What's Wrong With .30 Caliber? By Bryan Litz

[BryanLitz]

When this article was written (What's wrong with .30 caliber?), we (at Berger) had every intention of fixing what was wrong. It's been a long time since then, but we now have what I consider to be a very strong option for a heavy .30 caliber bullet:

Berger Bullets

Note this bullet is an OTM (Open Tip Match) bullet, and is not considered a hunting bullet. The reason for this is that this bullet is intended for use in military ammunition (specifically the .300 Win Mag) and because of certain rules (Hauge Convention?) hunting bullets cannot be used in combat against personnel.

Nevertheless, this is the highest BC conventional .30 caliber bullet that I know of and brings the potential ballistic performance of .30 caliber up to par with the bullets in 7mm and .338 caliber. It has a G7 form factor of .94, whereas most other heavy .30 caliber bullets have form factors over 1.0; hence the article "What's wrong with .30 caliber". If you're not familiar with form factors, you can reference this blog article on the Berger website:

Berger Bulletin » Form Factors: A Useful Analysis Tool

We intend to continue developing better medium and heavy weight options for .30 caliber. Some will be target bullets and some will be for hunting.

Looking forward to the feedback from those who give these new bullets a shot.

Take care,
-Bryan

 

[new shooter]

Bryan i just got 200 of your 230gr .30 Caliber bullets to used in my 300 Ultra 1-10 twist 26'' barrel. Are these hunting bullets I hope ? What velocity do you thinks i could get out of my 300 Ultra ? THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

I guess I'll buck the trend here and ask Bryan to take a look at the heavy thirty cal bullets that aren't designed with the 300win's mag length limitations in mind as the sierra's are(you can load the 220 sierra 30 cal hpbt to 3.34" and be fine). I can only assume the Berger heavy in 30 cal will require a longer mag length to accomodate the ogive and metplat? If it does, I may be sold.
I am at present using the 225 hornady 30 cal with the three hundred ultra at 3000 fps and with its 0.670 bc, it is right in there with the 7mm 180 berger at 0.659 bc and above the 6.5 mm 140 match at 0.618 bc. It is getting flat close to the 338 300 gr with its 0.768 bc.

 

[Greyfox]

Since first reading this article a few years ago I acquired a 6.5x284 using high BC bullets. Prior to that I shot the 30 caliber in various forms. Being mostly a deer/antelope hunter, my goal was to become proficient to 1000 yards. I did achieve my goal. I may have gotten there with my 30's but the combination of understanding the principles of ballistics, and my load performance with light recoil has served me quite well. I have since bought Bryan's book which is probably one of the most useful, easy to understand references for long range shooting that I have seen. My goal now is to extend my shooting to ranges beyond 1000 yards. I'm in the process of putting a 338 Lapua together and will certainly use this book as a guide. Hats off to Bryan for his contribution to our sport!

 

[moosehead]

your article makes sense. this might explain why I can make better long range shots with my 7mm mag. than with my 300wsm. although recoil ,to me, is about the same and doesn,t affect my shooting capabilities the 7mm seems to lay em in there much easier. I love the 300wsm. would of bought a 7wsm, but there popularity seems to be going downhill. probably because the original short mag (7mm rem mag.) is hard to improve on.thanks for the great article.

 

[wildcat westerner]

As I am writing this comment, a brand new copy of Litz' book has arrived. This is obviously an extremely comprehensive book and I shall be much more informed after reading and digesting it.

Litz makes a point, that I have only observed practically. Several years ago I was allowed to shoot a very accurate .280 Ackley improved with 180 grain JLK bullets. It was a light rifle, with some recoil, but downrange it was obvious those long, heavy projectiles seemingly violated known rules of physics in resisting wind drift. I had a 6mm/284 that at 3,569 fps wth the Sierra 107 grain bullet was probably superior to this experience but barrel life was less than 500 rounds.

Speaking of recoil, my physics knowledge is primarily based on the biomechanical rationale of the human skeleton as a licensed, certified Orthotist. Every time you fire a rifle the recoil on your axilla (Shoulder) area alerts no less than five different nerves that you have been punched. Those five nerves send messages to wide areas of the meninges that covers your entire brain. Your entire lower leg only has two sensory nerves that alert your brain to danger. Thus, when you hear talk that "recoil doesn't bother me" don't you believe it. How many boxers have won a Nobel prize?

Based on this premise I am shooting my 6.5 x 284 and recently enjoyed a long range shooting course at Whittington where we engaged targets from 400 to 1,280 yards in Mountainous (elk) terrain. I must admit the little .260 Remington used by a class mate was quite efficient alongside the 300 magnums used by some of our fellow shooters. I did note that the steel gongs far downrange responded significantly when hit by the 300's whereas when I hit the 1,280 target it only "pinged". So, I feel the valid observation about energy at long range hunting challenges, make the 300's a practical choice, if the shooter has enough "trigger time" ,to utilize those calibers correctly.

Just my two cents worth.

Gene S.