Haven't seen too much out about the new bullets coming out of these two companies. So here is my experience with them for those who are wondering about these new bullets.
(Left to right)Berger VLD 175 moly, Berger 175 Tactical, Barnes match burner 175, SMK 175.
Initial impressions:
Barnes match burner 175 Grn .308 bullet.
Likes:
High BC of .521
Base to ogive measurement same as Sierra match king 175 grn
Priced at around $32 a box of 100
dislike(s):
Base of Bullet has machining marks lines(not sure if this is a real issue)
weight of bullet share the consistency of sierra and hornady
Berger 175 Tactical OTM bullet
likes:
high BC of .510
not as sensitive to seating depth as Berger VLDs
extremely consistent in weight/shape
Base to ogive measurement .010 lower than smk 175
copper jacket alloy is a little more slippery than Sierras
(reduced pressure/velocities when loading same charge weight as sierras)
dislikes:
high price roughly $49 a box of 100
(left to right) SMK 175, Lapua 155 scenar, Berger 155 Hybrid
Berger 155 hybrid:
likes:
155 grn VLD hybrid
Extremely consistent weight/shape
dislikes:
Have to load them to a length near the maximum allowed in magazine.
High Price
BC slightly lower than others.
Findings:
The new Barnes bullet is an excellent bullet if you want a little better performing bullet than the Sierra match king 175. You can use the same load data that you have with the Sierra and expect same accuracy, a little lower FPS, and a little flatter shooting.
The Berger OTM needs to be loaded about .010 longer than that of your sierra match king recipe. You will also need to tweak the charge a little more as the Berger will be a little slower. This is my new favorite bullet this bullet performed 15% better in accuracy at 1000yds when compared to the Sierra match king.
The Berger 155 Hybrid is a really great bullet for those that have the shorter barrel, and want to still be magazine fed. I used a TRG-22 w/20 inch barrel. The bullet still needs to be loaded long to have the same jump as a similar bullet like the Lapua 155. for instance to have the same ogive measurements as the 155 SMK with a COAL of approx 2.820, I had to seat the berger 155 hybrid out to COAL 2.940 This was nearly the max allowed length of the TRG-22 magazine. Loading the Berger out this far worked quite well although I have not been able to get out to the 1000yd range to test the long range aspect. This new bullet nearly gave me a personal best with the trg-22 with 4 out of 5 rds through the same hole, the last one was pulled 1/2" right.
(Left to right) Sierra 155 at COAL 2.820 and Berger 155 Hybrid at 2.940
(Left to right)Berger VLD 175 moly, Berger 175 Tactical, Barnes match burner 175, SMK 175.
Initial impressions:
Barnes match burner 175 Grn .308 bullet.
Likes:
High BC of .521
Base to ogive measurement same as Sierra match king 175 grn
Priced at around $32 a box of 100
dislike(s):
Base of Bullet has machining marks lines(not sure if this is a real issue)
weight of bullet share the consistency of sierra and hornady
Berger 175 Tactical OTM bullet
likes:
high BC of .510
not as sensitive to seating depth as Berger VLDs
extremely consistent in weight/shape
Base to ogive measurement .010 lower than smk 175
copper jacket alloy is a little more slippery than Sierras
(reduced pressure/velocities when loading same charge weight as sierras)
dislikes:
high price roughly $49 a box of 100
(left to right) SMK 175, Lapua 155 scenar, Berger 155 Hybrid
Berger 155 hybrid:
likes:
155 grn VLD hybrid
Extremely consistent weight/shape
dislikes:
Have to load them to a length near the maximum allowed in magazine.
High Price
BC slightly lower than others.
Findings:
The new Barnes bullet is an excellent bullet if you want a little better performing bullet than the Sierra match king 175. You can use the same load data that you have with the Sierra and expect same accuracy, a little lower FPS, and a little flatter shooting.
The Berger OTM needs to be loaded about .010 longer than that of your sierra match king recipe. You will also need to tweak the charge a little more as the Berger will be a little slower. This is my new favorite bullet this bullet performed 15% better in accuracy at 1000yds when compared to the Sierra match king.
The Berger 155 Hybrid is a really great bullet for those that have the shorter barrel, and want to still be magazine fed. I used a TRG-22 w/20 inch barrel. The bullet still needs to be loaded long to have the same jump as a similar bullet like the Lapua 155. for instance to have the same ogive measurements as the 155 SMK with a COAL of approx 2.820, I had to seat the berger 155 hybrid out to COAL 2.940 This was nearly the max allowed length of the TRG-22 magazine. Loading the Berger out this far worked quite well although I have not been able to get out to the 1000yd range to test the long range aspect. This new bullet nearly gave me a personal best with the trg-22 with 4 out of 5 rds through the same hole, the last one was pulled 1/2" right.
(Left to right) Sierra 155 at COAL 2.820 and Berger 155 Hybrid at 2.940
