Nesika Sporter in .308 Winchester – An elite long range rifle for real connoisseurs 

The US Nesika company is referred to as one of the most extravagant gunmakers in the world. Taking this rifle in your hands, you can appreciate how simple details make the difference and make it so special.

Features of the bolt action rifle Nesika Sporter

The Nesika Sporter in .308 Winchester caliber that we tested is an excellent bolt-action centerfire rifle, born for long range shooting. It is designed and built around the Nesika Hunter action, one of the finest ever made by the company. This action is machined from stainless steel stock with tolerances of .001" (0.0254 mm) – tolerances are quite minimal also in the locking points and between the bolt face.
The Sporter model (the subject of this article), in addition to .308 Winchester/7.62 NATO, is also available in the following calibers: .260 Remington, 7mm - 08 Remington, .30-06 Springfield, .280 Remington, 7mm Remington Magnum, .300 Win. Mag. and 6.5x284.

There are several models of the Nesika Hunter Action: C, T, V and MH, which differ in three values: length, bolt diameter and price.

All Nesika rifle bolts are machined from a single piece of chrome-molybdenum steel, whose structural characteristics make them indestructible over time, with an excellent resistance to wear and corrosion. The bolt has no welds, but features right-hand flutings that give it a particularly attractive appearance.

Pulling and closing the bolt, its fluidity and smoothness make you immediately understand that there is a lot of quality in this rifle. One is immediately fascinated by it

The perfect bolt-to-bore alignment guarantees that the rifle’s accuracy is consistent too.
The flawless lock-up is also ensured by the Borden Bumps located immediately behind the locking lugs. This solution, named after its inventor, the US bench rest shooter Jim Borden, further reduces the already imperceptible lateral play of the bolt.

To disassemble the rifle it is necessary to operate the control on the left side of the action in order to release the bolt. Screws placed under the stock allow the latter to be separated from the barrel, the receiver and trigger assembly.

The bolt head has two opposite lugs; integrated into one of them (the lower one) is the ejector, which is bayonet-locked and spring-loaded. The ejector is spring-loaded and is placed on the bolt face, aligned with the upper lug so as not to weaken it.

For those who know a little bit about the history of the US company and know that Remington, Bushmaster, DPMS brands are owned by the same people who later bought Dakota and Nesika, and might mistakenly think that these rifles are simple restylings of the Remington 700, it is enough to simply note the details and touch a Nesika rifle to be immediately convinced. The materials quality, workmanship, action and tolerances are in fact evident, as well as some peculiarities that make it clear that we are talking about real precision jewels.

The Douglas Air Gauged barrel is stainless steel and 24 inches long (about 61 cm) for the 308 Winchester Sporter model, while it measures 26 inches (66 cm) for the 7mm Remington Magnum, .300 Win.Mag. and 6.5x284 calibers. During the manufacturing process, every single barrel is inspected with the air gauge system in order to check the rifling tolerances along its entire length, which must not exceed .0001".
In Nesika rifles, the particular crowning and chamfering protects the muzzle, always guaranteeing consistent accuracy.

The Leupold VX 5HD 7-35x56 scope

On our .308 Winchester Nesika Sporter we mounted the new Leupold VX 5HD 7-35x56 scope, with 34 mm tube and CDS (Custom Dial System) TZL3 elevation adjustment turret, which can be adjusted and customized according to the load used or the customary shooting/hunting conditions with a very simple and intuitive locking push button. 

Other features include the very fast side focus parallax adjustment and the TMOA reticle. This optic allowed us to best express the character of the Nesika rifle, designed for shooters and hunters who need to make challenging shots over long distances.

The stock

The Nesika Sporter is fitted with a Bell & Carlson carbon fiber composite stock with an aluminum bedding block. The bedding tolerances are nil and ensure a correct and precise alignment of action and barrel, all to the benefit of accuracy.

The stock features a pistol grip and a cheek rest on the left side, and is fitted with a rubber recoil pad that helps reduce felt recoil. The latter is however perfectly absorbed by the whole stock structure. The Nesika Sporter model has two sling attachment points on the stock, one in front and one at the rear.

The rifle is easy to swing and even when carrying it we did not find negative points. Generally speaking, the gun’s comfort is excellent. The Nesika Sporter stock is brown with black webbed finish. This creates a contrast with the matte/satin steel parts of the rifle and makes it very aesthetically appealing. 

We placed the Nesika Sporter on a snowy background for the our photo shoot and the result was fantastic. The gun blends in well, which is also the result of a design study if you think that this rifle has been made for hunting large game.

The magazine

Inside the magazine well there is a shaped metal plate where the magazine follower, spring and floor plate are inserted. The Nesika Sporter in .308 Winchester can hold 4+1 cartridges. The magazine opening button is on the trigger guard and by pushing it forward it allows to open the magazine floor and safely remove any cartridges.

Safety and trigger

The Nesika Sporter features a two-position manual safety and the Leupold QRW mounts are on the top. The Timney trigger components are machined from 4340 chrome-molybdenum steel stock for strength and durability. They are then hand-assembled and tested, with a calibrated pull weight of 3 lb/1.36 kg.

The trigger – with which we felt immediately at ease – is clean, crisp and with no pre-travel. The rifle weighs 8 lb/3.6 kg and the overall length is 45”/114.3 cm.

Nesika Sporter test fire and conclusions

Test firing the Nesika Sporter in .308 Winchester leaves one extremely satisfied. If the claim "five shots, one hole" from which the founders of Nesika started to design these guns may sound ambitious, we can say that the groupings you achieve with these rifles are quite excellent and meet their creators’ expectations.

The Nesika Sporter comes complete with a hard case inside which we find the test target that displays the rifle’s performance and certifies the guaranteed "sub-MOA" accuracy with commercial ammo at 100 m..

For our tests we used Fiocchi 147-grain Full Metal Jacket ammo and Remington Premier 165-grain polymer-tipped AccuTip ammo, and the results were excellent. As soon as we zeroed the scope, the rifle – with which we got immediately acquainted – allowed us to hit our target with extreme ease. Considering the minimal tolerances of these firearms, steel-cased cartridges should be avoided..

In conclusion, the Nesika Sporter struck us as a dream rifle, with a discreet and not ostentatious aesthetics, but with a lot of quality and substance, featuring a fine and distinctive character that goes well with those who do not need to appear.

The price of the Nesika Sporter in the US (without optics) is $3499, while the Leupold VX-5HD 7-35x56 scope can be purchased for $1899.99 – prices in Europe will vary. These are no doubt important figures, but you are repaid by the quality of materials, the workmanship and the potential of this reliable and accurate rifle which is like few others.

Nesika Sporter rifle specs and price