Terminal performance on game for Berger 7mm 168 VLD...

[LVJ76]

All these reports makes me wonder if this is not really a meat eater round. I try to pack out as much meat as possible including heart, neck meat, flank meat, and complete quarters to include lower shanks. When people say vitals were jelly, does that include the edibles? Are the tenderloins always undamaged? Never care to waste any elk meat, deer aren't that special to me but I wouldn't choose to waste them either.

In my case the lungs were jellied and the heart was edible. Im not a fan of liver so I did not pay attention to it. The quarters were all good, did lose half of the ribs and wife wasn't too happy with that, but the other half made her forget after I grilled to a perfect crispy brown like she likes them. The tenderloins were intact.

If you hit the shoulder(s) for sure you will lose a lot of meat, but if you stay a bit behind it you'll be fine. This was my experience as with other soft bullets like the Hornady SST, same results.

Stay safe

 

[Bob Wright]

The caveat is, do not intentionally hit heavy bone with Berger VLD Hunting. They work best in the boiler room, neck, cranium or maybe scapula shots.
All the heavy bone shoulder shots, would be best left to bonded or copper solids. Placement is critical on every bullet out there. Some need some bone or heavy cape initiation to expand, some blow up without bone initiation. Rib bones aren't heavy in my book but enough for the Berger VLD Hunting to initiate and exit.
The 300 yard Antelope I shot in AZ, was a low chest shot into the lower lung lobes and top of heart. He circled once and dropped. The young bull elk (antlerless) with a 180 Berger VLD Hunting was a down angle, 125 yards into the left side neck/shoulder. Expected the exit behind off shoulder. It tracked right and fragged all the way back to the gut with out busting open entrails. He also did one circle and dropped. No exit.
No heavy bone obstructing these either.
You just need to be aware of bullet performance and I hope this helps out. Accuracy is widely accepted when you find your seating depth.
My 40 yard deer was still flawless too, as mentioned before.

 

[Skimbleshanks]

Keep em off bone and you are fine as far as meat waste goes. If you hit the heart you will lose it but you can aim a couple inches higher if you like eating heart. I do. Tenderloins have always been fine same with the liver. Basically dont hit what you want to eat and you will be fine.

 

[chindits]

Reassuring. Thanks