Berger Bullets for Hunting - Yes or No?

[excaliber]

I'd use a bonded bullet at ranges from 0-400 yards. The Nosler Accubond would be my choice.

There is no major advantage to a higher BC bullet inside of 500 yards.

 

[Barrelnut]

I'd use a bonded bullet at ranges from 0-400 yards. The Nosler Accubond would be my choice.

There is no major advantage to a higher BC bullet inside of 500 yards.

I tend to agree with this. If you plan on shooting stuff inside of 100 yards at odd angles with some bone that could get in they way. I would just shoot the Accubond. It should work well at ~400 yards. I have shot several deer with them and they perform flawlessly. They tend to be very accurate bullets also. Don't have the Berger BC, but like Excaliber said, not important at the ranges you tend to shoot.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

I tend to agree with this. If you plan on shooting stuff inside of 100 yards at odd angles with some bone that could get in they way. I would just shoot the Accubond. It should work well at ~400 yards. I have shot several deer with them and they perform flawlessly. They tend to be very accurate bullets also. Don't have the Berger BC, but like Excaliber said, not important at the ranges you tend to shoot.

Barrelnut is correct. Shots under 500 yards bc is inconsequential in most modern cartridges. Give or take a couple of inches at most. A bullet that will hold together and drive home no matter the distance can't be beat. Our Hammer Bullets shot with proper spin for bullet length will always perform properly with no worries about full penetration. There also will not be undesirable meat damage caused by explosive bullet performance from a frangible bullet. Last thing you want is a large hole in the cape of your trophy of a lifetime. Our Hammer Bullets will handle your needs perfectly.

Steve

 

[Edd]

So you have that really special hunt that you have waited a long time to go on and you want to best make everything line up in your favor as best you can to take an animal home with you... do you use VLD's?

I wouldn't, I also wouldn't use anything with a plastic tip. In a 7mm Rem Mag. I would use a Nosler Partition.

 

[bigngreen]

I've shot one Berger or Matrix bullet for every filled tag for a lot of years running with is a decent amount of animals considering two elk, 2-7 deer and a couple antelope every year, the only bullets I've shot thus far I can say that about, some shot in bow range some 900+. Nice little hole in and wreckage in the middle, entrance holes mostly look like a little bruised spot and very, very low meat loss, main reason I keep shooting them though I'll be launching a few Hammers this season cause I'm equal opportunity and they meet my accuracy needs

 

[Bravo 4]

There is no major advantage to a higher BC bullet inside of 500 yards.

Sorry but I disagree; I questioned this so I ran the numbers for what one of my rifles would be capable of doing. Without changing anything but the projectile (250 grain Hornady's, SP and match) the difference at 500 yards with a 10 mph wind is basically double the deflection. For a trophy hunt of a lifetime I would be thinking worse case and shoot a projectile that would offer me the best for margin of error. If my rifle shot the Bergers well I wouldn't hesitate using them, unfortunately mine doesn't care for them.
I would try the new Hornady eld as well to see which shot better.

Edit: That is of course unless you meant the small difference at that range between the 160 accubond and the 168 Berger, and I took your comment totally out of context.

 

[Greyfox]

I have had exvellent success with Berger VLD's (and JLK's) in my 6.5-284 on deer and antelope from 50 to +1000 yards. Good expansion and instant kills. With my 300WM, while the 210VLD's were exceptionally accirate, I did not have such success on medium game over these ranges with bullets not expanding. This makes me cautious about using the "heavy", larger caliber VLD's on medium sized game.

 

[Waynzee]

If you're going to shoot out to 400 yards use Sierra 160 gr. Game Kings B.C. .472 between 2300 and 1800 fps that will get well beyond that range with a 7mm Mag. Guys have have been taking sheep, elk, bear and about everything else with that bullet for years.

 

[Full Curl]

Thanks for all the replies and great information everybody. My decision is really down to 168gr VLDs or 160 regular spitzer Accubonds as I have enough of both on hand to shoot all summer and hunt with. I've also done some load development with each so am already a head of the curve there a little. I can't find the AB LR 168s or the ELD-Xs in stock anywhere and I need to get going on selecting a load and then spending a couple months fine tuning it. No idea if the moment of truth will be at 75yds or 350yds. I need to be ready to do both on a RMBH sheep. I've killed numerous animals with the AB's and they have worked well, but after shooting the VLD's they are more accurate in my rifle than the AB's, but I've never hunted with them.

 

[Barrelnut]

Nothing is cut and dry the days. My opinion is that your shot will not be within 100 yards. Also, though I'm not a sheep hunter, I've heard that it is best to drop them where they are, otherwise they can run off a cliff on you and be extremely difficult to retrieve. Also wind might be an issue at altitude. The best thing to do is be absolutely sure of your shot and know you can put the bullet where it counts. Under those circumstances a Berger sounds ideal.

There is a fairly well accomplished sheep hunter from Alaska on here from there me to time. I wish he would chime in. He has actually had some Berger bullet failures on sheep! When I get some time I will look up some of his post and paste them in this thread for you.

The only thing I've killed with a Berger was a black bear at 200 yards with a 210 VLD. It flat dropped it where it was without excessive hide damage. Killed lots more stuff with the Accubond and Partitions though...

 

[Rogmay]

I switched to the 168 vld in 2008, shooting a Tikka 7mm, since then I've shot a mountain goat, full curl big horn, black bear, 2 six point bull elk, 6 cow elk, multiple antelope and deer and have never lost one! One bull was at 520yrds 2 shots, the other bull was 465, one shot. The only animal I wouldn't use it on again is a buffalo, watched my boy put 6 into the chest of that 1600lb beast! (would use a more solid bullet for that). Big horn was a 280yd shot quartering away and DRT! I did some testing today and that bullet put out the best results out of my Cooper on paper, I shot the 175 Nosler LRAB, Hornady 162 & 175 eld-x, Berger 168 & 180 vld's and the 180 hybrid. But first and foremost you need to find the bullet YOUR gun likes! Pretty much every one of those bullets will have no problem killing a big horn out to 500 yrds!

 

[maninthemaze]

I'll go ahead and admit... I have made a bad shot on an antelope with 168 Berger VLD's out of my 7wsm. I got into potion to shoot and the herd took off. I knew they would circle downwind and stop. When they stopped, the buck was broadside and I fired. I guess it hadn't set the bipod correctly. Either way, the antelope ran about 50 yards and crashed. When I field dressed it, it had a small entry hole and a small exit hole from a piece of shrapnel. The bullet just exploded everything inside the animal. The bullets fragments shredded everything. I took the tenderloins out, because Wyoming law says I have to, but I wouldn't eat them. The we're covered with stomach contents, so I didn't want to risk it.

I guess my point is, I strongly believe that if I had been shooting an accubond, Sierra, or any other bullet that's desisned to "stay together, mass retention, huge exit hole" the antelope would have run farther and suffered more.

Since then, I have switched to the 180 Berger VLD. It seems to shoot better in my rifle. So, count me as a YES vote on a once in a lifetime hunt.

 

[excaliber]

That's merely speculation. Where did you hit it? The better built hunting bullet could just as likely knocked it down on the spot and you'd be enjoying the tenderloins instead of throwing them in the trash.

I guess my point is, I strongly believe that if I had been shooting an accubond, Sierra, or any other bullet that's desisned to "stay together, mass retention, huge exit hole" the antelope would have run farther and suffered more.

 

[Barrelnut]

Here's a well documented post about a dall sheep taken with a Berger 210 VLD.

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f92/alaskan-dall-sheep-210-berger-vld-60791/