Lapua 7mm 180gr

[ChrisF]

Hi Guys ,

 

What the word on the new 7mm scenars , are they good . bad ? , I know most will be looking at them , due to supply problems with getting Bergers when you wnat then .

 

 

Cheers Chris

[6mmBR]

I've tried them and they are very accurate.

There are problems they have a very long bearing area.

In a rifle throated for a Berger VLD .213" freebore which also is ok for Hybbrids sitting then some 50 thou further up in the case neck.

The 180 Scenar is at that freebore has part of its bearing surface beneath the neck shoulder junction which is less than ideal.

To sort this out you would probably need something like a .270" freebore which then will be sub optimal for the VLD and possibly would leave little of the Hybrids bear inning surface in the neck?

Also in testing the meplat is huge and doesn't respond to pointing to the same degree as the Berger.

Tested at 1000 yards with an identical 100 yard zero the Lapua needed and extra 1.25 MOA elevation over the Berger indicating the BC is inferior.

I will continue to scrabble to find and shoot Bergers

Cheers

Dave

[Laurie]

I'd support everything David says in the previous post and add a few points. They're very well made insofar as measurable consistency is concerned, so measuring base-ogive lengths and batching can probably safely be dispensed with. Pointing is a near must for top level 1K competition because of the relatively huge meplats.

 

The other point to note is that they generate considerably more pressure than a 180gn Berger VLD or Sierra MK in my experience, presumably due to bearing surface length, maybe a little extra shank section diameter. (Plus deeper seating on a chamber throated for the others.) As a guide, assume the max charge weight of 4831 / N165 class powders on a 'warm' 284 Win load will likely be 1.5, maybe 2gn lower, and I would therefore assume a bit more on the short magnums.

 

The 150gn is even 'worse' in this respect and loads have to be reduced substantially from QuickLOAD projections modelled using other makes / models of 150gn bullets. Its BC appears to be down on what Lapua quotes too if judged in terms of elevation adjustment increases over a 100 yard zero up to 600 yards - and looking at the bullet shape with a relatively short neck section, I find it difficult to see how it can have 0.260 / 0.526 (G7 / G1) BC values. So this is a short-range number only.

 

They're not much cheaper than Bergers, but the availability issue is a big plus in their favour. Throw in the manufacturing consistency and they're very valuable additions to the range of 7mm match bullets available.

[Elwood]

Spectacular own goal?

 

Well I'm tired and cranky!

 

Who else besides the F open crowd shoots high BC 7mm 180 grain bullets? I'm expecting the answer of not of very many, please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

So if you throat a rifle for the Scenar L it means you can still shoot the Berger vld for a while depending on how far the throat moves over the barrels life, but the Hybrids are a no go from the start. So what I would do is have my rifle chambered for either the Berger Hybrid or vld assuming you can get them and if they didn't shoot have the freebore extended to suit the Scenar L. The Scenar L needed to be a direct replacement for either of the Berger bullets.

 

So did Lapua consult anyone as to what the consumer needed? This sounds just like the Night Force c ock up with the first NF competition scope and the 5 MOA windage!

[Laurie]

Ian,

 

I agree 100%. I just can't fathom Lapua's bullet design policy. For a start they only get one good long-range model per calibre. the new 175gn .30 Scenar-L is an (expensive) alternative to the long-established 175gn Sierra MK, but in no way matches the 175 and 185gn Berger LR BT models. The 220gn Scenar-L is basically useless for the L-R Effer with a huge long shank. The one good design is the elderly 155gn model and the new L version isn't a redesign, rather a higher production quality variant.

 

The 7mm models ... one reasonable, and one that suits what?

 

The 6.5s .... I can't see any benefits in the new 136, it's got yesterday's i7 value level (G7 form factor) so it's no more efficient than the antediluvian 139, a good all-rounder but ballistically inefficient compared to many competitors. That leaves the 123gn as the outstanding design and thereby conforms to the model of one really good design per calibre.

 

The only rationale I can see is that Lapua thinks of miltary / police loaded ammunition sales, first foremost and all the time. But if the loaded 7.62 / 308 ammo reflects the 175gn Scenar-L price, the Federal manufactured M118LR with the Sierra will walk all over it!