Published data for most other cartridges is running lower pressure from shorter barrels. For deer and blackbear? The .26 Nosler doesn’t do much more than any of the smaller “big” .264’s if it does any more at all. Personally, I wouldn’t step up to the recoil of a 28 Nosler just for a speculative elk hunt. I have found the Barnes LRX, TTXXX, the Nosler LR Accubonds are better choices for hunting. My 26 Nosler brass came the other day so I mocked up a couple of rounds. The 28 and 30 Nosler are potentially great rounds. If you want really big bullets, it looks like the 300prc is … It’s running high pressure and using a 28” barrel. I believe the 26 is being produced by Nosler and a few other companies, I don’t think the 28 is yet. Zeroed at 350 yards, the 26 Nosler® has a Point Blank Range of 0-415 yards. Same goes for a 26 nosler vs 6.5 creed. The 26 Nosler has the faster twist rate and is throwing 147’s over 3000 fps. That an important factor should be thought about bullet selection. That said, as I've been shopping for deals I found an awesome deal on a new xbolt pro in 28 nosler. Well, i was leaning towards the 28 Nosler, but now I'm seriously considering the 7mm RM. 140gr at 26 Nosler velocities is more than enough, and will shoot flatter, and will have less recoil than the 28 Nosler. My requirement is greater than 1500ft lbs and 1800 fps at 500 yards. In my opinion Berger bullets are better target bullets than hunting bullets. ABLR at 3400 f.p.s. Do you think it might be better to go with the 26 instead of the 28 at this point? How likely is that elk hunt? Originally designed for hunting. I'm worried bout the need of a 26" barrel for the Nosler, and hoping to get away with a 24" since I'm trying to run an Ultra 7 with it. The 6.5 mm ABLR weighs 129 grs., a traditional European weight, with a listed G1 ballistic coefficient of .561, and the initial .26 Nosler factory load starts the 129-gr. Like all 7mms, they can fire bullets as light as 100-grains and as heavy as 180-grains. Finally I decided on 7mm rem mag due to ammo options, and lighter recoil. Again, both seen like great options but I want this to be a hunting rig, as I've got a rifle for shooting steel. Loaded the 129LRAB to OAL of 3.47", that puts the top of the boat tail at the bottom of the neck. The 26 Nosler® cartridge was designed to take advantage of the inherently accurate and high B.C. My friend bought the 28 Nosler in the Liberty and he likes how it shoots. 6.5mm (.264) caliber bullets, and is capable of shooting the 129gr Nosler® AccuBond® Long Range (ABLR) and 130gr AccuBond® bullets at a blazing 3400 fps out of the muzzle. The reason why the same bullet, going the same speed, recoils more when using 80 grains of powder vs 40 grains of powder, is muzzle blast. I expanded the neck with a 7mm button then seated with the 26 Nosler die. The 7mm shoots .284-inch diameter bullets through bores .28-inch across, but only two use this Imperial measuring system in their titles: .280 Remington and .284 Winchester, both excellent but under-rated “standard” velocity cartridges. Now it looks like they’ve come out with larger 150’s for the 260’s/6.5’s. The bullet itself causes some recoil, but the bullet is not the only thing generating recoil. The second round is a 28 Nosler mock up. While not ideal, A 26 Nosler will work just fine for elk, too. I narrowed it down to a browning x bolt pro in 28 nosler, 7mm rem mag or 300 win mag. The 30 I think just came out not to long ago compared to the 26. Not to say the Nosler isn’t any good but just an overall feeling of liking Weatherby more.