Bergers for hunting

J

JEC

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Anybody with with "real life" experience using Berger bullets for deer? On the box, it says they are "Recommended for Hunting".
 
I will let you know in 8 days when I get back from camp!

I have my 7mm Rem Mag goosed with VLD 168s! I just want to see what they will do on deer sized game before i attemp any other game like bear or moose.

I can not believe in my mind what they have over a bonded bullet or a tsx becides BC and accuracy. I should note my favourite bullets for magnums are accubonds or the TSX in magnums, and for the standard cartridges a partition of hornady sp you can not beat.

However I am going to see what happens behind the front shoulder in the middle of a field so tracking will be easy if required. Maybe I have been watching too much BEST OF THE WEST, and hope it does not turn into the WORST OF THE EAST.
 
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John Barsness did a great article last year in Rifle about using them on a hunt in New Zealand for REd Stag(elk) and Chamois(deer sized). REported fantastic performance, apparently they entered about 2 inches then opened really wide, hit bones, no problems.
 
This is my first year rifle hunting, so I did not have the confidence to try Bergers for this, although I use them extensively for target shooting and have a ton of them.

I will check back on this thread to see how the experience of others turns out.

Here is what a 7mm VLD 180gn Berger does to 3/4 steel plate at 300 yards. The impact is the shiney hole in the centre, the back of the plate is bulged as well.

Rifle is 7mm WSM

7mm300.jpg
 
From what i have seen posted on a long range hunting forum, the Bergers perform like a match bullet for accuracy. Close range, high speed they break up sometimes. Long range, lower speed they excel.
 
Well a half hour into the season i took a bull moose with 168 gr vld over 73.5 gr. imr 4831,in a 300 wby mag. first time use with these bullets and i am absolutely amazed they are so accurate, i doubt i will ever use anything else i am that impressed with them, i was using barnes tsx's and these are cheaper and my gun likes them waaaaaay better. i managed to recover the bullet this morning and it nearly went right through, i had an angled shot that penetrated the neck , i recovered the jacket and lead core in the hide at the fourth rib from the front. Instant death!
 
I am trying the 168gr 30 cal Amax bullets this year for deer in my 300h&h. they shoot really well, thats what I was using at the range, and they are cheaper than the barnes and noslers
 
Congrats Smokingunn....sounds like a nice clean kill and that the bullet held together through a pretty long wound channel. About what velocity would you reckon the bullet was travelling at the point of impact. Hope you didn't have to pack too far!
I have a rifle (6.5) that shoots the Berger 130VLD's well, and I was considering using it for deer. Sounds like they are worth a try. In my rifle, I can get good accuracy when these Bergers are loaded .150 off the lands (and fit comfortably in the magazine).
 
We've killed a bear, a moose and a mule deer with VLDs this fall so far. All one shot affairs.
 
They work Great, I did not take a trophy this year but filled a doe tag, with a one shot kill, it did what they claimed. I had a good wound channel and a pass through so no bullet recovery. The only bone hit was rib.
 
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In the last 2 days I have shot 4 deer with the Berger 130 VLD's out of my 6.5x47 Lapua. I am very happy with the results, the expansion was great and the damage and penetration would be what you would expect from a Hornady Interlock. The closest shot was 160yds (head shot-quite unmessy but effective), the next two where 200yds and 350yds both lung with great exit wounds (about the size of a twoonie). The 412yd shot was consistent with the others. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a moose or elk through the lungs with this combination. I didn't recover a bullet.
 
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