It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Robert “Bob” Nosler, on September 2, 2025, at the age of 79.
Bob devoted his life to carrying forward the innovation and spirit of Nosler, building on the foundation laid by his father, John A. Nosler. From his early days on the production floor to leading as President, CEO, and Chairman, Bob’s vision helped shape Nosler into a modern, family-owned company trusted by generations of hunters and shooters.
Beyond his leadership, Bob was admired for his character—his quiet confidence, commitment to American manufacturing, and belief in giving his all to both work and family.
He will be deeply missed, but his legacy will live on in every product that bears the Nosler name.
Bob Nosler Born Ballistic – The life and adventures of Bob Nosler
By Bob Nosler as told to Gary Lewis
When we see the Nosler name on a box of bullets or on a custom rifle, we know this is a thing that is solid. We can rely on this. The Nosler name means trust.
But what should work and what will work are sometimes two different things. And sometimes it takes not just a visionary, but men and women with passion. Passion and an unstoppable drive to succeed, whatever the cost.
In the last 70-some years, Nosler has become coincident with bullet performance and hunting success. Partition, Ballistic Tip, AccuBond, E-Tip, Trophy Grade and Nosler Custom. Today, from Africa to Alaska, from Nebraska to New Zealand, from Bend, Oregon to Bamalama, Nosler bullets are used by more sportsmen than any other brand.
What you might not know about Nosler is there is a family behind the name, a family with uncommon passion and work ethic.
Bob Nosler’s story is the uniquely American saga of a young boy growing up in the ’50s and ’60s with guns, guitars and hot rods. For Bob Nosler, fall meant football and long drives to deer hunts. He grew to manhood in the turbulent 1960s, played lead guitar in a hard rock band, walked away from college and joined the submarine service. But the family business called and a challenge loomed, a problem that would decide the fate of a bullet called the Nosler Partition and his father’s dream.
Bob Nosler Born Ballistic picks up the story where the founder John Nosler left off. In this new book, authors Nosler and Lewis start off with a bang, setting the stage with Today is a Good Day to Die, the first chapter, which introduces us to Bob Nosler on a caribou hunt that went wrong when cultures clashed and the native guides were ready to revolt.
We get a glimpse back in time with Weezie Don’t Worry, when young Bob spent a summer with his alcoholic mentor out in Oregon’s Outback. And a glimpse of rock and roll’s roots when Bob straps on a brand new three-color sunburst ’62 Fender Jazzmaster, learns three chords and starts a band.
Bob Nosler Born Ballistic is a book about hunting, sure, but it’s a book about business, too, and culture and fire, the kind of fire that ignites a shared vision. Where John Nosler helped reshape hunting on the North American continent, Bob Nosler carried the brand and reshaped hunting across the globe.
This book is targeted to sportsmen and women who dream big. Leaders of business will recognize the characteristics of success that translate from the field to the corporate boardroom. Old hunters will nod and say this is so. This is the way it was.
Bob Nosler Born Ballistic, with over 80 photos and practical wisdom on every page, will give you insight into the leadership that brought the world the famous Nosler Partition, AccuBond, Ballistic Tip, E-Tip and the Nosler Custom Rifle.
Bob Nosler Born Ballistic by Bob Nosler
Gary Lewis Outdoors, copyright 2021, $24.95, 184 pages, ISBN: 0-9761244-9-8. Available in bookstores and at www.garylewisoutdoors.com and www.nosler.com