I know I dug this one out of the archives, but there is so little info out there on the 7mm Bullberry that I wanted to make sure it is accurate.
Ladobe wrote: "So, his 7mm Bullberry would just be his version of an improved 7X30 Waters, and I'll guess it differs from a "standard" 7X30 Waters Imp by having a different shoulder/taper."
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No, not quite -- and it must have rained the day that post was made as we NEVER see Ladobe slip up! (Had to pick on you, Ladobe, and did so out of respect as you truly are a walking cache of Contender knowledge and have freely shared it with those who share your passion for the single shots.)
Anyway, the 7mm Bullberry is the 7mm Int'l Rimmed (30-30 necked down to 7mm) with the unnecessarily long neck cut back to give a case length of 1.760 (trim length 1.75"). I've been shooting one in a 20 1/8th inch Contender carbine since the latter part of the 90s and love it.
It is superbly efficient, wonderfully accurate and generally comes within 50-75 fps of the Waters while burning a grain or two less powder to do so.
It is also mild enough in recoil that our twin boys, who are 8, used it this past season to take their first-ever bucks using the 120 grain Hornady SSP at around 2630 fps. They practiced much of the summer, studied whitetail anatomy till they knew every proper angle/presentation in their sleep and then made me quite happy as each executed perfect shot placement -- and from distances that most kids rarely shoot.(I am mobility-challenged and could not get them any closer, but we knew in advance approximately what the range would be and practiced during the long, hot summer months.)
That little barrel is responsible for dozens upon dozens of hogs, countless varmints and a few nice deer. To say it's a "keeper" would be quite the understatement.