The F-Open Re-Think Courtesy Of Berger Bullets
Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 10:53 am
I'm on a ballistic roll at the moment with whats happening in Australia and overseas and my next project is about to get started, based solely on a bullet. I have to confess straight up that for me this sport of ours is as much about the technical issues as the shooting. I figure I'm not alone in this and would like to hear what others are considering when Berger finally roll out the 7mm, 195gr Hybrid.
I already am shooting a bullet that has a similar BC in the 30 cal 230gr Hybrid but if we can believe the info out there, the 195gr bullet will be a little higher again. You dont need to know anything technical to understand the lighter bullet will have less recoil if shot from the same weight gun.
The 300WM I'm shooting the heavy 230s from is really nice to shoot and at 1000 rounds down the barrel for only 1.5 thou throat erosion looks like giving a minimum of 2000 rounds. Scoping the barrel after coming back from the Bendigo Queens showed me that I needed to clean a little more vigorously but also showed a barrel in very good condition! Big bullets, slow powder and low 2850fps velocities seem to agree with the 300WM.
After doing a little research on 7mm's capable of launching the 195gr bullets without destroying cases I came up with an unusual option. First thought was of course the Saum then maybe the 7mm-300WSM, both renowned for their accuracy and barrel burning abilities. Then I figured why not consider the 7mm-300WM.
Well the 7-300WM is not a new idea and there are plenty using it in the USA mostly for hunting. A little more research and a few questions answered about its grouping ability using 180gr Hybrids and Vlds and it turns out to be a viable option. I have plenty of cases and the existing dies will work fine for FLS and NS but I will opt for a custom seater. I tried using my Redding Type S bushing neck sizer and stepped down using 3 bushings to the 7mm tension I would use for loading. A perfectly formed 7-300WM case emerged.
Next I got JGS to make me up a reamer to match specs based on my current match 300WM reamer using suitable neck clearance for no-neck turn cases. Now all I need to do is take my low count 7mm Krieger barrel (Shehane) and put a bigger hole in front of the 7mm bore to take the case.
Most people at this stage will be saying why use such a big case and why stuff up a very accurate Shehane barrel. My answer is simply that if you dont give things a try you will never know if works or not, even though in this case lots of people have done this successfully before. I have found the 300WM Norma/Nosler cases to be superb and low maintenance. I have found that heavy bullets and slow burning powder, (AR2225) are a recipe for long barrel life. So now its time to see if the theory matches the practice.
There is no doubt the Berger 195gr high BC bullet will shake up F-Open in more ways than one and I'm interested to hear from anyone with a plan to put it to good use!
Ian
I already am shooting a bullet that has a similar BC in the 30 cal 230gr Hybrid but if we can believe the info out there, the 195gr bullet will be a little higher again. You dont need to know anything technical to understand the lighter bullet will have less recoil if shot from the same weight gun.
The 300WM I'm shooting the heavy 230s from is really nice to shoot and at 1000 rounds down the barrel for only 1.5 thou throat erosion looks like giving a minimum of 2000 rounds. Scoping the barrel after coming back from the Bendigo Queens showed me that I needed to clean a little more vigorously but also showed a barrel in very good condition! Big bullets, slow powder and low 2850fps velocities seem to agree with the 300WM.
After doing a little research on 7mm's capable of launching the 195gr bullets without destroying cases I came up with an unusual option. First thought was of course the Saum then maybe the 7mm-300WSM, both renowned for their accuracy and barrel burning abilities. Then I figured why not consider the 7mm-300WM.
Well the 7-300WM is not a new idea and there are plenty using it in the USA mostly for hunting. A little more research and a few questions answered about its grouping ability using 180gr Hybrids and Vlds and it turns out to be a viable option. I have plenty of cases and the existing dies will work fine for FLS and NS but I will opt for a custom seater. I tried using my Redding Type S bushing neck sizer and stepped down using 3 bushings to the 7mm tension I would use for loading. A perfectly formed 7-300WM case emerged.
Next I got JGS to make me up a reamer to match specs based on my current match 300WM reamer using suitable neck clearance for no-neck turn cases. Now all I need to do is take my low count 7mm Krieger barrel (Shehane) and put a bigger hole in front of the 7mm bore to take the case.
Most people at this stage will be saying why use such a big case and why stuff up a very accurate Shehane barrel. My answer is simply that if you dont give things a try you will never know if works or not, even though in this case lots of people have done this successfully before. I have found the 300WM Norma/Nosler cases to be superb and low maintenance. I have found that heavy bullets and slow burning powder, (AR2225) are a recipe for long barrel life. So now its time to see if the theory matches the practice.
There is no doubt the Berger 195gr high BC bullet will shake up F-Open in more ways than one and I'm interested to hear from anyone with a plan to put it to good use!
Ian
Yep I did, its on page 24 
