HuntMT16
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I know its been a bit since I originally posted my question, but I wanted to get back to everyone and say thanks for the feedback. It is greatly appreciated.
Berger VLD reviews for elk
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NDGuy
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Answers all over the place. I got some 168 VLDs for my -06 gonna try out and see how they shoot but some of you making me skeptical on using them for my hunt.
Bugle 'Em In
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I've sworn by the Berger's for years. Have a very large database of critters our family has taken w/ Bergers. Even IF you connect w/ a bad hit a little far back, that animal won't go far. Shoot behind the shoulder and that animal won't take but a few steps before dying. NDGuy - shoot w/ confidence.
Ensure that the tips are open and you’ll be fine. I use a sewing needle to check all of mine before they go into the field. I’ve never had an issue since I started verifying them
This for your ND elk hunt? mtmuley
Bergers are only bullet i hunt with for ranges i expect to be 300 maybe 400+, at or inside that i use accubonds or partitions typically (grab different rifle). I shot 7 bucks/bulls last fall with bergers, 5 of 7 dropped in tracks a 150" whitetail went 40 yards (200yard shot) and a old wide muley went 20 yards(640 yard shot). 2 bull elk didnt make it a single step but one rolled down hill 80 yards. None required 2nd shot! Having shot animals up close with them in past seasons they can cause some meat loss (blow-ups) but thats fast rifles shooting long range bullets at close targets, so thats when lower BC bonded shine or monos (when they dont pencil) work. If its a all around rifle and not a dedicated longer range rifle i would probably use a different bullet but if long shots are goal bergers are only way to go. Additionally; i dont shot any VLDs mine are all elite hunters, OTM Tacticals and hybrid targets think have slightest differences in jackets(research that if concerned). Good luck
NDGuy
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Yes gonna see how these and ELD-X bullets shoot
I tend to lean towards a stouter bullet. Especially killing elk. mtmuley
NDGuy
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I can get my hands on some Accubonds, Partitions, and TTSX bullets.
Maybe grab a box of those and see how they shoot?
Nice range bullets.
I had a buddy who was a Berger fanatic make up some rounds for my -06. He insisted I would like them.
Very accurate. Guy was only one I ever trusted to load my ammo.
The 2 bucks were my worst personal hunting kills ever and the meat was full of fragments. Damn things just disintegrated hitting bone,any bone. One buck I hiked 2 miles to recover.
25 yrs and never again. Barnes or AB's,165's. 1 hole thru & they go down. Had one cow go 150 yards, dbl lunged.
Same with the Partitions,I had some break up on elk.They sit waiting for other uses than game now.
I had a buddy who was a Berger fanatic make up some rounds for my -06. He insisted I would like them.
Very accurate. Guy was only one I ever trusted to load my ammo.
The 2 bucks were my worst personal hunting kills ever and the meat was full of fragments. Damn things just disintegrated hitting bone,any bone. One buck I hiked 2 miles to recover.
25 yrs and never again. Barnes or AB's,165's. 1 hole thru & they go down. Had one cow go 150 yards, dbl lunged.
Same with the Partitions,I had some break up on elk.They sit waiting for other uses than game now.
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NDGuy
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From what I have read and people I've talked to that is what they are designed to do. Stay off the shoulder and they will obliterate the boiler room.
I have shot and seen bulls shot thru the shoulders with the 7mm 180grn vld hunting bullet. I have had more pass thru than not on elk and deer with that set up at 3050fps. Most shots 300 to 600yrds a few shorter and a few longer. Never a cripple or a tracking job. All dead right there. Very Very accurate I have shot lots of game with partitions, accubonds, ballistic tips, soccoros and aframes but the berger is my all time favorite. No one in my group trusts the all copper bullets and all love the bergers.
A rib. On a deer....offside.
Can't punch thru a shoulder blade? OK.....lol
To each their owns.
ImBillT
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They disintegrate whether you hit bone or not, BUT they get through bone within the first 2-4” without any problem at all, and by the time they disintegrate, the massive cloud of lead is much larger than most bones that might be in their path.
I guess if your shot was quartering really hard, a shoulder blade on a large animal might be deep enough that the bullet had come apart before reaching it, and it might be large enough that not many fragments went around it. I’ve had them punch pencil holes through scapula and humerus on direct broadside shots, and then completely disintegrate in the lungs.
Meat loss is not really an issue if you shoot behind the shoulder. You’re just gonna mutilate lungs or guts.
I never could make up my mind between something that fragmented easily and killed quickly, but risked a significant lack of penetration, and something that held up more like an AB and gave me an exit, but didn’t create nearly the same wound...then I tried a Berger on an animal. They don’t penetrate deeply, but they penetrate farther before they start to fragment than most easily fragmenting bullets, and then they fragment into more pieces than most easily fragmenting bullets. It’s an interesting combination that I was leery of until I experienced it. So far, they are just about the only thing I’m interested in for 6mm on up.
I HAVE ONLY TRIED HEAVY FOR CALIBER BULLETS AND ONLY USED WEIGHTS THAT OTHERS HAVE HAD SUCCESS WITH. I have not used bullets that were on the light side for the caliber, and although the lightest bullet for the intended game that I have used would be a 140gr 6.5mm on an elk, plenty of people have killed elk using 140gr bullets in a 7-08, 130gr in a .270, 115gr in a .257 and 115gr in a .243, so while it might be on the light side, 140gr for elk is not terribly uncommon, and certainly not unheard of. While I have had great experiences with Berger, I wouldn’t push you toward the light side. This is only my opinion, and isn’t even backed up by personal experience, but my belief is that the more the bullet fragments, the more important it is to use more weight. If you want to go light, then use a tougher bullet(not a deadlier bullet...the right Berger is the deadliest thing in the planet)
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NDGuy
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They are not designed to punch through an animal they are designed to penetrate a few inches and violently fragment causing massive tissue damage.
NDGuy
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MTMuley you really hate those damn Bergers don't you! lol What bullets do you shoot?
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Ya but i assume thats a montana bull, they are way different than a ND bull...obviously!
