The 140gr 6.5mm Berger VLD's are the best hunting bullet out there. I was skeptical at first as well, but after 15 animals (buck deer, deer does, and antelope does) in the freezer over the last 4 years, I am a FIRM believer. I've shot large bucks, whitetail and mule deer, from 80 yards to 655 yards with them and all were recovered at the point of impact with high shoulder shots and within 50 yards on the heart shots. Lung shots they hump up and stand there, then you finish them off or wait til they drop. All vitals were turned into soup.
This last season I shot my mule deer buck at 409 yards using my 6.5 Rem Mag pushing the 140gr VLD at 3130 fps. I hit him 2 times in the lungs and he humped up and stood there basically dead on his feet. Took a third shot aiming for high shoulder area to get him on the ground and it looked like God dropped a 10 ton MAC dumptruck on him from the sky
So yes,
bullet placement is EVERYTHING and Berger VLD's are so accurate with a good barrel having the proper twist rate that they make your ability to place a round in the right spot that much easier. If you want to save every last bit of meat, take a heart or rear lung shot away from the shoulder. If you're worried about them running anywhere at all, aim dead center of the shoulder 6" below the spine. If you hit your mark with the shoulder shot, I'll guarantee they aren't going anywhere when the Berger VLD delivers it's payload
I get a lot of "pass throughs" with the VLD's at any distances I've shot game in the normal kill zone. I don't get pass thoughs on the high shoulder shots. To me a pass through is "lost energy". You want every foot pound of energy delivered to that animal's body if you want to really knock 'em down. The High BC's of the VLD's allow you to retain a LOT more of that energy as the bullets speeds towards it's mark for the needed knockdown power at long range.
My father in law has killed 2 bull elk with one shot using his 6.5-300 WSM and 140 gr Berger VLD's at 3180 fps. One at 544 yards, the other at 598 yards. Aimed high shoulder on both accounts and they hit the ground before they knew they were dead! And that's the God's honest truth!
I've tried just about every other bullet out there for hunting over the years and I will never use anything but Berger VLD's from here on out.
The one thing to remember is that the high shoulder shot is not a guaranteed kill if you miss your mark. You need to have a very accurate rifle and put in a lot of hours practicing at the distances you intend to shoot game. If your rifle will only shoot 3/4" to 1" groups at 100 yards, I wouldn't recommend risking that high shoulder shot past 250 yards when also taking into account the adrenaline factor and possibly a shaky field rifle rest. You need a rifle that shoots 1/2 MOA or better to ethically take the high shoulder shot at longer ranges IMO.
If you don't think your rifle or skills are up to the task, go for the kill zone at longer ranges. It's a safer bet
