Re: 2012 Nationals what bullet stood out in FTR.
Marty,
The matches were a mixed bag as far as bullet weight goes. The conditions were for the most part *very* un-Raton like, in that the winds were generally much quieter than usual. This is not to say that there weren't some tricky conditions, but as a general rule, the winds weren't massive. For the US Team, I chronographed all of the current loads. They ranged from 155.5's all the way up to 230's. The lion's share were running 185 Bergers, with 3 or so running 200's. As is evidenced by the scores (and a new National record at 1000), the 200's were running very well. The 185's took many a medal as well. The 230's took exactly one medal. Given the conditions, the 155's and 155.5's also did fairly well, with Trudie Fay cleaning up with them in the SOA matches.
With the unusual conditions this year, the emphasis was on the pure accuracy of your loads, not necessarily how much wind you could shoot through. My guess is that next year will be a different story... Historically it should anyway!
Bullet selection aside, the people that shone at Nationals this year were not particularly a surprise, they were the guys that have been on fire all this year, notably (Gold, Silver, and Bronze: James Crofts, Jeff Rorer, and Dan Pohlabel).
Best,
Darrell