Re: 30 cal Bullet Quiz
The answers are as follows:
1. D
2. C, B, E, D, A, G, F
3. C=B, D, A, G, E=F
4. Berger, Sierra, Lapua
Bullets are:
A. 175 gr Sierra Matchking
B. 185 gr Berger LRBT (now called the Juggernaut)
C. 185 gr Berger Hybrid Target
D. 180 gr Sierra Matchking
E. 155 gr Berger Hybrid Target
F. 155 gr Lapua Scenar
G. 155.5gr Berger Fullbore
Commentary
1. For those answering D to question 1, they probably noticed the short, sharply angled boat tail. This is the 180 gr SMK, but the 168 gr SMK has a similar short boat tail and this is the reason that you don't see the 180 or the 168 in serious F-class competitions. I was able to hit an F-class sized target with these bullets once... and about half the bullets were impacting sideways. Not to mention the accuracy was hit and miss.
I ranked these bullets by retained velocity at 1,000 yards for my range assuming the same energy for each bullet at the muzzle and found that they ranked as follows: C, B, E, G, F, A, D
2. The first question kind of made this one a trick question. Everyone listing a bullet for question 1 as being unsuccessful at long range put its BC the lowest. The truth is, the 180 SMK has the fourth highest BC. The reason it is a poor bullet for long range is that it is the third heaviest bullet in the group. If you look at G7 BC per grain and rank them, you get a very similar order as listed above: C, E, B, F, A, D.
In fact, the 155gr Scenar has the lowest G7 BC. However, it being tied for the lightest bullet, it ends up ahead of the 175 and 180 gr Matchkings and virtually tied with the Berger 155.5gr Full Bore bullet. They key is to have a good BC for a given weight class.
3. Usually, bullet length is a pretty good proxy for weight. The Berger 185 grainers are the two longest bullets. After that, it falls apart. The 155gr Scenar is longer than the 175gr Matchking. While it is lighter, it has a longer nose. This gives it a G7 BC of .236, very close to the BC of the 175 gr Matchking (G7 of .243). The 180 gr Matchking is just a hair longer than the 155 gr Scenar, but it is a full 25 grains heavier.
The 155.5 gr Berger Full Bore is shorter than the Scenar and about the same length as the 155 gr Berger Hybrid. I would expect that the 155 gr Hybrid would be the longest bullet in the 155 gr weight class, but it is actually shorter than the Scenar. What gives the Scenar away when standing next to the two Bergers is its long bearing surface. You can see that the nose starts to curve in above both of the Bergers.
4. This question was almost impossible to answer. The only giveaways were the short stubby boat tail of the 180gr SMK. That is a Sierra feature. If you caught the long bearing surface of the Scenar, you would know Lapua is represented there. And then the sheer length of the 185 grainers had Berger written all over it. That said, the picture doesn't say as much as just holding the different bullets in your hand.
