Berger VLD performance on bone question...

Ltsheets said:

I'm considering using a 140vld in my 6.5x284 at 2997 FPS for my elk hunt this fall. I'm someone who believes in shooting vitals regardless of bullet but obviously not all shots are perfect. I'm curious to hear from those who've shot lighter weight bergers and had them hit leg bone or shoulder. I want to know if they are able to punch through a heavy elk leg or shoulder bone before fragmenting. Thanks in advance!

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I have used a 6.5x284 on elk (5 so far) and good shot placement none have gone over 50 yards..
My wife got a cow elk at 962Yards it broke the solder on the in-going side and a hole in the other solder and stopped under the hide and it never took a step..+ I took my Moose at 644 yards with one shot as well..

You can also look at the new Berger 6.5 140 elite hunter bullets. Same as the hybrid but with a hunting jacket. I'm shooting those in a pierce built creedmoor and the accuracy is amazing. Very forgiving and higher bc than the vld's. Haven't shot any game yet as my season opens in October.

I am shooting the .284 140 VLD at 3300 FPS and have not had a single animal loss due to the perceived bullet failure. Except for one white tailed doe that was shot low behind the shoulder (she only stumbled 30 yards) they have all fallen DRT. I have lost count of the pigs I have shot here in Texas with this load and each shot has been through the front shoulder and their have been several pigs over 200 lbs that have fallen to these bullets. If you have ever seen the shoulder shield on a large wild pig you would no what it takes to penetrate these animals. I don;t leave home with out them.

Ltsheets said:

I'm considering using a 140vld in my 6.5x284 at 2997 FPS for my elk hunt this fall. I'm someone who believes in shooting vitals regardless of bullet but obviously not all shots are perfect. I'm curious to hear from those who've shot lighter weight bergers and had them hit leg bone or shoulder. I want to know if they are able to punch through a heavy elk leg or shoulder bone before fragmenting. Thanks in advance!

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I use light (105gr) Bergers. They knock down hogs, breaking bones and go through the shoulder armor with no problem.

What RSWeir says!

Go here: https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/115-bergers-in-25-06.59841/#post-415725

Im surprised to hear of such success with the 140 VLD on direct large-bone hits, I haven't had the same results. My first questionable result was with a 140 VLD on antelope at 550 yards with my 6.5x284, it was quartering toward me and I shot and hit on the point of the shoulder (where the bottom of the shoulder blade meets the foreleg), Antelope dropped but needed another shot when I got there. When I cleaned it I found very a messed up shoulder but very little internal damage, and I found the bullet at about 140 grains and bent midway at about 30 degrees, it merely tumbled and didn't expand at all after hitting the bone.

The second unsatisfactory result was on a cow elk my wife shot with her 7mm-08 loaded with 140 VLDs at 2850 fps. Her first shot was low and hit the elbow knuckle dead center. It was still high enough on the animal that it would have taken out the lower portion of the heart if it made it into the vitals, but upon cleaning the animal there wasn't even a fragment that made it through that large knuckle bone and into the vitals. Her second shot did all the killing on that elk.

These are a couple of my results, they have performed nicely with typically quick kills on many other animals but there is some variability to what the lighter VLDs will do on large bone hits. Only a monolithic copper is really designed to withstand that kind of impact anyways so I still use bergers, I just aim a bit differently on quartering to shots and I switch to accubonds for really big critters like AK moose.

Used the vld hunting on recommendation from Berger. It was in my25-06. Failed to penetrate the front elbow on a course whitetail. Exploded. That was at 231 yards. Then shot it with a Barnes text book preformence. Last shot with Berger at 70 yards turned it into hamburger. Will never shoot them again. Went back to Barnes and never had a problem again. Their a target bullet not a hunting bullet. Just like all the others of similar design like Sierra and hornady. Like to eat what I shoot.

jlreff said:

Used the vld hunting on recommendation from Berger. It was in my25-06. Failed to penetrate the front elbow on a course whitetail. Exploded. That was at 231 yards. Then shot it with a Barnes text book preformence. Last shot with Berger at 70 yards turned it into hamburger. Will never shoot them again. Went back to Barnes and never had a problem again. Their a target bullet not a hunting bullet. Just like all the others of similar design like Sierra and hornady. Like to eat what I shoot.

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What you said! What barnes are you using? LRX? I am looking to change.

I cant speak to the 140's on elk, but the 215 hybrid hammers. Broke both shoulders and exited on a big 6x6 in NM. Messed up the internals. I dont know what else to ask from a bullet. 465 yards launched at 3000.

140 gr VLD at 200 yrds......catostraphic damage! Lungs, then bounced up to the backbone!

Nice...here is the 215 hybrid exit.

Ltsheets said:

I'm considering using a 140vld in my 6.5x284 at 2997 FPS for my elk hunt this fall. I'm someone who believes in shooting vitals regardless of bullet but obviously not all shots are perfect. I'm curious to hear from those who've shot lighter weight bergers and had them hit leg bone or shoulder. I want to know if they are able to punch through a heavy elk leg or shoulder bone before fragmenting. Thanks in advance!

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I won't shoot them at game any more. Seen way to many either pencil through or explode and fail to penetrate or just go off like a bomb leaving an exit wound you could throw a bowling ball through.

I like to eat what I shoot and see everything I shoot die as quickly, painlessly, and humanely as possible every time I pull the trigger.

We owe it to them.

Shoot target bullets at rocks, steel, and paper. There are just too many good hunting bullets on the market today to justify shooting anything else at game.

MTLIVIN said:

The second unsatisfactory result was on a cow elk my wife shot with her 7mm-08 loaded with 140 VLDs at 2850 fps. Her first shot was low and hit the elbow knuckle dead center. It was still high enough on the animal that it would have taken out the lower portion of the heart if it made it into the vitals, but upon cleaning the animal there wasn't even a fragment that made it through that large knuckle bone and into the vitals. Her second shot did all the killing on that elk.

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I would not expect any bullet from a 7-08 to penetrate that bone, I've seen so many even big 30 cals shooting monos not make it into the chest hitting that bone, personally hitting two elk there with a 300 WBY and 168 TSX and getting not even bone frag into the chest was the final straw using monos for me, I have started shooting the Hammers a little and I trust them other than that

WildRose said:

I won't shoot them at game any more. Seen way to many either pencil through or explode and fail to penetrate or just go off like a bomb leaving an exit wound you could throw a bowling ball through.

I like to eat what I shoot and see everything I shoot die as quickly, painlessly, and humanely as possible every time I pull the trigger.

We owe it to them.

Shoot target bullets at rocks, steel, and paper. There are just too many good hunting bullets on the market today to justify shooting anything else at game.

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Exactly why quite shooting "hunting" bullets, elk running around with broken shoulders and no penetration, penciling, small wound channels, since changing over to shooting Berger's I have shot one bullet per tagged animal for pushing 10 years now, which includes many elk killed with my rifle by others. I've brought home far, far more meat with Berger's than I have all the years I drank the "hunting" bullet Koolaid!! Not saying that others won't get along with them cause I have friends who don't but if your a guy who gets along with them and have the right twist rates there still isn't a better bullet IMO.

Double post.