What type luck are you having with 82gr Berger Match BT?

[436]

I have a .222 Remington Magnum M700 with 30" inch 1-8 twist Krieger match barrel, for glass I use a N/F 5.5x22 56mm. Shooting the weapon with Sierra 80gr and Berger 80gr VLD's is very accurate out to 1k. I'm running my load at 3050 fps with very low SD's and zero pressure one the case.
Depending on the powder; the barrel seems to favor the Berger's, although it's very small if any over the Sierra most days.
The Berger 82gr. match BT appears to be a VLD? However a friend advised me that they also make one that's not VLD for the AR's… again that was just a remark from another shooter on the range.
My question is; is anyone shooting and comparing the performance on the range between these bullets at 1k?
As it stands right now, my loads are working great in my .222 Rem Mag; but if I could pick up a little more accuracy nearer the X ring, well that works to.
436

 

[BryanLitz]

436,
The 82 grain BT is not a VLD. It has a long nose, but it's a tangent, not a secant profile.
The bullet we have for the AR is a 77 grain BT. It is also a non-VLD, and has a much shorter nose to allow mag length seating. Due to the short nose, the 77 grain bullet has increased drag, and a lower BC. Unless you have a requirement for a short OAL, I don't recommend the 77's, as you'll be giving up BC for no reason.

If you have the 82's shooting well, I highly recommend staying with them. They'll be a great option for long range.

Take care,
-Bryan

 

[436]

bsll35
Thank you for the sitrep on the Berger 82gr bullet. As I previously mention the Berger "80gr'ers" VLD's shoot great; and I don't have any need for a shorter bullet in my configuration for 1k work with my .222 Rem Mag.
I did order a few box's of the 82gr Berger thinking they were some type of VLD; my reason for thinking it was; you can read below in a sale add.
I'll try the 82gr match target bullets anyway just for fun and comparison, never know what might happen.


Champion Shooter Inc.
Berger Bullets 22 Cal 82gr Match Target BT Box 100
Berger Bullets - New Part # 22424
Designed by Bill Davis, the VLD bullet is on the cutting edge of using bullet design for improved external ballistics. The VLD bullet is designed to provide less drop and drift than any bullet on the market today. This result makes the VLD an ideal choice for the medium to long-range target competition shooter. If you stand behind a shooter using a VLD bullet and watch the bullet's vapor trail you will see a flatter trajectory than with non-VLD bullets (assuming similar velocity). VLD bullets can shoot well at any OAL. If you do not achieve the accuracy level you are looking for by jumping a VLD bullet then you may find that your rifle will shoot VLDs more accurately if the bullet touches the rifling when the round is chambered. VLD bullets may need a little more tweaking than non VLDs but when they are working well they are tough to beat.

Thanks again for your information.
436

 

[Supertrucker]

I'd like to know what powders you've tried and are using?

 

[436]

Sure, here you go.

.222 Remington Magnum

80gr. Sierra Mk and 80gr Berger VLD

Note: the best accuracy seems to go to the Berger VLD… but Sierra is very close, I may be splitting hairs here, but I'd give the Berger the nod, in these loads.

Varget {26.5grs} Remington case, Remington 7 ½ BR primer, Vel's 3056 fps, 6 fps SD Temp 65, elevation 600 ft. accuracy -0.50" inch with either Mk's or VLD's

VV-N150 {26.2grs} Remington case, Remington 7 ½ BR primer, Vel's 3042 fps with, 16 fps SD accuracy was outstanding in a sold 0.25" inch with Berger, Sierra was a little larger in my barrel.

These are not max load(s) in my rifle; M700 with 30 inch match barrel. Saying that and chambers and barrels being what they are; you might start a little under. The OAL length {2.602"} on both loads; the Berger is a bit longer than the Sierra, but I seat them to the same length.

This data is the being in a project I'm doing to see how well the .222 Rem Mag performs at 1k with today's bullets in .224 cal. I have another 4 powder I want to experiment with this year.
436