Thread: Big Sevens... Which one for the 195 Berger.....?

Hi 300BLK,
We have been using a 300NM necked to 7mm and improved for some years now, that we call our 7mm Fatmax. It is our favourite 7mm lightweight long range hunting cartridge these days, and we have built a bunch of them for customers over the last 5 years. (Initially was the 338 NM parent case) The go-to load for many years now has been the 180gn Berger Hybrid at around 3200 to 3250fps out of a 26" barrel. We used to use US869 but now mainly Reloder33.
Barrel life wise as a hunting rifle you should get a comfortable 500 rounds, especially out of a cut rifled Bartlein. We use 8" twist Bartleins for all our 7mm Fatmax builds now. We build them mainly as super lightweight rifles like the one you see us using on the TV Show, and that one has had over 500 rounds and still shoots.
You will not get 3200 to 3300fps with the 195gn Berger out of the 7mm/300NM imp for two reasons.
One, pressure, sticking to 65,000psi you'll get about 3100fps out of a 26" and 3150fps-ish out of a 28", and that's with US869 which produces the most velocity for the least pressure. Re33 with be a tad less.
Two, the 195s don't seem to shoot at anything over about 3175fps from our experience. Keep them to 3150fps and they're tack drivers. We tried them in our biggest 7mm, the 7mm FX (used to be the 7mm SF that Stu was talking about, all our FXs are based on the 338 Lapua imp case), and drove them to approaching 3300fps, but they would not shoot until we backed them off to 3150fps. A 28" 7mm Fatmax achieves this with better barrel life so no point in the 7mmFX if you wanna shoot the 195s.
The 7mmFX with the 180gn Hybrids will do 3400fps though, and there ain't much flatter than that, but the higher BC of the 195s is better in the wind.

If you run the numbers out of 28" barrels on the 195s at 3150 out of the 7mm Fatmax, verses the 230gn Hybrid at 3200fps out of our 300FX, verses the 300gn Hybrid at 2950fps out of our 338FX, you see they're all pretty much neck and neck in the wind all the way to 1500 yards, except the 7mm Fatmax/195gn combo does it with a shit load less recoil and powder. The 338FX doesn't start to edge ahead in the wind until 2000 yards. Obviously the terminal performance of the fatter heavier bullets is theoretically commensurately better, but we haven't found the 195s lacking in our limited terminal testing so far.

How have you found them KG? Have you managed to stick one into anything at range yet, or is it still too early in your testing for that?
Mates in the US have tested their terminal performance more extensively, and not found them lacking.

We think there's a huge potential for the 195s in the 7mm Fatmax - not because it will outdo the bigger FXs, but because it will equal them ballistically in a much lighter rifle - which certainly appeals for our wilderness hunting expeditions!

Sounds like you've already decided to go this way anyway 300BLK, but hopefully our results will give you some reassurance you've made the right choice!