Berger Match Hybrid Target 215 gr for Hunting?

[257 STW]

Only game animal I have ever failed to recover, was a 6x6 bull shot with an old Barnes X from a 270 WBY. 80 yds right in the crease. Very little blood where he was standing. Looked for him for 2 solid days. Made me sick. Haven`t fired a Barnes since. Have never even had to track an animal since I started using Bergers many years ago. I have shot Deer, Elk, Goats, and Bears with them. Farthest one traveled was about 50 yds. 5x5 bull moving quickly with the herd. Never had a Berger pencil through. Not saying it can`t happen, just saying it hasn`t happened to me. My .02

I shoot Bergers in my 22-6mm Imp. 257 STW, 300 PRC, 300 RUM, 338 Edge

 

[loonie]

I have thousands of Berger's on my shelve but prefer accubonds and LRAB for hunting. I have 100 % confidence in them after switching from Berger's .

 

[Jakeweb09]

@loonie any of those Berger's for sale? Lol

 

[257 STW]

I have thousands of Berger's on my shelve but prefer accubonds and LRAB for hunting. I have 100 % confidence in them after switching from Berger's .

I have shot elk with the 200 gr Accubonds from my 300 RUM. They performed exactly how a bonded bullet should. No complaints. But I still prefer Berger performance on game. I think in the end we would all agree that we want our game to die as quickly, and humanely as possible, no matter which bullet we shoot.

 

[Teri Anne]

Have heard that this target bullet can be used for hunting and that some use it for elk. Have loaded for my 300 Win mag and they are accurate but Ive never shot an animal with them. My load leaves the muzzle at 2800 fps. I ve booked an aoudad hunt in early Feb and considering using them for it as ive heard they are tough. Shot distance expected to be 100-250 yds. Have any of you used this projectile for hunting and on what animal and distance? How did it do with respect to terminal performance?

There will be much discussion and a lot of teeth gnashing over this topic and a million different thoughts on this topic. I will simply say this, why would you risk a possible trophy of a lifetime on an unproven bullet type that has no known expansion pattern and actually is not designed to expand upon impact. Match bullets are designed to punch hole in paper, not big game. Bullet manufacturers spend millions of dollars on research to make sure that their hunting bullets perform on the intended target. I'm not going to make any friends here, but why would you take a chance on an unknown instead of a proven. There will also be dissenters as I say that modern hunting bullets are just as accurate as match bullets even at long range. The difference is that when a match bullet hits it's animal target what it does when it enters all depends on where it enters, what it does after it enters and is relying on a perfect shot to take out the heart/lungs before passing through the other side. What happens if the bullet is a bit high, a bit low or a bit forward or aft of the perfect point of impact? I am a reloader, have been for some 50 + Years. I have never loaded a match bullet for anything but punching paper simply because the terminal performance is unreliable. Yes the hunting bullet may cost twice or three times the price, but what they do when they hit the animal is much more predictable. Hunting is all about ethics and to my way of thinking, which is contrary to a lot of very vocal people here is to do the best thing possible to the game you are hunting which is a clean one shot kill. The chances of that happening with a bullet designed for the animal you are hunting are much better than your own idea of an experiment which is probably hit or miss. Think ethical, be ethical and don't risk a once in a lifetime shot because you experimented with the wrong bullet.

 

[Mad Minion]

@Teri Anne We can still be friends, lol. The only thing I disagree with on your statement is the Berger target bullets are not an unknown. Every hunting season there are numerous posts and pictures of pretty darn impressive terminal performance, that is undeniable data. Personally, I build around hunting bullets because they are just as accurate as targets, so why not, and have put down every Deer, Elk, and Goat I've shot with them. However, if it's all I had (target Bergers) I wouldn't hesitate to trust them, even on a hunt of a lifetime.

 

[sp6x6]

Broz That was on hear had probably by now 100's of documented harvests with said bullet, many elk

 

[257 STW]

Also a very predictable, consistent "Hunting" bullet.

 

[257 STW]

Broz That was on hear had probably by now 100's of documented harvests with said bullet, many elk

At least! I think I read a couple years back he had over 70 from the ranch he manages. Don't quote me.

 

[Teri Anne]

@Teri Anne We can still be friends, lol. The only thing I disagree with on your statement is the Berger target bullets are not an unknown. Every hunting season there are numerous posts and pictures of pretty darn impressive terminal performance, that is undeniable data. Personally, I build around hunting bullets because they are just as accurate as targets, so why not, and have put down every Deer, Elk, and Goat I've shot with them. However, if it's all I had (target Bergers) I wouldn't hesitate to trust them, even on a hunt of a lifetime.

Well, I have to agree, if that is all that I had it would most likely put meat on the table, but would not be my preferred method of doing it. I spent a long time in the Army and the Geneva convention calls for solid nose bullets as a humane bullet for combat use, no expansion so that the only way to, shall we say kill was for a heart/lung shot. Hollow point, even...hollow point match ammo was prohibited although some, shall we say non ethical countries did not follow the rules of war. My theory is to match the type bullet to the type shooting one is doing. You can't go wrong doing that.

 

[Vann Kirkland]

Oh and here's a coyote from 40 yards with that same load View attachment 323841

Wow! He never knew what hit him!

 

[Jakeweb09]

Wow! He never knew what hit him!

Impressive part is he ran 20 yards after that hit. He was chasing a group of does and 2 forkies, and I planned on shooting him around 100 yards. Missed my opportunity, and he popped up at 40. Hit him and he ran right at us and dropped 20 yards in front of us.

 

[snox801]

I dont have time to get them and develop a new load. My choices are 215 Berger hybrid, 180 Barnes TTSX or 180 Partition at this point.

Partitions they are still the gold standard and perfect for your distance

 

[snox801]

At least! I think I read a couple years back he had over 70 from the ranch he manages. Don't quote me.

Yes but for every one guide who swears by them I bet a dozen hate them. I would t say for elk seems more for African game with very tough skin. Again I like them for certain things but why even take a small chance. I'd rather track every animal for 100 yards if need be and find it than the one time it doesn't bang flop and I still paid for the animal with nothing to show.