Recent content by tbentz

Thanks this is super helpful to me. I'm certain the bull died eventually, and clearly I do not know where. I tracked for two days as long as I could, never found a body, but with 7 elk in the bachelor herd, it's a lot of trying to figure out who went where. I lost a poorly shot cow to a barnes...

Thank you all, I really appreciate the advice and shared experience.

Yes the Hornady tip temp thing was what I have been telling myself since the first pencil... and why I'm hoping to hear some contradictory "i drill, and shoot in -5 degree temps and have shot 20 elk without any problems"

These are the VLD Hunts -- which are specifically for hunting. On berger's site they say they've thinned the metal at the tip to allow for better expansion.

I'm worried the problem is with the cold temps' effect on the secant ogive, thicker metal at the tip, etc. known issues with VLD Hunts, that are tipped over the "edge" by cold temp, and the stiffer metal. Maybe drill bit will help, but losing another elk is not worth finding out if drill bit vs...

I've now had two experiences in cold temps (around 5 degrees Fahrenheit) where I believe a Berger VLD Hunting bullet (7mm 180gr) appears to have penciled through an elk. First occasion: Last year, a mature cow through one shoulder, out the other armpit. I did recover this cow, and verified...

I wrote a python script that texts me if there is stock available and it has worked well. None of my "sign up to be notified" lists have worked anywhere.

what is trimming like on these cases? I use an le Wilson trimmer, wondering if there is a cartridge holder they stock that I should pick up for 7SS or if there won’t be a need to trim.

Well since I last posted asking about a gunsmith for the 7SS I was living in Utah, now I'm in Missoula and wondering about which smith I should look up in MT for my build? I just scored 10lbs of RL26 and 180gr 7mm Berger VLDH's delivered today! If anyone has recommendations I'd greatly...

I've got some H4350 I'd trade for some RL26 or H1000

Hi all, new to the forum. Was going to build a 7SAUM but convinced to go with 7SS after reading this whole thread. This will be my first custom rifle, and budget is pretty flexible. Do any of you have a recommended smith in the northern Utah/Southern Idaho areas for working with on this? Or...