berger?

[mrbigtexan]

does anyone use berger bullets? i have never tried a hollow point on deer but they do on the best of the west and they get great results. they highly recommend them.

[BBF]

yep and making consistent hits at 800+ yards.  Big hype IMO
Now if you would be using Sierra's 165 gr HPBT*, not the slickest shaped bullet out there but it is constructed as a hunting bullet.


* B.C.  .363

[JRSpicer426]

Berger offers Match grade vds and Hunting grade bullets in VLD. There are alot of raves about hunting performance on game. No worries.

[pjeffreys]

JRSpicer, last year i loaded some 140 gr. berger vlds for my 7mm rem mag. i got great accuracy from them and wanted to try them on game. i took the new loads hunting at the end of last years deer season. a nice 8 point came out at about 75 yards. i aimed behind the shoulder and shot. because it was late i lost sight of the deer. when i found him he was dead of course. i found the entrance hole just where it should be but there was no exit hole. while i was skinning him i examined the wound and found that the bullet had pretty much disintegrated. the heart and lungs were mush but the bullet was too. i think they would perform better for long distant shots but if you think you might have a close one, don't use them. needless to say, i no longer use them.

[Reed1911]

RSpicer, last year i loaded some 140 gr. berger vlds for my 7mm rem mag. i got great accuracy from them and wanted to try them on game. i took the new loads hunting at the end of last years deer season. a nice 8 point came out at about 75 yards.......was skinning him i examined the wound and found that the bullet had pretty much disintegrated. the heart and lungs were mush but the bullet was too.....

Um...a 7mm Mag at 75yds....bullet blew-up in the lungs and mushed them...

I really cannot find too much fault here. On the flip side, I have seen the Sierra MK bullets do far worse in fairly similar circumstances, and totally fail to penetrate the skin. Now, Sierra tells folks NOT to use the MK bullets for hunting due to this. The GK bullets which are designed for hunting do very well.

For those that don't know GK = Game King  MK = Match King

[spinafish]

I don't understand why an exit hole is so important..I have a friend at church who was complaining about needing a new bullet for his .45 caliber muzzleloader.  I asked what the problem was and he explained that he had shot two rather large does and neither bullet exited..how far did the deer go after being shot?  a couple of yards..okay two shots, two dead deer, neither went but acouple of yards, but no exit hole??  Seems to me the energy was absorbed where it should be and not on some hill side or in the side of a tree down range..Am I missing something?

[hillbill]

well i for one like a exit hole, if the deer doesnt go down right off its hard to track them in the thick stuff. i cant understand why a 45 rifle wouldnt go thru a deer unless it was a frontal shot. if it was a frontal shot then its true all the energy would be expended inside the animal and id expect the animal to go down pronto.otherwise i prefer a big hole for blood to leak out.

[GameHauler]

I don't understand why an exit hole is so important..I have a friend at church who was complaining about needing a new bullet for his .45 caliber muzzleloader.  I asked what the problem was and he explained that he had shot two rather large does and neither bullet exited..how far did the deer go after being shot?  a couple of yards..okay two shots, two dead deer, neither went but acouple of yards, but no exit hole??  Seems to me the energy was absorbed where it should be and not on some hill side or in the side of a tree down range..Am I missing something?

+1
That is what the Bergers do
and they are devastating.
Personally I would rather slam a critter to the ground
than follow a blood trail.
Were not talking Archery here

[BBF]

This is another matter of opinion which has people in two camps. Exit wounds, or the bullet stays inside. Six of one, half a dozend of the other.

[GameHauler]

This is another matter of opinion which has people in two camps. Exit wounds, or the bullet stays inside. Six of one, half a dozend of the other.

I agree 100% and would not try to have someone buy a ford if they want a chevy.
I have seen the affects of the Bergers to many times on Elk and Deer
to not have grown to love their performance.
I like walking ( OK most of the time climb )right to the critter to find it with Jello inside right where it was shot

They are best suited for longer range shots Like we have in the west
than close ranges.
If I was hunting thick close range shots I would pick a different bullet.

[hillbill]

anybody have a link to a cross section of a berger?id like to know why they wont penetrate a deer fully. thinner jacket or what? i like the transfer of energy thing, that will result in a dead animal pronto.however they sound just like a heavy varmint bullet.i just worry bout what would happen on a bad shot.ive only lost 1 deer in 25 yrs of hunting and it was from i think, useing a too lightly constructed bullet.which was basically a varmint bullet in my 06.yea i shud of known better!ii dont have any prob puttin one in the boiler room but i also load for my 14 yr old son who may actually be a better shot than me.but yu know how that buck fever thing is!

[Grumulkin]

This would be the exit wound on a pronghorn antelope taken at 292 yards with a Berger VLD out of a 300 Weatherby Magnum.

I did have a Berger VLD that didn't exit.  That was a 115 gr. VLD out of a 25/06 that hit a whitetail on the rear of the left leg; a small wound there was the only mark on that dead deer.

[spinafish]

anyone interested in Berger bullets should check out their web-site..interesting video there.www.bergerbullets.com

[mrbigtexan]

thanks guys, i think i might try some and see how they group before i decide to hunt with them.

[BBF]

before i decide to hunt with them.

Do you have problems now with whatever ammo you hunt with ?
Are you thinking of shooting at game well over 800 yards?

[hillbill]

jeez bet that goat was a mess to field dress. lol

[Skunk]

Holy!!! Oops, I mean holey. Really holey.