New 7mm Berger Bullet

[115vld]

Men I just bought some of the new 175gr XLD 7mm bullets off of Sinclairs website. Just seeing if you guys happened to know the BC of the bullet. Didnt see it listed on sinclairs website. That or I cant read good...

Thanks,

Chase

 

[whitely]

I poked around the Berger website, and this quick reference sheet has a 175gr VLD.

http://www.bergerbullets.com/Quick Reference Sheets 9-23-10.pdf

I don't see an XLD anywhere.

 

[whitely]

Sorry, looks like the XLD was a limited run. I found this post from Eric -


For the sake of clarity, the 7mm X Bullets as they have come to be known were developed for a military opportunity that did not pan out. The goal was to produce a 7mm bullet that will stay supersonic at 1 mile (I don't recall at what MV). Since we did not know which design and weight would accomplish this goal we decided to make all three (VLD, tangent or BT and Hybrid). When the dust settled the Hybrid produced the highest BC.

We made short runs of these bullets for testing and spread them around to see how they shoot. Frankly, it was our intension to see which one shot the best. The plan was to add one version to the line and moth ball the other two designs with our other experimental project that did not make it into the line. The problem is all 3 bullets performed well in testing. One design out shot the other two for one tester but not by much and another tester reported that a different design worked best for them.

The 180 gr Hybrid, having the highest BC, is proving to be the front runner so far but it is not head and shoulders above the others. So I am left with two general directions. The first is to stick to the plan to release just one design or to release two or three designs and see what happens. I decided on the later. Unfortunately, we did not have the jackets needed to make more than the initial test quantities. We are making 7mm jackets but they are the standard thickness for the hunting bullets.

We should be finished with these jackets in the next 3-4 weeks and will be switching to the thick jackets as soon as possible. We will be making large quantities of each version and will let all of you decide which 7mm heavy bullet rules the roost. When these bullets become available there will be 5 versions to choose from.

28404 - 7mm 180 gr BT (Medium Tangent Ogive) - G7 = .314
28405 - 7mm 180 gr VLD (Long Secant Ogive) - G7 = .337
28406 - 7mm 182 gr XBT (Extra Long Tangent Ogive) - G7 = .332
28407 - 7mm 180 gr Hyb (Extra Long Hybrid Ogive) - G7 = .345
28408 - 7mm 175 gr XLD (Extra Long Secant Ogive) - G7 = .336

 

[Pdvdh]

I found this post from Eric -

When these bullets become available there will be 5 versions to choose from.

28404 - 7mm 180 gr BT (Medium Tangent Ogive) - G7 = .314
28405 - 7mm 180 gr VLD (Long Secant Ogive) - G7 = .337
28406 - 7mm 182 gr XBT (Extra Long Tangent Ogive) - G7 = .332
28407 - 7mm 180 gr Hyb (Extra Long Hybrid Ogive) - G7 = .345
28408 - 7mm 175 gr XLD (Extra Long Secant Ogive) - G7 = .336

Very interesting for the 7mm crowd. Thanks for posting this Berger bullet information. I can't tell from Eric's post if these will be designed with hunting jackets, the heavier target jackets, or both. But I'm sure they'll include that information when the bullets are released for retail marketing.

 

[115vld]

Excellent intell. Thank you very much.

Chase

 

[Rocky Mountain]

Sorry, looks like the XLD was a limited run. I found this post from Eric -


For the sake of clarity, the 7mm X Bullets as they have come to be known were developed for a military opportunity that did not pan out. The goal was to produce a 7mm bullet that will stay supersonic at 1 mile (I don't recall at what MV). Since we did not know which design and weight would accomplish this goal we decided to make all three (VLD, tangent or BT and Hybrid). When the dust settled the Hybrid produced the highest BC.

We made short runs of these bullets for testing and spread them around to see how they shoot. Frankly, it was our intension to see which one shot the best. The plan was to add one version to the line and moth ball the other two designs with our other experimental project that did not make it into the line. The problem is all 3 bullets performed well in testing. One design out shot the other two for one tester but not by much and another tester reported that a different design worked best for them.

The 180 gr Hybrid, having the highest BC, is proving to be the front runner so far but it is not head and shoulders above the others. So I am left with two general directions. The first is to stick to the plan to release just one design or to release two or three designs and see what happens. I decided on the later. Unfortunately, we did not have the jackets needed to make more than the initial test quantities. We are making 7mm jackets but they are the standard thickness for the hunting bullets.

We should be finished with these jackets in the next 3-4 weeks and will be switching to the thick jackets as soon as possible. We will be making large quantities of each version and will let all of you decide which 7mm heavy bullet rules the roost. When these bullets become available there will be 5 versions to choose from.

28404 - 7mm 180 gr BT (Medium Tangent Ogive) - G7 = .314
28405 - 7mm 180 gr VLD (Long Secant Ogive) - G7 = .337
28406 - 7mm 182 gr XBT (Extra Long Tangent Ogive) - G7 = .332
28407 - 7mm 180 gr Hyb (Extra Long Hybrid Ogive) - G7 = .345
28408 - 7mm 175 gr XLD (Extra Long Secant Ogive) - G7 = .336

The 180g hybrid looks like the new bullet to try out hunting very nice BC

 

[Eric Stecker]

We are making the 7mm 180 gr VLD Target and 180 gr Hybrid Target now. Back orders are being shipped and will continue to be filled for several days. Both bullets are Target which is made on a thick jacket. The other designs in the 180 gr class are in line to be made.

It is important that we first determine which design/s is the best. There is no reason for us to have 5 different 180 gr class options when it is our specific mission to make only the best bullets for a given application.

To determine which of these designs proves to be superior we are first testing these bullets in the target competition arena. Each of the 5 styles listed are being made currently. It won't be long before the optimal design/s is determined. At that time we will make some using the standard jackets of our Hunting bullet.

Frankly, the Hybrid bullet is the strongest performer so far. When we make the hybrid design for hunting it will have to be tested in media. If impact performance is consistent with the current VLD Hunting bullets we will test impact on tissue. Only when the bullets are proven to be as quickly lethal as our existing options will we make it available for this purpose.

Regards,
Eric

 

[jmden]

We are making the 7mm 180 gr VLD Target and 180 gr Hybrid Target now. Back orders are being shipped and will continue to be filled for several days. Both bullets are Target which is made on a thick jacket. The other designs in the 180 gr class are in line to be made.

It is important that we first determine which design/s is the best. There is no reason for us to have 5 different 180 gr class options when it is our specific mission to make only the best bullets for a given application.

To determine which of these designs proves to be superior we are first testing these bullets in the target competition arena. Each of the 5 styles listed are being made currently. It won't be long before the optimal design/s is determined. At that time we will make some using the standard jackets of our Hunting bullet.

Frankly, the Hybrid bullet is the strongest performer so far. When we make the hybrid design for hunting it will have to be tested in media. If impact performance is consistent with the current VLD Hunting bullets we will test impact on tissue. Only when the bullets are proven to be as quickly lethal as our existing options will we make it available for this purpose.

Regards,
Eric

Eric,

Thank you for getting on lrh and letting us know what's going on.

Along those lines, I wonder if you've seen this thread:

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/300gr-338-berger-any-info-61890/

Some folks looking for answers. If you would be willing to take a few moments and add your thoughts, it'd be great to get everyone straightened out about what is actually happening. A little info on the status of the 300VLD would be appreciated as well.

Sorry for the hijack...

Thanks,

Jon

 

[Eric Stecker]

Jon,

Thanks for the heads up about the other thread. I've posted a reply.

Regards,
Eric