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March 21st, 2012
If you’re looking for a great start for your summer, mark your calendars for June 1, 2, and 3 and plan to shoot the 2012 Remington-Bushmaster Long Range Regional at the Reade Range in central Pennsylvania. June in the Appalachian Mountains is a beautiful time and place. The Reade range is a first class facility and terrific place to shoot. The Regional tournament is open to conventional (sling), and F-class shooters (both F-TR and F-Open). Firing will begin on Friday, June 1st with a 4-man team match. Saturday is 3×1000 any/iron match followed by a wind clinic by Bryan Litz. The match concludes on Sunday with 3×1000 any/any matches and awards presentations where a meal will be provided by the range. Several Military teams are expected to be in attendance and pit service is being arranged (so shooters probably won’t have to pull targets, but this is still being worked out).
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CLICK “PLAY” to HEAR Bryan Litz TALK about LR Regional Match Course of Fire and PRIZES:
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[haiku url=”http://appliedballisticsllc.com/AS_blog.mp3″ title=”Bryan Litz Voice Memo”] |
As if the fun of competitive shooting isn’t enticing enough, this match is heavily sponsored with some terrific prizes. Awards for the winners include: Remington rifles, Championship medals, and $1000 in cash awards. In addition to awards, the prize table will be presented as door prizes. So far over 18 sponsors have pledged product prizes totaling over $6,000 in value.
 You can visit the Reade Range website for directions to the range, accommodations, etc. CLICK HERE to view and download the Match Program as a printable PDF file.
Remington-Bushmaster Arms is the primary sponsor of the match. Applied Ballistics, LLC is promoting the match and you can see a full list of the match sponsors and prizes on the Applied Ballistics homepage, AppliedBallisticsllc.com. Sponsor donations are greatly appreciated. If you have a business in the firearms industry and would like to support the shooting sports by donating to this match, please contact Bryan Litz at: bryan.litz [at] appliedballisticsllc.com .
February 28th, 2012
Berger Bullets has released a new 6mm (.243 caliber) bullet for short-range (100-300 yards) benchrest applications. The new bullet (shown below right), is called the “6mm BR Column”. This name does not mean the bullet is designed just for the 6mm BR cartridge. Rather it is designed for all 6mm short-range benchrest (BR) rifles, most of which are 6 PPCs (for group shooting at least). The “Column” in the name comes from the fact that Berger has optimized the height of the lead core column inside the bullet. Testing revealed that bullets which had very uniform core column heights shot more accurately and were also easier to tune. Does the new “Column” bullet work? Well, noted benchrest shooter Lou Murdica has already used them to win a Two Gun Agg in Florida against “big name” competition. Thankfully, you won’t have to wait long to try these bullets out — Berger says the new 6mm BR ‘Column’ projectiles will be available in mid-March, 2012. Call Berger at (714) 447-5422 to order.
Bullet Characteristics — Accurate and Easy to Tune
Berger’s Ballistician and lead bullet designer Bryan Litz says this new ‘Column’ bullet should be less sensitive to seating depth: “We worked very hard to produce a bullet that has a wider ‘tuning window’ for peak accuracy. This means there may be several seating depths where it shoots well. We also expect that it can shoot well at different speed nodes, but this will be dependent on your barrel.” The estimated G1 BC for these bullets is 0.277. The meplat is 0.062″, typical of benchrest bullets in this weight class. There is a small pressure ring in the bullet. Recommended twist rate is 1:13.5″ but the bullet should stabilize in a 1:14″ twist-rate barrel.
Berger’s Eric Stecker tells us: “There have been benchrest bullets in the past which were well-known for achieving consistently small groups over a wide tune range in many rifles and loads. One example of this was the Euber bullet. The seemingly ‘magical’ performance of these bullets has been attributed to special dies, stars aligning, owl feathers, or some other unknown influence. However, Bryan Litz has found that there are specific mass balance and aerodynamic properties which allow a bullet to mitigate dispersion and shoot precisely over a wide range of imperfect launch dynamics.”
Dispersion Mitigation in Bullet Design — Bryan Litz Explains
 The science of dispersion-mitigating bullets is understood, but until now, no one has ever deliberately designed a bullet that has these specific attributes. There have been other bullets which have accidentally achieved the partial effect and the resulting bullets became very well known. Three key things are required to develop an effective dispersion-mitigating bullet:
1. The knowledge required to design a dispersion mitigating bullet.
2. A bullet-maker with the ability to fabricate the design precisely.
3. The means by which to test the bullets extensively to determine optimal configuration.
Berger’s 6mm ‘Column’ bullet is specifically designed to mitigate the component of dispersion related to alignment. Variables related to bullet/bore axis alignment include tight necks, turning necks, bullet jump, chamber concentricity, powder charge, and so on. These are all variables which will be less critical for the new Berger 6mm ‘Column’ bullet.
To be realistic, these new bullets only mitigate dispersion effects related to axis alignment, NOT aiming error, wind deflection, or poor shooting.
 Four Years of Prototype Testing
Yields Superior Bullet Design
Using his knowledge of design factors that mitigate (reduce) dispersion, Berger’s bullet designer Bryan Litz went to work creating a bullet design that had a wide, forgiving tune range. This means that the bullet shoots well with a wide variety of loads and seating depths. Bryan came up with three different shapes. Then for each of these three bullet profiles, Berger tested three different core column heights to identify the truly optimal design. Over the next four years, Lou Murdica shot thousands of test rounds in the data capture phase of the project. When testing concluded, one bullet proved to be head and shoulders above the others in its ability to shoot well at the widest variety of loads and seating depths.
The prototype bullet design that shot best in Berger’s tests has entered production as the new Berger 6mm BR ‘Column’. You’ll notice that there is no listed weight. Berger doesn’t list weight because Berger learned that the bullet’s mass is not as important as the overall balance of the bullet, which is achieved with a specific internal lead column height. Due to slight variations in copper and lead material batches, one lot may weigh 64.8 gr while another lot might weigh 65.1 grains or 64.6 grains. Berger says: “So long as the column of lead is the correct height to achieve the desired balance” the bullets should perform, no matter what the average weight of a given lot of ‘Column’ bullets may be. That said, when loading for a match, you’ll want to load all your ammo with bullets from the same lot.
Berger is now accepting orders for the new 6mm BR ‘Column’ bullets. The first lots should be available around March 16, 2012. Call Berger at (714) 447-5422 for pricing info or to place an order.
December 22nd, 2011
 Along with showcasing his books, match ammo, and other products, Bryan Litz’s Applied Ballistics website offers detailed Bullet Data Profiles for popular match projectiles. These profiles provide accurate bullet dimensions, stability factors (based on barrel twist rates), plus sophisticated multi-value BC tables that provide field-tested BCs across a wide velocity spectrum. Using these tables, you can select a G1 or G7 BC that closely matches a bullet’s actual muzzle velocity fired from your gun. Choosing the right BC for a bullet’s known MV from your rifle provides a more accurate ballistics solution — which translates to more first-round hits on the target.
New 6mm Bullet Data Profiles
Bryan recently added two new 6mm Bullet Profiles to his website: Sierra’s 107gr MatchKing, and Hornady’s 105gr A-Max.
Sierra 107gr MatchKing, HPBT
Sierra’s 107gr MatchKing has been used reliably in many medium- to high-capacity 6mm chamberings for many years. At 107 grains, this bullet is heavy enough to have a respectably-high BC while not being excessively long. This bullet is the ‘middle brother’ in the heavy end of Sierra’s 6mm target bullet line-up. The 95gr and the 115gr bullets have essentially the same nose and tail, and almost identical form factors as a result. The only difference being the weight which is taken up in the bearing surface. This bullet is comfortably stable in a 1:8″ twist in all but the worse case conditions, and even then the stability factor is still 1.33 which would result in acceptably accurate flight.
Hornady 105gr A-Max, PTBT
The 105gr Hornady A-Max is a very well-designed bullet with good performance. The plastic tip (PT) promotes a little higher and more consist BC compared to standard match bullet meplats while the 2.71-caliber long tangent ogive produces a low drag profile and good accuracy over a wide range of seating depths. The experimentally determined average G1 BC of 0.492 varies from 0.515 at 3000 fps down to 0.454 at 1500 fps. The G7 BC is a much better match for this bullet. Application-wise, this bullet was designed to be a match bullet, but has found favor with hunters as well due to the relatively thin forward jacket promoting good expansion.
Bryan’s Ballistics Book Offers Hundreds of Bullet Data Profiles
Bryan currently offers ten (10) detailed bullet profiles on his website — you can access these for free. If you want information on scores of other projectiles, you’ll find 236 other Bullet Data Profiles in Bryan’s definitive book, Applied Ballistics for Long-Range Shooting.
November 19th, 2011
 Applied Ballistics LLC, Bryan Litz’s company, has started producing new .300 Winchester Magnum loaded ammunition, supplementing the ultra-accurate .308 Winchester ammo that Applied Ballistics rolled out in 2010. The new .300 Win Mag ammo is featured on Bryan’s new dedicated webpage for ammo sales.
The new .300 Win Mag ammo is loaded with Berger’s LRBT 185gr “Juggernaut” bullet. This high-BC bullet, combined with an impressive 3155 fps muzzle velocity (from 28″ barrel), gives the new Applied Ballistics ammo superior performance compared to other commercial .300 WM ammo offerings. Take a look at the chart below:
Exclusive AccurateShooter.com Offer — Get $5.00 Off Each Box of .300 WM Ammo
To promote the new .300 Win Mag ammo, Bryan is offering a special discount to AccurateShooter.com members. When shopping on Bryan’s Ammo website, if you order .300 Win Mag ammo, use Coupon Code ASDC on check-out. That Code will save purchasers $5.00 per box on any quantity of .300 Win Mag ammo. The Coupon Code, valid through November 30, 2011, is good for one purchase per customer.
November 9th, 2011
 Recently, Berger released two new .30 caliber Hybrid Target bullets, a 215-grainer and a 230-grainer. With this new pair of projectiles, Berger now offers .30 Cal Hybrids in weights of 155 gr, 168 gr, 185 gr, 200 gr, 215 gr, and 230 grains. These bullets use a Hybrid nose designed by Bryan Litz to optimize long-range performance and enhance “tunability”. The Hybrid nose starts with a tangent shape and transitions into a secant shape. This allows these bullets to be much less seating-depth sensitive (than the VLD) while at the same time the secant portion reduces drag (for a higher BC). Berger’s Eric Stecker: “It is my understanding that each of these [new Hybrid] bullets has the highest BC of any bullets in their weight class. Combine this with being easier to tune and what you get is six new projectiles that raise the performance bar for .30 cal rifles.”
Berger Rolled Out 11 New Bullet Designs in 2011
This has been a busy year for Berger Bullets. It has introduced eleven (11) all-new projectile designs. In addition, Berger re-labeled two of its popular bullets. Here’s a summary of the new offerings:
- 6mm 105 gr Hybrid Target
- .30 cal 155 gr Hybrid Target
- .30 cal 168 gr Hybrid Target
- .30 cal 185 gr Juggernaut Target (Name change — this was formerly called the 185 gr Long Range BT.)
- .30 cal 185 gr Hybrid Target
- .30 cal 200 gr Hybrid Target
- .30 cal 215 gr Hybrid Target
- .30 Cal 230 gr Hybrid Target
- .22 Cal 77 gr OTM Tactical (Name change — this is the same bullet as the .22 cal 77 gr BT Target, but it’s new to the Tactical line).
- .30 Cal 175 gr OTM Tactical (designed for .308 Win to be a transonic-stable option.)
- .30 Cal 185 gr Juggernaut OTM Tactical (designed as a transonic-stable option for the 300 Win Mag.)
- .30 Cal 230 gr Hybrid OTM Tactical (designed as a supersonic option for the 300 Win Mag.)
- .338 Cal 300 gr Hybrid OTM Tactical (this is the redesigned Gen 2 version.)
November 7th, 2011
There’s a new effort underway to support the Michigan Junior Shooters. The fund-raising campaign hopes to raise $500.00 by Christmas time. Bryan Litz is helping with the effort, donating $4.00 from the purchase price of copies of his book, Applied Ballistics for Long Range Shooting.
Bryan explains: “Funds raised in this campaign will be used to support all disciplines of rifle shooting for Michigan juniors including High Power, Long Range, and Smallbore. Funds will be used to offset costs of team T-shirts, entry fees, travel, housing, and so on. Basically, we are hoping to defray the expenses of competing at a higher level — costs which juniors often cannot cover on their own. I’ll be updating the ‘thermometer’ image as we approach our goal of $500.” Visit the Michigan Rifle and Pistol Association – Juniors WebLog to learn about the juniors’ participation in recent competitions.
The $4 donation per book applies for books sold directly from the Applied Ballistics website. Ordering direct is also the only way to order ‘autographed’ copies of the book.
Bryan adds: “Please consider this as a gift option for a fellow shooter, and to help support young people involved in the shooting sports.”
October 16th, 2011
 One of the most prestigious rifle competitions in the world is underway right now at the Belmont Shooting Facility, near Brisbane, Australia. Many of the best sling and irons marksmen (and women) in the world are competing for individual and team honors. American aces such as SGT Sherri Gallagher, Noma Mayo, Trudie Fay, Nancy Tompkins, Bob Gamboa, Bryan Litz, Robert Mead, and John Whidden are representing the Red, White, and Blue down-under, but they and their American teammates are facing stiff opposition from the Brits, South Africans, Canadians, New Zealanders, and the host Australians.
You can get complete individual and team results on the World Rifle Championships Website. Results are updated daily, so you can follow the action, which continues through October 22nd. Russ Theurer is also providing regular reports in our Shooters’ Forum.
 One of the best performances so far was turned in by Bryan Litz, Berger Bullets’ Ballistician. In the Senior Australia Team match last week, Bryan outshot every other individual on the course, nailing a perfect 200-26V to tie the Championship Record. This was a brilliant display of marksmanship by Bryan. At the Awards Ceremony after the match, Bryan received a long standing ovation from his fellow competitors.
You’ll find lots of match photos in the official match Photo Gallery. Plus, Facebook users can access hundreds of photos uploaded by members of the USA Young Eagles Team. Young American shooters have been performing well. Russ Theurer reports: “Team USA Red won the Under 25 Australia Team Match, while Team USA Blue came from behind at 1000 to place third. Young Eagle Joshua Lehn was high score shooter of the team match of all teams combined.” Below are photos of the Young Eagles from Day 5, the Under 25 match:
Photos courtesy USA Young Eagles.
September 21st, 2011
by Robert Whitley
I recently received some of the new Berger 6mm 105gr Hybrid Match Bullets for testing. There is much interest in these new 6mm Hybrids, so I thought I’d share my initial observations. A couple of things are very striking about these new bullets:
1. They appear to be very long, sleek and aerodynamic, while they still maintain a good bearing surface length (full-diameter shank). I like bullets with a sufficient bearing surface length because I find that it makes for bullets that are easier to shoot and tune. I also feel a good bearing surface length makes for a bullet that has a better potential for consistent performance over bullets with a short bearing surface.
2. The published ballistic coefficient (BC) numbers on these bullets are quite high. They have a stated G1 BC of .547 and a G7 BC of .278. Looking at the bullets themselves it’s easy to see why these BC numbers are so high. The front end of the projectile is quite long and similar to what you see on long-range VLDs, but the transition to the bearing surface has a blended appearance (the Hybrid part) vs. the sharp transition you typically see with most VLDs and secant ogive bullets. The 105gr Hybrid bullets also have a long boat-tail.
3. The new Berger 105gr Hybrid bullets measure right around 1.261″ OAL. By comparison, the many other 105gr to 108gr bullets I’ve measured all seem to run in the range of 1.210″ to 1.225″ OAL. The Berger 105gr Hybrid bullets are thus a fair bit longer than the others, which is why a true 1:8″ or faster twist is recommended for them. The bearing surface diameter of the new Hybrids was dead on at 0.243″. So these bullets are neither “fat” nor “skinny”.
4. The tips on these bullets are quite uniform, with the meplats closed up nicely. The Hybrids have nice small tips similar those on the Berger 108s (reasonably tight in diameter). While I sometimes like to point my match bullets, I like to shoot bullets that are ready to go “out of the box”, and these are just that. I’m hoping they will perform very well without meplat trimming or pointing.
Berger’s 6mm 105gr Hybrids Slated to Go on Sale in Late October
Berger has done its own in-house testing on these bullets and found them to be accurate and appropriate for release for additional testing by shooters out in the field. Unless this additional field testing reveals something that no one anticipated (which I doubt), I suspect these new projectiles will be one of Berger’s most popular bullet offerings. The planned official release date for the new 6mm, 105gr Hybrids has been tentatively set for mid- to late-October of 2011. So, barring some last minute changes, these 105s should be on dealers’ shelves before Thanksgiving.
September 18th, 2011
September 11-17, the Bald Eagles Rifle Club hosted the 2011 Spirit Of America rifle match, at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, NM. This match serves as U.S. National Fullbore Championships, but there are also F-Class divisions. The match consists of conventional sling (TR) class, as well as F-Open and F-TR, and the event is shot at distances of 300, 500, 600, 800, 900 and 1000 yards. Approximately 80 shooters, including about 20 F-classer attended the event.
Bryan Litz won the Fullbore TR (sling) competition with a 1782-105X overall score, with runner-up Andrew Wilde (1780-101X), just two points behind. Sean Morris finished third with 1776-85X, and Jim O’Connell shot 1772-81X to claim the High Senior title.
Photo by Randy Pike
In F-Open Class, familiar names topped the leaderboard. Larry Bartholome earned his chair ride as F-Open winner, shooting an impressive 1776-98X. Second in F-Open, five points back at 1771-96X, was past F-Class National Champion Danny Biggs. In the F-TR division, Michael Smith topped the field with a 1738-69X, followed by John Killen, who shot a 1720-52X. NOTE: F-Open and F-TR competitors shoot a target with smaller-diameter scoring rings than the Fullbore Target.
Conditions Were Mild… Then Wild
Bryan Litz tells us the conditions weren’t so bad … until the final day: “We dodged some rain throughout the week, but wind conditions were easy to moderate for the most part. That is until the last 1000-yard string of the last day when Raton finally showed its evil side! The most wind I had used all week was just over 3 MOA. That last relay on Saturday, it was running between 7 and 12 MOA with very quick changes. There were many misses, and just keeping all shots in the black was an accomplishment.” Rick Hunt concurred that the conditions were arduous on the final 1K stage: “At 1000 yards, there was a 9:00 o’clock wind running between 9 1/2 and 13 1/2 MOA. As seen by the scores, two shooters really nailed it. Other than that, it was pretty disastrous for most shooters with the really fast velocity changes.”
When the smoke had cleared, the standings were all jumbled up compared to what they were the rest of the week. Litz added: “An experience like that really drives home the importance of wind shooting skills. To be honest, I had no particular strategy going in other than to stay calm and positive no matter what. A big part of shooting in adverse conditions is managing yourself mentally. I dropped 10 points that last relay, more than I’d lost in the entire tournament up to that point. But given the conditions, I felt good about it, knowing I’d done my best.”
Berger 155gr Hybrids Work Well in Fullbore Competition
Bryan Litz credits his 155gr Berger .308-cal Hybrids for his strong performance: “I was shooting the new Berger 155 grain Hybrid bullets which played a part in saving some points in that nasty wind (on the last day). Due to their length, these bullets require a 1:12″ twist to stabilize and have a higher BC than any other .30 caliber 155 grain bullet. The hybrid ogive makes them length tolerant (insensitive to seating depth) and as the results of this tournament show, they are very effective”.
Complete Final Scores On SOA Blog
You’ll find complete interim and final SOA Match Scores linked from the Bald Eagles Match Blog.
Saturday and Final TR (Fullbore Sling) Class (PDF).
Saturday and Final F-Open and F-TR Class Results (PDF).
At the match the USA Young Eagles unveiled the new uniforms the American team will wear at the World Fullbore Championships in Australia next month. On opposite sleeves, the uniforms feature logos from both major bullet sponsors — Berger and Sierra. Bryan Litz observerd: “Historically teams have been sponsored by ‘one or the other’, but there’s no reason a team can’t enjoy sponsorship by multiple brands, and this is a very positive step in that direction.”
September 6th, 2011
Eric Stecker of Berger Bullets just revealed some details on Berger’s new 6mm 105gr Hybrid bullet. This projectile is now in the final stage of testing. Here are comparative ballistics for the new 6mm Hybrid vs. Berger’s popular 105gr VLD bullet:
| 6mm 105 gr Hybrid Target |
Original 6mm 105 gr VLD (Now is Berger’s hunting version) |
Averaged G1 BC = 0.547
G7 BC = 0.278 |
Averaged G1 BC = 0.532
G7 BC = 0.272 |
 Longer Bullet Requires 1:8″ Twist
The new 105gr Hybrid Target is slightly longer than the original 105-grainer so a true 1:8″ is strongly recommended. The new bullet is made with the thicker Target jacket to withstand match shooting conditions. The Hybrid ogive is designed to be less sensitive to seating depth and has been working well in other calibers and sizes. This bullet can take all the 6mm cases can dish out and it has a BC equal to our own 6mm 115 gr VLD.
Eric Stecker tells us: “The moment we knew that we had to modify the 6mm 105gr VLD Target with a larger meplat, the need for this bullet was born. We’ve been working on it ever since. Bryan Litz has done an exceptional job with this design. I am very eager to see how they do in many rifles since I regard the 105gr class of bullets as key in Berger’s line. Between the 68gr, the 80gr and the 105gr (among other weights) we have been especially blessed with our 6mm offerings.” Eric is quite right — all those bullets shoot exceptionally well and the 105gr VLD holds many records. If the new 105gr Hybrid can come close to the accuracy of the 105gr VLD, it should be very successful.
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