Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
Articles
Latest reviews
Author list
Classifieds
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles and first posts only
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
Reloading
87 grain berger vld
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="mcseal2" data-source="post: 690782" data-attributes="member: 22030"><p>I was one of Berger's testers for it, here is my results I sent them.</p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">87gr Berger VLD test results</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Testing done in Kansas, 1200ft elevation</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Rifle</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Custom 243 Win</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">20" #5 Montana barrel, cryoaccurized</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Laminate thumbhole stock</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Load data</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Winchester case once fired</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Winchester Lg rifle primer</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">44gr IMR 4831</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">87gr Berger VLD</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">COAL 2.792"</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">1st group was .52" 3 shots in 1 hole and one that opened the group. The flier was probably my fault.</span></p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">I had an accurate load in my 243 win with the 85gr Sierra HPBT gameking bullet and so I tried the 87 </span></span><strong><span style="color: red"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">berger</span></span></strong><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> with it and had a winner. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Whitetail performance: My 243 with the </span></span><strong><span style="color: red"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">87gr</span></span></strong> <strong><span style="color: red"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">berger</span></span></strong><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> was used by 3 other hunters during our deer season. They had all shot this rifle at targets and prairie dogs and were comfortable with it.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">All entrance wounds on deer were caliber size, and none of the bullets exited.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Jamie shot her buck with my rifle and this bullet. She hit the deer at the last rib at 120yds and it was broadside. The bullet did massive internal damage, even throwing shrapnel into the inner thighs of the deer. It was poor shot placement but the internal damage was so severe the buck only went 20ft. A less destructive bullet may have resulted in a lost deer or long blood trail.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Beth shot her deer with my rifle. It was a small doe at 74 yards, the bullet dropped the doe in it's tracks and did massive damage to the lungs and spine. It didn't hurt the back straps, must have just been a little shrapnel that hit the spine. The results were the same as the deer she shot with the 95gr VLD last year.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Another neighbor used my rifle to take a huge bodied old buck at 226yds. The bullet hit the buck through the heart broadside and he only went 20ft before collapsing. Internal damage was massive, the heart was destroyed and the lungs took major damage.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">For any hunter who may want to take multiple deer from one stand location this bullet is ideal. The tiny entrance wound and lack of an exit wound make for very little external bleeding to contaminate your area with scent. I plan to use it for antlerless season myself when I don't have to fight the girls for my rifle.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Varmint performance</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">I shot a coyote with the </span></span><strong><span style="color: red"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">87gr</span></span></strong> <strong><span style="color: red"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Berger</span></span></strong><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> at 230yds. He ran 140yds after the shot before going down. The entrance wound was caliber size and the exit wound only slightly larger. It was a small coyote, probably less than a year old. Pelt damage was minimal, but I was a little disappointed with how far he traveled. I've had similar results from the 95gr </span></span><strong><span style="color: red"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">berger</span></span></strong><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> in the past at ranges over 175yds with the lower velocity from my short barrel. I can't fault the bullet for this, they are designed for big game not varmints and their delayed expansion works great on animals with a deeper chest cavity to expend energy in.</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">I got a chance to take 2 more coyotes with this bullet, and shoot targets out to 400yds. </span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">The next coyote was shot at 225 yds and the bullet entered behind the onside shoulder, quartered through the coyote, and exited behind in front of the offside hindquarter. The coyote stayed on his feet for 15-20 seconds spinning and biting at the wound before dropping, and covered 35yds. The exit wound was 1" according to the ruler on my Leatherman.</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">The last coyote was at 412yds and I hit him to far back, at the very back of the lungs. He ran over a hill. I recovered him but was unable to find the exact location I shot him from, he probably covered 150yds after the shot. The exit wound matched the earlier ones.</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">As stated earlier, I think this is an excellent deer bullet but I would prefer a little more expansion and shock for coyotes. I'd love to see a 87gr VLD varmint bullet with the same BC and flight characteristics as this one. That would let a shooter fit the bullet to the use he planned for it. That would also probably lead to people using the varmint bullet for larger game it wasn't designed for and cause problems. I'll let smarter people than me figure that one out.</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">I shot 25 rounds over the chronograph with an average velocity of 3013fps. The slowest was 2942fps and the fastest was 3074fps. Most stayed within 25fps of the average, and the fastest loads were fired while waiting for wind to drop with a round in a warm chamber.</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">My first .52" group at 100yds proved to be very consistent. I shot this rifle on my 100yd range several times with very similar results. My rifle has had several thousand rounds shot through it and I think this is probably the limit of it/my ability with my shooting set-up. My rifle has a Leupold VXIII 4.5-14x40mm scope with the varmint hunter reticle.</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">I had the opportunity to shoot paper at longer range with the bullet this one time. The temperature was in the lower teens while I was shooting, and I had a variable crosswind of 5-8mph.</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">At 200yds I shot two 3 shot groups that measured .94 and 1.1 inches. </span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">At 300yds I shot two 3 shot groups that measured 2.48 and 3.76 inches.</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">At 400yds I shot two 3 shot groups that measured 4.62 and 5.13 inches.</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">I feel that the bullet was capable of more accuracy than me and my rifle were. I realized when trying to seat the bullet out to touch the rifling how bad my rifle's throat really was. I also shot my old pet load with the 85gr Sierra at 400yds and the results were not as good. The low BC of the Sierra and wind probably account for part of that. I feel the Berger performed to the limit of the ability of my equipment with me operating it.</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">In summary, I would not hesitate to use the 87gr Berger for any shot on deer I would take with a 6mm cartridge. I spent 2 hours last Sunday helping a color-blind friend blood trail a doe before a snow storm rolled in. Being unable to see the blood he searched blindly until dark with no luck, and then called me to help. I had to follow the light blood trail very slowly but did manage to recover the deer before the snow covered the trail. I told him about the Berger's performance and I will be loading them for his rifle next year. He should not have to worry about a blood trail with this bullet placed well, the deer won't make it far. I think this bullet will get all the available accuracy from a 1 in 10 twist barrel that likes it, and I had no trouble finding an accurate load. For varmints it will depend on what type performance you want from your bullet, I found it a bit to hard for coyotes at my velocity but pelt damage was minimal.</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Thanks again for the opportunity to test your bullets, and keep up the good work. I would definitely take this one to market.</span></span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="mcseal2, post: 690782, member: 22030"] I was one of Berger's testers for it, here is my results I sent them. [FONT=Times New Roman]87gr Berger VLD test results[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman]Testing done in Kansas, 1200ft elevation[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman]Rifle[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman]Custom 243 Win[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman]20” #5 Montana barrel, cryoaccurized[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman]Laminate thumbhole stock[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman]Load data[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman]Winchester case once fired[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman]Winchester Lg rifle primer[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman]44gr IMR 4831[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman]87gr Berger VLD[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman]COAL 2.792”[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman]1st group was .52“ 3 shots in 1 hole and one that opened the group. The flier was probably my fault.[/FONT] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] I had an accurate load in my 243 win with the 85gr Sierra HPBT gameking bullet and so I tried the 87 [/FONT][/COLOR][B][COLOR=red][FONT=Times New Roman]berger[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] with it and had a winner. Whitetail performance: My 243 with the [/FONT][/COLOR][B][COLOR=red][FONT=Times New Roman]87gr[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR][B][COLOR=red][FONT=Times New Roman]berger[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] was used by 3 other hunters during our deer season. They had all shot this rifle at targets and prairie dogs and were comfortable with it. All entrance wounds on deer were caliber size, and none of the bullets exited. Jamie shot her buck with my rifle and this bullet. She hit the deer at the last rib at 120yds and it was broadside. The bullet did massive internal damage, even throwing shrapnel into the inner thighs of the deer. It was poor shot placement but the internal damage was so severe the buck only went 20ft. A less destructive bullet may have resulted in a lost deer or long blood trail. Beth shot her deer with my rifle. It was a small doe at 74 yards, the bullet dropped the doe in it’s tracks and did massive damage to the lungs and spine. It didn’t hurt the back straps, must have just been a little shrapnel that hit the spine. The results were the same as the deer she shot with the 95gr VLD last year. Another neighbor used my rifle to take a huge bodied old buck at 226yds. The bullet hit the buck through the heart broadside and he only went 20ft before collapsing. Internal damage was massive, the heart was destroyed and the lungs took major damage. For any hunter who may want to take multiple deer from one stand location this bullet is ideal. The tiny entrance wound and lack of an exit wound make for very little external bleeding to contaminate your area with scent. I plan to use it for antlerless season myself when I don't have to fight the girls for my rifle. [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman]Varmint performance[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman]I shot a coyote with the [/FONT][/COLOR][B][COLOR=red][FONT=Times New Roman]87gr[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR][B][COLOR=red][FONT=Times New Roman]Berger[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] at 230yds. He ran 140yds after the shot before going down. The entrance wound was caliber size and the exit wound only slightly larger. It was a small coyote, probably less than a year old. Pelt damage was minimal, but I was a little disappointed with how far he traveled. I've had similar results from the 95gr [/FONT][/COLOR][B][COLOR=red][FONT=Times New Roman]berger[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] in the past at ranges over 175yds with the lower velocity from my short barrel. I can't fault the bullet for this, they are designed for big game not varmints and their delayed expansion works great on animals with a deeper chest cavity to expend energy in.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman]I got a chance to take 2 more coyotes with this bullet, and shoot targets out to 400yds. [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman]The next coyote was shot at 225 yds and the bullet entered behind the onside shoulder, quartered through the coyote, and exited behind in front of the offside hindquarter. The coyote stayed on his feet for 15-20 seconds spinning and biting at the wound before dropping, and covered 35yds. The exit wound was 1” according to the ruler on my Leatherman.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman]The last coyote was at 412yds and I hit him to far back, at the very back of the lungs. He ran over a hill. I recovered him but was unable to find the exact location I shot him from, he probably covered 150yds after the shot. The exit wound matched the earlier ones.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman]As stated earlier, I think this is an excellent deer bullet but I would prefer a little more expansion and shock for coyotes. I’d love to see a 87gr VLD varmint bullet with the same BC and flight characteristics as this one. That would let a shooter fit the bullet to the use he planned for it. That would also probably lead to people using the varmint bullet for larger game it wasn’t designed for and cause problems. I’ll let smarter people than me figure that one out.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman]I shot 25 rounds over the chronograph with an average velocity of 3013fps. The slowest was 2942fps and the fastest was 3074fps. Most stayed within 25fps of the average, and the fastest loads were fired while waiting for wind to drop with a round in a warm chamber.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman]My first .52” group at 100yds proved to be very consistent. I shot this rifle on my 100yd range several times with very similar results. My rifle has had several thousand rounds shot through it and I think this is probably the limit of it/my ability with my shooting set-up. My rifle has a Leupold VXIII 4.5-14x40mm scope with the varmint hunter reticle.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman]I had the opportunity to shoot paper at longer range with the bullet this one time. The temperature was in the lower teens while I was shooting, and I had a variable crosswind of 5-8mph.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman]At 200yds I shot two 3 shot groups that measured .94 and 1.1 inches. [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman]At 300yds I shot two 3 shot groups that measured 2.48 and 3.76 inches.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman]At 400yds I shot two 3 shot groups that measured 4.62 and 5.13 inches.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman]I feel that the bullet was capable of more accuracy than me and my rifle were. I realized when trying to seat the bullet out to touch the rifling how bad my rifle’s throat really was. I also shot my old pet load with the 85gr Sierra at 400yds and the results were not as good. The low BC of the Sierra and wind probably account for part of that. I feel the Berger performed to the limit of the ability of my equipment with me operating it.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman]In summary, I would not hesitate to use the 87gr Berger for any shot on deer I would take with a 6mm cartridge. I spent 2 hours last Sunday helping a color-blind friend blood trail a doe before a snow storm rolled in. Being unable to see the blood he searched blindly until dark with no luck, and then called me to help. I had to follow the light blood trail very slowly but did manage to recover the deer before the snow covered the trail. I told him about the Berger’s performance and I will be loading them for his rifle next year. He should not have to worry about a blood trail with this bullet placed well, the deer won’t make it far. I think this bullet will get all the available accuracy from a 1 in 10 twist barrel that likes it, and I had no trouble finding an accurate load. For varmints it will depend on what type performance you want from your bullet, I found it a bit to hard for coyotes at my velocity but pelt damage was minimal.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman]Thanks again for the opportunity to test your bullets, and keep up the good work. I would definitely take this one to market.[/FONT][/COLOR] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
Reloading
87 grain berger vld
Top