Ran a couple of factory loads through my .270 and it liked the Berger the best in preparation for an elk hunt. Didn’t get an elk but did shoot 2 whitetail with it. Bullets did excellent and i agree with the small entry and delayed expansion. Will continue to use going forward. Both deer shot around 200 yards and were piled up within 50.
I’ve had excellent experiences and results with Berger bullets both match and hunting! I use their 168 in my 280AI and now this year I’m using their 140 in my 6.5 PRC for my Elk Hunt in Oregon. Like your guest on the phone said competition accuracy with a hunting bullet. Then on game like you said can’t really see the entrance wound but sure can see the exit and if there is foliage behind the game you are perusing there will be spray for a ways back as well! I’m going to Africa next year and I’ll be using Berger in one of my rigs for sure! Plus their customer support is 100% quality!
Yes, you can hunt with hunting bullets . I seen what a 150gr Burger match bullet did for deer fired from a 30-06 about 20 years ago. They performed the same a Nosler ballistic tips as I recall. Much tissue destruction. Deer dropped in track or move a few yards. Go heavy for caliber if you hunt with Bergers or any cup and core bullets.
Very, very appreciative that you made this video. Thank you! I took up hunting just last year (I shot target competitively as a youth all the way to the Canadian DCRA national championship gold medal two years in a row), and through a lot of effort and trial and error last year, I ultimately selected Federal Premium Berger Hybrid Hunter (168-grain) cartridges as my go-to .30-06 Sprg big game cartridge. Their BC is 0.489. I don't hand-load, so am limited to factory ammunition. I found that they group quite consistently, and with my rifle (Tikka T3x), they actually group tighter than the Hornady Precision Hunter cartridges with ELD-X bullets. Of the various types of factory hunting ammo I've tried, the Federal Berger Hybrid Hunter cartridges shoot the best for me with that rifle (ie I have not found anything yet that shoots better, and I suspect that hand-loading and a lot of experimentation would be the only way to do that). However, I haven't yet had the chance to take any big game, and in the meantime, I'd been hearing reports that the Berger bullets would tend to fragment/shatter all over inside the animal. While no-one was questioning their lethality at reasonable distances, the criticism was that they were destroying a lot more meat than "necessary". I think what your video confirms is that yes, this is a real phenomenon, but it also makes the very clear point that effective shot placement is, as always, key. Taking out the vitals effectively is a strong argument in and of itself. That's important, and in many respects, actually reassuring in several ways to me. The last thing I would ever want is for the animal to suffer. And, I would never attempt to take an animal beyond 325 yards - and even that range puts questions in my mind that I'd want to have clear answers for in the moment. Again, a huge thanks for making this video.
There's a lot in your post. Your target shooting background will help you make a great shot as a hunter. The Bergers are great for what they do, and yes, their bullets in factory ammo can be amazingly accurate. Check out our videos with the 223 and the 77 grain Berger OTM bullet, factory and handloads. It's crazy accurate! But don't hesitate to choose a more heavily constructed, deeper penetrating bullet when it's called for. I like the Bergers, but I also like Barnes, Hornady, Sierra and Nosler bullets. Different bullets for different purposes. Best of luck this season!
My family has had great success with the Hunting VLD's in 7mm-08, 6.5 CM, 300 RUM. The rounds cause massive internal damage normally without exits. My experience has been consistent with your experience. The entry holes are hard to find and the organ damage is brutal. The accuracy has been good to great. This bullet is normally the go to for accuracy testing.
I built a fast-twist 270 Win to use the 170 Berger EOL and R-26. It does better than I can hold on paper, and produces better ballistics at 500 yds than many magnums I've used. Haven't found an elk while it was in my hands.
I just don't know. I'm willing (and able) to stretch out the distances at which I now hunt based on modern technology ( rifles, bullets, rangefinders and other accessories). What I don't have is 30yrs of experience in taking animals at those extended distances like I do at more modest ranges. The debate I am having with myself is this: do I use my tried and true partitions and hope their lower bc's don't catch up with me when I least need it to, or go to a hi bc bullet and hope it holds together on elk? I believe I have an idea that will satisfy at least me. I have decided to keep the partitions in the mag and keep the eld-x's in my pocket because anything over 400yds will most likely give me plenty of time to drop the mag and single load eld-x bullets (or reload entirely. I feel like this is a reasonable plan for 400yds + !
@@ChronicalsofAl - Nosler's Partition is still a great bullet, capable of far better accuracy than many believe. Check your trajectories in the JBM Ballistics Calculator and see if the high BC bullets give you much of an advantage at ranges you're going to shoot. Maybe, maybe not. I was amazed at how flat the 200 gr Nosler Partition actually shot from my 30-06... Accurate too.
I used the Berger Elite Hunter 250gr in my 338 Win Mag. 1/2moa accuracy at 2710ft/s. I am from South Africa and do some longer range springbuck hunting. I shot several springbuck with this load and had mixed results. Below 350m the bullets usually opened up and put them down quickly. The problem was at ranges beyond 350m where pin hole penetration occurred for shots just behind the shoulder, and then the sprinbuck will show you the farm. After this happened several times, I changed to 285 Hornady ELDM. Although 200ft/s slower, they reliably opened up every time, even at ranges beyond 600m.
Eldms known to open up down to 1400fps, but preferably should keep it down to 1800fps on impact. Bergers, have to use hybrids, and better to use small drill to open up the tip, as sometimes its cloged up. Berger hybrids really work wonders, so does eldm/atip. Guess what usa army picked up for their 300 norma mag? 215 berger hybrids.
Great stuff Guy! Berger’s have been a go to bullet for me in all of my rifles. My 6.5x55 loves the 130 Vld’s with Reloder 26 bumping 3200fps the 156’s I use 7828 running 2850. I use 180’s for both 7mm and 30 cals. I haven’t experienced any failures or had any animal move more than 10 yds.
When they open up, they're devastating. When they don't open up, they pencil through. I've lost 3 animals to that phenomenon, in both 6.5 and .308. Love ya, Berger, but facts is facts.
My experience as well. Shot a mule deer last year in the chest at 350 and the bullet was recovered in a hindquarter almost fully intact with no expansion at all. Certainly wouldn’t use them on anything bigger than deer.
Thats exactly what the do , great for paper and long range shooting . i hunt with cutting edge and hammer bullets , if i used a match bullet it would be a ELD M.
@@warren3665I haven’t had that happen yet fingers crossed after 20ish deer and 4 elk but I have had ttsxs pencil hole deer it does kill them but they run a ways
Berger 185gr classic hunter with N565 is by far the most accurate load I could find for my Bergara 300wm. Barnes TTSX 180gr with the same powder is second, and my first choice for elk hunting.
565 shot my best group in 6.5prc waypoint under 135a tips and my 1:11 dd5v3 16” .308 finally got the 180ttsx to group. Little harder than 175smk and 147ball…nothin beats my 110gr v max and varmageddon from 24” fn spr heavy .308..the terminal performance is incredible runnin over 3500fps and .5” groups..love 300wm too
have you taken an elk with these rounds? this is my first year using them so i’m trying to find more info since im also using a 300wm, is there also a way to reach you about pictures of the bullet expansion if you have them after harvest?
I have shot mule deer with Berger Hunting VLD’s, Swift Scirocco’s, Sierra Gamekings, Nosler Ballistic Tips and Barnes TTSX bullets. I agree with the high ballistic coefficient, the bullet design and the inherent accuracy of the design with the Berger Bullets. By all means shoot targets with them all day long. Just realize that Nosler & Barnes will be dropping more animals in there tracks with the Accubonds and TTSX’s than Berger will ever be able to until they bond the bullets, harden the lead and increase the weight retention. Companies like Nosler realized the ballistic tip was shedding too much weight and created the Accubonds. Barnes realized weight retention leads to the ability of the bullet to penetrate through thick skin and heavy bone and created the TTSX’s and of course the lead free bullet design. I prefer to hunt with bullets that consistently penetrate thick skin and bone, shed little weight, cause shock and hemorrhaging drop the animal in its tracks and give me the security of one and done with a well placed shot.
I used them a lot in the past. when they work they are extremely lethal. when they dont they really don’t perform. The consistency is why moved me away. I’ve seen both under and over expansion. Fun fact. these bullets dont expand the same way a conventional open or polymer tip does. they actually tumble and blow apart. Ive taken bullets from animals that look as though they been squat with a hammer but didn’t open(and at 2200fps impact velocities. Also the damage that they can do meat was a little excessive for me at close range. Im finding there is truly no doubt all bullet. If you wanna shoot 600yards(when you and your system is capable) and when you want to take a fontal or quartering too shot at 25. For that reason im still carrying two loads. An ELD-X and either a bonded or solid copper as the close range round. Putting the right bullet in the right place
I bought some Hunter 140’s for my 7-08 to try couple Years ago. I had a 9 point white tail walk into my range. @ 390 yards. He was dead before he hit the ground.
I've been loading the 156 grain EOL with Norma 217 for my 6.5-300 Wby. Only used on paper, basically only hunting with lead free bullets now, but it's great.
I’ve taken a deer and a bobcat no issue with them from me performance wise. Cost is my main issue however. So Hornady wins that at $18-25 less a box so I am able to practice more with Hornady. That being said I could also sit on a box of VLD for several years and use it solely for hunting and no target shooting with it.
“Best of the West” introduced me to Berger bullet on the Outdoor Channel. I paid a premium for the HSM factory loaded 168 vlds for my 7RM Abolt. At 100; I could constantly shoot 3 with 2 touching & 1 with barely enough paper to separate it from the other 2. That consistency would continue year to year from box to box over the years that I’ve purchased from different places. I’ve been fortunate enough to have way more success than I should include here to prevent flagging. I’ll close in saying, I’ve taken a lot of deer (whitetail in NY & muleys in CO) & 2 elk with them. I recommend front shoulder for the bigger critters, but that’s only with 2 I’ve experienced so ymmv (your mileage may vary) . I’ve stretched it out on deer to past 4 maybe more with bang flops & they’ll leave an exit if you’re close, at least at 7 mag velocity.
I have used 156EH in 6.5prc on mule deer & hogs out to 800yds 180VLD in 7prc on elk out to 900 & hogs 1175yds. 108EH on antelope 500yds & hogs 600yds. All were one shot bang flop, except elk I alway give them a couple for insurance and no tracking. Now I do shoot Long Range out to 1600yds year round so dont be hating.
I use 2 bullets. Berger hunter hybrid and Barnes TSX monolithic copper. Both do exceptionally well. When it comes to target and plate steel, Berger targets. Both brands shoot very well and haven’t had any issues 300 win mag 185 Berger hunter hybrid 6.5 CM 135gr Berger target 243 win 85 Barnes TSX (have yet to find Bergers in my local stores)
Nice video. Always enjoy Guy Minor. I've used the Berger VLD Hunting bullets to kill a few deer. All were taken at ranges of 82 yards or less. In every instance I have had excellent results with only one deer running (the rest dropped at the shot) but leaving a massive blood trail. One was a mature buck taken with a 30 cal 210 VLDH bullet running 3149 fps MV. That buck dropped like a sack of tators and bullet completely passed thru at 82 yards. I've always obtained excellent accuracy with the Berger bullets and have had good results in the field.
I’ve been using bergers for a decade or more on game and recently went to South Africa on a plains game Safari with the 7SAUM and a 180gr Berger target hybrid. I shot a lot of game and had one animal take a step. That was an impala shot at 25 yards. All the other game ranged from 200-580 all fell in their tracks. I believe bergers risk the consistency in terminal performance when shot in the lung area. But I go for bone on every shot with a Berger and they don’t move and the bullet, in my findings are 100% consistent when shot into bone (shoulder blades).
Interesting. The muley buck I shot through the shoulder blades at about 175 yards dropped and died instantly. It's an effective shot with a lot of different bullets.
Hmmmm... I wonder if Berger has ever considered putting a tip on the meplat? I mean they already have a high BC, but a tip would help initiate expansion. Which would help mitigate those instances where the bullet doesn't open up.
Ishot elk and moose at 50 yrds with 300 OTM.Ive also taken game out to 850, and many deer on the 5-600 range ,devastating..Bears too smoked them.338 NM,shot a 6' plus cinnamon bear this spring with a 147 ELDM,factory as I haven't got a load worked up yet.
I've been using the 140 gr. Hunting VLD for about 10 years in my 264 Win Mag and have seen nothing but impressive results on mule deer and pronghorn out to 635yds. It doesn't take an awful lot to put a pronghorn down, but I've taken took my 2 biggest mule deer to date (both over 300 lbs.) and they went absolutely nowhere upon impact. Running these bullets @ 3180 fps. I haven't found another bullet that shoots as flat, accurate to distance and retains the energy at distance. Needless to say, I flat love them.
Missed opportunity when comparing your traditional hunting bullet ballistic charts vs the Berger.. WIND drift! That’s the biggest benefit other than retained energy at further distances when going with a high BC bullet. Otherwise, great video, thanks Guy/UR.
Match Kings are inconsistent on game, they're what set the reputation for Match bullets being inconsistent. Bergers expand consistently. Whether they expand in a way the shooter wants is really up to the interpretation to the shooter.
For his 25th anniversary at work my dad was given a budget for a custom rifle. He got a 270weatherby and it came with 100 rounds of load developed handloads. They loaded either 150 or 160 grain Berger hybrid hollow points something like 3250fps. Needless to say, I’m both interested and skeptical on what those will do to our South Georgia whitetail at 100 yards..
I like margin of error, soft match bullets absolutely do work but penetration can easily become an issue if you’re not able to wait for that perfect broadside. I’m sure it’s amazing for pro shooters but not all of us have the time or money to shoot thousands of rounds for practice to make sure we never hit a large bone. On whitetail I wouldn’t hesitate, but that’s my home game so I can wait for the shot if needed and penetration just isn’t an issue. But given that why spend the money on the bergers when a box of Remington core lokt will do the same thing at the ranges deer are usually shot in? Most shots are within range for a clean kill with a good rock so it’s just a none issue. For my AR for varmint i wouldn’t hesitate, but i get sub half moa with factory hornady black with it so i wont be changing that selection any time soon.
Dropped a whitetail at 360 yds, 1 shot with a 6/5 swede and 140gr ELD. This year gonna try the 140gr Berger........🤔 or 180gr nosler E-tip in 8mm Remington Magnum
Have had great results with Berger vld hunting rounds in 308win. Better accuracy than anything else and great on whitetail and pigs. Spendy so I don't use it for range work because amax's work almost as well for me and fit the budget. I love my 25-06 too but haven't tried the bergers yet.
Well, Guy, i guess you need to end the arguments the essy way. At 100 and 200 yards, you need to shoot and CAPTURE bullets shot thru gel block. Take 2 different rifles in 2 different calibers. 300 or 7mm mag and 308 & or 6.5 CM. Shoot the TTSX , Brrgers, ELDX, and i think it's EXTREMELY impo to also shoot the Remington cor lock, the cor lock tipped, and the new Remington all copper bullet. I personally will be happy to send out some ammunition, either box ammo off the shelf or bullets to load to help with the cost if need be. IMPORTANT.. i say 100 & 200 because reducing the powder to estimate a bullets speed at 200 just dont work for me. Thanks for the great video, Guy, but i won't be going out to buy berger bullets until i see the results in gell.
Bergers are a quality product, but I use the polar opposite of the Berger. I use Barnes TTSX and TSX and the Nosler Accubond. I believe in Berger's accuracy just not their terminal performance.
I've only seen 2 elk shot with Berger bullets. Both were shot from a 300 RUM. Both were well placed shots. Both elk got away and were never recovered. One was shot straight on in the chest ~250 yds. The other was shot ~850 yards away and hit right behind the front shoulder. On this one I instantly saw a 6" diameter area covered in red. I've never seen that on the entry side. I can only assume the bullet splattered. I'm sure both died from their wounds. Use the right tool for the job. This hunter still feels it's a great hunting bullet.?.?.? A match bullet is not designed for hunting. Like using a wrench as a hammer. It might work sort of ... But a hammer is always better at hammering.
If I didn't already have a 6.5-284, I might consider a 6.5 Creed, but I'd be more inclined to add a 260 AI to my collection. I still hunt with the same Nosler Partition that I've hunted with for several years. I've also used Accubonds occasionally with great results as well. As a disabled hunter, my ability to track wounded game is minimal, so I prefer bullets that can drop the critter quickly. I also know my ability, skill and physical condition. I won't shoot a critter that I don't believe that I can recover. I err to the side of caution - I'd rather not shoot, and risk wounding a critter that will suffer for no reason other than I was an a-hole.
@@guyminer3168 I hunt in Texas so we hunt in box blinds a lot and in and out of trucks. Suppressed with a short barrel helps. I’m happy shooting with it out to about 350. I have other rifles if I need to go longer or shoot bigger animals
I hunted with Bergers for a while and nothing I shot ever walked off. Apparently the animal couldn't feel that Berger vibe. The TSX dropped them in their tracks. Idk. How did the early mountain mine get by without either?
@@dschuetz68 - that's pretty cool. I've been thinking about having Gavin rebarrel my 25-06 with a fast twist and the Ackley Improved chamber. Just for fun and for those high BC bullets... But I dunno, it clobbers deer, antelope and coyotes just fine the way it is.
I’ve lost animals when hunting due to poor terminal performance from Bergers. They either explode on contact and do too much meat damage, or they pencil straight through. I had a Wildebeest that was shot on the shoulder and the bullet didn’t even pass through the bone, then on the same weekend a springbuck that had a bullet pencil straight through the lungs and it just carried on grazing. There is no controlled expansion whatsoever. Switched to Hornady ELD-X and never had any issues since.
I hand load alot of berger bullets for 22 cal 6mm 6.5 .25 cal for the 25 cal 82 gr 85 gr 87 gr 95gr 100 gr 110 gr 115 gr. Some of these bullet weights i mention for the 25 cal haven't been made in year's but they are extremely accurate wish they were still made
Berger makes excellent bullets. I've lost two trophy Whitetail 10-point bucks using 6mm Berger 105 bthp. I personally will not be using any Target style bthp bullets for hunting ever again. Bthp can kill game. They just don't do it reliably.
Most hunters go by what their experience is with a product. Mine wasn't optimal. 28 Nosler running 180gr VLD hunting at a somewhat subdued 2977FPS (extremely accurate node though) pushed by the much missed (for me) IMR 8133. 300yds on a cow elk, complete pass through. Exit wound smaller than entrance. 180yd recovery. Yes the bullet did what it was suppose to do (exsanguination) but without a bullet recovery and based on examination during field dressing my assumption is the bullet failed to expand. Being a freezer filler hunt I opted to avoid shoulders and put it in the boiler room. My experience with expandables in that shot scenario is a small amount of penciling upon entry followed by catastrophic expansion in the vitals. I'm a firm believer in the advantages a high BC bullet provides and I'll take every accuracy advantage I can get. I should revisit the VLD in the field. Maybe in one of my 6.5's. I have 8 of them in 4 different calibers. I'm a fan!
Ya, seems like that one failed you. BTW, I too miss IMR 8133, my son has a 7mm Rem Mag that absolutely dotes on that stuff! Have only one pound left. I've reserved it for his rifle. Ya, VLD or perhaps the Elite Hunter, should normally serve you well. I did punch a 115 grain .257" VLD through both shoulder blades of a muley buck some years ago, dropping him instantly. Recovered a mangled bit of copper and lead under the far side skin. Instant drop and death at about 175 yards.
Berger bullets have always shot well for me. The only trouble is they are expensive and very hard to find where I am. The market here is flooded with Hornady and Sierra bullets. I basically have to import them.
@@guyminer3168 No doubt that they do they are fine bullets and no doubt have been great for thousands of people. I've also had excellent results with Speer TNT bullets specifically the 125 GR in .308, I feel that they are very under rated. One hole groupings at 100m, extremely deadly on game. Have never lost a fox, kangaroo or pig with them. (and I've shot literally hundreds)
I used to use Berger 88 gn fbhp on groundhogs. Same with Bib 95 gn FBHP. Both very accurate and distrucve @ 3100 fps out of a Stevens m200 .243. So match bullets sometimes are capable for other uses. Dont know until you try.
I've been using 150gr Nosler ballistic tip bullets in my 300WSM for northern whitetail deer for the last 20 years. still have yet to have a buck take a step after impact from 7 yards to 250 yards. DRT.
@@guyminer3168 yeah they work fantastic and dump all that energy into the chest cavity. If I were shooting further ranges I'd definitely consider bergers. In fact working up a long range load with the 215gr hybrid now.
I live in N.E. Washington state and wish you had not mentioned that county lol . I know tourist income is so precious and hunters share and access is difficult but I'm selfish lol... there are some dandy's in there . I also have been using Bergers in my rifles and have never had an animal take more than 2 steps if any, they perform wonderfully. I also use Speer hot cores and Nosler Accubonds with the same success. I have been reloading and building up rifles and loads for a long time and using Bergers in my opinion is absolutely fine . Washington just had there first case of CWD a few hours south down near spokane and that is a sad thing. I get so frustrated when game management officials state there is no cure . In my opinion what they are stating is the government and our state wildlife offices have no desire to invest the resources to find a cure
Guy I use the Bergers in 6 mil right up to 30 cal love them . I use the hunters in 6xc ,6.5 creedmoor and 6.5 x .284 ,.280 Ackley and my custom 30- .338 . I must say Pete let the cat out of the bag the hunters are better long range bullet in many of my barrels over the targets for competition. I guess they be harder to get after Pete told everyone how good they are LMAO
I believe the problem with Berger's are high velocity impacts on tougher animals in smaller diameter cartridges.... Meaning the lack of penetration on less than perfect shots. Berger's are not tough bullets, literally a thinner jacketed cup & core. Shoot an elk or moose at 30yds on an off angle shot where you clip the shoulder... Then try that with a Barnes TSX or TTSX. Berger's work super well under perfect conditions, but can fail if pushed outside of their wheelhouse.... However I've never seen or heard of a Barnes TTSX, TSX or LRX or Nosler partitions & Accubonds or Hornady interbonds or Hammer bullets ever failing under any condition. Ive heard some hunters say they get the most dramatic kills (bang-flop) with Bergers pushed out of the super magnums (257 Weatherby, 6.5-300 WBY, 28 Nosler, 300 RUM) you get the class of cartridge im talking about... Something that'll push the heavier side of the bullet spectrum too atleast 3100fps-3200+fps from the muzzle.
Haven't used bergers but have taken a lot of deer with Hornady ELDMs and man do they make animals dead fast. Once I get my 6mm ARC, I might give Bergers a try.
@@guyminer3168I shoot 180 eld-ms in my .280 ai over n570. Getting about 2710 fps with those loads, and they shoot sub 1” 10 shot groups at 100yds with a mean radius of 0.325”. It was devastating on a 6’ square black bear this spring at 160 yds.
Good choice, I’m running them in my rem700 with h1000 about 1 grain over book max at 2925fps, has done the job on multiple sambar and red deer in Australia.
@@guyminer3168 I haven’t Chrono them yet but they should be close to 2850 I’m running the offering from HSM I have a 9.5 twist on my 26” barrel it seems to stabilize them fine I’ve only gone out to 300yrds just to see how it liked them. My Abolt is very finicky with ammo.
Nice loadup Guy, Do you usually hunt a smaller caliber like the 6.5 with a muzzle brake? I can't bring myself to ruin the hunt with a headache from sitting around all day wearing ear protection, or possibly scaring game fumbling with it before a shot. I made the mistake once of doing a load development on an extremely light magnum rifle with a muzzle brake on that was intended for hunting, and then removing the muzzle brake when I had a load worked up for the hunt.. Bad Idea. completely different harmonics and for the most part many of those components used for seating depth testing went to waste. Thanks for the video!
Well, I've been using 105vldh in my 6cm. I've only shot 2 bucks with them, harvested one, lose one buck. 50% for me not goodenoughforme. Going back to 95gr nosler TB, 100% harvest for me anyways on whitetail
I typically use SPBTs for hunting, but have used match projectiles in the past, and honestly... if your shot placement is on, and youre taking ethical shots, the animal really doesn't know the difference. Ive seen 55gr FMJBTs ftom a 5.56 NATO immediately drop a deer on a heart shot, and ive seen botched shots from a 300 win mag lose an animal. Its more about shot placement than anything.
Here's a reality. I first bought Berger bullets immediately following the first Best of the West video with John Burns who was using Berger MATCH bullets and putting down game. What is unknown, is what animals did they fail that didn't make the footage? My experience is they are insanely accurate, consistent, and deadly. I've never had one fail on bears, mule deer, whitetail deer, hogs, coyotes. I have the 210 ready in my 300WSM modified for elk if I draw a tag but also have a variety of other rifles and loads ready as well including Barnes LRX, TSX, TTSX, Norma Bondstrike, ABLRs, ABs. After I started hunting with the Berger bullets they introduced their VLD "Hunting" bullets which work great. Moreover, with very limited experience, the Hornady ELDM in a 7PRC kills deer just fine from bow range out to 235 yards in my experience.
I've used the 168gr ELD-M in my .308 to do cull hunts in Namibia. Over 50 Gemsbok taken with them. Everywhere from 20m out to 626m. I'm happy. I am now using 178 ELD-X at 2843fps though, which has been even more successful for me. Don't think I'll be switching from this load unless I have to!
@@guyminer3168 I love your videos Guy, always got neat topics. I really want to try branching out with different bullet choices and cartridges one day. I've had good luck with the 165gr AccuBond with N140 - by far the most accurate combination I've tried. Great performance on game too of course. Bergers are definitely on my list. An interesting bullet I've tried is the Sellier & Bellott SPCE, which supposedly cuts the hair around the entrance wound and causes a better blood trail? I've only ever shot 1 warthog with them though. Bullet entered perfectly on the shoulder, veered off and exited at the bottom of the belly. My friend and I used them in his .222 though and they worked amazingly well for Warthogs. Quite an interesting look to them with the step.
We are only now just getting feral hogs or even deer here in the NWT, along the Alberta border. No tag fees, essentially a cull. We dont want CWD hitting our caribou, moose or even Bison. Only way Id buy Berger factory, if it was even available locally, is if I got a new caliber to handload, wanted to get a good zero with accurate ammo and to harvest the brass. Berger Factory loaded rounds are Lapua Brass, even if the headstamp says Berger.
Are the hunter bullets really different than non-hunter? I had a nice GA Precision bench gun built years ago when there was one Berger 30 cal VLD 175gr. Today it is classified as a "hunting" bullet. My rifle loves them and I have great groups so I keep buying it but curious do all their non-hunting bullets today have very different construction. For me it it rare regardless of caliber that any bullet is more accurate than Bergers (money being the difference).
Today's "hunting" VLD's are the original VLD. They have a thinner jacket than the VLD's that are sold today for target use. The thinner jacket promotes that violent expansion in the vitals that they're known for. Some of my friends have advocated for using the "target" version for hunting as it expands more slowly on game. I haven't tried that yet.
I wish barnes would come back out with the mrx that were tungten filled in the rear to get weight up. I like the idea that theres not going to be lead anywhere in my game from me but the addition of weight would be. nice. I would think a big hit would be a berger high bc bullet with a partition would be a hit pun intended.
With 6.5CM you do give up quite a bit of barrel life compared to 308? I've seen some charts saying CM barrels last about 2000 rounds where a 308 barrel lasts about 10000 rounds. There's quite a difference.
My 308 barrels have gone from 4,000 - 6,000+ rounds with good accuracy. After that I could have still used them, but the best accuracy was gone from them. The 308 is hard to beat for long accurate barrel life. The 6.5 doesn't last as long.
I agree they kill well but as mentioned I do not enjoy ingesting lead. The fragments end up littering all through the carcass. I have gone full barns bullets for hunting purposes and won’t ever go back. I agree with you very light for caliber barns however, it just works great. I exclusively shoot hybrids for competitive purposes. I doubt Pete is butchering the truckload of game he is hunting with them. For those that do eat there prey and I’d hope that’s everyone killing animals however of a crazy idea that may be.
APEE - Accuracy, Penetration, Expansion, Energy. The most important attribute of a hunting bullet is accuracy. The least important attribute is energy. In essence, you only need enough energy to ensure adequate penetration and expansion. The definition of adequate, in this circumstance, will vary from hunter to hunter. Personally, I insist on a bullet that gives 100% penetration, even on difficult shot angles, because if I need to track an animal I want a substantial blood trail. Bullet expansion doesn't need to be extreme. Some folks, perhaps more and more these days, see this the other way around. They want violent expansion, up to and including complete disintegration, and are willing to sacrifice penetration to get it. I do not use any target bullet, or a bullet that fails to deliver a significant exit wound, when hunting big game.
@@guyminer3168 - I have been using the Accubond for most big game hunting, because I get more shots at 50 yards or less than I do 250 yards or more, which is a major consideration when choosing a bullet.
@@jasonbroom7147 - absolutely! I clobbered a bear at about 15 feet with a 260 grain Accubond from my 375 H&H. Glad I had a really tough bullet! Recovered that bullet hanging up in the off-side hide.
Use 142 or 150 grain Nosler AccuBond Long Range bullets in 6.5-300 Weatherby on game. There's no sound argument for using thin jacket/cup & core target bullets on game. There is plenty of sound reasoning why not to.
That Weatherby probably a bit more then needed for a doe lol but I’d imagine on something of the sort where penetration is not an issue from any angle then it would be a fine choice.
I was considering tge 108 for my 6gt since I shoot 109s in matches. Glad piete did tge test and see what I only theorized. My 6.5cm is just for coyotes and I'm just using 143eldx in case I need to hunt with it. Haven't tested the 212eldx in my 06 fir a hunting bullet yet, by if I don't like it, I'm probably going to do a 130 to 150 solid copper
140gr for deer n such is bout baby bear soup. I have 130tmk in 6.5prc runnin 3220fps and almost penetrate 3/4” mild@200yrds. Huge crater. Devastating on a jug..95v max even meaner
@charlesmullins3238 I started with the 100 eld-vt amd punched holes thrugh my 1/2 inch ar500 at 100. Even my valkyrie woth the 62 gr eld-vt punch straight through it. I just don't like switching loads in a gun, and I ha e long shots 800-1400 that I can pop coyotes here as long as it is light enough. But thanks for the heads up on deer. I mostly plan to just use my old 30-06 on them if I go hunt them. My 338wm is the go to for bigger
@@waynemayle865 Thats interesting. What kind of velocities are you achieving? I am gathering components to load up for my 6.5 PRC. Ive got 300x 135gr Berger Classic Hunters
@@PencilProper I'm running a 28in. Custom built my average on the high side is 2920 2938 low side 2780 to 2810 2812 it does really good except for barrel life this is my sec barrel got a little over 1800 rds first one my sec has 150 rds on it now
@@waynemayle865 Thanks for the reply. I too am going to be running a 28" barrel. From what I can gather im expecting velocities at or above 3100 FPS. I am surprised you have reached that round count to be honest, and I don't think 1800 is too bad of a return, given the similar powder volumes in the PRC and 284. I was expecting to reach a round count of about 12-1400 rounds.
I like Piet, however I'm the phone call he even says he switches bullets and doesn't use the same one. He also aims for head shots lol. Hornady, nosler are excellent aswell
That’s an awful lot of small lead fragments going into something I intend to eat and, more importantly, feed to other people who didn’t get a say in what bullet I chose.
@@Snailz5 they sure do, as tiny particles mostly caught in the interior lining of the rib cage. The lead is also in a form that is almost harmless to the human body. You’d have to eat thousands of lbs of affected meat in order to have an observable effect.
@@SammyMoore-tg5gs I'd like to see what sort of junk science you're quoting that says the form of lead from bullets is almost harmless. Most peer reviewed studies I've seen evaluating the effects of lead ingestion on animals from projectile lead have shown negative health outcomes for the test subjects, some to the point where subjects needed to be euthanized prior to study completion because animal wellfare protocols require you do not make the animals needlessly suffer for days before expiring.
Not a big fan of Berger maybe because I started using Barnes bullets first and just really like the performance of Barnes bullets. 208 LRX for my 300PRC, 130 TTSX for my 270win, 150gr TTSX for my 308.
@@duckwacker8720Highly disagree. Barnes bullets offer same if not greater overall expansion and a higher weight retention than almost all lead core projectiles
@@EasternMountainHunters I don't care about weight retention. It's not important. Monolithic bullets fail to expand even the one's that do expand fully there's a lot less tissue damage. Most under expand.
@@duckwacker8720 I care about weight retention because I want an exit hole. The whole speculation that monos don’t expand is just not true. Have tested Barnes from 2800fps down to 2000fps and they expand in all cases I’ve seen.
I’ve never liked ttsx on my deer they seemed pencil hole them it would kill them still but they’d run aways not sure if you’ve run into that before? with my Berger’s they drop right there or go maybe 15 yards. That being said I did like the ttsx performance on elk but had similar luck with vlds as well
175 gr elite hunter from 28 Nosler with divesting results at 280 yard from above. It destroyed 3 inches of the spine. However, on elk at 200yds on the shoulder quartering to the front, didn’t penetrate and required a follow up shot. That has made me wonder and I have moved on to another bullet.
We do business with several different bullet makers, including Berger. I use true-life examples of my hunts and my range results with the Bergers, or any bullet I'm featuring in a story. I've made videos and articles about bullets by Sierra, Nosler, Barnes, Berger, Hornady and Berry's. Am looking forward to hunting with the Berger Elite Hunters this season. Took a bear earlier this year with a Hornady CX bullet. Have been fascinated by hunting bullet performance for several decades and have tried many different bullets.
Not all match grade bullets are created equally. Bergers, or other match grade bullets, are fine for hunting if you select ones designed to expand and you know their limitations. Other match grade bullets bend at the tip on impact and behave more like FMJs, which shouldn’t be used for hunting. Period.
Well, they're less expensive than some hunting bullets, more expensive than others. I've got to give the 6.5 Creedmoor a try out of curiosity. I've never yet taken game with it. Typically a 30-06, 7mm Rem mag, or 25-06 rifle is in my hands during hunting season.
Im sure berger has a decent specific hunting bullet, but i just have a hard time leaving the partion, accubond or ttsx or lrx. Those are my top 4 hunting bullets. But great video, always enjoy watching and listening to you, cheers from canada
@guyminer3168 I know you do 100%, your very knowledgeable and open to whatever works, and is why I enjoy watching and listening to you. Ps , your reloading videos were great and got me started , and I'm having a blast with it. Cheers from your friends up north in Canada 🇨🇦
Ran a couple of factory loads through my .270 and it liked the Berger the best in preparation for an elk hunt. Didn’t get an elk but did shoot 2 whitetail with it. Bullets did excellent and i agree with the small entry and delayed expansion. Will continue to use going forward. Both deer shot around 200 yards and were piled up within 50.
Barnes TSX is my favorite Berger line of bullets!
Ha! :)
Started using 153.5 HT's last year.
Happy with the results from 90-380 yds so far.
I’ve had excellent experiences and results with Berger bullets both match and hunting! I use their 168 in my 280AI and now this year I’m using their 140 in my 6.5 PRC for my Elk Hunt in Oregon. Like your guest on the phone said competition accuracy with a hunting bullet. Then on game like you said can’t really see the entrance wound but sure can see the exit and if there is foliage behind the game you are perusing there will be spray for a ways back as well! I’m going to Africa next year and I’ll be using Berger in one of my rigs for sure! Plus their customer support is 100% quality!
Yes, you can hunt with hunting bullets . I seen what a 150gr Burger match bullet did for deer fired from a 30-06 about 20 years ago. They performed the same a Nosler ballistic tips as I recall. Much tissue destruction. Deer dropped in track or move a few yards. Go heavy for caliber if you hunt with Bergers or any cup and core bullets.
I do hunt with 140gr Hybrids in 6.5 Creedmoor. No deer ever complained. Exceptional accuracy.
Very, very appreciative that you made this video. Thank you! I took up hunting just last year (I shot target competitively as a youth all the way to the Canadian DCRA national championship gold medal two years in a row), and through a lot of effort and trial and error last year, I ultimately selected Federal Premium Berger Hybrid Hunter (168-grain) cartridges as my go-to .30-06 Sprg big game cartridge. Their BC is 0.489. I don't hand-load, so am limited to factory ammunition. I found that they group quite consistently, and with my rifle (Tikka T3x), they actually group tighter than the Hornady Precision Hunter cartridges with ELD-X bullets. Of the various types of factory hunting ammo I've tried, the Federal Berger Hybrid Hunter cartridges shoot the best for me with that rifle (ie I have not found anything yet that shoots better, and I suspect that hand-loading and a lot of experimentation would be the only way to do that). However, I haven't yet had the chance to take any big game, and in the meantime, I'd been hearing reports that the Berger bullets would tend to fragment/shatter all over inside the animal. While no-one was questioning their lethality at reasonable distances, the criticism was that they were destroying a lot more meat than "necessary". I think what your video confirms is that yes, this is a real phenomenon, but it also makes the very clear point that effective shot placement is, as always, key. Taking out the vitals effectively is a strong argument in and of itself. That's important, and in many respects, actually reassuring in several ways to me. The last thing I would ever want is for the animal to suffer. And, I would never attempt to take an animal beyond 325 yards - and even that range puts questions in my mind that I'd want to have clear answers for in the moment. Again, a huge thanks for making this video.
There's a lot in your post. Your target shooting background will help you make a great shot as a hunter. The Bergers are great for what they do, and yes, their bullets in factory ammo can be amazingly accurate. Check out our videos with the 223 and the 77 grain Berger OTM bullet, factory and handloads. It's crazy accurate! But don't hesitate to choose a more heavily constructed, deeper penetrating bullet when it's called for. I like the Bergers, but I also like Barnes, Hornady, Sierra and Nosler bullets. Different bullets for different purposes. Best of luck this season!
My family has had great success with the Hunting VLD's in 7mm-08, 6.5 CM, 300 RUM. The rounds cause massive internal damage normally without exits. My experience has been consistent with your experience. The entry holes are hard to find and the organ damage is brutal. The accuracy has been good to great. This bullet is normally the go to for accuracy testing.
I built a fast-twist 270 Win to use the 170 Berger EOL and R-26. It does better than I can hold on paper, and produces better ballistics at 500 yds than many magnums I've used. Haven't found an elk while it was in my hands.
I'll be interested in your results with that on game! Good luck this coming season.
I just don't know. I'm willing (and able) to stretch out the distances at which I now hunt based on modern technology ( rifles, bullets, rangefinders and other accessories). What I don't have is 30yrs of experience in taking animals at those extended distances like I do at more modest ranges. The debate I am having with myself is this: do I use my tried and true partitions and hope their lower bc's don't catch up with me when I least need it to, or go to a hi bc bullet and hope it holds together on elk?
I believe I have an idea that will satisfy at least me. I have decided to keep the partitions in the mag and keep the eld-x's in my pocket because anything over 400yds will most likely give me plenty of time to drop the mag and single load eld-x bullets (or reload entirely. I feel like this is a reasonable plan for 400yds + !
@@ChronicalsofAl - Nosler's Partition is still a great bullet, capable of far better accuracy than many believe. Check your trajectories in the JBM Ballistics Calculator and see if the high BC bullets give you much of an advantage at ranges you're going to shoot. Maybe, maybe not. I was amazed at how flat the 200 gr Nosler Partition actually shot from my 30-06... Accurate too.
I used the Berger Elite Hunter 250gr in my 338 Win Mag. 1/2moa accuracy at 2710ft/s. I am from South Africa and do some longer range springbuck hunting. I shot several springbuck with this load and had mixed results. Below 350m the bullets usually opened up and put them down quickly. The problem was at ranges beyond 350m where pin hole penetration occurred for shots just behind the shoulder, and then the sprinbuck will show you the farm. After this happened several times, I changed to 285 Hornady ELDM. Although 200ft/s slower, they reliably opened up every time, even at ranges beyond 600m.
Eldms known to open up down to 1400fps, but preferably should keep it down to 1800fps on impact. Bergers, have to use hybrids, and better to use small drill to open up the tip, as sometimes its cloged up. Berger hybrids really work wonders, so does eldm/atip. Guess what usa army picked up for their 300 norma mag? 215 berger hybrids.
Great video Guy, I really like your style - cheers.
Great stuff Guy! Berger’s have been a go to bullet for me in all of my rifles. My 6.5x55 loves the 130 Vld’s with Reloder 26 bumping 3200fps the 156’s I use 7828 running 2850. I use 180’s for both 7mm and 30 cals. I haven’t experienced any failures or had any animal move more than 10 yds.
Impressive! Much respect for the good ol' 6.5x55 too. :)
When they open up, they're devastating. When they don't open up, they pencil through. I've lost 3 animals to that phenomenon, in both 6.5 and .308. Love ya, Berger, but facts is facts.
My experience as well. Shot a mule deer last year in the chest at 350 and the bullet was recovered in a hindquarter almost fully intact with no expansion at all. Certainly wouldn’t use them on anything bigger than deer.
Thats exactly what the do , great for paper and long range shooting . i hunt with cutting edge and hammer bullets , if i used a match bullet it would be a ELD M.
@@warren3665I haven’t had that happen yet fingers crossed after 20ish deer and 4 elk but I have had ttsxs pencil hole deer it does kill them but they run a ways
Was it the VLD yall was using that penciled through???
@@jmgates09 no the Barnes ttsx on deer for me the vlds have worked great
Berger 185gr classic hunter with N565 is by far the most accurate load I could find for my Bergara 300wm. Barnes TTSX 180gr with the same powder is second, and my first choice for elk hunting.
565 shot my best group in 6.5prc waypoint under 135a tips and my 1:11 dd5v3 16” .308 finally got the 180ttsx to group. Little harder than 175smk and 147ball…nothin beats my 110gr v max and varmageddon from 24” fn spr heavy .308..the terminal performance is incredible runnin over 3500fps and .5” groups..love 300wm too
have you taken an elk with these rounds? this is my first year using them so i’m trying to find more info since im also using a 300wm, is there also a way to reach you about pictures of the bullet expansion if you have them after harvest?
I bought some of the 185 gr Classic Hunter bullets. To try in my 300 wby when I get time.
Barnes TTSX, Nosler Accubond and E Tip, partitions these are hunting ammo also Federal Fusion
All those are fine hunting bullets with an emphasis on controlled expansion and penetration. I like them all.
Enjoyed the video. Informative and to the point. Good animal harvest illustrations to back up your claim. Kudos to you!
Thanks!
I have shot mule deer with Berger Hunting VLD’s, Swift Scirocco’s, Sierra Gamekings, Nosler Ballistic Tips and Barnes TTSX bullets. I agree with the high ballistic coefficient, the bullet design and the inherent accuracy of the design with the Berger Bullets. By all means shoot targets with them all day long. Just realize that Nosler & Barnes will be dropping more animals in there tracks with the Accubonds and TTSX’s than Berger will ever be able to until they bond the bullets, harden the lead and increase the weight retention. Companies like Nosler realized the ballistic tip was shedding too much weight and created the Accubonds. Barnes realized weight retention leads to the ability of the bullet to penetrate through thick skin and heavy bone and created the TTSX’s and of course the lead free bullet design. I prefer to hunt with bullets that consistently penetrate thick skin and bone, shed little weight, cause shock and hemorrhaging drop the animal in its tracks and give me the security of one and done with a well placed shot.
I used them a lot in the past. when they work they are extremely lethal. when they dont they really don’t perform. The consistency is why moved me away. I’ve seen both under and over expansion. Fun fact. these bullets dont expand the same way a conventional open or polymer tip does. they actually tumble and blow apart. Ive taken bullets from animals that look as though they been squat with a hammer but didn’t open(and at 2200fps impact velocities. Also the damage that they can do meat was a little excessive for me at close range.
Im finding there is truly no doubt all bullet. If you wanna shoot 600yards(when you and your system is capable) and when you want to take a fontal or quartering too shot at 25. For that reason im still carrying two loads. An ELD-X and either a bonded or solid copper as the close range round. Putting the right bullet in the right place
I just got a load figured out for my 7mm RM. It's a 168gr VLD - hunting bullet. Can't argue with the .618 G1 BC.
I like the 7mm's. Coupling it with a Berger should be terrific for longer ranges. Which powder did you go with?
I bought some Hunter 140’s for my 7-08 to try couple
Years ago. I had a 9 point white tail walk into my range. @ 390 yards. He was dead before he hit the ground.
Shot placement is more important than anything.
@@jhnstuhlmiller Which is where the match bullets help out!
I've been loading the 156 grain EOL with Norma 217 for my 6.5-300 Wby. Only used on paper, basically only hunting with lead free bullets now, but it's great.
I’ve taken a deer and a bobcat no issue with them from me performance wise.
Cost is my main issue however. So Hornady wins that at $18-25 less a box so I am able to practice more with Hornady. That being said I could also sit on a box of VLD for several years and use it solely for hunting and no target shooting with it.
Great info! Thanks for sharing.
“Best of the West” introduced me to Berger bullet on the Outdoor Channel. I paid a premium for the HSM factory loaded 168 vlds for my 7RM Abolt. At 100; I could constantly shoot 3 with 2 touching & 1 with barely enough paper to separate it from the other 2. That consistency would continue year to year from box to box over the years that I’ve purchased from different places. I’ve been fortunate enough to have way more success than I should include here to prevent flagging. I’ll close in saying, I’ve taken a lot of deer (whitetail in NY & muleys in CO) & 2 elk with them. I recommend front shoulder for the bigger critters, but that’s only with 2 I’ve experienced so ymmv (your mileage may vary) . I’ve stretched it out on deer to past 4 maybe more with bang flops & they’ll leave an exit if you’re close, at least at 7 mag velocity.
HSM has done real well with their rifle ammo. I used some of their 7mm Rem Mag ammo years ago as well a quite a bit of their 308 Win ammo.
I have used 156EH in 6.5prc on mule deer & hogs out to 800yds
180VLD in 7prc on elk out to 900 & hogs 1175yds.
108EH on antelope 500yds & hogs 600yds. All were one shot bang flop, except elk I alway give them a couple for insurance and no tracking. Now I do shoot Long Range out to 1600yds year round so dont be hating.
That's some long range shooting! Nicely done and congrats on your successful hunts.
I use 2 bullets. Berger hunter hybrid and Barnes TSX monolithic copper. Both do exceptionally well. When it comes to target and plate steel, Berger targets. Both brands shoot very well and haven’t had any issues
300 win mag 185 Berger hunter hybrid
6.5 CM 135gr Berger target
243 win 85 Barnes TSX (have yet to find Bergers in my local stores)
Those two bullets are so very far apart in construction and performance! I too like them both. It's knowing when and why to use them. You've got it!
Good job Guy! ❤❤
Thank you my friend.
Thanks for the video Guy, nice work.
Thanks!
Nice video. Always enjoy Guy Minor. I've used the Berger VLD Hunting bullets to kill a few deer. All were taken at ranges of 82 yards or less. In every instance I have had excellent results with only one deer running (the rest dropped at the shot) but leaving a massive blood trail. One was a mature buck taken with a 30 cal 210 VLDH bullet running 3149 fps MV. That buck dropped like a sack of tators and bullet completely passed thru at 82 yards. I've always obtained excellent accuracy with the Berger bullets and have had good results in the field.
Thanks! You're sending a lot of power downrange with the 30 cal 210 gr bullet at over 3100 fps. :)
@@guyminer3168 that was a 300 RUM with a healthy dose of Retumbo and a 27” Krieger barrel.
I’ve been using bergers for a decade or more on game and recently went to South Africa on a plains game Safari with the 7SAUM and a 180gr Berger target hybrid. I shot a lot of game and had one animal take a step. That was an impala shot at 25 yards. All the other game ranged from 200-580 all fell in their tracks. I believe bergers risk the consistency in terminal performance when shot in the lung area. But I go for bone on every shot with a Berger and they don’t move and the bullet, in my findings are 100% consistent when shot into bone (shoulder blades).
Interesting. The muley buck I shot through the shoulder blades at about 175 yards dropped and died instantly. It's an effective shot with a lot of different bullets.
Hmmmm... I wonder if Berger has ever considered putting a tip on the meplat? I mean they already have a high BC, but a tip would help initiate expansion. Which would help mitigate those instances where the bullet doesn't open up.
Ishot elk and moose at 50 yrds with 300 OTM.Ive also taken game out to 850, and many deer on the 5-600 range ,devastating..Bears too smoked them.338 NM,shot a 6' plus cinnamon bear this spring with a 147 ELDM,factory as I haven't got a load worked up yet.
I've been using the 140 gr. Hunting VLD for about 10 years in my 264 Win Mag and have seen nothing but impressive results on mule deer and pronghorn out to 635yds. It doesn't take an awful lot to put a pronghorn down, but I've taken took my 2 biggest mule deer to date (both over 300 lbs.) and they went absolutely nowhere upon impact. Running these bullets @ 3180 fps. I haven't found another bullet that shoots as flat, accurate to distance and retains the energy at distance. Needless to say, I flat love them.
Missed opportunity when comparing your traditional hunting bullet ballistic charts vs the Berger.. WIND drift! That’s the biggest benefit other than retained energy at further distances when going with a high BC bullet. Otherwise, great video, thanks Guy/UR.
Good point!
Match Kings are inconsistent on game, they're what set the reputation for Match bullets being inconsistent. Bergers expand consistently. Whether they expand in a way the shooter wants is really up to the interpretation to the shooter.
I have a good load with those same 140’s in my 6.5 PRC.
Blessings your way my friend.
That PRC has just enough more velocity than the 6.5 Creed to make it real interesting.... Best of luck this season!
That's what I've been loading and hunting with in my 6.5 prc. Devastating and very accurate
For his 25th anniversary at work my dad was given a budget for a custom rifle. He got a 270weatherby and it came with 100 rounds of load developed handloads. They loaded either 150 or 160 grain Berger hybrid hollow points something like 3250fps. Needless to say, I’m both interested and skeptical on what those will do to our South Georgia whitetail at 100 yards..
Oh my... Not sure that's the best choice for whitetail at 100 yards... That's a lot of velocity!
I like margin of error, soft match bullets absolutely do work but penetration can easily become an issue if you’re not able to wait for that perfect broadside. I’m sure it’s amazing for pro shooters but not all of us have the time or money to shoot thousands of rounds for practice to make sure we never hit a large bone. On whitetail I wouldn’t hesitate, but that’s my home game so I can wait for the shot if needed and penetration just isn’t an issue. But given that why spend the money on the bergers when a box of Remington core lokt will do the same thing at the ranges deer are usually shot in? Most shots are within range for a clean kill with a good rock so it’s just a none issue. For my AR for varmint i wouldn’t hesitate, but i get sub half moa with factory hornady black with it so i wont be changing that selection any time soon.
Dropped a whitetail at 360 yds, 1 shot with a 6/5 swede and 140gr ELD. This year gonna try the 140gr Berger........🤔 or 180gr nosler E-tip in 8mm Remington Magnum
Have had great results with Berger vld hunting rounds in 308win. Better accuracy than anything else and great on whitetail and pigs. Spendy so I don't use it for range work because amax's work almost as well for me and fit the budget. I love my 25-06 too but haven't tried the bergers yet.
I can inter change the 105 6mm vld and the vldh with no measurable change out of my 6 Arc.
Well, Guy, i guess you need to end the arguments the essy way. At 100 and 200 yards, you need to shoot and CAPTURE bullets shot thru gel block. Take 2 different rifles in 2 different calibers. 300 or 7mm mag and 308 & or 6.5 CM. Shoot the TTSX , Brrgers, ELDX, and i think it's EXTREMELY impo to also shoot the Remington cor lock, the cor lock tipped, and the new Remington all copper bullet. I personally will be happy to send out some ammunition, either box ammo off the shelf or bullets to load to help with the cost if need be. IMPORTANT.. i say 100 & 200 because reducing the powder to estimate a bullets speed at 200 just dont work for me. Thanks for the great video, Guy, but i won't be going out to buy berger bullets until i see the results in gell.
Your choice. There are a LOT of great bullets available. I've also talked of my success with Sierra, Hornady, Nosler and Barnes.
Bergers are a quality product, but I use the polar opposite of the Berger. I use Barnes TTSX and TSX and the Nosler Accubond. I believe in Berger's accuracy just not their terminal performance.
I've used Barnes and Berger, they certainly do work differently!
I've only seen 2 elk shot with Berger bullets. Both were shot from a 300 RUM. Both were well placed shots. Both elk got away and were never recovered. One was shot straight on in the chest ~250 yds. The other was shot ~850 yards away and hit right behind the front shoulder. On this one I instantly saw a 6" diameter area covered in red. I've never seen that on the entry side. I can only assume the bullet splattered. I'm sure both died from their wounds. Use the right tool for the job. This hunter still feels it's a great hunting bullet.?.?.?
A match bullet is not designed for hunting.
Like using a wrench as a hammer. It might work sort of ... But a hammer is always better at hammering.
If I didn't already have a 6.5-284, I might consider a 6.5 Creed, but I'd be more inclined to add a 260 AI to my collection. I still hunt with the same Nosler Partition that I've hunted with for several years. I've also used Accubonds occasionally with great results as well. As a disabled hunter, my ability to track wounded game is minimal, so I prefer bullets that can drop the critter quickly. I also know my ability, skill and physical condition. I won't shoot a critter that I don't believe that I can recover. I err to the side of caution - I'd rather not shoot, and risk wounding a critter that will suffer for no reason other than I was an a-hole.
I’ll be hunting with Bergers for the first time this year. 135 grain hybrid hunter from my 16” 6.5 creed
Oh, that's a pretty short barrel. Suppressed I'd guess. Best of luck this season!
@@guyminer3168 I hunt in Texas so we hunt in box blinds a lot and in and out of trucks. Suppressed with a short barrel helps. I’m happy shooting with it out to about 350. I have other rifles if I need to go longer or shoot bigger animals
I use the 115VLD in my 25/06 on top of IMR4350 and it shoots sub 1/2 moa. Hogs and whitetail are DRT.
It's quite the bullet!
I hunted with Bergers for a while and nothing I shot ever walked off. Apparently the animal couldn't feel that Berger vibe. The TSX dropped them in their tracks. Idk. How did the early mountain mine get by without either?
Berger 115’s 6mm to the 338 LM works great.the 135 burgers out of my 25-06 @ 3150 are great as well
You must have a fast twist barrel on your 25-06? Mine just has the standard 1:10 but does fine with 115 gr Berger VLD bullets.
@@guyminer3168 I like the 115’s too.excellent bullets
@@guyminer3168I have a 1:7 twist on my 25-06, it’s a total game changer.i honestly believe it’ll out distance a 7 rem mag
@@dschuetz68 - that's pretty cool. I've been thinking about having Gavin rebarrel my 25-06 with a fast twist and the Ackley Improved chamber. Just for fun and for those high BC bullets... But I dunno, it clobbers deer, antelope and coyotes just fine the way it is.
@@guyminer3168 I’ve used the 100 grain ttsx and 115 bergers,the 133,135’s are in a league of their own. Literally a bang flop.
I’ve lost animals when hunting due to poor terminal performance from Bergers. They either explode on contact and do too much meat damage, or they pencil straight through. I had a Wildebeest that was shot on the shoulder and the bullet didn’t even pass through the bone, then on the same weekend a springbuck that had a bullet pencil straight through the lungs and it just carried on grazing. There is no controlled expansion whatsoever. Switched to Hornady ELD-X and never had any issues since.
Thanks for that info!
I hand load alot of berger bullets for 22 cal 6mm 6.5 .25 cal for the 25 cal 82 gr 85 gr 87 gr 95gr 100 gr 110 gr 115 gr. Some of these bullet weights i mention for the 25 cal haven't been made in year's but they are extremely accurate wish they were still made
Berger makes excellent bullets. I've lost two trophy Whitetail 10-point bucks using 6mm Berger 105 bthp. I personally will not be using any Target style bthp bullets for hunting ever again. Bthp can kill game. They just don't do it reliably.
Most hunters go by what their experience is with a product. Mine wasn't optimal. 28 Nosler running 180gr VLD hunting at a somewhat subdued 2977FPS (extremely accurate node though) pushed by the much missed (for me) IMR 8133. 300yds on a cow elk, complete pass through. Exit wound smaller than entrance. 180yd recovery. Yes the bullet did what it was suppose to do (exsanguination) but without a bullet recovery and based on examination during field dressing my assumption is the bullet failed to expand. Being a freezer filler hunt I opted to avoid shoulders and put it in the boiler room. My experience with expandables in that shot scenario is a small amount of penciling upon entry followed by catastrophic expansion in the vitals. I'm a firm believer in the advantages a high BC bullet provides and I'll take every accuracy advantage I can get. I should revisit the VLD in the field. Maybe in one of my 6.5's. I have 8 of them in 4 different calibers. I'm a fan!
Ya, seems like that one failed you. BTW, I too miss IMR 8133, my son has a 7mm Rem Mag that absolutely dotes on that stuff! Have only one pound left. I've reserved it for his rifle. Ya, VLD or perhaps the Elite Hunter, should normally serve you well. I did punch a 115 grain .257" VLD through both shoulder blades of a muley buck some years ago, dropping him instantly. Recovered a mangled bit of copper and lead under the far side skin. Instant drop and death at about 175 yards.
Berger bullets have always shot well for me. The only trouble is they are expensive and very hard to find where I am. The market here is flooded with Hornady and Sierra bullets. I basically have to import them.
Hornady and Sierra make fine hunting bullets as well. I've used both with complete satisfaction.
@@guyminer3168 No doubt that they do they are fine bullets and no doubt have been great for thousands of people. I've also had excellent results with Speer TNT bullets specifically the 125 GR in .308, I feel that they are very under rated. One hole groupings at 100m, extremely deadly on game. Have never lost a fox, kangaroo or pig with them. (and I've shot literally hundreds)
@@PencilProper - I'd love to do some hunting in Australia someday! :)
@@guyminer3168 There are great opportunities for deer on the east coast of Aus, they are nearing plague numbers and need to be thinned out.
@@PencilProper you can send me some 6mm, 7mm, and .308 Sierra tmks whenever you’d like! Hard to find up here in Montana
I used to use Berger 88 gn fbhp on groundhogs. Same with Bib 95 gn FBHP. Both very accurate and distrucve @ 3100 fps out of a Stevens m200 .243.
So match bullets sometimes are capable for other uses. Dont know until you try.
I've been using 150gr Nosler ballistic tip bullets in my 300WSM for northern whitetail deer for the last 20 years. still have yet to have a buck take a step after impact from 7 yards to 250 yards. DRT.
I like Nosler's Ballistic Tip a lot. Have used the 30 cal 165's and the 25 cal 115's quite a bit.
@@guyminer3168 yeah they work fantastic and dump all that energy into the chest cavity. If I were shooting further ranges I'd definitely consider bergers. In fact working up a long range load with the 215gr hybrid now.
I live in N.E. Washington state and wish you had not mentioned that county lol . I know tourist income is so precious and hunters share and access is difficult but I'm selfish lol... there are some dandy's in there . I also have been using Bergers in my rifles and have never had an animal take more than 2 steps if any, they perform wonderfully. I also use Speer hot cores and Nosler Accubonds with the same success. I have been reloading and building up rifles and loads for a long time and using Bergers in my opinion is absolutely fine . Washington just had there first case of CWD a few hours south down near spokane and that is a sad thing. I get so frustrated when game management officials state there is no cure . In my opinion what they are stating is the government and our state wildlife offices have no desire to invest the resources to find a cure
Guy I use the Bergers in 6 mil right up to 30 cal love them . I use the hunters in 6xc ,6.5 creedmoor and 6.5 x .284 ,.280 Ackley and my custom 30- .338 . I must say Pete let the cat out of the bag the hunters are better long range bullet in many of my barrels over the targets for competition. I guess they be harder to get after Pete told everyone how good they are LMAO
I believe the problem with Berger's are high velocity impacts on tougher animals in smaller diameter cartridges.... Meaning the lack of penetration on less than perfect shots. Berger's are not tough bullets, literally a thinner jacketed cup & core.
Shoot an elk or moose at 30yds on an off angle shot where you clip the shoulder... Then try that with a Barnes TSX or TTSX.
Berger's work super well under perfect conditions, but can fail if pushed outside of their wheelhouse.... However I've never seen or heard of a Barnes TTSX, TSX or LRX or Nosler partitions & Accubonds or Hornady interbonds or Hammer bullets ever failing under any condition.
Ive heard some hunters say they get the most dramatic kills (bang-flop) with Bergers pushed out of the super magnums (257 Weatherby, 6.5-300 WBY, 28 Nosler, 300 RUM) you get the class of cartridge im talking about... Something that'll push the heavier side of the bullet spectrum too atleast 3100fps-3200+fps from the muzzle.
Ya, I'm a fan of heavier, tougher bullets for elk and other big, tough game.
Haven't used bergers but have taken a lot of deer with Hornady ELDMs and man do they make animals dead fast. Once I get my 6mm ARC, I might give Bergers a try.
Best of luck to you this season!
6x47 lap. 105 vld hunting pinpoint accuracy and devastating on impact
Going to use the Berger 180 with my 7rem mag this year on whitetail. But have had excellent results with ELDM on whitetail with my 6mm
That's a LOT of bullet for a 7mm! It should do well. We seem to have some of those sitting around here waiting to be loaded for the 7 PRC...
@@guyminer3168I shoot 180 eld-ms in my .280 ai over n570. Getting about 2710 fps with those loads, and they shoot sub 1” 10 shot groups at 100yds with a mean radius of 0.325”.
It was devastating on a 6’ square black bear this spring at 160 yds.
Good choice, I’m running them in my rem700 with h1000 about 1 grain over book max at 2925fps, has done the job on multiple sambar and red deer in Australia.
@@stu-gz9go h1000 is giving you some great velocity!
@@guyminer3168 I haven’t Chrono them yet but they should be close to 2850 I’m running the offering from HSM I have a 9.5 twist on my 26” barrel it seems to stabilize them fine I’ve only gone out to 300yrds just to see how it liked them. My Abolt is very finicky with ammo.
Nice loadup Guy, Do you usually hunt a smaller caliber like the 6.5 with a muzzle brake? I can't bring myself to ruin the hunt with a headache from sitting around all day wearing ear protection, or possibly scaring game fumbling with it before a shot.
I made the mistake once of doing a load development on an extremely light magnum rifle with a muzzle brake on that was intended for hunting, and then removing the muzzle brake when I had a load worked up for the hunt.. Bad Idea. completely different harmonics and for the most part many of those components used for seating depth testing went to waste.
Thanks for the video!
I don't hunt with a muzzle brake very often. When I do I'm careful to use ear protection and remind anyone with me about that as well.
Well, I've been using 105vldh in my 6cm. I've only shot 2 bucks with them, harvested one, lose one buck. 50% for me not goodenoughforme. Going back to 95gr nosler TB, 100% harvest for me anyways on whitetail
I typically use SPBTs for hunting, but have used match projectiles in the past, and honestly... if your shot placement is on, and youre taking ethical shots, the animal really doesn't know the difference.
Ive seen 55gr FMJBTs ftom a 5.56 NATO immediately drop a deer on a heart shot, and ive seen botched shots from a 300 win mag lose an animal.
Its more about shot placement than anything.
Here's a reality. I first bought Berger bullets immediately following the first Best of the West video with John Burns who was using Berger MATCH bullets and putting down game. What is unknown, is what animals did they fail that didn't make the footage? My experience is they are insanely accurate, consistent, and deadly. I've never had one fail on bears, mule deer, whitetail deer, hogs, coyotes. I have the 210 ready in my 300WSM modified for elk if I draw a tag but also have a variety of other rifles and loads ready as well including Barnes LRX, TSX, TTSX, Norma Bondstrike, ABLRs, ABs. After I started hunting with the Berger bullets they introduced their VLD "Hunting" bullets which work great.
Moreover, with very limited experience, the Hornady ELDM in a 7PRC kills deer just fine from bow range out to 235 yards in my experience.
The 210 VLD shot exceptionally well from a 300 WSM of mine several years ago.
I've used the 168gr ELD-M in my .308 to do cull hunts in Namibia. Over 50 Gemsbok taken with them. Everywhere from 20m out to 626m. I'm happy. I am now using 178 ELD-X at 2843fps though, which has been even more successful for me. Don't think I'll be switching from this load unless I have to!
@@marcmoore4115 - you've piled up a lot of game and a lot of experience. Thanks for commenting! That 178 ELD-X worked well for me on elk too.
@@guyminer3168 I love your videos Guy, always got neat topics.
I really want to try branching out with different bullet choices and cartridges one day. I've had good luck with the 165gr AccuBond with N140 - by far the most accurate combination I've tried. Great performance on game too of course. Bergers are definitely on my list.
An interesting bullet I've tried is the Sellier & Bellott SPCE, which supposedly cuts the hair around the entrance wound and causes a better blood trail? I've only ever shot 1 warthog with them though. Bullet entered perfectly on the shoulder, veered off and exited at the bottom of the belly. My friend and I used them in his .222 though and they worked amazingly well for Warthogs. Quite an interesting look to them with the step.
@@marcmoore4115 - thanks - I'll see about taking a look at those.
We are only now just getting feral hogs or even deer here in the NWT, along the Alberta border. No tag fees, essentially a cull. We dont want CWD hitting our caribou, moose or even Bison.
Only way Id buy Berger factory, if it was even available locally, is if I got a new caliber to handload, wanted to get a good zero with accurate ammo and to harvest the brass. Berger Factory loaded rounds are Lapua Brass, even if the headstamp says Berger.
Are the hunter bullets really different than non-hunter? I had a nice GA Precision bench gun built years ago when there was one Berger 30 cal VLD 175gr. Today it is classified as a "hunting" bullet. My rifle loves them and I have great groups so I keep buying it but curious do all their non-hunting bullets today have very different construction. For me it it rare regardless of caliber that any bullet is more accurate than Bergers (money being the difference).
Today's "hunting" VLD's are the original VLD. They have a thinner jacket than the VLD's that are sold today for target use. The thinner jacket promotes that violent expansion in the vitals that they're known for. Some of my friends have advocated for using the "target" version for hunting as it expands more slowly on game. I haven't tried that yet.
On Berger's website several 30 cal 175's are shown. The two VLD's are hunting, and target. The difference is jacket thickness.
I wish barnes would come back out with the mrx that were tungten filled in the rear to get weight up. I like the idea that theres not going to be lead anywhere in my game from me but the addition of weight would be. nice. I would think a big hit would be a berger high bc bullet with a partition would be a hit pun intended.
Tungsten at high velocity defeats armor.
VLD 130 g 270wsm is a hog destroyer. Berger bullets are amazing
With 6.5CM you do give up quite a bit of barrel life compared to 308? I've seen some charts saying CM barrels last about 2000 rounds where a 308 barrel lasts about 10000 rounds. There's quite a difference.
My 308 barrels have gone from 4,000 - 6,000+ rounds with good accuracy. After that I could have still used them, but the best accuracy was gone from them. The 308 is hard to beat for long accurate barrel life. The 6.5 doesn't last as long.
I agree they kill well but as mentioned I do not enjoy ingesting lead. The fragments end up littering all through the carcass. I have gone full barns bullets for hunting purposes and won’t ever go back. I agree with you very light for caliber barns however, it just works great. I exclusively shoot hybrids for competitive purposes. I doubt Pete is butchering the truckload of game he is hunting with them. For those that do eat there prey and I’d hope that’s everyone killing animals however of a crazy idea that may be.
What stock is that?
That's from Boyds, the model is At-One. Pretty wild looking in yellow, but you can order it with many different color combos. It's nice to shoot.
APEE - Accuracy, Penetration, Expansion, Energy. The most important attribute of a hunting bullet is accuracy. The least important attribute is energy. In essence, you only need enough energy to ensure adequate penetration and expansion. The definition of adequate, in this circumstance, will vary from hunter to hunter. Personally, I insist on a bullet that gives 100% penetration, even on difficult shot angles, because if I need to track an animal I want a substantial blood trail. Bullet expansion doesn't need to be extreme. Some folks, perhaps more and more these days, see this the other way around. They want violent expansion, up to and including complete disintegration, and are willing to sacrifice penetration to get it. I do not use any target bullet, or a bullet that fails to deliver a significant exit wound, when hunting big game.
And there are times when I choose a deep-penetrating bullet as well. Barnes TSX & TTSX, Hornady CX, Nosler Partition...
@@guyminer3168 - I have been using the Accubond for most big game hunting, because I get more shots at 50 yards or less than I do 250 yards or more, which is a major consideration when choosing a bullet.
@@jasonbroom7147 - absolutely! I clobbered a bear at about 15 feet with a 260 grain Accubond from my 375 H&H. Glad I had a really tough bullet! Recovered that bullet hanging up in the off-side hide.
@@jasonbroom7147 - yes it is! With those close range shots, I'd be using something like that as well.
They work from what I’ve seen.
Loaded up the 215gr Hybrid in my 30-06 for this fall. 2660fps in a 24 inch barrel. Hopefully they perform well!
Had never try berger on game, but got Doe tag this year. Have a load ready for m'y 6.5x300 weaterby and might work one for m'y 308
Use 142 or 150 grain Nosler AccuBond Long Range bullets in 6.5-300 Weatherby on game. There's no sound argument for using thin jacket/cup & core target bullets on game. There is plenty of sound reasoning why not to.
That Weatherby probably a bit more then needed for a doe lol but I’d imagine on something of the sort where penetration is not an issue from any angle then it would be a fine choice.
Im fan off Speer btsp bullet for hunthing, they never failed me true many hunt in various caliber, so I do think berger bullet will work just fine
@@JCTaylor21 *presents no argument*
*claims there is no acceptable counter argument*
@@SammyMoore-tg5gs Because it's obvious. Jacket/core separation being the most obvious. I already said "thin jacket".
I was considering tge 108 for my 6gt since I shoot 109s in matches. Glad piete did tge test and see what I only theorized. My 6.5cm is just for coyotes and I'm just using 143eldx in case I need to hunt with it. Haven't tested the 212eldx in my 06 fir a hunting bullet yet, by if I don't like it, I'm probably going to do a 130 to 150 solid copper
140gr for deer n such is bout baby bear soup. I have 130tmk in 6.5prc runnin 3220fps and almost penetrate 3/4” mild@200yrds. Huge crater. Devastating on a jug..95v max even meaner
@charlesmullins3238 I started with the 100 eld-vt amd punched holes thrugh my 1/2 inch ar500 at 100. Even my valkyrie woth the 62 gr eld-vt punch straight through it. I just don't like switching loads in a gun, and I ha e long shots 800-1400 that I can pop coyotes here as long as it is light enough. But thanks for the heads up on deer. I mostly plan to just use my old 30-06 on them if I go hunt them. My 338wm is the go to for bigger
@@loadmastergod1961 my 1st was with uncles smith&wesson.30-06 with redfield 3x9..felt awsome and dead on…ol .06 gold standard
The 140 BVLD is also optimal in my 6.5-284 Norma
@@Accuracy1st I run the 130 gr otm in my 6.5 x 284
140Hvld is a KILLER bullet. My favorite for sure
@@waynemayle865 Thats interesting. What kind of velocities are you achieving? I am gathering components to load up for my 6.5 PRC. Ive got 300x 135gr Berger Classic Hunters
@@PencilProper I'm running a 28in. Custom built my average on the high side is 2920 2938 low side 2780 to 2810 2812 it does really good except for barrel life this is my sec barrel got a little over 1800 rds first one my sec has 150 rds on it now
@@waynemayle865 Thanks for the reply. I too am going to be running a 28" barrel. From what I can gather im expecting velocities at or above 3100 FPS. I am surprised you have reached that round count to be honest, and I don't think 1800 is too bad of a return, given the similar powder volumes in the PRC and 284. I was expecting to reach a round count of about 12-1400 rounds.
I shot a doe with a 168gr hammer hunter at approx 40 yards with a 7MMRUM did it open hell yes blew a hole bigger than my fist bleed by the bucket
Let's see a 300 weatherby build
Very cool cartridge!
@guyminer3168 be cool to see what it is capable of with a fast twist berrel to stabilize a big 30 caliber
Destroyed vitals is Destroyed vitals!
Bergers are my go to bullet in my Tikka's
Accurate bullets from an accurate rifle!
Guy! If you hunt hogs with the berger bullets, does that constitute a ham-berger???
:) Love it!
@@farmerwayne1404 that is a USDA prime grade groaner. Well done
I thought you didn't like to eat lead fragments of coarse with Bergers the frags are so small and everywhere you probably don't even notice
I report on all the bullets I try afield, Berger, Hornady, Sierra, Barnes, Nosler... Probably others as well.
I like Piet, however I'm the phone call he even says he switches bullets and doesn't use the same one. He also aims for head shots lol. Hornady, nosler are excellent aswell
That’s an awful lot of small lead fragments going into something I intend to eat and, more importantly, feed to other people who didn’t get a say in what bullet I chose.
@@Snailz5 do you eat lungs?
Def a concern and why i dont shoot in the meat lol no shoulder for me if i can help it.
@@SammyMoore-tg5gs People have done x rays after shooting frangible bullets and the particles spread out a long way.
@@Snailz5 they sure do, as tiny particles mostly caught in the interior lining of the rib cage. The lead is also in a form that is almost harmless to the human body. You’d have to eat thousands of lbs of affected meat in order to have an observable effect.
@@SammyMoore-tg5gs I'd like to see what sort of junk science you're quoting that says the form of lead from bullets is almost harmless. Most peer reviewed studies I've seen evaluating the effects of lead ingestion on animals from projectile lead have shown negative health outcomes for the test subjects, some to the point where subjects needed to be euthanized prior to study completion because animal wellfare protocols require you do not make the animals needlessly suffer for days before expiring.
Not a big fan of Berger maybe because I started using Barnes bullets first and just really like the performance of Barnes bullets. 208 LRX for my 300PRC, 130 TTSX for my 270win, 150gr TTSX for my 308.
Monolithic bullets are trash for hunting.
@@duckwacker8720Highly disagree. Barnes bullets offer same if not greater overall expansion and a higher weight retention than almost all lead core projectiles
@@EasternMountainHunters I don't care about weight retention. It's not important. Monolithic bullets fail to expand even the one's that do expand fully there's a lot less tissue damage. Most under expand.
@@duckwacker8720 I care about weight retention because I want an exit hole. The whole speculation that monos don’t expand is just not true. Have tested Barnes from 2800fps down to 2000fps and they expand in all cases I’ve seen.
I’ve never liked ttsx on my deer they seemed pencil hole them it would kill them still but they’d run aways not sure if you’ve run into that before? with my Berger’s they drop right there or go maybe 15 yards. That being said I did like the ttsx performance on elk but had similar luck with vlds as well
berger worked best for me in my .300wsm. .5" groups at 300 yrds and they touch the lands
That's great grouping!
What’s the link to Pete’s page?
I can't post a link here but it's Impact Shooting.
175 gr elite hunter from 28 Nosler with divesting results at 280 yard from above. It destroyed 3 inches of the spine. However, on elk at 200yds on the shoulder quartering to the front, didn’t penetrate and required a follow up shot. That has made me wonder and I have moved on to another bullet.
Use a Barnes triple shock for elk if you aren't going to shoot past 500 yards
I wonder why berger never had a “hunting” bullet before Walt sold the company?
Walt actually got in on the testing of the VLD's for hunting and took a red stag in New Zealand. He was involved in hunting with the Bergers early on.
@@guyminer3168 I know that. What was his conclusion about them as a hunting bullet?
Long range hunting group has the lowdown also on this topic…glad you touched on it too guy…🫡
Ive only had instantly dead deer with 168 grain hybrid hunter bullets.
Are you sponsored in any shape or way by Berger Bullets?
We do business with several different bullet makers, including Berger. I use true-life examples of my hunts and my range results with the Bergers, or any bullet I'm featuring in a story. I've made videos and articles about bullets by Sierra, Nosler, Barnes, Berger, Hornady and Berry's. Am looking forward to hunting with the Berger Elite Hunters this season. Took a bear earlier this year with a Hornady CX bullet. Have been fascinated by hunting bullet performance for several decades and have tried many different bullets.
Not all match grade bullets are created equally. Bergers, or other match grade bullets, are fine for hunting if you select ones designed to expand and you know their limitations. Other match grade bullets bend at the tip on impact and behave more like FMJs, which shouldn’t be used for hunting. Period.
FMJ that tumble work great for hunting.
Love Berger Bullets and Berger Ammo,😍 but my wallet does not 😅
They’re cheaper and shoot better than Nosler!
Many hunting bullets are a lot more expensive...
I may try berger even though they are expensive, but I poo poo on your caliber choice of creed.
Well, they're less expensive than some hunting bullets, more expensive than others. I've got to give the 6.5 Creedmoor a try out of curiosity. I've never yet taken game with it. Typically a 30-06, 7mm Rem mag, or 25-06 rifle is in my hands during hunting season.
Berger must be a sponsor for the channel
Why’s that?
Just about everything shown on the channel is
Im sure berger has a decent specific hunting bullet, but i just have a hard time leaving the partion, accubond or ttsx or lrx. Those are my top 4 hunting bullets. But great video, always enjoy watching and listening to you, cheers from canada
Oh, I still like my Hornady, Nosler, Barnes and Sierra hunting bullets! Thank you!
@guyminer3168 I know you do 100%, your very knowledgeable and open to whatever works, and is why I enjoy watching and listening to you.
Ps , your reloading videos were great and got me started , and I'm having a blast with it. Cheers from your friends up north in Canada 🇨🇦
@@njm1251 - thanks!