Federal Premium Gold Medal Berger ammunition is specifically designed for competition and target shooters. Here's what makes this ammo special.
Competition shooters in the United States who need very aerodynamic bullets capable of delivering pinpoint accuracy at extended range have come to rely on Berger bullets. Well, Federal Premium specifically caters to these shooters with their Gold Medal Berger line of ammunition.
All Gold Medal Berger ammo choices feature some sort of Berger bullet. Depending on the cartridge, this ammunition from Federal Premium uses either the Berger Boat Tail Target (Berger BT Target), the Berger AR Hybrid Open Tip Match (Berger AR Hybrid OTM), the Berger Juggernaught Open Tip Match (Berger Juggernaught OTM), or the Berger Hybrid.
Along with the Sierra MatchKing, Berger bullets are extremely popular among the world's top competitive shooters and snipers. They're also one of the most popular bullets used by elite shooters in the civilian, military, and law enforcement communities. Like Federal says, they provide "less wind drift and surgical long-range accuracy."
Berger bullets are known for incredible accuracy in the right hands. At the same time, those bullets also have a high ballistic coefficient that makes them very aerodynamic. They have one of the flattest trajectories of all the bullet designs.
This is high end factory rifle ammunition that combines Berger bullets with Federal's proprietary delivery system (brass cases, powder, and primer) for consistent ballistics and muzzle velocities. Each load uses Gold Medal match primers and a specially formulated propellant loaded in Federal brass.
Federal claims that this ammunition is loaded to Federal Premium's tightest specifications and will deliver world class long range accuracy as well as minimal bullet drop and wind drift at extended range.
This might make all the difference in a Precision Rifle Series (PRS) competition where shooters need every edge over the competition they can get in each of those areas.
Federal Gold Medal Berger ammo is currently manufactured in .223 Remington, .224 Valkyrie, 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 Grendel, .308 Winchester, .300 Winchester Magnum, and .300 Norma Magnum.
Those offerings are available in a single bullet weight for each cartridge and this ammo is only available as centerfire rifle ammo, not as handgun or rimfire ammunition.
All of this ammunition is also reloadable and boxer primed, which makes it a good choice for world class competitors who want some high end factory ammo, but also handload.
Just as a quick aside, Federal Ammunition also manufactures a separate line of Gold Medal ammunition featuring Sierra MatchKing bullets for competition shooters with slightly different bullet preferences.
Note that, while Gold Medal Berger ammo does utilize hollow point bullets, this ammunition is not really built for hunting. Yes, some hunters have used Berger target bullets (as well as target bullets from other companies) with a lot of success on big game, these bullets are not the best choice for that sort of work.
Remember: Gold Medal Berger ammunition is designed for match grade accuracy on paper and steel targets, not for optimal terminal performance on big game. Luckily, there are lots of good choices using other bullet types from both Federal (the Edge TLR) and Berger (the Hybrid Hunter) that also offer exceptional accuracy and are at the same time much better suited for hunting big game.
I'd highly recommend using one of those options, or something like the Hornady Precision Hunter line of ammo, if you want the best possible mix of accuracy, outstanding extended range ballistics, and excellent terminal performance on big game.
At the same time, this Berger bullet style also contain lead, so the Gold Medal Berger line is not permitted for hunting in California under the state's local laws.
So, if you're looking for some great ammo for an upcoming Precision Rifle Series events (PRS match), then consider adding some Federal Gold Medal Berger loads to your wish list.
Note: It's often unavailable online, but if you're lucky, you can find it at places like Cabelas.com.
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