BMcKell
Well-Known Member
If anyone has any first hand experience with the terminal performance of Berger hunting bullets, could you please share? Mule deer and elk is mostly what I'm looking for. Thanks
Berger Hunting terminal performance
- Thread starter BMcKell
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drake4
Active Member
It has been excellent from my experience. I've been shooting them for 2 years now. I shot 2 elk last year, both under 75 yards and one shot kills.
I've shot probably 5-6 deer and a couple of antelope also out to 500 yards. Everything has been a one shot kill. They have been very impressive.
I've shot probably 5-6 deer and a couple of antelope also out to 500 yards. Everything has been a one shot kill. They have been very impressive.
guns_and_labs
Well-Known Member
Can you give some details, i.e., entry point, exit or not, meat damage, etc., please?
7mm rem mag sending 168vld @ 3025fps. Gut shot a muley about 750 yards away. It dropped with one hit. Massive damage, bullet didn't exit. Last season was the first time using them.
Check out the Best of the West show, they have taken a lot of game with various calibers and vlds. They actually had quite a few passthrough.
Check out the Best of the West show, they have taken a lot of game with various calibers and vlds. They actually had quite a few passthrough.
BMcKell
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the replies. I shoot the 180's from a 7stw and the 210's from a 300 ultra. I have seen the kill shots on BOTW and they are impressive. Anyone else with first hand experience?
I have shot only one medium size white tail doe last year with a 155 gr VLD from my 30X47 HBR at 2650 fps at 107 yards. The bullet entered the center of the front shoulder and exited the center of the off side shoulder. The deer took off like it had not been hit and was found about 40 yards away. The exit hole was big enough to drop a base ball into. When I got to the spot the deer was standing when I shot it you could see blood and lung pieces scattered for 5 yards all over the bushes and ground on the off side. When I skinned the deer out what was left of it's vitals was mush. I will never understand how an animal can take such a destructive hit and still run off 40 yards. But again I did for the first time ever in over 150 deer I have take with a 25-06 Rem have a medium size doe git up off the ground and run off about 40 yards. It was hit in the center of the front shoulder with a 117 Sierra Pro Hunter at 3150 fps at the same crossing that the above deer was shot at. It dropped like a ton of brick fell on it like they uselly do, but then it jumped up and took off. I think these deer were taking tough pills or something last year.
HRstretch
Well-Known Member
I shot a 255# hog about a month ago with a 140 grn berger from my 7 mm STW. Shot him at 40 yards at night. When we went to load him there was just a drop of blood and no exit wound. When we skinned it out it appears that the bullet went in about an inch and then about took his neck bone completly out. As said there was no exit wound but it was DRT.
Also shot a 80# pig at 60 yards that was looking at me up in a tripod. Berger 140 grn bullet entered top of head between its eyes and nose and exited out the throat. It looked like a grenade went of inside his neck and opened up the throat from its chest to the bottom of the jaw, a massive exit wound. Still waiting to shoot something further away to see what the terminal velocity will do, time will tell.
Jury is still out for me, but both animals died in their tracks. I usually use 140 grn Accubonds that drop animals in their tracks as well.
Also shot a 80# pig at 60 yards that was looking at me up in a tripod. Berger 140 grn bullet entered top of head between its eyes and nose and exited out the throat. It looked like a grenade went of inside his neck and opened up the throat from its chest to the bottom of the jaw, a massive exit wound. Still waiting to shoot something further away to see what the terminal velocity will do, time will tell.
Jury is still out for me, but both animals died in their tracks. I usually use 140 grn Accubonds that drop animals in their tracks as well.
NZ Longranger
Well-Known Member
I posted this in another thread recently, but it answers your question and is backed up with a lot of actual experiences in the field.
I've shot hundreds of game animals (in excess of 500 now) with the 7mm 180 Bergers at muzzle velocities of 3200 fps up to 3460 fps, at ranges out to 1425 yards. Until recent testing of the Wildcat alloy tip 338 projectiles that are now no longer available, the Bergers have been the best killing longrange projectile available. I'm talking 180gn moly bergers from a large order I made maybe 10 years ago that I'm still using, so with the original jacket thickness.
This is on Sika and Red deer, and Himalayan Tahr and Chamois. These game animals run from Whitail size up to almost Elk size for comparison.
The 180 Berger has consistently expanded at ranges over 1000 yards and nothing else I've tried has. (Other than unavailable Wildcats) I have yet to have a failure up close with them either, but haven't had to use them on a bad angle on a big animal yet, I use mainly AB's for that application.
I was pleased they held together at 3460fps, but have had no problems at all and grouping superbly. This is out of a 9" twist 30" Lilja. The G1 BC (not that we should be talking these anymore!) averaged .74 to 1000 yards. Run those numbers, pretty impressive ballistics!
I have some 189 Caut's to try in some Broughton 8" twist canted lands that don't like the Bergers as much, but haven't shot them at longrange yet. These Broughton's love the 200gn Wildcats accuracy wise, but ballistically the 180gn Berger's way faster velocity is better out of my barrels.
Greg
I've shot hundreds of game animals (in excess of 500 now) with the 7mm 180 Bergers at muzzle velocities of 3200 fps up to 3460 fps, at ranges out to 1425 yards. Until recent testing of the Wildcat alloy tip 338 projectiles that are now no longer available, the Bergers have been the best killing longrange projectile available. I'm talking 180gn moly bergers from a large order I made maybe 10 years ago that I'm still using, so with the original jacket thickness.
This is on Sika and Red deer, and Himalayan Tahr and Chamois. These game animals run from Whitail size up to almost Elk size for comparison.
The 180 Berger has consistently expanded at ranges over 1000 yards and nothing else I've tried has. (Other than unavailable Wildcats) I have yet to have a failure up close with them either, but haven't had to use them on a bad angle on a big animal yet, I use mainly AB's for that application.
I was pleased they held together at 3460fps, but have had no problems at all and grouping superbly. This is out of a 9" twist 30" Lilja. The G1 BC (not that we should be talking these anymore!) averaged .74 to 1000 yards. Run those numbers, pretty impressive ballistics!
I have some 189 Caut's to try in some Broughton 8" twist canted lands that don't like the Bergers as much, but haven't shot them at longrange yet. These Broughton's love the 200gn Wildcats accuracy wise, but ballistically the 180gn Berger's way faster velocity is better out of my barrels.
Greg
