Disappointed with the Berger 156 grain EOL

[dennisinaz]

My buddy liked a bull elk 2 weeks ago with the 156 out of a PRC. took 2 shots. Neither bullet exited. One exploded, one looks picture perfect. Same distance both into chest cavity. They have been erratic for us. They were loaded as part of the rifle package.

 

[laker]

My buddy liked a bull elk 2 weeks ago with the 156 out of a PRC. took 2 shots. Neither bullet exited. One exploded, one looks picture perfect. Same distance both into chest cavity. They have been erratic for us. They were loaded as part of the rifle package.

Do you mean exploded on surface or in the chest cavity? If in chest cavity that would be the one that was picture perfect for what Berger wants them to do

 

[dennisinaz]

Exploded internally, the other bullet didn't. That's my point, you never know which bullet is going to be the one. You might get an exploder, you might get a non- expander.i think they have about a 10 fps performance window

 

[laker]

Exploded internally, the other bullet didn't. That's my point, you never know which bullet is going to be the one. You might get an exploder, you might get a non- expander.i think they have about a 10 fps performance window

I noticed the same on my select few animals I shot with them. Went back to the 140 vld. Building a 6.5 Sherman max now and have both 156 and 140s to try this time around but it will be tough to not go with the 140s

 

[Wedgy]

I noticed the same on my select few animals I shot with them. Went back to the 140 vld. Building a 6.5 Sherman max now and have both 156 and 140s to try this time around but it will be tough to not go with the 140s

Similar here, more exits with the 140's than the 156's

 

[dougduey]

I noticed the same on my select few animals I shot with them. Went back to the 140 vld. Building a 6.5 Sherman max now and have both 156 and 140s to try this time around but it will be tough to not go with the 140s

The 140 VLD seems to be a perfect storm in 6.5mm. Can't tell you why, but they just work really well.

 

[OG-danimal]

Happy holidays all you 156 lover/haters. It's been a year and I'm gonna go ahead and open up this can'a worms again. How'd the 2023 season go with this bullet??
Cheers

 

[richhymas]

I would say the 245 Berger is probably the 30 caliber equivalent.

If you really want to use one of these bullets hunting and you want to ensure expansion, you can clean the hollow point with a welding tip cleaner as well as prep the tip by squaring off the tip (uniform the meplat) and chamfer the follow point so it will expand.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I would say the 245 Berger is probably the 30 caliber equivalent.

If you really want to use one of these bullets hunting and you want to ensure expansion, you can clean the hollow point with a welding tip cleaner as well as prep the tip by squaring off the tip (uniform the meplat) and chamfer the follow point so it will expand.

This is fairly common advice here and I bought an appropriate size drill bit just for that purpose. However, since Berger now sells bullets marketed for "hunting"; don't you think that they should have eliminated this problem or cleared the tips before packaging? It seems odd to have to service a hunting bullet before you can use it.

 

[Bang4theBuck]

I hit him right behind the shoulders and it blew both lungs up and he was full of blood inside of him. The thing that bothers me though is that I hit no bones and that bullet was moving at 2860 fps so I fully expected a good exit wound with plenty of blood to be able to track him

Unfortunately, your expectations were misplaced. It sounds to me like the bullet performed as designed, as evidence of the lungs being totally destroyed. If anyone expects an animal to reliably drop in it's tracks, you need to take a shot that shuts down the central nervous system.

 

[Priley]

Unfortunately, your expectations were misplaced. It sounds to me like the bullet performed as designed, as evidence of the lungs being totally destroyed. If anyone expects an animal to reliably drop in it's tracks, you need to take a shot that shuts down the central nervous system.

Exactly!!

 

[Lou270]

Unfortunately, your expectations were misplaced. It sounds to me like the bullet performed as designed, as evidence of the lungs being totally destroyed. If anyone expects an animal to reliably drop in it's tracks, you need to take a shot that shuts down the central nervous system.

This! Berger bullets by their own design / philosophy are going to penetrate a few inches and fragment. If they stay together and penetrate/exit it is a "fail" by Berger's standard of dump the energy in the vitals not the landscape beyond. If you don't adhere to that philosphy and want exits/penetration there are many other bullet designs out there to satisfy you

Lou

 

[Phil Rizzo]

Anybody compared the 153.5 to the 156 on deer and elk?

 

[floyd kittrell]

My buddy liked a bull elk 2 weeks ago with the 156 out of a PRC. took 2 shots. Neither bullet exited. One exploded, one looks picture perfect. Same distance both into chest cavity. They have been erratic for us. They were loaded as part of the rifle package.

How far was the shot and speed at impact?