7mm Elk Bullets- Berger Alternates

[CNY Yote Hunter]

I've switched to Barnes and have had great results. I had a few bad experiences with Berger, not in the accuracy department but in the impact department. Could have been a bad batch, could have been many of other possibilities but ultimately bad results and on a few occasions was enough for me. Barnes have held together perfectly and pedaled perfectly on multiple animals and DRT results enough times to make me switch. That being said I have recently started to try Sierra GK HPBT and have been very impressed with them as well. My opinion, Sierras will hold accuracy further out than the Barnes in my rig. The Barnes hold together the best I've seen yet and fly plenty accurate for all my hunting needs. Shoot well and best of luck!!

 

[Jack Sherwood]

Looking for all the berger traits( quality, heavier (175-195 range), higher BC) but not bergers. I just can't get over "2-3 inch penetration, then rapid expansion". I'm looking for something that keeps most of its weight.

Only thing I know of for long-range is ABLR's, but I'm becoming less than impressed with Nosler's consistency lately. What other options are there?

Barnes LRX

 

[DMULE]

Looking for all the berger traits( quality, heavier (175-195 range), higher BC) but not bergers. I just can't get over "2-3 inch penetration, then rapid expansion". I'm looking for something that keeps most of its weight.

Only thing I know of for long-range is ABLR's, but I'm becoming less than impressed with Nosler's consistency lately. What other options are there?

Consider older bonded Hornady i believe Interbonds. Amazing penitration.

 

[cajun]

There just is no free lunch when it comes to bullet performance. A bullet that retains most of it's weight will penetrate well and give an exit but it's not going to do as much damage and the critter will live longer run farther. If you hit a non vital area with those your sol. Not something you hear folks talk about but it happens. The Nosler accubond is probably the best example of the middle ground. The 160 in 7mm has killed tons of critters.

 

[Hunt-wyo]

I've switched to Barnes and have had great results. I had a few bad experiences with Berger, not in the accuracy department but in the impact department. Could have been a bad batch, could have been many of other possibilities but ultimately bad results and on a few occasions was enough for me. Barnes have held together perfectly and pedaled perfectly on multiple animals and DRT results enough times to make me switch. That being said I have recently started to try Sierra GK HPBT and have been very impressed with them as well. My opinion, Sierras will hold accuracy further out than the Barnes in my rig. The Barnes hold together the best I've seen yet and fly plenty accurate for all my hunting needs. Shoot well and best of luck!!

I have also moved away from bergers for hunting. I have had a handful of bad experiences with terminal performance on hunts. Trimming the meplat does seem to help them open, but I lost confidence in them a while back.

I have had really good luck with the eld-x. Not all rifles like them but I trust them to do the job when they get there. At higher velocities the core usually separates from the jacket. Had great luck with every animal I have seen **** with them so far.

 

[VinceMule]

Two friends went to Africa for their six Plains game each. They carried 27" & 28" custom 7 Mags. Their load was the 162 SST at 3150 fps using Retumbo and Fed 215's. They killed their combined 12 animals including Kudu and Eland, one shot each, dead in their tracks. The PH was extremely impressed and wrote an article about their rifle and loads.

For deer, I have killed a lot of deer with the 154g SST with a Muzzle Velocity between 3150-3250 in 26", 9T. The 154 sst is very, very effective and accurate, and it likes to be seated close to the lands vs book length.

My family has killed 7 Bulls with the old timmey Hornady 154 Interlock flat base in 7 Mags using IMR 4350 or R#25, and the last one was at 550 yards.

With all brands bullets I shoot, I sort them by ogive length, including bergers, noslers, and sierra's.

My brother and I worked up loads for the Nosler long range accubonds in our 7 Mags, sorting by ogive length, and seating the 175's to within .003 of "touch" of the lands, brother they shoot tiny groups with R#22(2850 fps, CCI 250)and R#26(3050 fps, CCI 250). 150g LRAB I could not get to group in the 7 Mag nor 7 STW, but brother got them to shoot well in one barrel jumping them over .200"....they blow up a deer, with good penetration.

If you do not sort the LRAB and other brands of bullets by ogive length, you will get flyers

IN our 7 Mags, there is a load with R#26 with Winchester Mag primers that pushes the 150g Nosler ballistic tip and 154g Hornady's at 3250 with a SD less than 10 fps. Most would ignore the 150g Nosler ballistic tip for elk but it proved to be an excellent killer.

 

[FEENIX]

What's your concern / issue with 2-3 inch penetration, then rapid expansion" specifically? Have you had failures? Just trying to understand what is the problem you are trying to solve for.

I, too, am not sure if he had any failures, but the OP noted,

Looking for all the berger traits( quality, heavier (175-195 range), higher BC) but not bergers. I just can't get over "2-3 inch penetration, then rapid expansion". I'm looking for something that keeps most of its weight.

If the OP is after the best bullet weight retention, fragmenting bullets or those designed to peel their petals are not the bullets he needs. What happens if it is a pass-through? Bullet weight retention is out the door. LL!

 

[340 in Va]

Consider older bonded Hornady i believe Interbonds. Amazing penitration.

I have shot the Interbonds from the time they came out. Shots from 10 to 650 yrds with no problems. Hornady stopped making them a few years back, but I have enough for hunting to last my lifetime.

 

[Hoggetter]

I am forced to use non-lead ammo in CA. They work good but not great. 50% of the animals need to be tracked. If you you like to follow blood trails these are your bullets.

When I hunt out of state then I use Berger bullets mostly and a few Hornady eld-m. Im getting to old to chase blood trails around and I like them animals to tip over where they were standing.

I shot alot of Nosler 160gr AB in the past and they are great for 0-500yds.
I did shoot a large hog at 1175 with the 175eld-x and he dropped in his tracks, but that was from not holding enough wind and the bullet drifted a few more inches and hit his neck spine.

Not sure about these uneducated or mis-educated shooters on Bergers, last year I wanted to shoot a cold bore shot at 400 yards out of state to conform zero, so I tape a 8" paper plate to a new but abounded 10" wood tele pole. One shot with Berger 180vldh hit the plate centered, went over to inspect and that 180vldh made a pass thru golf ball size hole thru the pole, Amazing. A couple days later I shot a bull elk just over 900 yards thru the front shoulder scapula with ease.

 

[hpmag308]

And at the end dead is dead

 

[dogz]

ABLR

I used this one (168) out of my 7 Mashburn Super to dynamite one of my last bulls.

Long and the short, it's really tough to find a bullet for the Big 7's that won't take out an elk with ease. Place a bullet into a good spot and good things will happen

 

[Bill Peet]

Looking for all the berger traits( quality, heavier (175-195 range), higher BC) but not bergers. I just can't get over "2-3 inch penetration, then rapid expansion". I'm looking for something that keeps most of its weight.

Only thing I know of for long-range is ABLR's, but I'm becoming less than impressed with Nosler's consistency lately. What other options are there?

Look at the Speer bullets. The Impact has high BC and its a bond bullet. Can see testing on you tub. They look interesting I just got some for my 6.5 creed 140 gr

 

[DMULE]

Consider older bonded Hornady i believe Interbonds. Amazing penitration.

Correction on a like. I wish no hunter on this fine forum move away from their bullet of choice in their personal hunting world!

 

[crkckr]

Ok, I get you seem to not be a Nosler fan but the one Nosler bullet that has performed consistently over the years for me is the Partition. Granted there are some rifles that simply don't like them. I've had rifles like that and sold them as quickly as I could. The Partition is a Gold Standard, one which all other bullets are compared to. They both expand and penetrate, often well beyond their expected limits. It's like going back to basics, where things actually work. They aren't fancy mono bullets with outrageous velocity. They just work. Assuming you can get them shoot from your rifle. If they do, you're in luck, if not you're out of luck! It's just the way the world turns. I don't think there's a better bullet out there. Some as good? Absolutely. But none better.
Cheers,
crkckr