Berger Bulletin

Let’s face it. In the world of firearms, there is something for everyone. Do you like to compete? Are you a hunter? Are you more of a shotgun shooter or rifle shooter? Do you enjoy running around between stages of a timed course, or does the thought of shooting one-hole groups appeal to you more? Even though many of us shoot several different firearms and disciplines, chances are very good that we all have a favorite. Are we spreading ourselves too thin by shooting different disciplines, or is it actually beneficial? I have found that participating in multiple disciplines can actually improve your performance. Every style of shooting is different; therefore, they each develop different skills that benefit each other.

Long range prone shooting requires a combination of wind reading skills and stable position.

How can cross training in other disciplines help you? For example, I am most familiar with long range prone shooting, so let’s start there. To be a successful long range shooter, you must have a stable position, accurate ammunition, and good wind reading skills. You can improve all of these areas through time and effort, but there are other ways to improve more efficiently. Spend some time practicing smallbore. Smallbore rifles and targets are much less forgiving when it comes to position and shot execution. Long range targets are very large, so you can get away with accepting less than perfect shots. Shooting smallbore will make you focus more on shooting perfectly center shots every time. Another way to do this with your high power rifle is to shoot on reduced targets at long ranges. This will also force you to accept nothing less than perfect. Shoot at an F-Class target with your iron sights. At 1000 yards, the X-ring on a long range target is 10 inches; it is 5 inches on an F-Class target. Because of this, you will have to focus harder on sight alignment to hit a center shot. When you go back to the conventional target, you will be amazed at how large the ten ring looks.

The small F-Class target teaches shooters to make more precise wind calls.

Also, most prone rifles can be fitted with a bipod. Put a bipod and scope on your rifle, and shoot F-TR. Shooting with a scope and bipod eliminates position and eyesight factors, and will allow you to concentrate on learning how to more accurately read the wind. The smaller target will force you to be more aggressive on your wind calls. It will also help encourage you to use better loading techniques. Nothing is more frustrating than making a correct wind call on that tiny target, only to lose the point out the top or bottom due to inferior ammunition. If you put in the effort to shoot good scores on the F-Class target, you will be amazed how much easier the long range target looks when you return to your sling and iron sights. By the same token, F-Class shooters sometimes prefer to shoot fast and chase the spotter. Shooting prone can help teach patience in choosing a wind condition to shoot in, and waiting for that condition to return if it changes.

Tactical matches require improvising shots to accommodate the surrounding environment.

Benchrest shooters are arguably among the most knowledgeable about reloading. If you want to learn better techniques about loading ammunition, you might want to spend some time at benchrest matches. You might not be in contention to win these matches, but you will certainly learn a lot about reloading and gun handling. Shooting F-Open can also teach you these skills, as it is closely related to benchrest. Benchrest shooters may learn new wind reading techniques by shooting mid or long range F-Class matches.

Position shooters can also improve their skills by shooting different disciplines. Highpower Across the Course shooters benefit from shooting smallbore and air rifle. Again, these targets are very small, which will encourage competitors to be more critical of their shot placement. Hunters may benefit from shooting silhouette matches, which will give them a greater sense of familiarity shooting standing with a scoped rifle. Tactical matches may also be good, as tactical matches involve improvising shots from various positions and distances.

These are just a few ways that you can benefit from branching out into other shooting disciplines. Talk to the other shooters. There is a wealth of knowledge in every discipline, and the other shooters will be more than happy to share what they have learned. Try something new. You may be surprised what you get out of it. You will certainly learn new skills and improve the ones you already have. You might develop a deeper appreciation for the discipline you started off with, or you may just discover a new passion.

Michelle Gallagher

Phoenix sunset

The 5th annual Southwest Nationals ran from April 21-25th at Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix, AZ. This match is sponsored by Berger Bullets, and consists of four days of High Power “Across the Course” shooting. We had over 70 shooters from up and down the West Coast.

The match started on Thursday at the 600 yard line. We shot three 20-shot matches at 600 yds. Nancy Tompkins won with an impressive 600-41x. The highest possible score was a 600-60x, meaning she hit the center of the bull’s-eye 41 out of 60 shots. Second place went to Phil Hayes with a 599-31x, and third was Peter Church with a 596-36x. There was also a small group of F-Class shooters. Bill Berta was high F-Class with a 596-30x.

Prone match at 600 yards

The Grand Agg started on Friday with an 80-shot Across the Course match. This course of fire consists of 20 shots Standing at 200 yds, 20 shots Sitting Rapid Fire at 200 yds, 20 shots Prone Rapid Fire at 300 yds, and 20 shots Prone at 600 yds. Justin Skaret won the daily agg with a 789-30x. As we got back to the 600 yd line, we realized that there was a three-way tie for the Sitting Rapid Fire match. So at the end of the day, we went back up to the 200 yd line for a shoot-off between Justin Skaret, Brian Fisher, and James Patterson. Justin won the shoot-off with a score of 99 out of 100. Congratulations to all three of them! Shoot-offs don’t happen very often, so people were excited to watch it.

Saturday was a 100-shot match, which is basically the same course of fire with an additional 20 shot match at 600 yds. Allen Spiker won the Sat agg with a 984-31x. A 100-shot match typically lasts the entire day, but we managed to finish by early afternoon, which gave people plenty of time to get to the activities building for our BBQ dinner. The competitors enjoyed making and renewing friendships over pulled pork, ice cold beer and lemonade. After the dinner, we started the prize giving.

We encourage other companies in the firearms industry to support our matches by sending product to give away to the shooters. Berger provides the awards for the winners of the match, including $500 to both the Match and Service Rifle Champions. We also give away over 20,000 bullets to the match and class winners of the Aggregates. Our goal is to send awards home with as many people as we can, and these donations help make that possible. We also know that most of the top shooters already have top level equipment. So while this is a random prize drawing, we focus the first prizes towards newer shooters who are less likely to have the best equipment.

We want to give a special thank-you to White Oak Armament for their very generous donation of a 22 cal Service Rifle Upper. Robert Whitley also donated a 6mm Match Rifle Upper. Other contributors included Sierra Bullets, Lapua, Krieger, Shilen, Satern and many, many others. We were delighted to have enough prizes this year that every single shooter was able to choose something. When you talk to them, please thank these companies for supporting the shooting sports!

Sunday was the final day of the match. This was a “National Match Course,” which means 10 shots Standing (200 yds), 10 shots Sitting Rapid Fire (200 yds), 10 shots Prone Rapid Fire (300 yds), and 20 shots Prone (600 yds), WITHOUT sighters. We ran a concurrent “Leg Match,” which follows this course of fire. Shooters compete in leg matches and win points for placing in the top positions. The points accumulate until the shooter “legs out,” receiving their Distinguished Rifleman’s Badge. Shooters were able to fire once, and apply their scores to one or both matches. Shooting without sighters adds an extra challenge because competitors must know their windage and elevation zeroes to keep from losing points at the beginning of each string. Justin Skaret rose to the top again on Sunday, with a 494-15x. Tanner Fadely, a Junior shooter from AZ, won the leg match. He is already Distinguished, so the Leg points went to Jaden Swartwood (another AZ junior) and Bronson Scott.

The Grand Aggregate winners were determined by combining the scores from Friday, Saturday and Sunday. For the first time in the history of this match, a Service Rifle won the overall Grand Agg. Justin Skaret won the Service Rifle Championship, with the highest score overall. Phil Hayes (the 2011 overall winner) won the Match Rifle Championship. Visit our website for a complete list of the results. We want to thank the Desert Sharpshooters rifle club for hosting our match, and putting the time and effort to run the match and build targets. We couldn’t run this match without you! Also, thank you to the other companies and individuals who help make this match a success. Finally, a very big THANK-YOU to the shooters for traveling to Phoenix to support our match! We hope to see you again next year!

The tentative dates for the 2013 Southwest Nationals are April 11-14th.

2012 Service Rifle Champions

2012 Match Rifle Champions

2012 SW National Champions:
Service Rifle:
1st - Justin Skaret
2nd - Walter Tang
3rd - Liana Hoover

Match Rifle
1st - Phil Hayes
2nd - Allen Spiker
3rd - Trenton Hering

We are excited to announce the release of the 338 cal 250 grain Hybrid OTM Tactical bullet. This is the latest addition to our line of Tactical bullets.

Our Tactical bullets bridge the gap between functionality and the highest possible ballistic performance. Each bullet is designed by Bryan Litz for use in specific cartridges. These bullets are designed to function accurately in the rifle’s magazines, while still maintaining their superior ballistic performance. These bullets are also made with thicker jackets, allowing them to perform reliably under the most abusive conditions found in tactical competition, tactical situations and in combat.

While some of the Tactical bullets have a pure tangent ogive, the 338 cal 250gr is a Hybrid bullet. The Hybrid design blends a tangent ogive with a secant ogive. These shapes work together to produce the best trajectory performance without the tuning requirements that the VLDs have for seating depth. Tactical bullets will be successful at either magazine feedable lengths or loaded long for single shot firing situations, which can allow for more powder capacity and higher velocities. These bullets truly give the Tactical user the best possible results for whatever situation in which they find themselves.

The 338 cal 250 and 300 grain Hybrid OTM Tactical bullets were optimized for use in the 338 Lapua Magnum cartridge, but will work great in other cartridges as well.

Currently, the 338 cal bullets are only available in the Tactical line. We will soon be launching 338 cal 250 and 300 grain Hybrid Hunting bullets as well.

I had the pleasure of watching the movie Act of Valor. This movie focuses on telling the audience what it is like to be a real Navy SEAL. The story that is shown in the movie is not an actual event since SEALs cannot disclose much of what they actually do, but the story is made up of the very same type of threats that face America and those who have sworn to defend it. From start to finish, Act of Valor clearly communicates a genuine glimpse into what it means to be a true American hero.

This movie is unique because instead of hiring a bunch of actors to pretend they were Navy SEALs, the makers of this movie quickly understood that the only way they were going to be successful at making this movie authentic was to use actual Navy SEALs. In preparing to put this movie together, they quickly identified that no actor is capable of what these men can do.

One of the aspects of this movie that I enjoyed is the fact that they didn’t end it with the same type of feel good “hero gets the girl” ending that is common in Hollywood. This movie stayed true to the people it portrayed by honoring an act of true heroism that requires the ultimate sacrifice. It explains clearly the realities of being a real life, ass kicking warrior and doesn’t pull any punches in an effort to leave the audience with a warm fuzzy feeling.

I am not a Navy SEAL or a Special Forces Operator. I was born with a condition that prevented me from putting myself to the test of being a part of this glorious group of heroes. I can’t make my next statement because I’ve been there and done that, but I know what I’m about to say is the truth. Act of Valor does the best job of any movie made in showing us real life duty, honor and sacrifice at the highest levels.

The reason I know this is true, even though I haven’t lived it myself, is because this movie trusted actual Navy SEALs to give them the story rather than the other way around. If we can trust SEALs to defend all of us with their lives, then I’m sure that keeping this movie on track with the truth was as easy for them as breathing.

I have three recommendations:
1. Go see Act of Valor and buy the DVD when it is released so you can watch it again and again.
2. Take someone else to see this movie and give the DVD to others when it is released so they can understand the efforts and sacrifices made every day to protect their freedom.
3. When you see someone in uniform, shake their hand and buy them a drink or a meal. Anyone in uniform deserves your thanks and respect. Also, you never know when you may be showing a kindness to someone who saved your life from harms you aren’t even aware of, while risking their own life in the process.

Learn more about this great movie at www.actofvalor.com

Eric Stecker

7mm 180gr Match Hybrid Target bullet

One of the exciting challenges of rifle shooting is keeping up with new products and technologies. Shooters are constantly looking for ways to get greater accuracy and precision from their equipment. Rifle bullets in particular have come a long way – from musket balls to copper jacketed bullets that are capable of shooting groups under 3” at 1000 yards. The introduction of the VLD bullet design in the late 80s was a significant improvement to modern bullets. (click HERE for a history of the VLD bullet).

Jim Murphy - 2011 National F-Open Champion

VLD bullets are extremely efficient in the wind and have very high BCs, but they are sensitive to seating depth and require time and effort to “tune” the load for each rifle. Some people thought the VLD was the ultimate design, but Berger’s Chief Ballistician Bryan Litz saw room for improvement and went to work designing a bullet that would give shooters the high performance of VLD bullets but would be less sensitive to seating depth. The result was the Berger Hybrid bullet.

Our Hybrid design blends the best of both worlds by incorporating two different shapes within the nose. The nose starts as a secant ogive (the shape used on the VLD bullets), and gives the bullets their high BCs. As you move toward the bearing surface, the shape changes into a tangent ogive. This tangent section of the ogive results in the bullet being much less sensitive to seating depth (making load development much easier).

The key to it all went beyond the combination of these two shapes and rested on the partnership between the ballistician and the bullet maker. It looked good on paper, but it wasn’t until we started testing the actual bullets that we realized these Hybrids would make a significant impact in the long range shooting community. We announced our first Hybrid bullet during the 2011 SHOT Show – a 7mm 180gr Hybrid Target bullet. Within two weeks, this bullet had won two divisions of the 2011 Southwest Long Range Nationals (Bryan Litz shooting sling, and Danny Biggs shooting F-Open).

Bryan LItz - 2011 National Fullbore Champion

Since then, we have introduced more Hybrid bullets in 6mm, 6.5mm, 30 cal, and 338 cal. Within a few weeks of the 30 cal release, Bryan Litz used the 155 gr Hybrid Target bullet to win the 2011 US Fullbore National Championships at Raton, NM. In addition, Jim Murphy used the 7mm 180gr Hybrids to win both the 2011 National F-Open Championship at Lodi, WI and the 2012 Southwest Long Range Nationals in Phoenix, Az.

NOTE - Since the initial release of this article, Terry Balding used the 6mm 105gr Hybrid Target bullets to win the 2012 NBRSA 600-yard Nationals at Sloughouse, CA.

We currently offer the following calibers and weights, with several others in development.

Hybrid bullets currently offered by Berger:

Target Bullets
- 6mm 105 gr Match Hybrid Target
- 6.5mm 140gr Match Hybrid Target
- 7mm 180 gr Match Hybrid Target
- 30 cal 155gr Match Hybrid Target
- 30 cal 168gr Match Hybrid Target
- 30 cal 185gr Match Hybrid Target
- 30 cal 200gr Match Hybrid Target
- 30 cal 210gr Match Hybrid Target
- 30 cal 230gr Match Hybrid Target
Tactical Bullets
- 30 cal 230gr Match Hybrid Tactical
- 338 cal 250gr Match Hybrid Tactical
- 338 cal 300gr Match Hyrid Tactical

Michelle Gallagher

We definitely had wind for the wind class this year!

What could be better than enjoying a week in sunny Arizona in the middle of winter? Except maybe enjoying that sun, while shooting rifles and spending time with good friends. In early Feb, over 200 people came from all over North America to Ben Avery Shooting Facility for the third annual Southwest Long Range Nationals, sponsored by Berger Bullets.

Competitors on the firing line at Ben Avery Shooting Facility

The week kicked off on Tuesday with the long range wind clinic. Over 85 people showed up for the clinic, which almost doubled the class size from 2011. The morning started with equipment/position tips and techniques for the different disciplines (prone shooting by Nancy Tompkins, F-TR by Darrell Buell, and F-Open by Larry Bartholome). Then Mid Tompkins gave a short lesson on reading the wind, followed by several live fire drills. The wind cooperated with us this year, and gave the students something to work with! We brought in Subway 6’ sandwiches for lunch, and everyone enjoyed a picnic on the line. After lunch, Bryan taught a ballistics class and Mid finished off with a final drill on the firing line.

We realize that many people cannot take an entire week off of work to come shoot, so the Grand Aggregate runs from Friday through Sunday to include as many people as possible. Because of this, the 600 yd match on Wednesday is a stand-alone. We weren’t expecting a huge turn-out for a “fun” match, but we ended up with 145 people! It was a beautiful 70 degree day, with light but switching winds. Leo Ahearn (CO) won the sling division, David Bailey (TX) won the F-Open, and Chris Ozolins (NY) won the F-TR.

Thursday was the first team match, a 4-man team match shot at 800, 900, and 1000 yds (known as a “palma” match). We were thrilled to see 27 teams competing! Teams consist of 4 shooters, and have the option of either calling the wind changes for each other or having a dedicated wind coach. The day started out with very benign conditions, but the wind gradually picked up and became very difficult to keep up with the changes by the end of the day.

Thank you to all the sponsors who donated to the match!

Long Range shooters use wind flags to see changes in the wind, along with scopes to “read” the heat waves, or mirage, on the target. The shooters must use the flags and mirage to determine the direction and speed of the wind, and adjust their sights accordingly. The wind was not very strong during the week of the match, but the changes were quick. So the shooters had to pay very close attention and make the correct adjustments to keep their shots going into the center of the targets.

Friday started the Grand Aggregate with an individual palma match (15 shots at 800, 900, and 1000 yds). Saturday consisted of two 20-shot individual matches at 1000 yds, followed by a 20-shot team match also at 1000 yds.

Saturday night was the barbeque dinner and awards ceremony for the team matches. We encourage other companies in the firearms industry to donate prizes to the match, and we gave away those prizes at the dinner also. We want to send as many people as possible home with something, and Berger provides cash awards, along with medals and over 25,000 bullets to the winners of the match. We also know that most of the top shooters already have top level equipment. So while this is a random prize drawing, we focus the first prizes towards newer shooters who are less likely to have the best equipment. We have to give a very big thank you to Nightforce, Sierra, Lapua, Krieger, Redding, and all the others who send donations for our shooters!

Sunday was the final day of shooting, with three 20-shot matches at 1000 yds, followed by an awards ceremony for the winners. We were so excited to have a such a great turn out this year, with 201 shooters from 32 states in the US and 4 provinces in Canada. In just three years, we have doubled in size, and hope to have even more people next year. So come out and bring a friend!

Video of Grand Agg awards ceremony

2012 Southwest Long Range Nationals champions (L to R - F-Open, Sling, F-TR)

Grand Aggregate:
Sling
1st – Trudie Fay
2nd – Bryan Litz
3rd – Phil Hayes
F-Open
1st – Jim Murphy
2nd – John Myers
3rd – Mark Walker
F-TR
1st – James Crofts
2nd – Chris Ozolins
3rd – German Salazar

2012 Team Aggregate Winners - US National Team (sling), Team Berger/Norma (F-Open), Desert Sharpshooters (F-TR)

Team Aggregate:
Sling
1st – US National Rifle Team
2nd – AzTxCo
3rd – 2 Badgers and 2 Mud Ducks
F-Open
1st – Team Berger/Norma
2nd – Team Kelbly
3rd – The Long Shots

F-TR
1st – Desert Sharpshooters
2nd – North State X Men
3rd – US F-T/R Development Team

(For a complete listing of the results from this year (and previous matches), click here. To view more photos from the match, visit the photo album on our Facebook page!)

Michelle Gallagher

There have been Bench Rest bullets in the past which were well-known for achieving consistently small groups over a wide tune range in many rifles and loads. One example of this was the Euber bullet. The seemingly ‘magical’ performance of these bullets has been attributed to special dies, stars aligning, owl feathers, or some other unknown influence. However, there are actually specific mass balance and aerodynamic properties which allow a bullet to mitigate dispersion and shoot precisely over a wide range of imperfect launch dynamics.

Understanding the physics behind dispersion mitigation, Bryan went to work creating a specific design for a bullet that had the widest and lowest tune valley. This means that the bullet shoots best in the widest variety of loads and seating depths. He came up with three different designs. Within each design, we made lead columns at three different heights in order to identify the truly optimal design. Over the next 4 years, Lou Murdica shot literally thousands of shots in the data capture phase of the project. When the smell of burnt powder cleared, there was one bullet left standing that was head and shoulders above the others in its ability to shoot well at the widest variety of loads and seating depths.

This bullet is the new Berger 6mm BR Column. You’ll notice that there is no listed weight. This is deliberate since the overall weight is not as important as the overall balance of the bullet, which is achieved with a specific internal lead column height. Due to slight variations in copper and lead material batches, one lot may weigh 64.8 gr while another lot might weigh 65.1 gr or 64.6 gr. So long as the column of lead is the correct height to achieve the desired balance, the overall weight is a by-product.

These bullets have already been used by Lou Murdica to win a Two Gun Agg in Florida. According to Walt’s Grandson and Plant Manager, David Hamilton, these bullets will be available by March 16th.

Regards,
Eric Stecker
Executive Vice President
Berger Bullets

Let’s get one thing out of the way right up front. There are several different ways one can go hunting. You can go out into the open spaces all over this great country of ours and seek out animals in a free range hunt. You can spot and stock or set up in a blind and wait.

Another option is to go to one of the numerous ranches who raise game for the purpose of being hunted (or shot if you regard the word hunting as meaning more than shooting game). Some would call this game shooting rather than game hunting, and I don’t disagree with the point. However, this type of hunting has very valuable benefits. One of those benefits is the guarantee of a target under the right conditions. It is this particular benefit that took me to the Diamond K Ranch in Brady, Texas.

I was invited to join Dave Arnberger of McMillan Rifles and Kyle Brown of Nightforce Optics on a hunt that would be filmed for the TV show Extreme Outer Limits, which is hosted by the husband and wife long range hunting team of Bob and Chris Beck. Under these circumstances, it was important that we found and took game, or the trip would have been a waste of time for several folks who don’t have time to waste.

From L to R: Kyle Brown, Donald Kiesling, Bob Beck

So let’s set the discussion of what is “hunting” aside and talk about how much fun we all had on this trip. I landed in Austin without any fuss. We were quickly connected with Bob and Kyle. Bob’s wife Chris did not make the trip. After a meet and greet, we piled in the rental van and made our way to Brady. Our first stop was Wal-Mart, where we met up with Dave (who drove from Phoenix so he could bring a cooler in which to take meat home) and Donald, who is the owner of the Diamond K Ranch.

This is the view from the blind. The bolt was out of the rifle while we waited for the truck to get behind us. The furthest open space you can see is 1,000 yards plus from that blind.

At Wal-Mart, there was a line of guys waiting to buy their hunting licenses. This was my first exposure to how popular game hunting is in Texas. Brady is not a big enough town to have enough people to form a line, but the demand for hunting licenses is strong. $300 bucks later, we were heading down the road to the ranch.

The Diamond K Ranch is a unique hunting ranch in Texas because it has a ridge that runs along one side of the vast property. This ridge provides a vantage point over the ranch that gives a hunter the ability to take shots up to a mile. Most of the ranches in Texas are flat, so brush prevents long range shooting. Even if you get up in a blind, you still have limited access to long range shots. Donald’s ranch is a long range hunting oasis.

The cabin was clean and comfortable, with all the standard amenities. Pictures of previous hunters and their trophies are everywhere, along with several trophies that decorate the walls. Boy, does Donald know how to feed visiting hunters! The morning ritual was coffee, doughnuts and very well made breakfast burritos. On the first day, they smoked several different types of meats in a custom built smoker that was as big as a VW bug. It made for delicious lunches and dinners with several options for sides. My favorite side was called cheater beans. They were delicious, but you’ll have to go to Brady, Texas to find out why they are called cheater beans.

From L to R: Taylor Warwick, Dave Arnberger, Eric Stecker, Bob Beck

The hunting was done either early in the morning or during the hour or so before dusk. The rest of the day was spent telling stories, jokes, and taking the occasional nap. During the first day, we spent most of our time at Donald’s range. He has a bench set up with numerous targets from 200 yards to 1,000 yards. Donald has set up cameras, so you can clearly see where the shots hit the target at all distances. After making sure the McMillan hunting rifles were sighted in, we went to the blind.

We were on a management hunt, which meant we were taking game that Donald regarded as bad for the herd’s gene pool. This meant that the animals we were going after were smaller or had less-than-ideal antlers. The first hunt was for game between 500 and 700 yards. This resulted in two small bucks and a doe being taken out of breeding circulation.

Later, we would stretch the McMillan rifles’ legs and test the Nightforce scopes by looking for targets at 1,000 plus yards. Now to be clear, we were under conditions that were about as controlled as you can get on a hunt. We had plenty of time, so we could wait for light wind and perfectly broad side animals. We were shooting from a blind, which has shooting benches with benchrest front rests and rear sand bags. Donald is an avid long range shooter, so he knows how to set up his blinds for the best possible long range shooting scenario.

When the shooting was done, Dave had taken a doe at 1,010 yards. Kyle got his doe at 1,066 yds with a pinwheel shot in the bread basket. Since I shot a doe at the shorter distance, it was my turn to shoot a buck. I managed to put mine down at 1,071 yards. My longest shot on game so far. I’ve done plenty of shooting at 1,000 yards targets, and in many ways the shot was similar but there is something about shooting at game that ups the intensity. It was a blast.

When the trip was over, we had taken 6 management deer out of Donald’s herd and had a truly wonderful time doing it. Getting a chance to “hang out” with these guys was a big part of the fun for me. If you enjoy long range hunting or shooting and you want to go to a place where you have a 100% chance to take the right long range shot, I encourage you to look the Diamond K Ranch up on the internet. I can say from personal experience that Donald will take good care of you.

Eric Stecker

For several years, we’ve been asked a few questions over and over again on nearly a daily basis. Two of those questions are, “When will Berger make a 338 cal bullet that I can shoot as fast as I want?” and “When will Berger make a heavier 30 cal bullet?” (until now 210 grain was out heaviest option).

Even though we have wanted to make these bullets for as long as shooters have been asking for them, we had been unable to make them because our machines did not have the stroke length capacity to make bullets this long. Fortunately, we were successful in custom building our latest generation, bullet making machine. This new machine gives us the ability to make bullets all the way up to 50 cal. (Before you start asking for 50 cal, I will say we are working on it but don’t expect to see this bullet until next year at the earliest.)

When the machine was completed, we used it to make bullets that were known performers because we wanted to prove that it was capable of holding the same dimensional tolerances as our other machines. We were thrilled to learn that it does this very well. So the next step was to get tooling and materials for these heavier bullets. This is no small or inexpensive endeavor. It is also common that when you are committed to top performance, things don’t always work out as planned.

After a rocky introduction of the Gen I, 338 cal 300 gr Hybrid Target, we went back to the “lab”. When we resolved the velocity sensitive issues with the Gen I, 338 cal bullets, we learned how to make bullets for our Tactical line that could handle the abuse of active duty applications. Even though these particular bullets can be shot in any case (for which they are appropriately sized for and safely loaded), they were specifically designed for the war fighter and law enforcement tactical shooters. Bryan Litz optimized these bullets for use in the 338 Lapua Mag and the 300 Win Mag. This allows them to be loaded to fit in the magazines of common tactical rifles using these cases, while at the same time providing the greatest ballistic performance available.

The great news is that in our continuing collaboration between Berger’s ballistician Bryan Litz and our ability to bring his designs to life, we have produced bullets that have the highest BC in their class (for now). I know that some shooters will say that BC isn’t everything and I understand their point. However, when this high BC design which is purposefully set up to be easy to tune (Hybrid) is combined with our J4 jackets and precision manufacturing process, you not only get a bullet that retains more velocity (shoots flatter and is less effected by the wind) better than any other bullet, you also get the ability to hit where you expect it to (precision) consistently. In the end, you have two bullets with the highest potential for accuracy at all ranges than any other bullets on the planet (in their respective calibers).

After many years of being asked, “When will the 338 cal and heavier 30 cal bullets going to be available from Berger?”, it is my pleasure to be able to provide the answer that we have been working hard towards for a long time. The answer to that question is, “Now!” Introducing for your enjoyment, the NEW Berger 338 cal 300 gr Hybrid OTM Tactical and the NEW Berger 30 cal 230 gr Hybrid OTM Tactical. Both of these bullets are in stock and available now for a test drive in your 30 cal and 338 cal rifles.

Regards,
Eric Stecker
Executive Vice President
Berger Bullets

Background

In 2009, Berger Bullets introduced G7 BC’s for boat tail bullets. For those who are unfamiliar with G7 BCs, it’s simply a Ballistic Coefficient referenced to the G7 standard projectile instead of the G1 standard projectile. The G7 standard is a better match for modern long range bullets, so the G7 BC will be more constant over a wide range of velocities compared to a G1 BC. Please refer to the 2009 weblog article: http://02b0516.netsolhost.com/blog1/?p=62 for the complete explanation of the benefits of using G7 BC’s.

Since 2009, many shooters have realized the benefits of G7 BC’s thru more accurate trajectory predictions. The objective of this article is to highlight another empowering analysis feature of the G7 paradigm: form factors.

How Sectional Density and Form Factor comprise BC

In words, the Ballistic Coefficient of a bullet is it’s sectional density divided by its form factor. Sectional density is easy to calculate because it simply depends on the bullets caliber and weight. For example, the sectional density of a 175 grain .308 caliber bullet is: 175/7000/.3082 = 0.264 (the bullet weight is divided by 7000 to convert from grains to pounds). Anyone with a pocket calculator can easily figure out the sectional density of any bullet given it’s caliber and weight.

Form factor is the tricky part because it requires a measurement of the bullets drag, which is related to the bullets profile. In particular, the form factor is the bullets drag divided by the drag of a standard bullet. When working with G7 BC’s, you divide the drag of a particular bullet by the drag of the G7 standard projectile.

As an example, consider the .30 caliber 175 grain VLD pictured below next to the G7 standard projectile.

Looking at the two bullet profiles, not considering the caliber or weight, how would you expect the drag of the Berger VLD (on the left) to compare with the drag of the G7 standard (on the right)? Well, the VLD has a shorter boat tail, and a blunter nose than the G7 standard projectile, so it ought to have more drag. In fact, the measured G7 form factor of this VLD is 1.035. That means the drag of the VLD is 1.035 times the drag of the G7 standard (In other words, 3.5% more drag).

To calculate the G7 BC of this bullet, simply divide it’s sectional density, .264, by the form factor of 1.035: .264/1.035 = .255.

I apologize for the math involved in this explanation, but please stick with me. I promise it will be worth it!

Getting a feel for form factor

The following table will broaden the application of form factor to several other bullets that have different profiles with different amounts of drag.

The first bullet that appears at the top of the chart has a very short boat tail, and a short ogive with a wide blunt tip. This bullet has a form factor 1.286, or 28.6% more drag than the G7 standard shown in the middle of the chart.

The next bullet down has a longer nose (lowers drag), with a smaller diameter tip (also lowers drag), but still has a relatively short boat tail. This bullet has a form factor of 1.036, or 3.6% more drag than the G7 standard.

The next bullet down has a long nose and boat tail. Note that the length of the bearing surface is unimportant to the bullets drag and form factor. Only the nose length, nose profile, meplat diameter, boat tail angle and boat tail length dictate what the drag and form factor of the bullet will be. This bullet has a form factor of 1.006, which is only 0.6% more drag than the G7 standard; essentially identical. Since this bullet has a form factor so close to 1, it will have a G7 BC that’s very close to its SD (because BC = SD/form factor).

Next down is the G7 standard. The weight and caliber of this bullet is unimportant in this analysis of form factors.

Next down is a bullet with a long nose and BT with a G7 form factor of 0.993, again very close to 1.000, but just a little bit less drag than the G7 standard (0.7% less drag to be exact).

Next is a bullet with a very long secant nose, small meplat and long boat tail. This bullet has a G7 form factor of 0.933, which is really very low drag. The last bullet has a nose and boat tail very similar to the bullet just above it, but has a form factor of 0.923. That’s 7.7% less drag than the G7 standard and is considered very good.

Applying the knowledge of form factors, or: “What’s it all mean?”

For those who’ve stayed with the conversation this far, thank you. Your long attention span is about to be rewarded!

We’ve discussed what the G7 form factor is: a factor that relates the drag of any bullet to the drag of the G7 standard projectile. So why is it so important to have an awareness and understanding of form factor? Isn’t this what BC’s are for; to be able to make comparisons between bullets using a single number? It’s true that BC is a useful measure of merit for ballistic performance, but there’s a problem with using BC’s alone to assess ballistic performance. The problem with BC’s is that they combine the effects of mass and drag into one number. So if a bullet has a high BC, you don’t know if it’s a medium weight bullet with very low drag, or a heavy bullet with high drag. The reason this is important is because if a bullet has a high BC just because it’s heavy, it will suffer from having a depressed muzzle velocity, and performance will not be as good as the high BC implies.

To illustrate the importance of this, consider two .30 caliber bullets. One is 175 grains with a very low drag profile (low form factor). The other is a 190 grain bullet that is a higher drag profile. Both bullets have the same BC. What bullet would you rather shoot, and why?

In this example, the obvious choice is the 175 grain option because you will get higher muzzle velocity and still have the same BC.

Bullets will achieve different muzzle velocities depending on their weight; with lighter bullets achieving higher muzzle velocities than heavier bullets. This makes it difficult to assess ballistic performance for bullets of different weights, just based on their BC alone.

However, form factor is a more universal indicator of a bullets efficiency and performance potential. The form factor of a bullet is essentially a measure of how efficiently a bullet flies, regardless of the bullet’s weight.

Looking over the line of Berger Bullets, examples of low form factor bullets are:
• The 6mm 95 grain VLD with a form factor of .923
• The 6.5 mm 140 grain VLD with a form factor of .918
• The 7mm 180 grain Hybrid with a form factor of .924
• The .338 300 grain Hybrid with a form factor of .895

At the current time, the form factors for Berger’s .30 caliber line are not very good in comparison to other calibers. The lowest drag .30 caliber bullets only have form factors of around .98. Just looking at BC’s, the weakness of the .30 caliber line isn’t quite evident, but a form factor analysis shows that caliber to be an obvious outlier.

If you’ve ever heard someone make a comment to the effect of: “it’s a high BC bullet for its caliber and weight“, what they’re essentially saying is that bullet has low drag, and a good (low) form factor. These are the bullets you want to identify because they will give the best ballistic performance, regardless of what weight or caliber the bullet is, and what MV you can achieve with it.

Bullet mass basically trades retained velocity for muzzle velocity, which is essentially a wash in terms of ballistic performance. However, low drag makes a bullet of any weight more efficient at any velocity.

If you’re wondering how to figure out the G7 form factor of various bullets, it’s quite simple. Just divide the sectional density by the G7 BC. For example, consider the .30 caliber 175 grain bullet used earlier in this example. It’s sectional density is .264, and the G7 BC is .255. So the G7 form factor is .264/.255 = 1.035. In this way, you can calculate the form factor for any bullet you have a G7 BC for, and assess that bullets efficiency in terms of form factor.

Currently Berger and Lapua are the only two bullet companies that provide G7 BC’s for their bullets. However, I’ve published a book that has experimentally measured BC’s for over 235 bullets from many brands, including their G7 form factors. If you want to save yourself some time doing calculations, you can pick up the book to see a tabulated list of all measured bullets with their G7 form factors.

Following is a table that lists the G7 form factors for all boat tail Berger Bullets (the G7 standard applies best to boat tail bullets, whereas the G1 standard applies for flat base).
 

click to enlarge

This table shows the basic metrics for all Berger Bullets that have G7 BC’s (bullets with boat tails).

You’ll notice that the sectional densities and BC’s vary a great deal for all these bullets because of the different weights and calibers. It’s impossible to know from the BC alone if a bullet is a good bullet for a particular caliber and weight.

However, the form factor is unrelated to the caliber and weight, so it clearly indicates the merit of the bullets profile, as it relates to low drag and ballistic performance.

The form factors are color coded according to the G7 form factor.

Bullets with form factors in the green category are extremely low drag and quite rare among the many various brands of long range bullets. You can see that Berger’s line has the highest concentration of ‘green’ in the 6.5 and 7mm calibers. That is one reason why these calibers are so successful at long range, because they have bullets with relatively high BC’s for their caliber and weight; which is a direct effect of the low form factor (low drag).

You’ll also note that ‘green’ form factors are totally absent from the .30 caliber line at the current time. This deficiency of low drag bullets in .30 caliber has been identified and current designs are in progress that will elevate the performance of this caliber with lower form factor designs.

Conclusion

• The analysis of form factors can be very useful when considering a bullets long range performance potential.
• Going by BC alone can be deceptive since BC includes the weight and caliber of the bullet.
• Form factor indicates how much drag the bullet has, which is a very important consideration for all bullets of all calibers.
• Unlike BC, knowledge of form factors is universal among all calibers and weights of bullets. A G7 form factor of 0.920 is excellent for any bullet, be it .22 cal, 6mm, or .338 caliber.
• Form factor is not dependant on bullet weight or caliber.

Next time you’re considering the performance potential of a bullet for long range shooting, be sure to ask yourself how the form factor compares to other bullets in its class. Look for more low form factor/high BC bullets to be made available from Berger in the coming months and years.

Bryan Litz
Chief Ballistician
Berger Bullets