Withing the cut-throat competitive world of F-Class shooters, there exists a sub-class dedicated for the two common military calibers, .223 Remington / 5.56 NATO and .308 Winchester. F-TR, which stands for “F-Class, Tactical Rifle”. F-TR tends to stretch the legs of both calibers, typically taking them well past their “normal” transonic ranges, which has led to a bit of a proverbial arms race.

Test group at 1000 yards fired by a member of the U.S. Rifle Team (F-TR).

Working with competitive F-TR shooters and the US F-TR rifle team, Berger has been hard at work looking to give those shooters every advantage possible. Working with them, Berger has updated their 200 grain Hybrid round with subtle changes:

Compared to the standard 200 grain Hybrid Target, the 200.20X has a longer boat tail, longer nose, and a shorter bearing surface. These design differences have two major impacts. For one, the longer nose and tail of the 200.20X allow the bullet to fly with less drag and a higher BC, which means fewer points lost to wind. The BC of the new 200.20X is 4% higher than the existing 200 grain Target Hybrid (G7 BC of 0.328 vs. 0.316).

New 200.20X Hybrid (left) and original 200 grain Hybrid (right). Its hard to see the difference!

The features help the 200 grain round work to stretch its legs as far as possible. The shorter bearing surface reduce the contact from the bullet to the rifling, reducing friction which in turn increases velocity. Per Berger, the shorter bearing surface also makes the round easier to load for “standard chambers”, no special reamer required.

The round has been selected by the US F-TR Rifle team as their official bullet. Berger will support the team with a $1.00 donation for every box of bullets purchased by the retail marketing. The $1.00 goes to team expenses for the 2017 World Championships in Ottawa, Canada. Retail is set at $63.40, with availability as “coming soon.”

The round requires 1:10 twist for full stability and maximum performance, but Berger states that 1:11 will work in a pinch, just with a “minor decrease in BC.”

Bryan Litz designed the new 200.20X bullet for the US Rifle Team (F-TR), champion shooters, and enthusiasts within the long range shooting community.