Born Ballistic, By Bob Nosler as told to Gary Lewis

I was recently out in Oregon on a fishing trip with my son Mason where we met with Gary Lewis to join us in some fly fishing in Central Oregon.  I have been friends with Gary now for 20 years and we have hunted and fished together all over the United States and the World. Gary gave me a signed copy of his book “Born Ballistic”.  I greatly enjoyed the first book in this series “Going Ballistic” about John Nosler, this was a great continuation of the story. 

I find this story to be interesting on many different levels.  The first thing that makes this story interesting to me, as a longtime sportsman, is how interconnected the sporting industry is.  I grew up where Nosler, Lyman, Speer, Leupold, Winchester, Federal etc. where household names.  These were names on boxes containing ammo or stamped in the medal of firearms etc. and they were all constants in my world.  I had no idea that Nosler was a small family-owned business that at times throughout my sporting life may have been hanging onto existence on a thin margin.  I also did not have any idea that many of these companies were interconnected and how small the community of companies that provide the lifeline of equipment and supplies are that support our passions.  I have to be reminded sometimes that the sporting fraternity that enjoys big game hunting in the faraway and hard to get to places and that is interested in such things a ballistic coefficients and bullet performance is a small one in relative terms.  When you are fortunate enough to be surrounded by other people that share your passion and that is who you spend your time with it is easy to lose sight of the fact that everyone in the world is not tuned into the things you are.  I was shocked to come to know that Nosler for many years had no more that a handful of employees and was a small business in Bend Oregon.  Although it is much more than that now I would have assumed it was a giant business because it made the best bullets in the world and of course everyone would need them.  It is also interesting to hear the stories of how these companies that I have admired and used their products for so many years were connected and instrumental in shaping each other’s stories.  I cannot imagine that anyone that is a sportsman that is connected to the shooting sports in America would not find this story one of great interest.

The second thing that makes this story interesting is the story of how a passion for something like, building a better bullet that was based on need, drove a sportsman that was in a completely different industry to develop a product and then build a business into one that has had significant impact on an entire industry and to be a family owned and operated business that has thrived through multiple generations.  This story is one that a university professor could easily build an entire curriculum on how to build and run a successful business.  Anyone who is a fledgling entrepreneur, regardless of any connection to the shooting sports, could learn a lot from this book.  It has a little of everything.  There are examples of how to build strategic relationships and partnerships when needed to expand a business.  Then, maybe more importantly, how disconnect or become unencumbered with strategic partners when the situation changes and how to do it in a way that does not burn bridges or create enemies.  There are great lessons on marketing, product innovation, leadership, manufacturing, building a company culture, business diversification, integrity, and values, and how to be successful as a multi-generational family business.

I highly recommend this book to anyone because it is a great story of the American Dream realized, a story of passion and determination and an example of what determination, solid ethics and passion can lead to.  I will say that I doubt that anyone could walk away from this story without taking with them something of value.