Berger close up on game performance

[Stgraves260]

I'm going to make sure this doesn't start out the wrong way, so lets be clear, I shot an cow elk on Saturday from 200 yards with a berger bullet, she is very dead and died quickly. My family will enjoy the meat!

Now, the details: Im shooting a 7mm Mag with 180 Berger Hybrids at 2990 fps. I've shot 2 cow elk, 1 deer, 1 bear, and 1 antelope with this load but most those were 500+ yard shots. This shot was 200 yards broadside and I put it about 1/3 up and 4" behind the crease, perfect double lung. After the shot she immediately went behind a ridge out of sight and piled up about 100 yards out, furthest I've seen one go with this bullet. What really surprised me was there wasn't even a scratch on the offside ribcage from the bullet, it completely blew up inside the lungs, not sure how she even made it 100 yards. It was very cold and windy so I didn't stick around looing for fragments but I confirmed it liquidated the lungs. The bullet isn't near as explosive at longer range in my experience, but is this pretty normal for shots 300 yards and in?

 

[Stgraves260]

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My girlfriend shot this doe at 62 yards with my 260 Rem 140 grain Berger bullets. About a 7" Exit wound

 

[Creoleboy]

I came in a lil late but dont understand, the argument of berger bullet or nosler ballistic tip they are the same cup and core bullet, killed a lot of game with both but of same design, cup and draw....same, use a heavy to caliber bullet and you would be just fine.

 

[Indian7953]

Just back from Idaho mule deer hunt, with some actual results with Berger bullets. 7MM Rem mag, 168 grain Vld hunting bullets, running 2980 ft./s. One went through the right front leg, low through the chest And right through the left front leg, Breaking off both front legs. 350 yds. Same gun, same ammo, Entered behind right shoulder, through a rib, destroyed the spine exited chest cavity and lodged in left front shoulder just under the skin. 125 yds. Both of these were very large mule deer. That is pretty good bullet performance in my book.

 

[reeldawg]

I took the Eland in my aviator with 215 Berger from a 300 WM. I made a bad frontal shot, my fault. I put one in his shoulder, which didn't seem to have much effect. After what seemed like hours the P.H. and I got in front of the Eland. I put one where it needed to go. He dropped liked a ton of bricks, literally. The PHs with the group I was hunting with didn't like Berger's because they don't poke 2 holes. The want to have a blood trail on bigger animals.

Jay

 

[Pioneer500]

I'm going to make sure this doesn't start out the wrong way, so lets be clear, I shot an cow elk on Saturday from 200 yards with a berger bullet, she is very dead and died quickly. My family will enjoy the meat!

Now, the details: Im shooting a 7mm Mag with 180 Berger Hybrids at 2990 fps. I've shot 2 cow elk, 1 deer, 1 bear, and 1 antelope with this load but most those were 500+ yard shots. This shot was 200 yards broadside and I put it about 1/3 up and 4" behind the crease, perfect double lung. After the shot she immediately went behind a ridge out of sight and piled up about 100 yards out, furthest I've seen one go with this bullet. What really surprised me was there wasn't even a scratch on the offside ribcage from the bullet, it completely blew up inside the lungs, not sure how she even made it 100 yards. It was very cold and windy so I didn't stick around looing for fragments but I confirmed it liquidated the lungs. The bullet isn't near as explosive at longer range in my experience, but is this pretty normal for shots 300 yards and in?

I can't speak specifically to the bullet you are using. However, I have seen almost exactly the same thing with my 300 RUM using the 230 berger. That happened on a cow elk at just over 100 yards and on several deer. The deer did have significant blow out on the exit because they didn't have the body mass of the elk to take the load.

 

[MTLIVIN]

I got to put the same 180 hybrid @ 2990fps to the test again this weekend on a great MT mule deer. I had to setup quick as another hunter was about to bust him without knowing we were setup on this buck. The buck busted out on a run and a loud whistle stopped him at 300 yards for a quick muley lookback. I sent one perfect in the crease on the near side and hit the elbow on the off side disintegrating the elbow and remaining bullet. Buck went maybe 40 yards, tough bugger as his heart and lungs were gone. Unless the backbone was hit I don't see any bullet putting him down faster.

 

[Stgraves260]

I'm going to make sure this doesn't start out the wrong way, so lets be clear, I shot an cow elk on Saturday from 200 yards with a berger bullet, she is very dead and died quickly. My family will enjoy the meat!

Now, the details: Im shooting a 7mm Mag with 180 Berger Hybrids at 2990 fps. I've shot 2 cow elk, 1 deer, 1 bear, and 1 antelope with this load but most those were 500+ yard shots. This shot was 200 yards broadside and I put it about 1/3 up and 4" behind the crease, perfect double lung. After the shot she immediately went behind a ridge out of sight and piled up about 100 yards out, furthest I've seen one go with this bullet. What really surprised me was there wasn't even a scratch on the offside ribcage from the bullet, it completely blew up inside the lungs, not sure how she even made it 100 yards. It was very cold and windy so I didn't stick around looing for fragments but I confirmed it liquidated the lungs. The bullet isn't near as explosive at longer range in my experience, but is this pretty normal for shots 300 yards and in?

 

[Stgraves260]

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Well my GF shot this doe at 62 yards with my 260 Rem 140 grain Berger's.

 

[ZReed85]

215 Berger at 2920fps 300 win mag. Whitetail buck at 12 yards. Nice golf ball exit through shoulder.

 

[Stgraves260]

215 Berger at 2920fps 300 win mag. Whitetail buck at 12 yards. Nice golf ball exit through shoulder. View attachment 160002 View attachment 160003

Nice. I just would have thought a 300 win mag would leave a bigger hole than a 260 Rem. Nice buck.

 

[Stgraves260]

Nice. I just would have thought a 300 win mag would leave a bigger hole than a 260 Rem. Nice buck. I just measured my hand. The exit would is 1.5" wide by 7" long. That was my hand in the pic. I use this pic because a lot of people say Berger bullets don't expand at close range. I see you and I don't have that problem. Thanks for sharing your pic.