Are Berger failures real?

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Looking to start loading some berger vld in my new loads. How many of you are using them and like them as a hunting load? There are haters out there that claim them dont work and expload on impact at high velocity short ranges. I want to hear both sides, not just the haters. Please chime in if they are your GO TO hunting load
 

Ryan Avery

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I've shot lots of animals with Bergers. From 40 yards to 1583 yards. I know broz has witnessed over 300 elk die by Berger. Can they fail, sure. But most of the "haters" either have a dog in the fight or very little experience with them. Like they made a bad shot and blame the bullet kind of deal.

Berger's are Effin deadly!


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WestDan

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I used the 210 VLDs over the last couple years in my 300wm (switched to 215 hybrids this year) and they have been devastating on deer and elk. I'll be using 215 hybrids in my 300wm and 230 hybrids in my 300RUM+P this year. Broz is the man to speak with on these though
 
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I've had good results with Bergers except for one instance. Shot 2 animals out of a 300 rum, at distances past 500 yards and the 210gr bullets performed fantastic. Shot one elk at 50 yards with the same gun and load and never found it. There was a blood trail that started out good and after tracking it for awhile it finally jumped onto private property which ended our search. That was quite disheartening. Last season we loaded up some 115gr for a 25-.06 and they also performed great! My husband shot his elk at 150 yards with it and my brother and I each got deer with it and all performed as expected. All of our hunting and long range rifles except for one all shoot Berger bullets


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I've shot a number of animals with various Berger bullets including deer, antelope, pigs, and elk. I have to say I've never lost an animal and almost ever one was DRT. The design and hydrostatic shock from a VLD is amazing. They can be finicky in some rifles but I've had great accuracy especially at longer ranges. I will continue to use them and trust them!
What caliber and cartridge are you going to be loading? I usually choose the heaviest bullet my twist rate will allow and start there.
 

jwb300

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I think I've said it before on here but I have had a bad experiences with them. I've only shot 6 animals with them but I'll never use them again. 175gr VLD hunting - all shoulder shots from a 300WM. I've got no dog in the fight other than my personal experiences. Take it or leave it but IMO there are far better projectiles on the market.

Failure to penetrate on a large boar, 80 yds - exploded on the shoulder - boar never recovered. It actually ran uphill after the shot. The projie did not penetrate the fighting pad.

4 goats - zero exits at 30-60 yds. Retained weight less than 30% on the one projectile recovered. The rest fragmented and the goats travelled some distance before expiring.

1 Chamois - small thin skinned animal. Ran 100 yds before expiring.
 

idig4au

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Not a Berger fan here. I prefer bullets that retain weight in principle for hunting rather than high B.C. Doesn't mean they don't work, I just think there are better performing bullets out there, especially for my hunting style.
 

jwb300

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If you never recovered the animal how do you know it exploded on impact and failed to penetrate?

Because I saw dust from the hit on the shoulder pad, the animal fell onto its brisket (as if it was winded), then got up, shook itself off and departed. Not a drop of blood and even the GSP that we had on hand could not track it.
 
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I like bergers had one not open at 942 yards on a cow elk but she was stone dead with in 50 yards of where I hit her. If you using a lighter bullet and pushing it hard and shooting animals close you are stacking the odds against the bullets strengths. Some people have alternate loads/bullets that shoot close to their berger zero for close shots. Bergers have a strength and weakness, all bullets do. Bergers strengths are lower velocity long range impacts, with super great bc and bullet stability. I have taken bear at 315, at 316-916, elk at 450-942 and witnessed a bear at 1702. I will hunt with bergers, especially in my rifles setup for longrange.
 
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Because I saw dust from the hit on the shoulder pad, the animal fell onto its brisket (as if it was winded), then got up, shook itself off and departed. Not a drop of blood and even the GSP that we had on hand could not track it.

I have had buddies that shot bear at under 50 yards with standard core lock bullets that failed to recover bear. I shot a bear under 100 yards with a Barnes, trailed him in bear tunnels he was blowing lung and blood everywhere and failed to recover. Just saying it's not always the bullets fault bear can be tough as hell and the fat can stop bleeding pretty quick
 

jwb300

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I have had buddies that shot bear at under 50 yards with standard core lock bullets that failed to recover bear. I shot a bear under 100 yards with a Barnes, trailed him in bear tunnels he was blowing lung and blood everywhere and failed to recover. Just saying it's not always the bullets fault bear can be tough as hell and the fat can stop bleeding pretty quick

I have no doubt that corelokt's failed. I have seen them fail to penetrate leg bones on fallow deer. BTW I am talking about pigs - not bears. Pigs have hard fighting pads on their shoulders.
 
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I have no doubt that corelokt's failed. I have seen them fail to penetrate leg bones on fallow deer. BTW I am talking about pigs - not bears. Pigs have hard fighting pads on their shoulders.

That's why I don't shoot pigs in the shoulder no matter what bullet I'm shooting. A shot behind the shoulder puts them down plenty good!
 

Justin Crossley

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The only issues I've had with Berger bullets not killing the animal instantly where my fault. I have killed deer, elk, and bears with them from 80 to 415 yds, and Brock killed a bear with my 300 wm at 665 without issue. Since this is the long range hunting forum I'm assuming you plan to shoot/hunt long range? That is what Bergers are designed for and imo work very well for their intended use.
 

GKPrice

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this IS a long range discussion forum BUT "hunting" is seldom that static unless one is willing to simply pass up a shot up close in favor of making a "long range kill" - I started shooting Bergers quite a long while ago and sometimes still use them for hunting - An amazing bullet to work up loads and determine a rifle's potential and I do think that heavy for caliber is the best way to go for predicable terminal performance - Bergers don't always "blow up" either, I've killed 2 bears in different years with a 7mm RM/140 VLD's at 255 and 310 (ranged) that left a fingerprint just like an Accubond (although I never found either spent bullet), very little bloodshot and short retrieval trail - On elk, at least elk while "meat hunting" I personally prefer bonded core bullets but that again is personal preference - Berger bullets are designed to do a certain thing and they do it well, is there pressure for the shooter to hit his mark ? OF COURSE there is ! no different than when a hunter shoots a monolithic or bonded core bullet and I dare say that Berger has spent as much or more time and research to prove that out - It's a personal decision that each hunter or shooter should make for him or her self, it does not alter the fact that marksmanship is the primary goal and should be strived for above all else - Likewise, any bullet can and will fail if used enough times in different situations - That said, there are 2 basic schools of thought on expected bullet performance so it's back to the personal preference discussion ......
 
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Most of the failures seem to come from light for caliber bullets. Heavy bullets with high sectional densities are the only way to go with highly frangible match type bullets. I shot four deer with the 215 hybrids out of a 300 WM last year, all performed brilliantly. The way they expand definitely favors the heavy for caliber bullets.

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mtnwrunner

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I've shot lots of animals with Bergers. From 40 yards to 1583 yards. I know broz has witnessed over 300 elk die by Berger. Can they fail, sure. But most of the "haters" either have a dog in the fight or very little experience with them. Like they made a bad shot and blame the bullet kind of deal.

Berger's are Effin deadly!


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Yes, they are deadly. I use them most all the time and have never lost an animal nor had to ever track one.
That being said, I am a vital guy and will always try to get the behind the shoulder shot and for the most part, that is where I hit. I hear some comments about bergers not being a "bone" bullet but the shots that I have taken that did not go as planned literally destroyed the spine. As in BLOWN up.
Go for it.

Randy
 
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