Berger bullet failures?

M

masoncade1992

Member
Rating - 100%
8   0   0
I recently started a thread on a 28 nosler I am getting built soon. I notice a lot of ppl are really excited about BERGER bullets. Now I have loaded bergers before in a 300win mag and they are the most accurate bullets I have loaded. They shoot fast , they got great bcs ect.

I also know that on a perfect broadside shot, at extended ranges, they work amazing.

The issue that I have, is when you section one, they have a jacket that is extremely thin.

If all a person did was hunt a extended ranges, then yes I think they would be good choice.

I have been hunting in BC since I was 10 years old. I have personally shot 10 elk, 12 bull moose and a few deer. Time and time again I reminded just how tough a bull elk is, even with a perfect shot. Rarely do you get an bull elk in the rut, the poses perfect and smiles for the camera.. They usually come charging in the timber and greet you at 30-40 yards. Usually you can only get one shot and usually its a slight quartering shot . However, once in a blue moon you see them on cut lines or in cut blocks and yes a longer shot is needed.

I would like to have the opinion of people who shoot lots of elk and moose, what their experience is with this bullet under close range conditions/ not perfect broad side.
 
Many on various deer and one elk.They perform like a SX varmint bullet even at 600 yards so avoid shoulders and large bones + angle shots.I gave away a half box to a guy ,in retrospect I should have threw them in a river.
 
A pal of mine swears by the .284/168 Berger in his .280 Remington, and has taken moose with the combination; IIRC, all were broadside shots, but he says he's never seen anything that drops them quicker. That said, I'm not a fan of a big game bullet that's designed to grenade, although there is no arguing with that performance if it grenades in the right place. Another bullet that was designed to grenade was A-Square's Lion Bullet, a bronze mono-metal bullet that's manufactured to be brittle. When I was in Tanzania I heard about a fellow who used them; the lion came straight in and the bullet broke up on it's teeth! Apparently things got kinda sporty right after that.

Consider though that the front end of a Nosler Partition is also very destructive, but the shank continues on to break stuff beyond that initial damage zone, and that makes quite a difference. I don't want to wait for the optimum shot angle, if I get a quartering shot, I'm going to take it. The old Partition, designed back in the late 40s, gives me the confidence to do that. If I entertained the idea of long range game shooting, I might be inclined to use anneal some heavy Bergers and load them in a .300 magnum, but that's not my game.
 
Last edited:
No firsthand experience. Frangible bullets on big game aren't my cup of tea.

A friend of mine shot a big bodied bull elk with the 210gr VLD Hunting out of his 300 RUM. MV is about 3050 fps. Distance was 150 yards, broadside first shot. He ended up shooting it 3 times and once more to finish it off at close range. Bullets grenaded on impact

Bergers have their window of good performance, but that comes at a impact speed far lower than what you'll encounter 98% of hunting situations. Not a great choice for do-all hunting needs on bigger animals that aren't always standing broadside. Especially if you like minimal meat damage
 
I use them, so far 2 quartering to shots on elk. 1 cow, 1 bull, had a partial exit on the cow neither one went far. They are very capable, so if you want to give them a try see if you like the way they perform and go from there.
 
Boomer said:
A pal of mine swears by the .284/168 Berger in his .280 Remington, and has taken moose with the combination; IIRC, all were broadside shots, but he says he's never seen anything that drops them quicker. That said, I'm not a fan of a big game bullet that's designed to grenade, although there is no arguing with that performance if it grenades in the right place. Another bullet that was designed to grenade was A-Square's Lion Bullet, a bronze mono-metal bullet that's manufactured to be brittle. When I was in Tanzania I heard about a fellow who used them; the lion came straight in and the bullet broke up on it's teeth! Apparently things got kinda sporty right after that.

Consider though that the front end of a Nosler Partition is also very destructive, but the shank continues on to break stuff beyond that initial damage zone, and that makes quite a difference. I don't want to wait for the optimum shot angle, if I get a quartering shot, I'm going to take it. The old Partition, designed back in the late 40s, gives me the confidence to do that. If I entertained the idea of long range game shooting, I might be inclined to use anneal some heavy Bergers and load them in a .300 magnum, but that's not my game.
Click to expand...


I love the partition for that reason. opens quick does lots of damage, but retains enough to plow throw bone and what not. They need to make the berger with a "partition" in the middle, or with a solid shank.
 
Purple shoulder said:
Load your mag with bergers but put a AB or partition on top/in chamber. If you come across a loooong shot, cycle it out on the ground and chamber a berger.
Click to expand...

Sure, that makes sense because obviously they are both going to shoot to the same point of impact. How do people come up with this stuff?
 
Last edited:
todbartell said:
No firsthand experience. Frangible bullets on big game aren't my cup of tea.

A friend of mine shot a big bodied bull elk with the 210gr VLD Hunting out of his 300 RUM. MV is about 3050 fps. Distance was 150 yards, broadside first shot. He ended up shooting it 3 times and once more to finish it off at close range. Bullets grenaded on impact

Bergers have their window of good performance, but that comes at a impact speed far lower than what you'll encounter 98% of hunting situations. Not a great choice for do-all hunting needs on bigger animals that aren't always standing broadside. Especially if you like minimal meat damage
Click to expand...

I am glad you commented todbartell, you are another person in northern BC that shoots a pile of game. It just not worth the risk, in order to obtain a bc of +.600. do you think that the 160 accubond will hold up to a 28 nosler velocity ?
 
masoncade1992 said:
I am glad you commented todbartell, you are another person in northern BC that shoots a pile of game. It just not worth the risk, in order to obtain a bc of +.600. do you think that the 160 accubond will hold up to a 28 nosler velocity ?
Click to expand...

That's pretty much what they are designed for...stay together at high velocity.
Anyway, the 7STW has been around for a long time, it's not like the Nosler cartridges are doing anything new here.
Swift A-frame is another solid choice... kind of a rip off of the Partition, but bonded adding some additional toughness for high velocity impact.
Barnes LRX which also seems to be more reliable expanding then the rest of the line.
 
Purple shoulder said:
So you might be off by an inch or 2 at 100 yards. Big deal.
Click to expand...

that's never been my experience. some bullets maybe, but if the only 195 grain bullet is a berger...so even if you load a 175 grain aframe or partitions with it, you will be much more than 2 inch off, more like feet. I have loaded two same weighted bullets and the POI is usually 3-4 inches at 100 yards @ 200 yards that's feet. and an elk heart is only maybe 10 inch long by 5-6 inches wide.
 
Ha ha, reminded me of an old buddy. First time we went hunting together and he pulls an assorment of bullets out of his pocket, all different grains, brands, and shapes. He tells me they are for all different situations, long range, big animal, small animal and bush busters were the round nose. He said all with a straight face, I didnt know what to say.
 
ruby76 said:
Ha ha, reminded me of an old buddy. First time we went hunting together and he pulls an assorment of bullets out of his pocket, all different grains, brands, and shapes. He tells me they are for all different situations, long range, big animal, small animal and bush busters were the round nose. He said all with a straight face, I didnt know what to say.
Click to expand...

Funny we all know someone like that.... or you could be my grandfather who just keeps every brand and grain in his pocket. . Needless to say , we limit him to the 50 yard shots with us backing him up lol.
 
OMG people. Lets try again. He wants to use bergers. He sights in for bergers. If he gets a close shot like 100 that he is worried about the bullet grenading he uses the partition and misses by a few inches.

But again. Disregard.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom