Elk Hunt Bullet input

[drenner43]

I'm loading some shells for my 30-378 Wby Mag and my backup 300 win mag. I've got some 210 Berger Hunting VLD's and some 200 Accubonds. Will the bergers fit the bill for any range shot as close as 80-100 yards and then on up? Or are they likely to explode at that short range and I need to use the Accubond?

Thanks for the input

 

[Broz]

I personally have tested the 210 Berger Hunting VLD's on game at all distances. The closest was a small doe antelope at 60 yards fired from a 30-378 with a MV of 3050 fps. It was a complete pass through with a 2 t0 3" exit. The bull below in my signature was taken with a 30-378 with the 210 @ 250 yards. Center shoulder and both front shoulder broken, heart and lungs were jelly. Needless to say he never wondered away more than one or two steps. Last year both my wife and I took our elk with my 300 win and 210 bergers. Her cow was at 415 yards , my bull was at 803 yards in both cases we had complete pass throughs with the bullets. Shot placement with any bullet is the key to how fast they are dispatched. If the shot is offered I recommend going in from the crease behind the near shoulder and intersecting the far shoulder. If you get a 210 Berger into the vital are of an elk he is toast.
My list of taken game is very long with 210 Bergers. Deer, antelope, aoudad, elk, black bucks, black bear, yotes and on. I have never had a shot where I felt a bullet failed.

Hope this helps.

Jeff


Here is a rib cage pic from a large bull at 250 yards from the 30-38 with 210's. This is the exit side after the bullet passed through part of the near shoulder

 

[Tikkamike]

I have limited experience with bergers but results I have seen are much different from those of Broz. My experience is with 168 VLD in a 7mm and 140's in a 6.5 the 140's blew up on deer and antelope shoulders and ribs a large portion of the time. and I was the 168's in 7mm do pretty poorly on cow elk... I know people use them and may like them... one guys opinion of a bullet failure could also be a sucess in another guys eyes.. so it is all relative. I prefer a bullet with weight retention especially for elk. so I would go with the accubond.. its a very safe bet. but you kind of have to play with them and decide what you like.

 

[Broz]

Mike, I have not had a problem with the 168's from a 7mm but will admit I tend to go with bigger rifles so my experience with 168's are fewer,, like on elk, 5 that I can hink of, and all were good. Like you say in your sig " Anything less than Overkill is an underachievment" 140's I have no experience with at all. But back to the OP and his question specifically about 210's and Elk, I have used them for years with no problems at all in a few different chamberings and see more than one elk killer with them every year.

Jeff

 

[Tikkamike]

I would have no reserves about using the 300 berger in my 338 LM because It is going to do the same thang as the 300SMK's that I shoot I am pretty sure. So I think I can agree probably that with the bigger guns you get to a point where your projectile is so big that even if it comes apart like a v max you still have a bunch of weight that has to be stopped so it will inevitable do some severe damage.. You kind of have me wanting to buy a box of 210's to try in my 300 ultra now...

 

[Broz]

Mike, I would use what shoots best in your rifle. I really like accubonds too but had 2 differences where tips broke off. One in the magazine and one in the back pack. That was a few years ago, maybe they have fixed this issue but I tend to stay away from plastic tips for this reason. Even the toughest bonded , tipped , hollow pointed , partitioned, coated heat seeking, fur seeking projectile is only as good as it's placement.

But FWIW, I got a complete pass through with the 210 from my 300 win @ 2995 mv on my bull @ 803 yards with a good 2 to 3" exit in the rib cage area.

Jeff

 

[Tikkamike]

I have only had my 300 ultra a few months and have only messed with the 200grain LRX it shoots good but I am not commited to the load yet so if I am gonna mess with something else now is the time before I get attached to something

 

[Falcon]

I read somewhere recently that per Berger, The VLDs tend to penetrate 2-3" then expand violently and is why they recommend ribshots, not heavy bone busting with these bullets.

...and sure enough, that was my experience last year when I shot a cow elk at 175 yds with 7mm 180 Berger VLD in the left (quartering towards)shoulder. The bullet hit the bone and separated, about a third of it traveled between the hide and ribcage down the left side. The main portion did it's job and punched through the bone,traveled through the vitals and with the wound channel stopping just inside the opposite shoulder. Although it stopped the elk and only went 20' or so, the bullet disintegrated into almost a fine powder. Looked like fine dust all throughout the wound channel, couldn't find any solid remnants of the bullet other than tiny shards of jacket material that were lodged between the hide/ribcage.

 

[Tikkamike]

I read somewhere recently that per Berger, The VLDs tend to penetrate 2-3" then expand violently and is why they recommend ribshots, not heavy bone busting with these bullets.

...and sure enough, that was my experience last year when I shot a cow elk at 175 yds with 7mm 180 Berger VLD in the left (quartering towards)shoulder. The bullet hit the bone and separated, about a third of it traveled between the hide and ribcage down the left side. The main portion did it's job and punched through the bone,traveled through the vitals and with the wound channel stopping just inside the opposite shoulder. Although it stopped the elk and only went 20' or so, the bullet disintegrated into almost a fine powder. Looked like fine dust all throughout the wound channel, couldn't find any solid remnants of the bullet other than tiny shards of jacket material that were lodged between the hide/ribcage.

This is my problem with berger. What if the only shot you have on a monster bull is a running away butt shot? are you going to be able to bust a hip bone with a berger? that is my question! and bullets blowing up in shoulders is a huge problem in my eyes. One thing that I keep in mind is something my dad told me years ago. He said when he was an EMT on the ambulance and got a a crash scene it was always harder to save someone with 2 holes in them than it was someone with 1 hole. Point being I want my bullets to go all the way through.

 

[Franklin]

You would really shoot a bull in the *** goin away from you?

 

[Tikkamike]

You would really shoot a bull in the *** goin away from you?

Heck ya I would if that was the only shot I had before he disappeared.

 

[Magnumitis]

You would really shoot a bull in the *** goin away from you?

Would you honestly let a monster bull walk?

 

[rooster740]

Texass Heart shot boys!

 

[Tikkamike]

Break bones.. forget heart shots