168 grain berger or 175 lrab
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elkaholic
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I base what I use on what it does when it impacts! I make bullets both bonded and conventional. Bonding a very thin jacket does little more than coat the copper shrapnel with lead when it impacts at high velocity! The picture that I posted shows this very clearly. I have no doubt that the LRAB would work very well at long range (low velocity impact) or even at closer range with a rib shot.
They are in no way the same bullet as the original AB just because they are bonded.
Everyone has the choice of using what they want. I just post my personal results.......rich
Ingwe
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Thanks for the response Rich!
Thanks too for taking my question as intended...some guys get bent out of shape when you ask them about why they do things the way they do
I am now shooting 175ABLR's out of a 7mmRemMag but I didn't kill anything with it yet. I used 160gr AB's in Africa and I killed a bunch of Zebra, Kudu, Wildebest sized animals with it and thet worked PERFECTLY.
I understand that the 160grAB's are tougher than the 175grABLR's but i'm figuring that the extra weight/SD of the ABLR will off-set the softness of it.
What are your thoughts?
elkaholic
Well-Known Member
There is no doubt the extra weight will help to come degree over the 150 I used which was only .007" smaller diameter. That was the only LRAB that I ever used, but I was unimpressed to say the least. I think most of us, me included, get caught up in high b.c. so much that we limit our choices! If most of my shots were under 500 yards and the chance of shooting very close was a possibility, I would choose the original AB Everytime. If not, then the LRAB might be a good choice .All I know is the LRAB does not like magnum velocity up close! They may have created a great bullet for a 7/08 for all around shooting?
Ingwe
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You are absolutely right about getting caught up with BC and that's why I switched over to the ABLR over the AB, since I wanted to wring out every bit of efficiency of my 7mmRemMag. But when you think about it, holdover is holdover, and whether its a few inches here or there it is still holdover. Hopefully I'll blast a deer at close range this year and see what happens, and I'm with you when you say that at 500yds PLUS the ABLR will shine over the AB
Ing, like elkaholic I can only report my experiences. Years ago I would only shoot Partitions, now after 11 years of nothing but Bergers in five different calibers and seeing the results, I'm not changing. Do heed the advice of checking/cleaning the tips on the Bergers, it only takes a minute and well worth it.
Ingwe
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Since I never shot a Berger I don't doubt any of you but I just can't see how a non-bonded type bullet would be effective on a chest shot Zebra or a quarter-on Elk...again that's just my thought
elkaholic
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Just FYI, I'm not necessarily pushing Berger's but just comparing the 2 you mentioned. I have mixed feelings and results on some of the Berger's I've used.
I have mixed feelings and results on some of the Berger's I've used.
Ingwe
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Just FYI, I'm not necessarily pushing Berger's but just comparing the 2 you mentioned.
TOTALLY understand my friend! I know....some guy's get touchy about these things
Plinker147
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I have shot multiple animals with Berger's( 2 bears, Oryx, elk) and ABLR's (2 elk, antelope, deer) but in different calibers. Both will work fine. Stick to the 1 that shoots the best. Every bullet will have someone that has had a "not perfect experience", but in the end if you hit them right they will both get the job done.
Any bullet that will expand at a low FPS at long distances is going to have issues holding together at high speed close shots. Just avoid heavy bone if possible at close ranges.
Any bullet that will expand at a low FPS at long distances is going to have issues holding together at high speed close shots. Just avoid heavy bone if possible at close ranges.
PowellSixO
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No thought of trying the 175 ELDX? It's very similar to the berger, but with better BC's, and an interlock ring to help keep the base of the bullet together. Super easy to get them to shoot too.
elkaholic
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They aren't!
PowellSixO
Well-Known Member
I have more faith in the ELDX than I do in the berger. I've killed 2 bull elk, and 4 deer with the bergers, and not 1 exit hole. Never recovered a piece of bullet bigger than 10 grains out of any of them either. I was lucky and never encountered any big bones with the berger. I'm not completly against berger, just trying something that I feel will be better. The design is almost the same as the berger, with the addition of a more consistent bullet tip, better BC, and interlock ring to help keep the bullet base together. The bergers have always been finicky with seating depth for me, where as the ELDX shoots anywhere. So far I have my 7 mag (175 eldx), and 7 saum (162 eldx) hitting consistent moa groups out to 1000 yards with absolutely no issues (several sub moa groups too, but not every group). I have not killed anything but steel or paper with them yet, but feel confident that they will do the trick. I have a mule deer hunt in a week and a half in Idaho where I hope I can kill a buck with the 7 mag, and my little brother can kill a buck with my 7 Saum. I'll be sure to report. After I return, I have a coues deer hunt at the end of October, where I hope to test one of the rifles again.
Here are some long range bullets that show the internals. The interlock ring is hard to see in the picture.
Barnes LRX, Nosler Accubond Long Range, Berger VLD, and Hornady ELDX
Interlock Ring of ELDX.
