kicking up behind us. Even though it was December it was dry and warm enough to hunt in a sweatshirt, not something that I was used to when hunting for whitetail but we were in Texas and not only is everything bigger there but it’s also warmer. For over 100 years the ranch has been a working cattle ranch and the cowboy traditions and lifestyle are still alive and well, not to mention the management practices that allow for grazing cattle, a large population of deer, turkey, and quail without any high fences or introduced species. Aside from the random oil rig and wind turbines, it would be easy to confuse 2019 with 1919.

Hunting is mostly done from a “mobile ground blind” with some spot and stalk sprinkled in for good measure, and there is no shortage of wildlife to watch. Before we even leave the ranch house, after eating a large breakfast of biscuits and gravy and piles of bacon, we can hear the turkeys flying down from their roosts. It was a sure sign that we were about to see a lot of animals that morning.

Our guide was Craig Winters, the Wildlife Manager at the Nail Ranch for the last 27 years. You would be hard fought to find anyone that’s more of a Texan than Craig and the pride that he takes in his operation is very much apparent from the start. After seeing the landscape and listening to some of his stories it’s really easy to understand why Craig never wants to do anything else.

Craig Winters, Wildlife Manager at the Nail Ranch.

This particular trip wasn’t just to enjoy the North Texas countryside however. I was joining the crew from Nosler to test out a new cartridge that they will be producing ammo and rifles for in 2020, the 27 Nosler. This cartridge breathes new life into a caliber that would be hard to describe as anything other than an icon of American hunting. Being built on the same case as the 30 Nosler, which is based on the 404 Jeffrey, speed is not going to be an issue. When loaded with a 150 grain AccuBond in their Trophy Grade Ammunition the projectile exits the barrel at 3,250fps! That’s 400fps faster than a 270 Winchester and 300fps faster than a 270 WSM. At 500 yards the 27 Nosler is almost an entire foot of elevation flatter than the 270 Win and exhibits an additional 800ft/lbs of energy.

All those bigger numbers are great. Having less drop and more energy is fantastic. However, the 27 Nosler’s most important number is something that a lot of people overlook and take for granted until they want to shoot a heavy for caliber bullet with a really high ballistic coefficient. The twist rate for the new 270 is 1:8.5”. That’s fast enough to stabilize bullets that haven’t even been made in .277 yet. That’s why it’s significant that the company that makes the cartridge and the rifle also makes the bullets and the ammo. There may be some foreshadowing going on and I would be willing to bet that there are engineers hard at work at Nosler HQ inventing some heavy and long hunting bullets that will combine high BCs with terminal performance to be chambered in the new 27 Nosler.

The 27 Nosler loaded with a 150 grain AccuBond bullet.

I didn’t have to wait long to test the new cartridge on one of the Nail’s more mature whitetail bucks. John Nosler was hunting with Craig and myself on the first morning and before we even pulled out of the driveway he looked back at me and said, “Are you ready? This could happen quick.” John and the entire Nosler family have been hunting many years with Craig so I don’t think he saw a prophesy in his tea leaves that morning but his past experiences had definitely given him insight into what was probably about to happen. Right out of the gate we spotted a buck feeding in between the mesquite trees and cactuses. As Craig examined him for just a few seconds he calmly said, without lowering his binoculars, “That’s the buck you should shoot.”

Within a few seconds I was outside of the truck and waiting for him to create some space with a few other deer in the same area. He fed slightly to the left and turned broadside at the same time and I let one single Accubond fly. It hit its mark with the familiar “WHOMP” that most hunters can easily recognize as a hit. He was on the ground before I could even get the scope back on target, which was quick because the recoil is moderate.

We had the buck in the truck and we were headed back to hang him in the meat cooler quickly so we could get back out in the field to find one for John. After lunch the wind started to pick up and the deer laid low for the rest of the day. The good news; we had three more days to find some more deer and then possibly some feral pigs. Craig has done his job well the last few decades and the animals are plentiful.

The author with his opening morning buck. PC - John Nosler

Author’s note: Originally written in December 2019.

The Nail Ranch: Texas Forever