140gr Berger Elite Hunter issue. Anyone experience this?

[birddog 68]

6.5 Creedmoor 140gr Elite Hunter.

Upon retrieving, the first shot "penciled" clean through. I guess the bullet needed more speed to perform as above.

I don't think that speed was the problem.
I agree with this

need to make sure you check the tips. Bergers have very small openings in the end and some may have minor obstructions in the tip or even be closed off completely

I used Berger 140's from a 7-08 @ around 2750 fps for a few years and all deer were DRT from 50 to 250 yards. And then one day I took a frontal shot on a doe at about 70 yards and to my surprise she spun around and ran off. Barely any blood but followed her direction and found her much alive but unable to run. The bullet passed the whole way through and broke her back hip. It acted like a fmj with no expansion. I was unaware about the hollow point problem at the time and just switched back to the Nosler ballistic tip.

 

[Danny1030]

Same experience with this bullet in a 6.5 PRC with a MV of 3060fps. I shot three whitetail doe last year. All three were broadside and shot thru the front 1/3 of the rib cage (no shoulder). Shot distances were from 150yds to 450yds. All three had split diaphragms and stomachs accompanied with a nasty field dressing job. I have since moved to the 140 Hybrid Target for this season hoping that a little thicker jacket still does the job but eliminates the mess. I have shot Bergers for years in various sizes and weights. This bullet's terminal performance is not what I have grown accustomed to. For some reason, it appears to be a lot more explosive than any other Berger bullet I've shot. For what it's worth, the 140 Hyb Target achieved the same velocity and accuracy as the EH with zero changes to my original load.

 

[LRNut]

220 ELDX bullets do the same thing; I have shot 3 deer and one antelope with this bullet out of one of my 300 RUMs. One deer (150 yards) and antelope (325 yards) DRT. Last deer (410 yards) stumbled about 10 yards and died. The other deer (135 yards) ran 20 yards or so, but into thick cover.

What bothers me the most, and I don't see anyone addressing it, is the lack of a blood trail. If I hadn't found some lung material on a branch, I might have been convinced I missed the deer that ran 20 yards, although missing at 135 yards given I had a rest is a bit unrealistic.

I shot an antelope 155 yards away with a 300 gr Berger out of my .338 Edge. Complete pass through. Antelope ran 150 yards or so.