Berger Bullets on Game(Pics up on last post)

Dogleg said:
Not all bullets expand; think about solids for a second. Not by coincidence they are the ultimate in penetration.



I prefer to run several hundred into living breathing test media. That way I can just jump ahead to what they actually did, instead of what they might do based on shooting Jello. It saves a step.
Click to expand...

LOL..nice try at a save. Gel or live critters...the laws of physics are the same. Bullets expand at different rates....unlike arrows.....and that rate of expansion plays a significant role in penetration. It's very easy to see in gel....for those that want to see. It's okay to say you learned something every once in a while ;)
 
Last edited:
crazy_davey said:
So the GMX's never shed petals?
Click to expand...

Never and always are words that rarely belong in discussions about firearm related things. I've recovered quite a number of them and I've only seen one that lost petals. It was a 139 grain 7mm that went through four feet of water buffalo so ya, they occasionally do. Not sure anything else was implied. As it sounded common with the .375 TSX, for c-fbmi, I just threw out an option that in my experience rarely did in the .375.
 
Kelly Timoffee said:
I guess if you are a poor shot then expanding the target into the shoulder allows you more justification when you miss the vitals. ;)

I feel it is a miss when I happen to take out a shoulder and give myself hell when I do it.
Click to expand...

Sounds to me like you should expand your target area if you aim at the boiler room shot and then "happen to take out a shoulder and give myself hell when I do it". Its a long way from the tuck one in behind the front leg and smacking the shoulder unintentionally.
 
Actually Sheep, I'm going to be trying Matrix bullets in my 375s, 340 and 9.3s. Ted recommends them highly and I like the look of the bullet, loaded some months ago but bad weather and other priorities have prevented me from shooting them yet. If they shoot well and perform as well as Ted has experienced then I suspect I'll be using them a lot for my expanding bullet needs. The other thing is, the TSXs although shedding some petals have never failed to kill, and I've taken some very iffy angled shots with total success. I have also remembered that all three bullets that completely shed their petals were all spine impact, and quite possibly something to do with the way the spine is made up has something to do with the shedding. Just speculation.........
 
Well, there must of have been something in the little hole of the bullet causing it to do funny things. :rolleyes:

nof60 said:
Sounds to me like you should expand your target area if you aim at the boiler room shot and then "happen to take out a shoulder and give myself hell when I do it". Its a long way from the tuck one in behind the front leg and smacking the shoulder unintentionally.
Click to expand...
 
Finn Aagard and many other noted writers prefer a shoulder shot as when a bullet holds together one or both shoulders are broken along with the lungs .The animal stays put so no tracking ,especially in the evening when there is no snow.Before someone chips in on African game having their lungs located further forward ,thus his opinion ,he also recommended it for NA game.With elk and moose I like to target the shoulder edge midway up. There is next to nothing on the front end of a deer in regards to meat.Bullet failure IMO wouldn't have happened with a Partition or Accubond.
 
Almost all the tsx, ttsx and lrx blew petals when I tested them though muscle and cow femurs. I have also recovered 243 85 tsx 257 100 tsx and a 308 165 tsx that had either lost one or more (all) petals. I also recovered a 139gmx that had parts missing from a doe with impact speed around 2600fps iirc.
 
I have an early Barnes x bullet that wacked a 6x7 mulie 130gr/.270 that never expanded .Looks like a FMJ with rifling marks.In all fairness when I talked with Randy Barnes he admitted they were having issues with some of the copper hardness. The TSX 168gr I put through a moose last fall worked fine although no bullet recovery to be certain of petal retention.
 
I agree with Finn, and am a confirmed shoulder shooter given the right angle. I have found over the years that I am a much better shot than I am a tracker, so my goal is to disable the quarry immediately and broken shoulders tend to do this nicely as does a spine shot. A lost animal is more waste by far than a blown shoulder. I like the African motto of "keep shooting till it's down then give it one more".
 
I'd agree! There are definitely conditions that call for a shoulder shot IMHO. I don't always take it but when conditions are such that dropping the animal on the spot is prudent, I use it every time.
 
I don't have one particular shot placement that I rigidly adhere to, which is one of the reasons I lean toward TSX style bullets. I want the added flexibility of taking a shoulder, frontal or even THS if that is what is presented to me. So I'm not likely to use Berters for hunting.
 
On the topic of lost petals from TSX or Ttsx, I've recovered every example I think possible, from bullets that look like they were shot into gel for a magazine ad, to just a small amount if an expanded base that was shot into bear at close range at 3500fps. Most of the examples I have retain most or all of thier petals, but I wouldn't say losing a petal is uncommon.

I have a number of partitions that have nothing left except the base, too.
 
The bullet hit an 1" above the tail in the south end of a north bound jumped deer.Under 20 yards instant kill.Full length penetration found in hide in the brisket.Otherwise wouldn't have found the bullet.Meat loss near zero with a shattered spine.
 
These are all .308 caliber bullets shot from a 300WSM. 180gr TSX, 180gr FailSafe, 130gr TTSX, 180gr Partiton and 180 gr Hornady Interlock. While these were shot at 50 yards into dry paper ( Iwanted to stress them out to see what they would do) I've recovered examples of all these bullets form animals that look pretty much like you see here. Plus some that are missing a petal or has a petal torn a bit off...and Some partitions that still have a wee bit of lead in the front cavity. But most partitions I've recovered have lost most of the front.

282_26043480515_4782_n.jpg


282_26043505515_8380_n.jpg
 
Im a shocker for shootin right behind the shoulder... but just this week i nailed a big sambar right in the shoulder .. with a 150gr Corelokt .300wsm at 50yards an the deer took 5 steps an tipped.over.

Projectile did NOT exit.. too fast too soon id say.

wl
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom