Experiences with Berger VLD hunting bullets

[JBT47]

A friend of mine spent the last year trying to get them to shoot out of his two 3006s without good enough groups. Like me, he is a hunter and not a long range target buster but he couldn't find a load that would consistently produce groups under 1 inch at 100 yards. He is switching to Sierra bullets.

Never had a problem getting Bergers to shoot very accurately.

 

[CharlieNC]

Rebel I'm not too far from you! Out West I use Bergers on elk, and they will walk a ways with the heart blown apart; but with the open terrain no problem. I haven't hunted NC in quite a while and plan to resume this year. For the problem you mention I just got a 45-70. With solid hard cast lead bullets it will result in complete pass through every time, including through the shoulders to drop right there. The wound channel will be over 2X diameter, in this case about 1.5in. From the research I've done solid lead exhibits this consistent performance. The downside is you can't run the velocities so practical range is approx 200 yards, depending on your proficiency. Something you may want to check out. I'm far from an authority but I will put them to the test this year.

 

[nakneker]

I like the Berger VLDs. I've shot them from multiple calibers on small game and large game. The latest was a trip to South Africa with my wife and one daughter. We shot 19 animals ranging from Impala to an Eland. The 280AI shooting 180 Berger VLDs was devasting, 70% of the animals shot dropped in their tracks, one went less than 30 yards. Shots ranged from just over a hundred out to 600. The guide I hunted with was a salt of the earth kind of guy, the type I like and he sees hunters all the time using a variety of bullet/caliber combinations. He was impressed which is a good indicator positive things are happening. I've also used them here in Arizona on vermin, deer, Elk and bears. I've had Good experiences with them.

 

[rebel]

Rebel I'm not too far from you! Out West I use Bergers on elk, and they will walk a ways with the heart blown apart; but with the open terrain no problem. I haven't hunted NC in quite a while and plan to resume this year. For the problem you mention I just got a 45-70. With solid hard cast lead bullets it will result in complete pass through every time, including through the shoulders to drop right there. The wound channel will be over 2X diameter, in this case about 1.5in. From the research I've done solid lead exhibits this consistent performance. The downside is you can't run the velocities so practical range is approx 200 yards, depending on your proficiency. Something you may want to check out. I'm far from an authority but I will put them to the test this year.

Charlie, good to know. I have shot several deer with my 45/70. I used 300 gr Speer JHPs and 3031. I enjoyed using this
old round to hunt with. I will tell you this, several years back I spent the time getting around 6 rifles sighted in/loaded for with the intent to try each one on deer and compare results. The 45/70 was up first and I was hunting on a friends farm who needed some does thinned.
I shot a huge doe at 50 yards, in the crease just behind the shoulder. She ran 50 yards into a privet hedge thicket
( damn invasive crap ) and since it was dark upon tracking, made for about a 40 minute recovery. The big round did it's job.
Next up was a 243 using a 85 gr Nosler Partition - same stand, group of does walked out in the same place at the same distance. I purposely put the shot in the same place and the doe stumbled about 10 -15 yards and died. I learned something that day, speed kills for sure.
Both hunts were successful and I enjoy everything I have had success with, but even with a big bullet, it has to go in the right place for a quick kill. You will enjoy that 45/70 for sure.
Went I get back into the big bore mood I want to try my 444 Marlin as well.

 

[CharlieNC]

Rebel did you ever shoot one through the shoulders with the big one? I'm thinking it will drop on the spot. I forget the web site but there is a guy I think in New Zealand who shows extensive terminal ballistic studies he has done.

 

[JBT47]

Rebel did you ever shoot one through the shoulders with the big one? I'm thinking it will drop on the spot. I forget the web site but there is a guy I think in New Zealand who shows extensive terminal ballistic studies he has done.

http://www.ballisticstudies.com/

 

[rebel]

Rebel did you ever shoot one through the shoulders with the big one? I'm thinking it will drop on the spot. I forget the web site but there is a guy I think in New Zealand who shows extensive terminal ballistic studies he has done.

Yes I did. I made quite a bit of burger out of those shoulders It left a big friggin' hole for sure. Shot that one at around 60 yards and he ran 35 yards. My bullets are roughly traveling 2050-2100 fps. I'm thinking your idea of broad meplat hard cast will do a bit better. More shock. I don't think that hollowpoint opens real well.

 

[CharlieNC]

http://www.ballisticstudies.com/

Thats it! Great info.

 

[JBT47]

Thats it! Great info.

Very informative site.

 

[Larryh128]

Berger bullets tend to be very accurate so I decided that I would use only 1 rifle a couple years ago for all my hunting that fall shooting only 168 gr hunting VLD's in a 300 WSM that I had built a few years earlier. I shot everything from 200# bucks to crows with it. Everything died but some acted like FMJ's and some acted like a Vmax. Distance , velocity , and target size had no bearing on how the bullet acted. A 250 yd double shoulder shot on a 200# buck was a FMJ, the same distance on a coyote left him with about 4" of spine missing and a gaping hole. Go figure. I now use Barnes 175 gr LRX, just as accurate but the terminal performance is awesome. I still shoot Bergers but only on paper. Some people will howl but that's real world.

 

[284winner]

Think gravity Especially using a broadhead.

I think "Exit hole" when using a broadhead. Exit holes are an archers friend. Without one, many times your tracking an animal blind unless you visually see it hit the dirt. Yes, with an exit hole, Gravity does it's job.

 

[Down South]

Agreed. Berger bullets do NOT create more meat damage than any other non-bonded core, fragmenting bullet. They are DESIGNED to penetrate 4"- 6" then open up violently.

Tho in my experience, meat damage has never been an issue with Berger. Like FJIM said, they dont create any extra damage than anything else. Actually quite a bit less than bullets like the Accubond and Ballistic Tip in my experience.

I have killed well over 20 animals using the 140gr vld in a 6.5 and I have almost always had an exit, but the vitals looked like a hand grenade went off in there. Very small entry hole, and exit never bigger than a silver dollar. Little to no meat damage surrounding the entry and exit holes. Meaning no blood shot meat. Ranges from 80 yards to 655.

Killed 3 animals with the 338 250gr Berger EH. Same results. Awesome explosiveness internally, but nothing excessive on meat damage. Ranges from 265 yards to 408.

I have the 105gr Bergers loaded in a 6XC and will be expecting the same results again this fall.

I use the 168 gr hunting VLDs in .308 and have the same results you described, devastating terminal performance. Some of the other responses in this thread have mentioned they had bullets pencil through, I haven't seen this so far with these bullets after killing many deer etc. with em. Maybe I'm just lucky. I love the VLDs for hunting..............Another friend of mine uses the 185 gr Berger classic hunter bullet in his .308 and he's had great terminal results with that bullet as well.

 

[Mr. Ten-X]

Prefer a bonded core or a mechanical means of securing the core to the jacket. Tapered jackets are also the way to go for hunting if you want consistent expansion and penetration.

Berger has none of the above.

 

[xswanted]

Hey guys. I am asking for real world experiences on whitetails - the good, the bad and the ugly.
The rifle is a Remington action 6 BR with a Krieger 1/8 and it shoots the 105 VLD Hunters in the .2ish range on average and .1andsome on a good day.

I'm in western NC and our average buck here is about 140 - 150 lbs.
I have always favored a high shoulder shot, never had a deer run at all with that shot. DRT

I have a bit of concern with how they are designed and that particular shot.
Again, real world experiences - not supposition, descriptions from Berger, ect.

I love the way the bullets shoot, how do they perform? I know this question has sort of been asked, because I have searched, but I am gearing this a bit toward best shot placement using this bullet.
Thanks in advance for any information provided.

I’ve shot deer with the 140 6.5, the 150 .277 and the 115 .257. Yardages from 75-500+ yards and they have performed very well.

I believe these bullets are dependent upon impact velocity to work correctly as far as exiting or not exiting the animal. The longer shots I’ve had they have exited the closer shots they have not.

However all the deer shot with them haven’t gone very far all together.

Used correctly I think Berger has a great hunting g bullet

 

[AckleymanII]

My niece and brother went out to Kansas for a hunt. Niece was shooting a sporter 7/08 Rem 700 with a tuned load with 140g Berger hunting vld. They withstood bad weather and extremes in cold. ON the last day of the hunt, sun was going down, niece had a shot on a monster buck at 325 yards. She dialed the 6.5x20 leupold Vari X III up, and She took the shot, buck jumped up and bucked. They sat there for a few minutes, and it was pitch dark. Brother or niece had not brought a flash light...duhhhh.......

They went out the next morning, and the buck had ran about 60 yards. She had hit the buck low on the brisket, below the heart with about 3" from the bottom of the brisket. The shrapnel from the bullet had shreaded the heart....monster buck to say the least. I don't know if an accubond would have killed that buck.

Brother, niece, and nephews have killed a lot of deer with that 140g Berger hunting vld and the Speer 130g spt bt. Those 140g Hvld are a real pain in the azz to tune, brother seems to have the Ouji Board figured out on getting directions for that bullet to tune well.