The 7 will play tomorrow

Desert Fox · Jul 30, 2011

This caliber is the Rodney Dangerfield at our last 1000 yards competition. It earned no respect. There's only one competitor shooting a 7 MM (7WSM) from our last competition and none in the 308 class. Frank will probably be the only 7MM shooter in that class with his 280 Ackley, whereas, I'll join the lone 7WSM shooter.

The forecast tomorrow is not good. Temperature will be in the upper 90's with severe thunderstorm and a possible rain and then flash flood. Wind will usually accompany a thunderstorm so this will be fun. To top it off, my gallbladder had been acting up for the last three weeks and I'm scheduled for surgery next Friday. My wife, an RN, was beside herself. But, as long as I'm pulling trigger, I will be fine 8) 8). Frank, get ready! Roll call is 0700 Hrs.

JD338 · Jul 30, 2011

DF

Good luck at the match tomorrow.
Best wishes on your gullbladder surgery.

JD338

Elkman · Jul 30, 2011

good luck with both, focus on the prize. !!!!

FOTIS · Jul 31, 2011

Good luck :!:

DrMike · Jul 31, 2011

Rommel,

Best of luck pulling the trigger. I pray you have a successful surgery and a quick recovery.

6mm Remington · Jul 31, 2011

Maybe those wonderful .284 calibers will sneak in there and KSA! 8) Good luck and good luck on the surgery also. I just had mine done in April and I feel great.

SJB358 · Jul 31, 2011

Good luck DF! Hope the mighty 7 runs hard and accurate for you. Good luck to Frank as well. Scotty

nodak7mm · Jul 31, 2011

Cant wait for the report and pics...

Keep em in the X ring and good luck buddy!!! I got a match today too!! The wx gods are shining on us today....

Rod

Desert Fox · Jul 31, 2011

Well, something was terribly wrong with my rifle today. Seven 180 grain Berger VLD never made it to the target. I'm calling Berger tomorrow. It seem like the combination of the speed and twist is way too fast for this bullet. Some bullet just disintegrate in flight. What a disappointment. Frank on the other hand did alright for his first 1K shoot. He scored 223 with 5X for a possible 250 -25X max score.

SJB358 · Jul 31, 2011

Sorry to hear about the Bergers DF. Congrats to Frank though. Sounds like he did really well for the first time out. Scotty

JD338 · Jul 31, 2011

DF

Sorry to hear that the Berger bullets did not do their job. Frank did very well with his 280 AI.

JD338

Greg Nolan · Jul 31, 2011

Sorry for the bullet issues and the upcomming down time Rommel. I'm looking to hear more about your long range events and let us know about the other. Sounds like you'll have some free time for reloading anyway.
Greg

DrMike · Jul 31, 2011

Bummer, Rommel. It'll be interesting to hear what Berger tells you concerning the bullets. We're pulling for you with the surgery.

Desert Fox · Jul 31, 2011

Thanks for the kind words brothers. From what I heard, the surgery is pretty simple and straight forward. Hopefully, I can go home the same day.

I was so bummed out today with the performance of the Berger. I understand they recommend 9 twist on the 180 but I never thought the 8 twist would be way too much. I might switch to SMK. I heard Sierra's jacket is much more robust than the J-4 that the Berger use.

I calculated the bullet rotational speed at 272,250 RPM. That's a lot of RPM being imparted on the thin jacket. I need to talk to Nate of SSG also. He never mentioned of any problem when he was shooting the Berger at about the same velocity.

Desert Fox · Aug 4, 2011

Spoke with Teresa at Berger's Customer Service today. She asked me to send in 4 bullet samples so that they can test and figure out what happen to the 7 that never made it to the target. I also spoke with Nathan Dagley of SSG. Nate told me that he had similar experience with Berger Match VLD's. Actually, he lost several match because the bullet had came apart on him. Nate also told me that the problem occurs when the barrel got so hot from repeated firings. That's exactly what happened here last Sunday. My first 9 shot was spot on in the 10's and X and then shot number 10 never made it to the target. I fired 11th to 13th with no problem and then again shot 14th disappeared. Shot 15th through 20 with no problem but 21st to 25th never made it through. Berger think it's a case of mislabeling or bullet mix-up. I doubt if it's the case.

DrMike · Aug 4, 2011

I know they will move heaven and earth to work through this problem. No bullet manufacturer wants to get a poor reputation with their customers. It will be interesting to see what they come up with, however.

sask boy · Aug 5, 2011

Hi DF keep us posted regarding the bullets and your health.
My the Lord give the surgeon a steady hand with knife or laser

Blessings,
Dan

Desert Fox · Aug 6, 2011

Thanks Dan. I'm still at the hospital as I'am writing this. My gallbladder was so infected that it punched a hole in my liver. I have to stay a few more days so that they can drain the infected area while at the same time giving me a steady diet of antibiotic. My mistake! I let this one pester for a couple of weeks and it almost cost me dearly. Also thanks to all the well wisher and their prayer. DF

sask boy · Aug 6, 2011

Hi DF you are in the right place once they get that infection cleaned up they will have the gallbladder of yours out in no time.
You will back atter real quick

We will continue to lift you up in prayer.

Blessings,
Dan

Desert Fox · Aug 12, 2011

I just received a call from Berger Customer service informing me that UPS will be bringing me 400 rounds of 7MM/180 grain Match VLD. In return, I'll surrender the remainder of the bullet I had from the batch of 500 that I bought earlier for my 7WSM. Originally, Berger only wants 4 sample bullets, but I guess they changed their mind. Anyway, I haven't had a chance to send the sample since I went into surgery last Friday. Now that's commendable.

I told Berger, I'll give this bullet one more chance and see if my experienced last month was just a fluke. I went ahead and bought 500 of the new 7MM/180 grain Sierra SMK in case the Berger won't panned out.