I know exactly what you mean... this particular rifle has been mounted in a regular Knight camo pistol grip stock. It was dead accurate in that stock. Actually this was the first trip to the woods with the thumb hole stock. It is really a Extreme thumb hole that I had altered to fit the forked recoil lug of the Elite. When this barreled action was in the pistol grip stock... the barrel floated as Elites do. Installed in the TH the barrel sits flat in the barrel channel the whole distance no floating at all. The barrel is supported equally and helps dampen vibrations + absorbs some of the barrel heat with moving the stock. Really do like it.... And I now know it is pretty accurate.

It was not to far back there that I firmly would have said that I am not intersted in a thumbhole, ESPECIALLY for hunting... but I started shooting a TH on the bench and i really feel that it gives you much more control over the gun, reduces some of the felt recoil and really helps in the alignment of the rifle (really reduces any canting left or right). I started hunting with a TH Omega a couple of years ago and then last year with a Knight - I am now good and comfortable with the TH.

I really like the design of the hollow point... the shape of the lead in the hollow point. It is sort of stepped... a wider opening sloped and closed down a bit to a more narrow HP. I think the design would insure very good and controlled expansion in an animal. The thing I do not know yet is how well will it stay together at ML velocities??? I am hoping to find that out next week... maybe. I know the 40/200 XTP stayed together better n than any other XTP that I have shot and consider it a 'tough' bullet, but I am thinking this one might be better. IF the appearance that the bullet presents is any indication. It just appears to be a well built, precise bullet.

Not sure there is a good way to compare the Lehigh to the Nosler. I still consider the Lehigh the superior bullet in contruction and terminal performance. In fact even now I would still think the 40/180 Speer Gold Dot/Deep Curl might be the better terminal performance bullet only because it is bonded, but that can easily change if the Nosler stays together in the torture test.

I think you are absolutely correct, the Nosler will stabilize from the Knight 1-30 very easily, with a wider range of velocities than would the Lehigh. The 1-30 twist was designed to handle this length of bullet in the first place.

And even though you might shoot the Nosler at less velocity - that could be good for it and it still could be a very effective bullet on deer class animals...