Comparing the Berger 210 VLD to the 215 Hybrid

[Broz]

Broz:
I'm looking forward to building up a round for my 300 RUM, and am grateful to you and the other fellows who have made this such a great and informative post. !

Remember that all the close shots with my 300 win the expansion was large. But all the entrances in the hide were .308". Like I have said a few times I like them past 500 or 600 yards btter but you cant have it all. If you exceed 3050 fps MV with your RUM, I would think itwill extend that a little. Just be aware if you are close shoot for the ribs so the shoulder meat will be saved.

Jeff

 

[captacademy]

I am having a rifle rebarreled now to a 7RM to shoot the 180 VLD's or Hyb and have a second thought to change it to a 300 WM, shooting 215's!

Jeff, those are some great animals and the shooting is spectacular!!! Thank you for sharing all that information on your hunts and the 215 Hby!

 

[Broz]

I am having a rifle rebarreled now to a 7RM to shoot the 180 VLD's or Hyb and have a second thought to change it to a 300 WM, shooting 215's!

Jeff, those are some great animals and the shooting is spectacular!!! Thank you for sharing all that information on your hunts and the 215 Hby!

Well I have played alot with the 7mm-300 win and I really like the chambering with a 180 Berger. I have friends shooting them and they love them. My buddies son (14) just took his Muley Buck at 907 yards with the 7mm-300 win. and a 180 Hybrid. Even after all the testng and shooting I had a hard time letting go of a 300 win for a 7mm. And I sure don't need both. But now with the 215 , it's velocity and .696 BC I feel I have a game hammer that is very usable on any large game animal to most distances within reason. The 215 Hybrid has truely gave my 300 win a boost and some new found performance.

Jeff

 

[AZShooter]

Jeff,

Thanks forthe detailed results with the 215 hybrid. I read last year's thread on the 230 OTMs. Now that you have seen both take quite a few animals can you say you have a preference for one over the other?

I can't make the call having not seen the results first hand, but it would appear that the 215 expands more aggressively than the 230 OTM.

Maybe next year's trials will be the 230 target hybrids? Would love to see that as I have a personal reason. My friend and I have the 230 targets setup in his 300 WSM and my 300 RUM for cow elk in Dec.
You get to shoot more animals than we do in several years of hunting. Thanks for your efforts.

Ross

 

[Broz]

Hi Ross, between the 215 and 230 I think it would come down to a personal hunting appliation. If most of my shots were going to be 500 and under where the velocity makes for large holes I would maybe opt for the 230. Again I am talking from the 300 win., but this applies to what ever rifle. I myself get some pretty long shots offered. So I look at the long range aspect and performance first. So the 215 shines with its added 200 fps and very high BC. Plus my rifle shoots them into very small holes. But if I could push the 230 to 3000 I would probably shoot them especially for LR elk. If I were hunting large bear like a brown or a griz where we would probably not shoot past 600 or so but may also shoot at 50 yards, I would opt for the 230 and look at a velocity load around 2750 like we get from the 300 win. Like many have seen, the velocity is the problem most of the time, and although we love it for long range, it is not the best for closer bullet performance. That goes for any bullet from any manufacturer. This is why you never see me loading those smaller for the caliber weight bullets. Like a 165 or 180 from a 300 magnum. That just does not make sense to me for a hunting rifle.
Watch BignGreen's thread " Guess the projectile" He has cut many more animals up than many of could in 10 lifetimes and he is just hitting his prime. I think if some hunters here pay attention there will be some valuable info on what bullets kill with less meat damage. And I doubt it will be the larger bullets.

As for the 230 Targets. Expect them to work alot like the 215's I am using now. The lower muzzle velocity will only make them better. Just use a little common sense when placing them if you can, and watch them fold up.

Hope that answers the questions.

Jeff

 

[AZShooter]

Thanks Broz,

Thanks for confirming. Don's 300 WSM is running the 230 gr target at 2700 (RL-17 is amazing) and my RUM at 2975. I also like the idea of the heaviest for cal hybrid.

Where is Bigngreen's thread? I read every reloading and rifles,bullets, barrels, and ballistics forums daily. Haven't seen it there.

 

[barnesuser28]

Thanks Broz,

Thanks for confirming. Don's 300 WSM is running the 230 gr target at 2700 (RL-17 is amazing) and my RUM at 2975. I also like the idea of the heaviest for cal hybrid.

Where is Bigngreen's thread? I read every reloading and rifles,bullets, barrels, and ballistics forums daily. Haven't seen it there.

Its under general discussions. http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f22/guess-projectile-101016/index5.html#post714739

 

[Broz]

Another elk DRT.... Well if you don't count it rolling down the hill like a sack of potatoes. My wife took this large cow today with my 300 win and a 215 Berger. She tucked it right behind the shoulder with the cow quartering away. One and done.

Distance 585 yards
impact velocity was 2397
energy was 2743 lbs

Didn't take pics inside as it was dark by the time I got it gutted. But it had a .308 entrance, mush for lungs and no exit.

Jeff

 

[trebark]

Congrats to your wife. That rifle of yours is quite a laser regardless of who is driving! I that a new stock on the rifle? I seem to remember it having a black stock.

 

[shortpants]

Way to go Mrs. Broz!!!! I never get sick of reading about your success keep em comin!!!

 

[Broz]

Congrats to your wife. That rifle of yours is quite a laser regardless of who is driving! I that a new stock on the rifle? I seem to remember it having a black stock.

Thanks guys!! This rifle has really got radar with the 215's. This makes 14 and 0 for big game kills with it this season.

The stock was always a mix of sage brush greens.

Jeff

 

[Tumbleweed]

Jeff, have you recovered jacket material from any of your animals?

 

[Broz]

Jeff, have you recovered jacket material from any of your animals?

Yes, the bull at 200 yards we got the back 1/2 of the jacket on the far side. It was an angle shot and we stuck a tape through the hole after skinning. 26" of penetration. There was about 1/2 of the jacket with boat tail and a few small pieces of lead. But I didn't dig much. It was about 3/4" in on the far shoulder meat just under the hide. So it passed through the far shoulder.

Jeff

 

[Tumbleweed]

Yes, the bull at 200 yards we got the back 1/2 of the jacket on the far side. It was an angle shot and we stuck a tape through the hole after skinning. 26" of penetration. There was about 1/2 of the jacket with boat tail and a few small pieces of lead. But I didn't dig much. It was about 3/4" in on the far shoulder meat just under the hide. So it passed through the far shoulder.

Jeff

I was just curious if you had found the tips and/or part of the ogive breaking off as I did. As I recall, someone on this forum did some testing into water and found that the tips were breaking off. I am not in the least concerned about what the tips do when hitting the animal because the bullet was just plain devastating regardless. It seems that the tip may not play a part in the terminal performace on the game being hunting (initiate expansion). On my son's 522 yard elk the bulk of the bullet followed the angle of the shot perfectly and destroyed vitals on a quartering away shot. The tip and some of the ogive wound up on the inside of the onside shoulder almost as if they bounced off of the rib cage. I guess the tip's job is to get the bullet to the target as efficiently as possible

Top piece in the photo is the tip, lower pieces are ogive.