Berry's rifle bullets

Marek Bako

23.07.2024

Test of rifle bullets by Berry's Manufacturing in the magazine Střelecká revue

The relatively unknown company in the Czech region, Berry's Manufacturing from Utah, USA, has been producing bullets for both home reloading and supplying ammunition factories in the USA since 1961. The popularization of their products in our country was handled by Strobl.cz, which provided samples for testing to the editorial team.

The company was founded in 1961 by Ray Berry and remains in the hands of his family to this day. The current head is Ray's son Gilbert Berry, who took over management immediately upon reaching adulthood and has been leading the company for 40 years. During this time, Berry's has become a stable and relatively well-known company in North America.

The company's offer now includes over 60 types of bullets. Gradually, ammunition boxes, vibratory case cleaners, and other reloading tools were added. An additional field is precision shooting equipment under their own brand VersaCradle, manufactured in CNC machining centers. It includes a range of shooting stands, supports, and special vises for gunsmiths.

The product lines of bullets are divided into categories: Superior Plated Pistol Bullets, Superior Plated Rifle Bullets, Jacketed Rifle Bullets, and Muzzleloader Bullets (i.e., bullets for muzzleloaders). The first two categories of pistol and rifle bullets include bullets for the most commonly used cartridges. They have a lead core that is electroplated with a copper layer. From the Jacketed Rifle Bullets, only two bi-ogive full metal jacket boat tail (FMJBT) bullets are currently available, in caliber .224 for 223 Rem/ 5.56 NATO cartridges, weighing 55 gr and 62 gr. These bullets intrigued us the most, and we conducted a small editorial test with them.

Sturdy box for 500 bullets caliber 224

From left Berry's bullet 55 gr, bullet 62 grand two cartridges with 62 gr bullet and OAL 57.40 mm

Weighing bullets on the digital automatic scale Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series Intellidropper

Berry's Bullets Caliber 223

For the test, we took a hundred bullets randomly selected from the packaging; they come in quite attractive and sturdy boxes of five hundred. The shape of the bullets is absolutely standard, tapering at the rear (boat tail) and having a cannelure. We measured and weighed the bullets in groups of ten. The diameter of 5.69 mm (according to CIP max 5.70) was common to all measured bullets. With a measuring instrument accurate to 0.01 mm, no deviation could be detected. The weight was similar. The heavier bullets each weighed 4.02 g, the lighter ones 3.57 g. It was basically impossible to sort or group them in any way.

The shooting test was first conducted by loading once-fired STV Czech-made cases with small rifle primers from S&B and several charges of Lovex D73.4 powder. The components were chosen with regard to the preferences of Czech reloaders and, let's say, with an economic view on such assembled cartridges. Berry's bullets are generally found in the lower price range for 223 Rem cartridges. Seating or crimping the bullets resulted in a length just below the groove at the maximum standardized overall length (OAL) of 57.40 mm. These assembled cartridges functioned without problems in various magazines in three different rifles.

We tested the accuracy of the cartridges with both bullets from a 16ʺ Mamba AR-15rifle (a rather premium brand) by Arms International Defense with a 1:8ʺ twist rate and a 223 Wylde chamber. The rifle was equipped with a variable scope. The test results were positively surprising. Basically, in all the tested loads (even with relatively small variations in the charges of a single powder), the results were satisfactory, sometimes achieving groups under 1 MOA. The dimensions of the typical group sizes at 100 meters were around 25 x 35 mm. The heavier bullets performed slightly better in this rifle, but the lighter ones were more than sufficient for regular shooting. The best-tested load was 24.5gr of D.73.4 powder, a 62 gr bullet, and an OAL of 57.40 mm (v5 = 900 m/s).

Spread of hits at 100 meters with cartridges loaded with 62 gr bullets

In conclusion

It remains to thank the Jindřichův Hradec store Přebíjení Štrobl for providing the samples and to praise Berry's bullets. For 3.30–4.20 CZK (depending on weight and packaging), these bullets are not only an economical but also a high-quality choice for shooting at short to medium distances.

Photo sources: Author's archive

Article author: Marek BAKO

The article originally appeared in the magazine Střelecká revue, May 2024

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Berry's rifle bullets

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