140gr Berger Elite Hunter issue. Anyone experience this?

WYODAN said:

Just 2 weeks ago shot doe antelope top of front shoulder 28 Nosler 195 Berger at 120 yards. Found pieces of bullet back by tenderloin when removing them. Have 2 different bull elk hit in front shoulder dead center and bullets never made chest cavity. Shoot them in ribs and down they go.

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This is what has kept me away from EH and more into HT and LRHT.

rjletraveler said:

Nosler partitions and Sierra game kings out of my 30-06 with similar placement have dropped nearly all my animals near to where they stood but have never punctured the gut cavity.

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If you shoot enough, weird things happen.(this thread, and your post, reminded me of the following ordeal)

Back about 30 years ago I took an easy shot on a meat doe. She was perfect broadside at about 150 yards and I had a good rest. Most importantly she was perfectly broadside. I could punch through and not destroy any shoulder meat or hit guts. A nice clean meat deer.

She was facing down hill at probably a 50-70 degree angle.(very steep ditch trail) I shot and she dropped out of sight into the ravine. The instant that I hit her blood trail I could smell stomach.
What the heck???

To wrap this up I had hit her perfect dead center in the ribs. Perfect double lung.(or should have been) Instead I had a hole in the diaphragm, liver, stomach, liver, diaphragm. This was a 140 gr Nosler Partition out of a 7mm Rem Mag cooking about 3107 avg.

All I can figure is that she had exhaled deeply and every thing inside of her had slid forward since she was standing radically downhill. Nosler Partitions are insane penetrators that always open.

Now, I am not sure about that JFK 90 degree turning bullet.

rjletraveler said:

I was truly shocked. There were no lungs to speak of. They had been entirely liquefied. No doubt about the internal shok created by the bullet. Just far more than I think I am looking for. Don't ever want to have that field dressing experience again.

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My nephew smacked a big buck about 35 years ago with a Federal Premium 180 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip out of a 30-06. He was about 40 Yards when he shot. There was about an 8" entrance hole, barely any lungs left at all and no exit. I think Nosler has since changed the integrity of their BT bullets compared to their first introduction.

Great info guys. Thank you. Thinking it performed as expected. Will definitely look into the heavier 156gr. as well as a thicker jacket / hybrid. Will still consider using it this next weekend on my cow hunt. Bigger body should be better equipped to deal with the impact perhaps? Again, thanks for the great info.

Here are my results; 140gr Berger Elite Hunter shooting 3050 fps.

Pronghorn doe 450 yds- Made a great shot right behind shoulder. Bullet exploded inside and made small 1/4" exit wound out of the bottom of here stomach. Lost meat due to bloodshot. Animal ran 200 yards and rolled over.

Bull elk 210 yards- Rushed shot, clipped the front shoulder on the rear side. Bullet exploded inside and edited out of the brisket. Almost no blood trail but body cavity was full of blood. Animal ran ~300 yards.

Mule deer buck 315 yards- quarteri
ng away shot. Bullet exited opposite front shoulder with a baseball sized hole. Much less internal shock damage. Clipper the top of his heart so animal ran 80 yards or so and died.