Berger Bullets
03-24-2012, 06:44 AM
#2
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 388
I can't answer your specific question, but I can tell you that one or more of those "Long Range" hunting shows on the Outdoor channel (etc.) drop elk at over 600 yards regularly and the lek drop in their shadow! They use Berger bullets exclusively in 7mm I believe. Something is working.
03-27-2012, 03:10 PM
#5
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: ****ifornia
Posts: 5,052
I've shot them into water jugs and wood. The Berger penetrated farther and had a bigger "wound" channel then Interbonds, Barnes and SST's that we also shot.
I've used them twice on deer, one at 50 yards and one at 475...worked great!
I've used them twice on deer, one at 50 yards and one at 475...worked great!
04-04-2012, 07:51 PM
#6
Spike
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: North Georgia
Posts: 48
If you read my post on reloading 7mm RM and 7mm-08 Rem youll see my scoop on berger. i like berger and used to shoot them alot. I have a remington rifle i built(and still building some) it is button rifled most remington production barrels are. i used to shoot the 168gr hunting vld. ive shot 3 or 4 with them but one time stands out. i shot a doe on the power lines @ 211. i hit her exactly where i wanted in the high shoulder she went to the ground and didnt kick one time. that shot left the biggest damn hole id seen a 7 mag cut. bottom line is i like berger, i like now hornady for accuracy better and ill see about the hole the A max leaves in a deer this fall. go ahead try berger they are great. great accuracy great flight great expansion. but if not loaded right they are not as forgiving as others.
04-09-2012, 07:33 AM
#7
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: ****ifornia
Posts: 5,052
I've read thousands of posts praising the berger bullets, so I have no doubt that when they work, they work well, when there is something different going on they can be a nightmare. if you have a fast twist cut rfled barrel use the target bullets, if you have a moderate twist button rifled barrel use the thin jacketed hunting bullets. trust me on this.
RR
RR
04-09-2012, 09:23 PM
#9
Spike
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 3
I've seen all the long range hunting shows, read all the hype, even worked up a load in my 300 WM with 185 GN Berger VLD's. I'm my expirence, I'm not impressed.
They are a long bullet, ultra high BC, but most factory barrels have a fast enough twist, other than some of the 6.5 calibers. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND using the yellow boxes for hunting. They even say, NOT FOR HUNTING.
My friend shot a moose with them 2 years ago, 185's in a 300 Weatherby. No much for penetration, just kinda blew up on impact.
So we tried our own little test. I lined up 10 milk jugs full of water an shot from 200 yards. It absolutly destroyed the first jug, but only penetrated 4 jugs deep. Fragments were spread throughout. My friend with the Weatherby shot a milk jug at 600 yards and it shot right through, no expansion at all.
I shot 10 others with a 200 GN Sierra gameking. It destroyed the first 2 pretty well, penetrated 6 jugs, but the core separated from the jacket. This is known to happen on cup and core boat tail bullets I'm told.
I think they work well on long range shots because they do fragment so easily, (I don't know why they didn't on the 600 yard shot, they say they expand after 3 inches or so and he only hit the very bottom corner, may not have been enough room, but either way, I'm not impressed) so at long ranges when your energy is way down, they can still be devastating. But up close I think they leave a lot to be desired. I won't be hunting with them.
They are a long bullet, ultra high BC, but most factory barrels have a fast enough twist, other than some of the 6.5 calibers. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND using the yellow boxes for hunting. They even say, NOT FOR HUNTING.
My friend shot a moose with them 2 years ago, 185's in a 300 Weatherby. No much for penetration, just kinda blew up on impact.
So we tried our own little test. I lined up 10 milk jugs full of water an shot from 200 yards. It absolutly destroyed the first jug, but only penetrated 4 jugs deep. Fragments were spread throughout. My friend with the Weatherby shot a milk jug at 600 yards and it shot right through, no expansion at all.
I shot 10 others with a 200 GN Sierra gameking. It destroyed the first 2 pretty well, penetrated 6 jugs, but the core separated from the jacket. This is known to happen on cup and core boat tail bullets I'm told.
I think they work well on long range shots because they do fragment so easily, (I don't know why they didn't on the 600 yard shot, they say they expand after 3 inches or so and he only hit the very bottom corner, may not have been enough room, but either way, I'm not impressed) so at long ranges when your energy is way down, they can still be devastating. But up close I think they leave a lot to be desired. I won't be hunting with them.
Last edited by Rem700h8er; 04-09-2012 at 09:29 PM. Reason: Clarification
04-10-2012, 03:13 AM
#10
Typical Buck
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Colorado
Posts: 797
I had the same experience with Nosler boat tails 20 plus years ago. Absolutely blew up on impact. I switched to Speer boat tails and all the experts say they are a rapid expanding bullet but to this day have never had one fail on any game animal. Plus for 20+ years they have maintained a B.C. right around .500 or above depending on the caliber and that's match grade ammo even for today in most bullet manufacturer's. I'll take a working bullet with a decent B.C. any day. But I'm not a extra long range shooter. 600 yards is about all my equipment is setup for on what I call dead every time shot. I've ask RR about the Berger's before and I can imagine they will just get better and better. I may one day try them in a new setup.