STOMP442

I'm no pro staffer by any means, but I have been using Bergers since before they started making different jackets for their Match and Hunting applications and have had nothing but outstanding results with them. It's true some rifles just don't seem to like them and that is unfortunate because by using a different bullet I feel you are leaving a lot on the table in the way of retained energy and wind drift. In todays world this is not as big of a deal as there are finally other bullets of similar performance to choose from. As far as the Hornady bullets go I will say they have really stepped up their game as far as uniformity and consistency goes. There was a time about 10 years ago I could find as much as 2 grains difference in weights among bullets in the same box and most weighing within one grain of what was actually written on the box. I found them to be way too inconsistent to my liking and why to this day I will only use an interlock or SST for break-in only.

They also don't have premium tolerances,premium bc or shoot nearly as good. Bottom line is no one bullet is fail proof and when you hunt and shoot things long enough especially at long range there are bound to be results you are not pleased with. Just to many variables to account for.

It could be yes. Dang sure wouldn't hurt.

May need to start inspecting the tips on those 185s to ensure they are not pinched or blocked. There have been some reports of closed tips on some lots.

Given the fact that a couple of the shots were less than ideal shot placement I find it hard to place all the blame on the bullet. Adrenaline can make animals soak up a lot. Since the elk was recovered I would chalk this experience up as a success.

Still would like to know the shot placement. Was bone hit?

Sucks you had a bad experience with the Bergers. These stories are much less frequent than the positives from these bullets, if they shoot better than anything else I would still be hesitant to change. How many times did you hit the elk? what was the shot placement? To be fair 610 yards is pushing the ragged edge of performance from a 185 in a .30-06 for reliable expansion according to the velocity thresholds. Hard to say a different bullet designed to penetrate and poke holes through the animal like an accubond would have yielded any different results.

Forget the program and just write down what you need to actually dial to in order to hit your target as centered as possible. Next step is to practice and verify those numbers in varying conditions tape your chart to your rifle or scope or keep in your wallet or whatever you need to and shoot with the confidence of known actual data. Much better and much quicker than messing with an app while behind the rifle looking at a buck on the other side of the canyon. A little more info for you: Litz Tested BC Measurements. The G7 bc of the 165 Sierra Game King = .213 The G1 Average = .416 These numbers should help a little but you are also going to need correct altitude, temp and pressure inputs as well as a correct scope height for any ballistics program to even be close.

Sunday Bump.

Shoot it at longer ranges, if it holds half moa I wouldn't worry about what the chrony says.

I was told this same thing when I first contacted Vortex about the first scope of theirs that I had go bad. The first time around I did have the rings torqued to 25 inch pounds in Burris signature zee rings. I figured ok, too much torque, the next few that I purchased I made sure and torqued to Vortex specs and they still failed me within six months with unreliable tracking. I don't trust them and never will again especially when I can buy a Leupold VX3 for under $900 and have a much better and reliable quality optic. As far as I am concerned Vortex makes really nice paper weights.

Yes, the rifle is being sold as is, scope & rings included.

Does this have the moa turrets?

I would buy some cerosafe and make a chamber cast. Only for sure way to know what you got.

This is a very common problem on the LRH stocks. Best and easiest way is to strip it and paint it as mentioned. But, if you are hard on equipment anyways I would just let it be; no sense in spending the time and effort to paint it up nice just to take it out and scratch the paint off of it.

I always keep a couple pounds of H4895, IMR 4064, H4350, R17, H4831, Ramshot Hunter and Retumbo. Never had a problem making any of those work for my needs.

Lance is spot on. The .270 is more than capable to do anything you describe. The truth is you have to spend a lot of money to out run a good ol fashioned .270, it really is over looked these days because people are always chasing the bigger louder higher BC cartridges. Load a good 150gr bullet and you can pretty much hunt anything in North America with it. It may not be new and sexy but it will dang sure get the job done.

Lance gets it. The 195 is a ballistic masterpiece, but it comes with some downsides. The first and biggest one being a custom barrel with a fast twist to properly stabilize them. The 2nd one is moving to a bigger cartridge to be able to push them to a decent velocity and with that comes big time magazine constraints with that really long bullet or the added cost of an extended mag. Although, great I don't think it would persuade me to switch from the already impressive and proven 180's especially in a standard 7 mag.

I'm not talking about dialing I am talking about wind drift. A 180 at 2900 is just as much of a slammer and will provide just as good if not better wind drift than the 195 when used in a standard 7mm Rem Mag. This is why you see most shooters save the big heavy bullets in .30cals for the Win mags and Ultra mags and leave the 168-175's for the .308. Just not enough horse power to really make them shine in a .308 sized case.

If you want 6.5-284 performance from a short action cartridge then the .260 Ackley or the 6.5 SLR can get you there. 140gr bullets at or very near to 2950fps will tackle just about anything.

The 7mm Mag just doesn't quite have the case capacity to truly maximize this bullets potential. Most factory rifles will not have the twist to use it either. In a standard 7mm mag the 180s can be pushed to a velocity that allow them to shoot inside of the 195s at long range. The 195s will pack a bit more energy at the target but really if you can't get it done with the 180 an extra 15 grains isn't really going to help you. The 195 is best suited for the really large magnums with fast twist barrels and will require at least an 8 twist to get all of the BC the bullet is capable of. There is lots of info on this bullet and the cartridges people are using it in over on longrangehunting.com There are guys over there that ordered barrels when the bullet was first announced a couple years ago.

It can be done but its not right in a short action. Magazine restraints limit the performance of the cartridge greatly due to seating the bullet so far into the case and if you seat the bullet where it needs to be it will have to be a single shot and you will more than likely have to pull the bolt to get a loaded round out of the chamber. .260 Remington gets my vote it is more than capable out to 800 easily on deer. The 6mmXC would also make an excellent deer cartridge in a short action.

The way I do mine is use a piece of .003" thick piece of feeler gauge super glued to the back of the case for my no go. Make sure you remove the extractor and ejector from the bolt head to make sure you get a positive feel on the case and not the ejector / extractor. If that doesn't work you could have a die out of spec which happens from time to time.

This is why I use an app to get me close and why I always shoot from 200 yards to 1000 in varying conditions to verify what my rifle is actually doing. Nothing beats actual shot and recorded data.

Using the older Berger Bullet calculator I am getting 13.3 MOA / 90.50" of drop at 650 Yards using the above-listed conditions.