Berger bullets for hunting

R

Restoule

Member
Rating - 100%
70   0   0
Location
Calgary, Alberta
Hi all,

I've been hunting with berger bullets for about 7 years now and I've had very good success with them. I've been reading other posts and a lot of people have horror stories with them. No blood trails etc. Well I've actually only had one blood trail and chunks of lungs on the way to the buck. Only animal with an exit wound too. That was the only animal still alive when I walked up. Not good. It was a double lung shot, one I've made several times.

I still consider this bullet to be my favorite because I've watched every animal go down. And after gutting, every instance, the vitals were nothing but blood clot. I shot a bull moose at 100 yards, no problem, cow moose at 480yards, no problem, and down to a whitetail doe at 30 facing me. No problem.

I shoot the 168 out of my 7mm RM. 26" barrel, 70.5 grains of retumbo, I believe it's over max but my rifle shows no pressure signs, and I'm at 3100 fps.

I want to use the exact bullet in my 7mm08 ai but am now worried they won't have the same performance as my rifle will shoot from 2650-2800. I haven't tested it yet.

Does anyone have experience with the 168 hvld 7mm at that fps range on actual game? I'm going to try it this hunting season if it does good out of my gun.
 
We shoot the 168's in 30 cal and have no issues. A lot of guys bring up the - if you hit bone you're pooched. Which may be true but there are a lot of guys that shoot for the shoulder "to anchor it". Any animal that I have ever shot in the vitals regardless of bullet used has died and not gone far if at all. But that is what I shoot for and am confident of my shots - I don't feel I need to anchor it for a second killing shot.
 
That's my philosophy too. I practice almost every weekend and feel confident in every shot I take. I realize that there may be an instance where the shot isn't perfect, but that is rare. I always aim for the vitals, the shoulder shot is a huge waste of meat. Also I forgot to mention, that all the game taken with the bergers had almost no meat wasted. Except for the exit one. They seem to make their way into the cavity, then fragment and not go through the other wall of ribs. That's my experience.
 
Went shooting today,

7mm08 ai
168 hvld
2600-2840 fps
24 inch barrel

My most accurate group was .485 at 100 yards at 2613 M.V.

Not as fast as I would like but i can't choose a faster load when the groups were all over 1 inch.
 
Restoule said:
Went shooting today,

7mm08 ai
168 hvld
2600-2840 fps
24 inch barrel

My most accurate group was .485 at 100 yards at 2613 M.V.

Not as fast as I would like but i can't choose a faster load when the groups were all over 1 inch.
Click to expand...

What powder are you using behind that? I too have a 7mm-08 AI, mine is built on a Rem 600. - dan
 
Varget. I've still yet to deprime. But I got a primer fall out at the last string of 5. No other pressure signs which was odd. Lapua brass.

What are you running for barrel length and speed?
 
If they worked well at 480 yards the velocity by that distance should have slowed to about what youd get from 708ai. Im not sure of the exact numbers as i dont use berger bullets.
However generally if you want the bullet to stay in the animal drive it faster. The faster it hits the more resistance the bullet meets
 
brybenn said:
If they worked well at 480 yards the velocity by that distance should have slowed to about what youd get from 708ai. Im not sure of the exact numbers as i dont use berger bullets.
However generally if you want the bullet to stay in the animal drive it faster. The faster it hits the more resistance the bullet meets
Click to expand...

Very true, I don't know why I didn't think of that. I'll look up my speed at that distance. And compare them.
 
I am not personally intrigued by Berger [or any other fragile bullet] for hunting.
But if you are careful, and do not try to reach vitals through heavy bone, they
appear to get the job done.
A close friend of mine started using them 4 years ago, but has moved back to
bullets designed to retain some weight after a bad experience on a Bear.

I shoot Berger and Lapua Scenar for punching paper, but prefer "real" hunting
bullets for game. :) Dave.
 
As for my speed, my 7 RM is 2440 at 500 yards, and the 708ai is that at 150 yards.

The 708ai is above 2000fps and above 1500 ft/lbs at 500 yards though, so I think I would take a 500 yard max shot at anything.
 
I hit my buck this year with a 210gr VLD out of my .300 WM from 425 yards- took him through the top of the heart and both lungs, he ran maybe 45 yards and toppled over. Muzzle velocity was a rather leisurely 2740 FPS. Entry and exit were both about 1.5", and the insides were jelly.

My other experiences have been similar with Bergers on game- they do fragment, so you have to place shots accordingly, but they certainly kill well when used properly.

I lean towards monolithics for most close-mid range hunting these days, but I use Berger for anything further away.
 
Restoule :I want to use the exact bullet in my 7mm08 ai but am now worried they won't have the same performance as my rifle will shoot from 2650-2800. I haven't tested it yet.

WHY ? when you already have a 7 RM shooting it perfectly at 3100 ! Maybe just throttle the 7 RM back with a lighter load ? OR is the 7-08ai for some else to use ? just wondering - I have FEW of the BIG 7's and the smaller ones and i really believe the 7-08 - 284 size are at there BEST with 140 gr weight bullets ! Of course JMHO - RJ
 
Restoule said:
As for my speed, my 7 RM is 2440 at 500 yards, and the 708ai is that at 150 yards.

The 708ai is above 2000fps and above 1500 ft/lbs at 500 yards though, so I think I would take a 500 yard max shot at anything.
Click to expand...

1500 ft/lb at 500yds? That's some impressive numbers for a 7mm08, ai or not.

What load is that based off?

Also, are you using a standard magazine box, or something that allows a longer OAL?
 
Last edited:
Restoule said:
As for my speed, my 7 RM is 2440 at 500 yards, and the 708ai is that at 150 yards.

The 708ai is above 2000fps and above 1500 ft/lbs at 500 yards though, so I think I would take a 500 yard max shot at anything.
Click to expand...

Should be a good reference point in comparison to how they preform. Ive never used them on game myself. I personally prefer a bullet designed so that it can punch thru bone and muscle. More so as the range increases. Animals can move quick and i wouldnt want to send a frangible bullet into a shoulder by accident. Either bad wind call or movement of the game. Thats me. Im in no way judging your experience skill or confidence. I hunt primarily with archery and muzzleloaders and shotguns so other than coyotes and smaller varmints i dont hunt at longer ranges. With shots under 40 yards and often half that my confidence is high i can make the shot
 
Man this is great feedback.

Remington Jim- That is a great point. My 7RM is Browning xbolt hunter that I've put a mcmillan on.
I've shot over 1500 rounds out of it and the barrel is suffering accuracy wise. My goal is to put a 28 inch carbon barrel on it to shoot the 195 bergers.

I also dislike carrying it now with a 26 inch barrel so I wanted a lighter rifle. Well I am going full out and am making an ultralight to shoot 7mm08ai.

I put together a ruger american in 708ai to test out before I build. My action is titanium and before being finished, it's 12.5oz with the whole bolt assembly... it's a cool project. I want to shoot the 168 because i have over 1000 bullets and it has less drift. If it doesn't perform the way I want, i'll probably switch to 140 or 150 gn.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom