Berger close up on game performance

[Bang4theBuck]

Personally, I feel that bullet performance is judged differently by different people, and you have to decide what constitutes good performance for your scenario. For me, and my experience (12 animals, including those of friends I was with), I prefer for the bullet to deposit all of its energy into the chest of the animal that I'm after. An exit wound, while convenient for easy blood tracking constitutes energy wasted. If I intended to shoot long ways through an elk, or an elephant, I would want a bullet that holds together and goes through as many bones, vitals, non-vitals, nerves, arteries, etc as possible. I dont intend to take that shot. Bullets that dump energy inside the chest cavity mess up things that the bullet never came in contact with, via the hydraulic effect.....that is what I call value added! I may eat these words someday if I happen to have to eat a tag for not having a bonded bullet and not taking a facing shot, or hit a major bone structure unintentionally. There is no perfect bullet, we should only be comparing bullets against what they were designed to do, the evidence of that or lack is apparent when you dress your animal. If an elk runs 250 yards, without any lungs.....all you can do is admire their resilience....

 

[SnowbirdUT]

In the last 5 years I've shot lots of game, mostly elk and some antelope withe Burgers. Most were similar dead in a few feet with hammered chest contents except recent large bull at 409y with 300gr hybrid out of 338AI at 2990. Both hits were significant entry wounds with essentially very little damage within the chest! The 300 elites out of a 338 RUM were
Very dependable. That and they new 156gr 6.5 and 195gr 7mm have been amazing!

Where do you get your 338 AI brass? Do you make it from regular 338 LM brass? Who chambered your rifle? Do you know who made the reamer to chamber your rifle? What is the length of your barrel? How much powder and what weight charge do you use to achieve 2990 fps?

I have 2 338 LM's. I shoot 300 Gr Berger Tactical Elite Bullets (I think that is what they are called. Highest G7 BC they make). I cannot get a muzzle velocity greater that 2750 to 2800 fps. The 300 Gr burgers perform well but do not outperform my 300 RUM with 230 gr Berger Hybrid targets. I get 3005 fps with Retumbo (don't remember the weight of the powder and am away from my office at the moment). It I can get 2990 fps with a 300 gr bullet from a 338 AI, that bullet should out perform the 230 gr berger at longer distances (e.g. 1 mile).

 

[5gauss]

Double lung= dead elk but they can and will go some distance. oxygen supply to the brain shuts off in 5-15 seconds usually...tough animals...deer ....not so tough

 

[Bob Wright]

I've hit antelope, deer and elk with Bergers. All except one had good hits, my fault. The bullet was 180 grain 7mm Vld hunting. 3 good hits were DRT. I feel that if I tried to break down a shoulder on the entrance side it would be a wounded animal due to the bullet fragmentation.
Rib bones initiated the explosive fragging into the chest cavity and no exits at 125, and 300 yard shots. 1 deer at 40 yards did leave a 2" exit with a 168 VLD hunting.
I'd prefer a tougher bullet and I did switch, but I must say, the Bergers did bring them down. I just didn't want to rely on only broadside shots to get the performance out of the Bergers. The animals don't cooperate that way all the time.

 

[SnowbirdUT]

Has anyone used either accidentally or on purpose Berger hunting bullets as they are meant to be tougher than the hunting bullets and what results did you achieve?

I assume that you mean "Accidentally used Berger Target bullets instead of Berger Hunting bullets"?

If so, yes. I use 230 gr Berger Hybrid target bullets in my 300 RUM on deer, elk and antelope. Kills them all. Longest kill shot was around 850 yards.

I shot an antelope doe a month ago at 790 yards and the bullet passed through (died right there). My daughter shot a little buck deer with the same round 2 years ago at 280 yards. The bullet passed through but we found pieces of his lungs on the ground. He ran downhill 10 yards and crashed. Have not seen a 230 gr target bullet exit an elk.

 

[MTLIVIN]

Thanks for all the real world feedback guys. Like I said, this isn't a complaint from me at all, I know what the expected terminal performance of Bergers is. This one just surprised me at that lack of penetration distance is all. I now know if I see a bull elk quartered away from me at 100 yards to cold closer to the shoulder that I would with a 200 grain accubond (which I'm a big fan of). Its all a learning game, and I'm still gonna shoot these 180 hybrids. I hammered a black bear this spring at 850 yards and he just straight collapsed, I just don't have the confidence to make a shot like that with any other bullets.

 

[Creoleboy]

I'm am no expert ,but for hunting looks like a bullet that would penetrate the animal would be better, seems like the berger was made more for target shooting than a hunting round, especially in a animal the size of a elk. I would think a accubond or partition would be better on such a large animal.

 

[bassassassin104]

I've been present on multiple hunts where Berger's did a fine job of rapidly dispatching critters. Everything from coyotes to elk.
130 grain 6.5 hunting VLD's 3010 muzzle velocity. Multiple whitetail deer taken from 300-550 yards, no exit holes ever. All dead within 75 yards.
130 grain 6.5 Berger hunting VLD, 2850 muzzle velocity. Cow elk 150 yards, no exit. Coyote at 250, texas heart shot, no exit. Coyote at 150 yards huge exit wound. Multiple deer from 200-400 and no exit.
168 grain Berger Classic hunter 2550 FPS muzzle velocity. One cow elk taken at 125 yards. Shot behind the shoulder twice, made it 10 yards. Shots were both steep downward angle. No exit hole.
210 Hunting VLD 2900 FPS. (Not my rifle) Multiple deer and elk from 200-300 yards. DRT and Exits on all deer. No exits on elk that I can remember.

 

[livetohunt]

I had to finish off a cow elk this weekend after a slightly high shot. Was using 215 Berger hybrids. Performance of the bullet at the distance of about 10 feet for a very high neck/base of skull shot was surprisingly good.

The 470 yard high shot took off part of a rib and exited just clipping the spine. Exit hole was larger and my fist.

 

[Canhunter35]

If you crush the shoulder blade (which is not that hard), you usually hit the heart and the bone fragments do additional damage. Then they don't usually go far, 5 yards in my case

Be careful with shoulder shots on elk. I was just with a hunter who shot an elk on the point of the shoulder with 180gr federal trophy bonded bullet from a 30-06, never made it through the bone. Two miles later with no more than a drop of blood every 400-600yds I managed to find him lodged in some brush

 

[oldpilot]

Drew an Arizona Kiabab tag 3 years ago, 10 day hunt. The catch is non lead bullets or take the whole ungutted animal to a check station for inspection. (California Condor breeding station is in 12B) If you elected nonlead AZFGD supplied 1 box of ammo with Barnes bullets. We hunted for bucks 5 x 5 or larger, passing up a lot of nice bucks! We helped a number of other hunters by showing them bucks we weren't going to shoot. We watched 13 guys make good solid shots that put the deer on the ground but within a minute we're back on their feet and not recovered. 2 guys we helped made brain shots and their deer we're down and dead. The first of those fellas told us he was making a head shot so he didn't lose his meat. The lesson I learn was that from 223 to 338 Norma mag the result was loss of animal when using coppers.

 

[Cuz]

About a month ago I shot a 6x6 with a berger 7mm 180 grain hybrid. 490 yards through the lungs. Broke a rib going in and one going out. Exit hole about golf ball size. Have shot lots of muleys and whitetail with that bullet and was satisfied with the performance on the elk. Have also killed a lot of animals with barnes,still use them, they just don't have the range of the bergers.

 

[Gater]

I shot an elk black bear mule deer and an antelope all with a 7mm mag not one took another step the only one that took more than one shot was the Elk I shot a bull at about 250-300 yds first and second shot was right behind the front shoulder about a third of the way up he just stood there you could see his legs lock up heard the smack but didn't move third shot hit him in the spine then he went down the guys I hunt with are all residents of Wyoming and have a mayonnaise jar full of ivory's they where laughing their *** off when all was done they said if you would have waited a minute he would have went down. I have also saw what happens when you think he is done then runs a mile but in my opinion he is standing I am shooting the 7mm mag is a fast flat and decent hitting round the bad is your limited to bullet weights and types now that gun is a .300 mag more to choose from but that's my opinion

 

[jlw1974]

Had similar experience on Deer/Antelope with 308 on 175gr Berger Hybrids. Switched to 175gr Berger Hunting VLD and have experienced very good expansion with good exit wound and 'mushy' lungs. Its my go-to round for Antelope/Deer/Elk and possibly would give it a go with Moose within 250-yards.

If the bullet is going too fast blowing up without an exit wound, try a lighter powder charge that still maintains good groupings.