195 grain Berger Elite hunter bullets

[Nails]

Silly question but...are these bullets not popular among the 7mm guys? It seems that most Berger bullets sell fast, there is a box of these sitting at a gun store for a month or two with seemingly no interest. I don't have a rifle for them.

 

[Broz]

They are not my favorite for elk. But neither is a 7mm. lol, but if I had to use a 7mm for elk I would be sending Berger 180 H VLD's

But I should add the 195's do fly very well

 

[Nails]

I just was wondering. We have a 7mm-08 that worked real well on a 60" moose a few seasons ago shooting 140gr. Accubond with my wife on the gun. Not my first choice for moose however!

 

[Spreedizzle]

The challenge is that it is 100% a custom rifle bullet as it necessitates a much faster twist rate to truly take advantage of it, as well as additional freebore. In my mind there are only a handful of 7mm cartridges that have a chance of capitalizing on it…..and those require custom work as well. So 8 twist and custom freebore certainly narrows down your target market.

 

[Nails]

The challenge is that it is 100% a custom rifle bullet as it necessitates a much faster twist rate to truly take advantage of it, as well as additional freebore. In my mind there are only a handful of 7mm cartridges that have a chance of capitalizing on it…..and those require custom work as well. So 8 twist and custom freebore certainly narrows down your target market.

That makes sense. I just wondered why a box of 500 got no interest.

 

[wapitibob]

195's are a nosler 28 bullet

 

[Spreedizzle]

195's are a nosler 28 bullet

Correct.....but those rifles are typically spec’d at 9” twist for the common .284’s up to and including 175’s and some 180’s. Both benefit from additional freebore, but don’t require a faster twist barrel.
and not to derail.....but a 7PRC’esque/style of cartridge enters the market with a SAAMI spec and a faster twist.....those 195’s will quickly come into fashion.

 

[Lancetkenyon]

The 195, even though the box states "1:9" minimum", in all reality does far better with a 1:8" twist. The old boxes used to state 1:8" optimal. But Berger marketing figured out they could sell a lot more bullets if they labeled the boxes with "minimum" at a slower twist rate than "optimal" that probably kept people from trying heavier bullets.
Plus, unless you have a big case capacity to push them, they really don't provide a whole lot of benefit over a 175-184 pushed faster. To me, a 195 takes an 80gr+ charge weight case to see it's full potential in a hunting rifle.

I like heavies. And I have four 7mms. But I only shoot the 195 in one of them.
.280AI w. 175 Elite @ 2986 1:9" suppressed
7RM w. 180 Hyb @ 2996 1:8.5"
7SS w. 184 Hyb @ 2838 1:8.4" suppressed
28 Nosler w. 195 @ 3084 1:8"

 

[Nealc]

My 28 nosler is a 8.5 twist. I have both the 180hvld and the 195 eol. Have you guys seen any significant performance differences on game (deer and elk) that would guide your choice, or would you simply shoot whichever is most accurate?

 

[Quest1000]

Following

 

[Mcarso1]

My 28 nosler is a 8.5 twist. I have both the 180hvld and the 195 eol. Have you guys seen any significant performance differences on game (deer and elk) that would guide your choice, or would you simply shoot whichever is most accurate?

Shoot whichever is more accurate for you, both great performers. 195 from 28 nosler at 1040 yards!

 

[Katmai]

The 195, even though the box states "1:9" minimum", in all reality does far better with a 1:8" twist. The old boxes used to state 1:8" optimal. But Berger marketing figured out they could sell a lot more bullets if they labeled the boxes with "minimum" at a slower twist rate than "optimal" that probably kept people from trying heavier bullets.
Plus, unless you have a big case capacity to push them, they really don't provide a whole lot of benefit over a 175-184 pushed faster. To me, a 195 takes an 80gr+ charge weight case to see it's full potential in a hunting rifle.

I like heavies. And I have four 7mms. But I only shoot the 195 in one of them.
.280AI w. 175 Elite @ 2986 1:9" suppressed
7RM w. 180 Hyb @ 2996 1:8.5"
7SS w. 184 Hyb @ 2838 1:8.4" suppressed
28 Nosler w. 195 @ 3084 1:8"

Sorry to deviate from the thread, but what length barrel are you running on your 280AI? I have a 270 win built on Remington titanium light action that I want to re-barrel to a short barrel 280ai setup for a suppressor. I was thinking of doing an 8 twist bartlein 3b at 20”. Is that too short in your opinion?

 

[Lancetkenyon]

Sorry to deviate from the thread, but what length barrel are you running on your 280AI? I have a 270 win built on Remington titanium light action that I want to re-barrel to a short barrel 280ai setup for a suppressor. I was thinking of doing an 8 twist bartlein 3b at 20”. Is that too short in your opinion?

Mine was a 26". But Inhave loaded for a couple different 22" .280AIs. With a 22", you could easily expect 2800+ from a 175 Elite Hunter. A 20" would be 2750+.

 

[Katmai]

Mine was a 26". But Inhave loaded for a couple different 22" .280AIs. With a 22", you could easily expect 2800+ from a 175 Elite Hunter. A 20" would be 2750+.

Thanks, that is good info. 22” with an Ultra 7 might be the ticket.