berger

[effendude]

Knew that stuff and thanks for the effort.

Used some of your recent information to test again TODAY. Berger disaster again. Some groups as high as 2.1MOA and all were horizontal, as usual, for all seating depths and velocities I have tested.

Hornady SST's did 3 round groups at .5 and .6's. I'm still not happy with that and going to try Sierra's. Gun will shoot A-Max and Scenar's under .5's. I want a hunting bullet so that's useless to me.

Try the Swift Sirocco and the Nosler Accubond. Nearly as high a bc as a Berger, devastating on game, and easier to make shoot well. Can't wait for the Berger Hybrid hunting bullets to come out!
Scott

 

[TheSnake]

Bergers Hunting VLDs shoot very good in every rifle I own. That's all I shoot for hunting for the last several years.

 

[Savage99]

i saw video of berger bullets...they penetrate few inches and than explode quite like a shrapnel...
the question is: can i have an exit hole on european deer of 200/350 lbs fired at 500/600 yards?
if deer doesn't drop on his tracks and goes in wood, we often need a dog to find it and with poor blood is not easy...thanks!

Your demands of a bullet are quite demanding. Your ranges are long which cuts impact velocity and makes bullet placement more difficult.

I shot a whitetail buck with the 155 VLD from my 30-06 at 280 yards. That was the only shot I got all season and when I spotted the buck in the open it was facing away. I did not consider the bullet up to a long penetration on a raking shot.

I waited for a broadside shot and got it. Lucky for me he did not run off before the shot.

For your demands you could do about the same as I did and wait for a shot or use a premium bullet.

 

[.260 james]

I have used the 130 gr. 6.5 mm hunting vld for antelope the past two seasons. It produces unbelievable damage to the vitals. I had on shot at 470 yds. that was not judged properly for wind and hit the liver area. The antelope stood still until I got a vital hit. Even hitting just one rib bone produce a lot of damage. A 200 yd shot right on the shoulder produced abit of damage to the onside, and made three exit holes out the far side. one in front of the shoulder and two behind it. There was nothing resembling organs infront of the diaphram. That goat went straight down.
My brother has had excellent results out of a .240 wthby, shooting 95 gr. vlds. This guns are famous for about a mile of leade and they still shoot good(.5 moa ) .He also uses a 180 gr. vld in a 7mm wthby accumark( also a mile of leade) and has had excellent results. dropped a cow elk DRT!!!!

I have had my best results jamming the bullets hard in the lands. He has no choice but to be way off the lands and gets the same results. If you keep adjusting your seating depth you will find a sweet spot. The results on game are well worth it.

 

[DRAGO1]

a friend of mine has recently mounted a Zeiss Diavari 3-12x 50 on his sauer 200 ,26" barrel and his Gunsmith has calibrated the gun on this charge: 162grs a-max, fed gm215match,64,5 grs of vithavuory n160, oal 84,8mm,saying he did not change it anymore. @100m the group is mm 15x 8 ( i can't post the picture) but the speed is only 2880 fps and if I think my 308w with a- max155 is traveling to 2890, it seems to me very powerless , especially since he plan on shooting 400/600 meters to the red deer. thanks for any advice .

 

[DRAGO1]

I had great luck with the 168gr Berger VLD in a 7mm Rem Mag using 67gr of RL22. Only traveling at about 2950 fps from a 24" 1 in 10" twist barrel with 5R rifling but with 66 gr of RL 22 my 3 shot group at 100 yards measured .178" CTC and with 67gr of RL22 the 3 shot group measured .133" CTC. Both just oblong one hole groups. Amazing accuracy.

in your opinion, may i try to use 66 or 68 grs of vithavuory n 170for berger 168vld that is exctly the next after rl 22 in burn rate chart?before buying powder finally in adequate quantity, i would like to make few tests without waste money, so a friend of mine gave me n170 , n160 and imr 4831 to reload 10 cartridges for each kind of them...thank you a lot

 

[.260 james]

Sure a "bummer" for me to read this praise. I just had a 260 AI built on a Remington Action with Krieger 8 twist Palma bbl. Built just for the 140 VLD and deer hunting. Won't shoot.

Below 2,600fps I get 1/2 MOA. From there to upwards of 2,950fps with 4831, 4831SC and Ramshot Hunter it's OVER 1 1/2 MOA. Tried all seating depths from just .002"off to out .100". It's a mess and after two months testing, I just gave up. Berger VLD's will not shoot in my bbl.

Started testing 140 SST's with good results and am waiting some 140 Sierra's. Just disappointed in my results and now bummed to read how good the bullet would have worked.

Give the 130 gr. bergers a try. same excellent performance as 140 s and maybe you will get the accuracy!!!! Just a thought

 

[CaptainMal]

That rifle is coming back to me this weekend. I will take the advice and try again.

Interesting but my newest project is just starting. Using a real heavy barrel with BOSS to put on a Model 70 action in 7MM Mag. Thanks for the 7MM Mag help also.

 

[lessdrop]

I gotta vote for the bergers too. They shoot great in my 18" bull in .223 (3/4 moa at 600 yds w/25 gr varget and 70 vlds.) All deer have dropped in their tracks. I usually use 55-60gr ballistic tips with the same results. No exit hole, all energy spent in animal, and all that is recovered is tiny shards of lead and brass. But after using the bergers for targets and verifying results on deer, I really ll ove em.
Before you start flaming me about 556/223 being too light, try it once. I don't recomend and rarely get a shot more than 200-250yds here in northern wi., but they are truly devastating within that range. Drop dead where they are shot.
Cant wait to try em in my new sav lrh in 6.5 creedmoor!
Hope you all have,
Lessdrop

 

[zcrackshot]

+1 on bergers from me. I have a 20" 260ai that'll shoot 130's and 140's into one ragged hole. I'm not sure why the other gentleman can't get his 260 to shoot them. I shoot Norma brass, fed 210m's, RL-17 and seat either one 10 thou off the lands. I shot a cow elk with a 130 at 454 yards this year with my creedmore, muzzle velocity was a mild 2805. Quartering away shot entered behind the near side shoulder and exited the front of the off side shoulder. The exit wound was about the size of a quarter was all, but the blood trail looked like she was leaking pretty bad. She trotted about 25 yards and stumbled to the ground. I've taken many animals both large and small with VLD's. My nephew took a cow moose with a single 140 from a 270 win, I've taken bull elk at over 650 yards with 168's in a 300 ultra improved (tejas), cow elk over 700 with 140's in a 6.5-284, many mule deer bucks at ranges from 250 on out with everything from 95 6mm's, 115 25's,140 270's, 155 30's, and the list goes on and on. 168's shot best for me in my 7 mag using 71 gr of retumbo and 70 gr of h1000. Velocities in the 3070 range and groups in the 0.2's. The only rifle I've never been able to get bergers to shoot very well in was a featherweight 7 wsm. I believe seating depth does make a difference with bergers but I think it depends somewhat on your chamber. Sorry to go on and on but I've shot a bunch of bergers and am a firm believer that they kill better than anything out there. I've tried them all and have both good and bad experiences to share but bergers are the ONLY bullet that have never let me down, even when I've made a poor shot.

 

[deerdad66]

three shots on 11/01/12 at less than 20 yds, NO exit with 130 bergers from a 270 wby mag