A few thoughts from the horse's mouth on the 7mm 195 gr.
The bullet tooling is finished and has been tested with successful results. This means that we can make bullets that match the design dimensions, nothing more. We used prototype jackets since the length of the jacket we needed was not certain.
Now that the length of the jacket needed is known we have it in our schedule to make standard issue, J4 match grade jackets. The fact is that the election has us overwhelmed with demand. This means only that we can't get these jackets made tomorrow but they will be made soon.
Then, they will be sent to Bob and a few other folks (Kirby for one) to be tested and abused. If these tests prove to be positive then the bullets will be regularly available as soon as we make more (once the test results are confirmed). I won't BS you. This could take 2 to 12 month depending on what happens during the testing phase.
I'll remind everyone that this is a totally new concept. It is in fact not as close to the recently tested 270 cal 170 gr bullet as Bob posted about. The 170 gr is outside the norm but not nearly as much as the 195 gr. Having said that, the 270 cal 170 gr has performed well in abuse testing and is now going to terminal performance testing. The good news is that so far everything looks good.
Something to keep in mind about the 7mm 195 gr, we are making it with the idea in mind that it will be pushed hard in larger cases. The heavier weight and sleek design is a big leap forward in performance (if it works). In smaller cases much MV will be lost due to the heavy weight which may produce a wash in performance compared to 180 gr bullets.
I'll admit that this is a generalization based on no factual testing data at this time but I don't want anyone to think that we are creating the next lazer beam. It is still a bullet subject to all the same influences and physics realities as every other bullet.
Regards,
Eric
