<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sandwarrior</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Chad,
Because there are more efficient bullets in 6.5, 7mm, and .338. As MontanaMarine noted, "I wish they would have looked past somebody besides Federal and Sierra." There are several designs out there that are far better than the 220 gr. Sierra bullet they specify. Berger 180's for example pushed at the same muzzle velocity get 150 more yds. of supersonic travel. And, FWIW, they do stabilize better I think than Sierra past supersonic range. I shot both at 4000 ft. elevation not sea level or where I'm at here at just under 1000 ft. But they went truer in flight and truer into the target.
I dunno, I should just be happy they decided to go with more potent 1k+ medicine than the 7.62x51. </div></div>
Sand,
I would agree, but we are talking an across the board caliber/load for many rifles. And all the rifles will need to shoot this load well. If you have ever played with the VLD's in multiple rifles, you will see they are very sensitive to seating depth, and are very finicky from rifle to rifle. The SMK is fairly predictable on how to load it and get good results. The secant ogive bullets, like the VLD, can take a lot of work to get to shoot well. They are not near as easy to get to shoot as the SMK, which has a tangent ogive. Once you find the sweet spot for the VLD in "your" rifle, it will out shoot any SMK, period. But for an across the board bullet, the SMK (IMO) is a great way to go.
And, again, cost is a factor. The VLD bullets will run about 10%-11% more in cost. Factor that over the millions of rounds of ammo, and it's a lot of dough.
I shoot a 260 Rem now, but shot my 300WM for several years in competition. The energy the 300WM offers over any of the 6.5 calibers (and almost all of the 7mm loads) is huge. When you see it hit steel at extended ranges, you understand this energy. The .338 is a good option, but not in the 338 Win Mag. You have to go to the 338 Lapua or bigger to improve over the 300WM. And one of the goals of this venture was to reduce the cost of ammo. The 338 Lapua is a much more expensive option.