to significantly increase usable capacity (for example, the 20-250, which has about 20% more usable capacity). The problem with that approach is that it also significantly increases recoil and barrel heating while monumentally decreasing useful barrel life. Hence, we are satisfied that the 5/35 is just about ideal in terms of performance-versus-costs.
For this reason, the only way to generate a worthwhile increase in performance using the 5mm bore is to use a bullet with a higher BC. Enter the new Sierra 20-caliber Blitz-Kings in 32- and 39-grain weights. Sierra did a fine job of combining an efficient shape with the proven plastic-tipped design. Its new bullets have worthwhile BC advantages over the fine Hornady offerings. The BC advantage of these Sierra bullets is about 10%, which means that when these are launched at the same velocity, the Sierra bullets will travel about 10% farther to deliver the same impact velocity. Hence explosive useful range is increased by about 10%, which is no small improvement. If the 32-grain Hornady V-Max will deliver explosive performance at 400 yards, then the 32-grain Sierra BK will do so at about 450 yards! (The above analysis is based upon the unproven but reasonable assumption that jacket thickness and core materials are reasonably similar.)
However, the issue is accuracy. While I had never been able to get the 32-grain Hornady to shoot as accurately as the 40-grain Hornady, when launched at top-end 5/35 velocities, I was able to achieve sufficient accuracy to assure hits to at least 400 yards when I did my job and when conditions were favorable. Hence, the 32-grain Hornady was my preference because it generated significantly less recoil and it shot flatter (recall the above-noted Nosler 40- and 55-grain, 22-caliber comparisons).