Testing the new Berger Hunter Classic Bullets

[robby denning]

I met with Berger at the SHOT show and arranged to review the new Hunter Classics when they came out. Well, 7.5 months later, they are here.

The Hunter Classics are designed to meet SAAMI/CPI standards for factory rifles. If you want more info on them, here is the SHOT show video we did with Berger
http://www.rokslide.com/forums/showthread.php?4905-SHOT-show-Berger-Bullets&p=89270#post89270

I promptly set up a deal with our own writer extraordinaire, Matt Cashell (Bitterroot Bulls for you new guys/gals), to test them for us. Matt happens to have a great mule deer hunt coming up this fall, so maybe we'll even get some "live" testing.

Anyway, watch here and eventually on the Rok Blog for a full report from Matt.

 

[Justin Crossley]

I may try some of those in my Tikka .243

I also plan to try the 95 grain VLD hunting bullet.

I tried the 105 grain VLD but I haven't been able to get them to stabilize.

 

[thinair]

I had a much easier time getting the hybrids to stabilize compared to the VLDs.

 

[Shrek]

I've got two boxes of 7mm 168gr hybrids waiting on a scope for my wsm. I may be able to drop that coin by next week and get to try them myself. My 7-08 shoots the 140gr vlds the best of any bullet I've run through it. First load I tried with them . 49.8gr of h4350 with ogive .001 off the lands got me 7/8" at 200 yards.

 

[robby denning]

Shrek, that is an incredible group!

By hybrids, do you mean the Hunter Classic? I'm still learning about these new bullets.

 

[Shrek]

Yes , the hunter classics are often referred to as hybrids. They have a combination of the two ogive tapers as I understand it.

 

[oldgrowth]

View attachment 9441I have been working up a load for my 30-06 using the 168 grain classic hunters and have been very pleased with the results so far. I just shot these two groups last weekend. The worst groups i have shot using these bullets have been a frogs hair over an inch at 100 yds.

 

[Matt Cashell]

I am excited to try them, guys. I have brass prepped and ready. Ladder testing starts soon!

 

[fire arrow]

I tried the Classic's out on my 6.8 hoping I could seat the bullet on more of the Bering Surface as compared to the regular VLD Hunters. I was not able to get as good of a group through out my load range as I could with regular bullets. Mind you I am shooting these out of an AR platform and was limited to Mag length seating depths. My best group for the Classics's was 0.72" as compared to 0.28" on the regular VLD's. being the Berger's are jump sensitive, hope they work out better for you out of a bolt rifle. Don't have a picture of the Classic's but here is the regulars VLD Hunting rounds.

 

[oldgrowth]

Shrek, I would go buy a lottery ticket. Finding a load that shoots that good first time around is rare (at least in my experience).
Fire arrow, It looks like your gun likes that 28 grain load.Very nice group from an AR. Strange that the classics don't group as well though. I have an AR chambered in the 6.5 grendel that shoots like that. I wish berger would come out with a 123 grain bullet for the grendel. I would love to compare it to the a-max that i am using now.

 

[Shrek]

Oldgrowth , I've shot a hundred plus combos in that rifle and the best I could get was 1 moa and if I shot 5 or 6 of that load it would throw a flyer and it was really a 2moa load then. I had the vld loads made up to try but got rained out. They sat all season untried. Found the four I had made up but didn't have the recipe written down. I was going to use them as foulers but started with a different orphan load. Got to the end of my test loads and still had them. I was just shooting for trigger time when the first three printed 7/8" at 200 yards. Took the last one home to reverse engineer. The powder charge is just a starting point that's a half grain under max for my nosler ballistic tip load. I got stupid lucky. I was just now making another twenty to test to make sure it wasn't a freak group.

 

[oldgrowth]

It'll be interesting to see if they group the same. The load i had the best group with for my 06 was 1.6 grains over bergers published max load of 56.4grains. I saw no pressure signs on my brass even at 60.0 grains but the groups started to string and velocities actually started to drop and become eratic indicating that i had exceeded my max. I am going to shoot some more to verify that they group the same and i am also going to test them at longer range to make sure they perform as good.

 

[Maah Daah Hey]

I have some of these loaded for my 300 wsm and love them so far. They have been shooting 5 shot groups that can be covered with a quarter. The actual holes in the backing can be covered with the tip of your pointer finger. These seem to be the bullet that my Tikka likes.

 

[robby denning]

Wow! accuracy doesn't seem to be a problem with the Bergers. Good shootin everyone.

 

[Shrek]

Robby , imo the Bergers are the most accurate widely available bullet on the market. Very consistent and high bc's. Of course if your rifle doesn't like them then a hill of beans good they do you. If you believe that a bullet should pass through and retain 90%+ weight doing it they are not for you. If you believe as I do that a bullet should penatrate to the far ribs or just pop out the far hide and retain about 30% or less they are the bomb. I have used lightly constructed hollow points and ballistic tips for years on deer down here and just about every one is drt. I did load up some heavier constructed 145gr for my 7-08 and for my trouble I had to track a little 105lb doe 70 yards. Bullet passed right through and made a pretty big hole through both lungs , however , the lungs weren't jello. If I had been using the BT's she would have been right there and the lungs would have been mostly liquid when I opened her like every other deer I shoot. Btw , 70 yards into solid gall berries is a real PIA retrieval. Think of solid alders for you western hunters. How a deer can just run through them is beyond me.

 

[oldgrowth]

They are definitely accurate. When i was loading them i took a grab sample of the bullets and weighed them to see how much they would vary in weight. Every one weighed 168.3 grains (pretty impressive in my book). I wanted to try theese to take advantage of the high BC's as well. As for the penetration, i agree with shrek. My dad and i have been using bt bullets to great effect. Most critters have only an entry wound with massive internal damage (jelified tissue). This has stopped almost all animals in their tracks. Keep in mind this was using proper shot placement and 100 yards is about the longest shot so far(lots of brush usually) . A bullet with more penetration may be more forgiving if the shot placement was less than ideal.

 

[Maah Daah Hey]

I figured I would show you what a five shot group at 100 yards with this bullet does from my 300 wsm Tikka T3 Lite Stainless. These are 168 grain bullets. This is of course only on paper but I am really looking forward to seeing how they do on deer this year.

 

[30338]

I have an 8.5 twisted 7mm Remington and it likes the 180 hunting vld. Hoping to use it some this fall. Over the last 3 years have shot quite a bit of game with a 6.5-06 and 140 vlds. Shots have ranged from about 200 yards to over 500 yards. Great results on whitetails, antelope and mountain goat.

 

[Justin Crossley]

I have an 8.5 twisted 7mm Remington and it likes the 180 hunting vld. Hoping to use it some this fall. Over the last 3 years have shot quite a bit of game with a 6.5-06 and 140 vlds. Shots have ranged from about 200 yards to over 500 yards. Great results on whitetails, antelope and mountain goat.

What velocity is your 6.5 shooting at? Since you used them for three years you must be getting good results?

I am using that same bullet this year in my 6.5-06 Ackley. I shot one small bear with it this spring but it was only about 80-100 yds away and the bullet flew right through. The bear only went about five feet but not really much of a test.

 

[30338]

Justin, I am shooting the 140s at 2870 out of my 6.5-06. I haven't shot paper in something like 4 years with it. The last time I did it put 8 rounds in about a .6 inch group at 100. I shot one of the whitetail bucks bedded at about 370 yards. The bullet penciled in through the shoulder blade and came unhinged on the lungs. Lost about 6 ounces max of meat from him. I think one critter went 10 steps, the rest just dropped. Very little lost meat.

Keep us posted, you'll like them though.