I am planning on buying some bergers and work up a load for my Sako 270WSM and was wondering if the Berger are all they are cracked up to be? The bullet will be used for hunting whitetail in Okla. Our deer size runs from about 80 pound does up to 200 lbs. bucks. And that is on the large size. Usually they are 120 lbs. to 160lbs. I want a bullet that if a deer steps out at 50 yards it will put him or her down but also if the same animal steps out at 600 it will do the same.
I plan on using the 150 grainers so it will buck the wind at longer ranges. It has a 1 in 11 twist.
Hey Dust,
I too shoot a .270 and used the 140 gr bergers last fall on whitetails up here in Manitoba Canada, we have some pretty big deer up here and all 3 that I shot last fall with the 140 gr bergers were dead as dead could be.
The Doe I shot was about 120-130 lbs....she was a big ole fat doe for sure, the shot was within 40 yards through both shoulders and she stumbled 10 yards to her death.
The buck I shot was a smaller 4x4, probably about 130 lbs, a buddy of mine's brother in law shot it in the rear right leg about 6" above it's foot, so it had to be put down. The first 140 gr'er (85 yard shot) was a high double lung shot....he knew he was in trouble, and so did I, but as it was the first deer I had shot with the new VLD's, I'd figure I'd learn a little something about their terminal performance, so I pinned his shoulders at about 90 yards....that ended him instantly, and darn near tore the off side shoulder clean through
!
The third was a smaller (75 lb) yearling doe, it was a 340ish yard shot, again another double lung, she ran 60 yards and expired before I could put another in her!
Go with Brian's advice and buy up some 140's and get a load developed, then have fun gun)the heck outta some whitetails!
Forgot to mention....I was out doing some long distance testing last month and found 600 yard shots to be very very very easy usuing the VLD bullet design...with some practice, I see no discernable issues with trying a 600 yard shot on Deer sized game!