Berger VLD anyone tried these yet?
- Thread starter redjethro
- Start date
For your 270 you will need about a 200 to 250 grain bullet. They don't penetrate very good if pushed fast. They advertise that they give better penetration at close and long range but I will not be hunting with Bergers again. I had very poor results with them. I was using 168 grain vld in my 300 rum and they were very accurate but penetration was unreliable at best. I will be sticking with my Barnes from now on.
berger
l have to agree with tbdtp on the performance of bergers,l also had very very bad results with them at close range,Other people swear by them ,telling me they have no problems at all?l still use them in a couple of rifles because of their accuracy.
l have to agree with tbdtp on the performance of bergers,l also had very very bad results with them at close range,Other people swear by them ,telling me they have no problems at all?l still use them in a couple of rifles because of their accuracy.
I shot 4 whitetails with Berger 130gr VLD 6.5mm out of my 260 last fall. They have a muzzle velocity of 2775.
The first one was at 6, that's not a typo, 6 yards. The shot was at steep downward angle, the bullet entered the chest cavity and exited almost straight out the bottom, taking the bottom off the heart. When we cleaned that deer almost all of the front quarters were totally bloodshot. Nearly a complete waste, I was not impressed, but continued to use them for the remainder of the season, I shot another deer about 120 yards, she ran maybe 35 yards and piled up. Very minimal meat damage. Shot a nice 9 pointer at 35 yards, had its head down quartering away, the bullet went through the chest and into the neck, never exiting, he didnt even twitch. When we cleaned him the bullet had completely fragmented. Just tiny pieces of copper, and there was very little meat loss. The last one was at 385, blew completely through the chest and through the far side shoulder, she went about 30 yards, and there was an awesome wound channel, with very little meat damage.
I will continue using them, they shoot great, they come apart quickly but put game down quick. I'm not completely sure why the first deer had so much internal damage, but the VLD's did a great job on the other 3 deer.
I also shot a coyote at about 250 yards, and I wouldn't recommend these bullets if you are looking to save hides. LOL, major exit wound.
The first one was at 6, that's not a typo, 6 yards. The shot was at steep downward angle, the bullet entered the chest cavity and exited almost straight out the bottom, taking the bottom off the heart. When we cleaned that deer almost all of the front quarters were totally bloodshot. Nearly a complete waste, I was not impressed, but continued to use them for the remainder of the season, I shot another deer about 120 yards, she ran maybe 35 yards and piled up. Very minimal meat damage. Shot a nice 9 pointer at 35 yards, had its head down quartering away, the bullet went through the chest and into the neck, never exiting, he didnt even twitch. When we cleaned him the bullet had completely fragmented. Just tiny pieces of copper, and there was very little meat loss. The last one was at 385, blew completely through the chest and through the far side shoulder, she went about 30 yards, and there was an awesome wound channel, with very little meat damage.
I will continue using them, they shoot great, they come apart quickly but put game down quick. I'm not completely sure why the first deer had so much internal damage, but the VLD's did a great job on the other 3 deer.
I also shot a coyote at about 250 yards, and I wouldn't recommend these bullets if you are looking to save hides. LOL, major exit wound.
Since I started hunting at around 12-13 years of age, and am now well past 60, I have had the opportunity to see a lot of good bullet development over the years. I have also been privileged to shoot a large number of animals, from varmints to Bison. A dependable big game bullet does the job well, in close as well as way out there. It does not ever disintegrate, nor will it "pencil" through an animal without expanding somewhat, even at the outer edges of sane shooting ranges. Meat loss is a relative thing, since any bullet will destroy meat if it hits an area that is "meaty", or blasts through a major bone like the spine, hip or shoulder blade. It is beyond my comprehension why, with so many very good "game" bullets available, we are now using bullets that were really originally developed for paper punching for shooting animals. I see their performance as iffy at best, and downright unsuitable at worst. I know someone is going to try to play the "accuracy" card here. To that I say hogwash!!! The TTSX, the Partition, and several bonded core bullets are more than accurate enough to dependably hit and kill big game to 600+ yards in a chambering suitable for shooting that far at game. Sure, they may give up a small amount of Ballistic Coefficient to the target bullet, but elevation is a part of the formula that is easily accomodated for, so an inch or two of extra holdover is a non-issue. I would not want this to be seen as a slam at Berger, or any other manufacurer of match grade target bullets....I shoot them in competition all the time. They are wonderfully accurate, and work extremely well for their intended purpose, inanimate targets. As for me, I'll not be trying them for big game anytime in the forseeable future, I know what I can depend on! Regards, Eagleye.
I also agree with what you said Eagleye. I how even am looking for the best bullet for the best price. From some of the things that I have read the Berger hunting VLD is designed for hunting and not target. Some say it preforms better than the Nosler Accubond and costs half the money. So in my hunt for a bullet that does the best job over all it is one that any re-loader should have a look into.
Red
Red
I would be extremely skeptical of someone who claimed a Berger VLD will out "perform" a Nosler Accubond. It might be a hair more accurate and drift a bit less in the wind at long range, but those arent real big concerns of a proper hunting bullet.
rommelrommel
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Serious, is 50 cents more on a hunting bullet going to break your 8k elk huting trip?
