"PIGS!" guide Brian Cope called out as he slammed on the brakes. I caught motion on the far side of a canyon to our left and bailed out of the truck, shoving 165-grain Nosler Custom Accu¬Bonds into the rifle's magazine as I hustled to the canyon rim. I spotted the three hogs moving quickly uphill into heavy brush on the opposite side a little over 200 yards away, and with little time to waste I plopped down on my butt, wrapped my arm tightly into the sling and locked into a good, solid sitting position.

The lead pig had already disappeared, the second one was about to, but I had an open shot at the trailing member of the trio--a decent-size red boar--if I could take it before he vanished. The crosshairs locked solidly on his chest, I held just a little bit high, and the .308 boomed.

The hog dropped at the shot, and Brian and my hunting partner, Nosler's Zach Waterman, were all smiles.

"Hell, we thought we were going to have to bring you more ammo to get those pigs," Zach said with a laugh.

I was still in position, watching the boar, which was thrashing on its side, usually the sign of a fatal heart/lung hit. But since we had a ways to walk to get to where the hog was, I put my cheek back on the stock and sent another AccuBond on its way. We heard the bullet hit, and the boar lay still.

That wasn't my first kill with Nosler's new Model 48 Trophy Grade. The day before I'd connected on an easy 75-yard shot on a nice whitetail on Texas' famed Nail Ranch, and I'd toted it on numerous rattling setups over several days as well--placing it on shooting sticks or using natural rests to be ready for any big bucks that might be attracted to Brian's efforts with the rattling horns.

The Texas trip was, however, my first hands-on exposure to Nosler's rifle line, and I certainly wasn't disappointed.

Metal surfaces are finished in tough, corrosion-resistant Cerakote. One gripe: The two-position safety proved a little too easy to push off.

Last year, in a roundup of new hunting rifles, I wrote that if I ever became rich and famous I'd be able to get a Nosler Custom rifle. Well, I'm still not rich, still not famous, but thanks to this newest gun from the renowned bullet maker, I am one step closer to being able to own one. And so are you.

"Nosler felt it was important to offer an affordable, semi-custom rifle that competes directly with other well-known rifles in its class," Zach told me. "Coupled with Nosler Trophy Grade ammunition, it has a guaranteed performance of one m.o.a. or better for three-shot groups at 100 yards. Nosler is known for setting benchmarks in the bullet industry and is now prepared to raise the bar in the rifle industry with the Trophy Grade rifle."

The new Model 48 Trophy Grade isn't exactly cheap at $1,745 (short action), but it's a lot more affordable than the company's M48 Custom Sporter and Limited Edition rifles, which have more bells and whistles and sell for $2,995 and $4,195 respectively. And it is competitively priced, as Zach says, with others in its class such as Sako (a Finnlight will set you back $1,600) and, to a lesser extent, Kimber (8400 Montana, $1,300).

The Trophy Grade is built around the company's Model 48 action, a flat-bottom design that's investment cast from 4140 steel and features an integral recoil lug.