New Berger Match Load from Federal

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06-19-17, 00:38
Kdubya

New Berger Match Load from Federal

I happened to be on Federal's website this evening and took some time to look through their new offerings for 2017. Two of these new loadings will be produced for the .223/5.56 chambered weapons.

One is the 50gr Varmint & Predator. There's already been a little of talk over this round. It's even made its way to the shelves at places like Walmart and Cabela's. Early reports I've seen indicate it's nothing earth-shattering. But it seems pretty reasonable (around 50¢/round) if selected as a varmint/plinking load.

The second offering is what's more interesting; the Federal Gold Medal Berger. Berger projectiles are fairly popular with the precision crowd. The same goes for FGMM. So, it has the potential to be another solid option for match-grade factory ammo. At 73gr, depending on the OAL, it might even be good up to a 1:9 twist.

Has anyone heard much about the Berger loading, or manage to test it out yet?

On a related note, for pistols and other rifle calibers, there are a handful of additional new releases entering their lineup. For the hunters out there, it might be worth checking out the Edge TLR and Non-typical loadings.
06-19-17, 20:02
SeriousStudent

I'm interested in that Berger load. It does say this: Bullet dimensions designed to run well under SAAMI specifications for OAL

I hope that means it will fit in a Colt 20-round magazine, and run without issues in my Recce.

I'll see if I can get a few boxes from the same lot, and see how they run.
06-19-17, 20:03
OrlandoJones

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kdubya

I happened to be on Federal's website this evening and took some time to look through their new offerings for 2017. Two of these new loadings will be produced for the .223/5.56 chambered weapons.

One is the 50gr Varmint & Predator. There's already been a little of talk over this round. It's even made its way to the shelves at places like Walmart and Cabela's. Early reports I've seen indicate it's nothing earth-shattering. But it seems pretty reasonable (around 50¢/round) if selected as a varmint/plinking load.

The second offering is what's more interesting; the Federal Gold Medal Berger. Berger projectiles are fairly popular with the precision crowd. The same goes for FGMM. So, it has the potential to be another solid option for match-grade factory ammo. At 73gr, depending on the OAL, it might even be good up to a 1:9 twist.

Has anyone heard much about the Berger loading, or manage to test it out yet?

On a related note, for pistols and other rifle calibers, there are a handful of additional new releases entering their lineup. For the hunters out there, it might be worth checking out the Edge TLR and Non-typical loadings.

Thanks for the heads up on this...will have to try it out. I'm a big SMK guy, based on my experience, but always happy to buy a couple boxes of something "new" to check it out.
06-19-17, 20:04
SeriousStudent

Found some at Able Ammo: https://www.ableammo.com/catalog/fed...-p-153472.html
06-20-17, 12:27
Kdubya

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeriousStudent

Found some at Able Ammo: https://www.ableammo.com/catalog/fed...-p-153472.html

Nice! Price isn't unreasonable either. Did you pick up a few boxes?

This Berger load definitely has me intrigued. The FGGM is already such a great round. So, I feel that they'll have to bring something pretty impressive, or at least comparable, to do well with this iteration.

I enjoy shooting longer range. But I'm certainly not a competitor, and don't take it as seriously as guys like MarkM and PappaBear. So, maybe I'm out of the loop in knowing a void/niche this 73 gr Berger would be trying to fill. Perhaps it's just something to expand the factory match market? Simply another option to "see what your rifle likes".

Regardless, I've long thought that new projectiles and loadings are an area of opportunity. In general, the AR market is pretty flooded with accurate and boringly reliable rifles. With the trend towards more specialized setups (SBRs/Pistols/SPRs/DMRs/etc) the ammo mfgs have an opportunity to develop and broaden the more purpose built options. Whether it be a new bullet designed for better terminal performance from short barrels, or a round to better handle wind and drop at longer ranges.

It's not that we don't already have good defensive and match rounds available. I just think there's room to make improvements. Everyone that's wanted an AR likely already has one, or two, or twelve :) So, it seems like one of the more logical demands will be, "I want a round that can do X better."

Admittedly, I've always been a little ammo obsessive. So, there's certainly a little bias in the things I feel the shooting industry should focus on.
06-20-17, 21:36
SeriousStudent

Yes, I snagged four boxes. That should be enough to get a couple of pages in the dope book, for various conditions.
06-20-17, 23:12
Kdubya

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeriousStudent

Yes, I snagged four boxes. That should be enough to get a couple of pages in the dope book, for various conditions.

Awesome. Looking forward to a report.

I have to make a trip to Cabela's this week and will be taking a look to see of they have it in .223 or .308. If not, I'll have to picks some up online as well.