180 VLD on Alaska moose

[AK86]

I've got a 7SS using 180 VLD. Anyone have bad experiences on AK moose? Running 2970FPS.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

That would smoke a moose.

 

[AK86]

That would smoke a moose.

I imagine your shooting just behind the shoulder avoiding any bone. Have you killed any moose with a VLD?

 

[Axlrod]

Not an AK moose, but my son shot a Shiras a few years ago w/180 VLD out of a 28 Nos @ 3050 fps. Hit center of both lungs, bull dropped stone dead. Been on quite a few moose and elk hunts and never seen one die this fast hit in the lungs.

 

[VernAK]

There seems to be a lot of posts regarding the use of various match target bullets for very large game. I have to ask WHY? I've only seen one VLD used on big game [ 6.5 ft grizzly ] and I've kicked myself in the ass since for not keeping the recovered VLDs or taken a pic.

Our hunting group is small but we frequently have an L48 guest and we just tell em not to bring match bullets.

One hunter bought the right brand, Nosler, but not the partition. Instead he had Nosler Match ammo unknown to us.. He had to pass on a huge bull that would have required a deep penetrating premium bullet.

I've shot VLDs and won bench matches with VLDs and they are wonderful for that purpose, as they were intended to be.

I'll standby for the flames.

 

[Axlrod]

There seems to be a lot of posts regarding the use of various match target bullets for very large game. I have to ask WHY? I've only seen one VLD used on big game [ 6.5 ft grizzly ] and I've kicked myself in the ass since for not keeping the recovered VLDs or taken a pic.

Our hunting group is small but we frequently have an L48 guest and we just tell em not to bring match bullets.

One hunter bought the right brand, Nosler, but not the partition. Instead he had Nosler Match ammo unknown to us.. He had to pass on a huge bull that would have required a deep penetrating premium bullet.

I've shot VLDs and won bench matches with VLDs and they are wonderful for that purpose, as they were intended to be.

I'll standby for the flames.

No flames here use what you like.
To be clear the VLD my son used was a Berger hunting bullet. Berger makes VLD's in Hunting and target.

ALL of Berger's current hunting bullets used to be their match bullets. The only thing they changed was the name on the box- this is stated on their web site.
I have used and seen used the .308 215 Target hybrid and know a lot of people that have also used it. It is the finest Elk hunting bullet that I have ever seen. They are very accurate and have a high B.C. which leads to good shot placement. They create a very large wound channel, and will fully penetrate the chest cavity of any big game animal I hunt.
The only difference between Berger hunting bullets and their target bullets, is the target bullets have a thicker jacket.
I agree with you that some so called match bullets are not great for hunting. Not all bullets are created equal.

 

[VernAK]

I stand corrected as I had no idea Berger target bullets had a thicker jacket than their hunting bullets.

 

[diamond10x]

Seen them go do down from a 7mm with the 168 VLDs. Killed the same just as they have with other calibers. Just know you aren't going to be taking a frontal shot. Broadside they made a mess out of the lungs, but I wouldn't trust them to penetrate well enough for shots that are not your typical broadside or variation of broadside shot.

 

[VernAK]

I totally agree with freedom of choice but some here have had better results than the one case I have witnessed.

The one case I saw was a 7RM on a steep downhill shot on a medium grizzly at 50 yards. Repeated shots didn't keep the bear down and when skinning, I found a bullet that had impacted the spine. The jacket had split down the rifling scar and was opened like a book. The lead resembled a quarter dollar in size and shape.

The bear was finally killed with a 375 HH

 

[Alberta Jonny]

I’ve been looking for the same info and experience. I plan on using the same bullet in my 28 nosler pushing 3200fps this year in the Yukon.

 

[Arcticmanak]

No way.
I was hunting with an individual a few years ago that shot their first moose with 308 using a 168 grain Berger VLD hunting bullet. The shot was broadside at approximately 75 yards, and unfortunately it was a front shoulder hit. The entrance wound was like no other I've seen, a 5 inch vertical laceration. The bullet exploded and only managed to go as far as one lung. The moose made it into heavy cover and a long tracking job ensued.
I won't be doing that again. There are better bullets available that are designed for penetration and would perform much better especially in the case of a marginal hit. I prefer a partition, or barnes ttsx personally. I have killed several moose with them and they do what they are designed to do.

 

[AK86]

There seems to be a lot of posts regarding the use of various match target bullets for very large game. I have to ask WHY? I've only seen one VLD used on big game [ 6.5 ft grizzly ] and I've kicked myself in the ass since for not keeping the recovered VLDs or taken a pic.

Our hunting group is small but we frequently have an L48 guest and we just tell em not to bring match bullets.

One hunter bought the right brand, Nosler, but not the partition. Instead he had Nosler Match ammo unknown to us.. He had to pass on a huge bull that would have required a deep penetrating premium bullet.

I've shot VLDs and won bench matches with VLDs and they are wonderful for that purpose, as they were intended to be.

I'll standby for the flames.

I also am shooting VLD hunting bullets. I do have ELD-X but the VLD shoot better.

 

[cuerro viejo]

as soon as Im out of 195’s im going back to 180 Hunting Vld. Tougher bullet

 

[kwackkillncrew]

Idk Probably work, core lokts seem to do just fine. There so many different bullets idk how you guys ever choose one.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

 

[Touchdown88]

I shot a Shiras with the 185 hunting VLD out of a 300 Wby. It took 2 rounds but I would not say that I was happy with the bullet performance.

With the 7mm, I'd look at the heaviest bonded bullet you can find for big moose because you can also run into big bears.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

We killed two moose with 168 bergers out of a 280 AI in AK last year. Performance was awesome.