338WM: Berger VLD 250g EH

[Porker]

Hi all, been through the "Berger kills" thread which is mighty impressive. Would the 250g VLD qualify as an all purpose hunting projectile in my rig? It's the accuracy proclaimed that's a big draw card for me.

I'm convinced that the 338WM really shines at mid range hunting distances up to 400m. Dont want to push it to max, hoping it will work at 100 through to 400m. Mostly deer species, goats and pigs. My concern is hitting bone at these distances on larger Australian deer such as Sambar and large feral hog's.

It's a 9.5lb 338WM on a Ruger stainless LH action, 22" barrel and below max velocity is what i'm looking for. I'm more comfortable with a big push than a snap of the 200/210g offerings. Wont be using it any further than that. Any photo showing performance specifically for this projectile would be appreciated. What would be the minimum impact velocity you would want at my max distance should you be hitting bone?

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I don't believe that the 250gr Elite Hunter is a VLD bullet. Most likely a hybrid.

I can't talk about its terminal performance but I was able to put 3 - 250 EH bullets into a nice tight .92" @ 300 yds. Bullet was fired from a 338RUM at 3,000 ft/sec with a charge of RE26.

I'll be taking this rifle on a moose hunt this October. With a little luck I'll have some terminal performance info to share then.

 

[Porker]

Thanks VH, just my lack of knowledge showing, they all sure look very low drag! That is Possibly why no one else replied to my thread. Some amazing shooting there, hope to hear from your experience

 

[D.Camilleri]

In all honesty, if you are only shooting to 400 yards, you will not see the benefits of the high BC of the berger 250. You could basically shoot any premium bullet and be happy. My favorite would probably be a Nosler Accubond 225 grain over a good charge of RL-19 that should yield close to 2900 fps. At 400 yards, that combo is a hammer. The 250 berger will only be able to be driven around 2700 fps, but if that works for you, see how they shoot. You will have plenty of velocity for expansion.

 

[Porker]

Was considering the 250 AB, but the Berger at lower velocity was the thinking at first, but you got my attention. Something I did not consider is magazine lenght with the Berger... will it fit in a Ruger 77 standard lenght action? Darn.. could be too long. The AB is definitely a close 2nd choice. Good to hear about impact at 2700 starting. Just the bone issue is still uneasy in my mind. Would the AB at lower velocity expand out to 400m?.. that is, 250g at 2650?

 

[Plinker147]

I've shot a couple bears, deer, and oryx with the 250 elite hunters out of a 338 rum at 3000fps. No problem breaking heavy bone and close range. Shot both bears through front shoulders at 200 and 400 yards. I've used the 250 accubonds with great success too. Both are good bullets. For what you have described I think 225 accubonds would be a perfect combo for a 338 win mag

 

[D.Camilleri]

The accubond should expand reliably to around 1800 fps, much further than 400 m. I have killed a lot of animals with the 225 accubond and breaking bone is not an issue. I wasted 3 white tail deer tags trying to stop a 225 accubond from my 338 RUM. I was driving them pretty hard at 3300 fps, but stopping one on a white tail didn't happen! I was taking frontal brisket shots to check lengthwise penetration, every shot was DRT and none of the bullets stayed in the animals. The accubonds are a very tough bullet, I tested some 300 grain bullets in my shop, shooting from a led sled on the floor into a 22 inch long 28 inch diameter pine log shooting into the end grain. Two shots with 300 gr Berger OTM and two shots with 300 gr Nosler Accubonds. The accubonds almost made it to my tool box! The Bergers penetrated about 16 inches and the bullet was a mangled mess. The accubonds had perfect mushrooms and penetrated to within two inches of exiting the log. Tough Bullets!

 

[Varmint Hunter]

Was considering the 250 AB, but the Berger at lower velocity was the thinking at first, but you got my attention. Something I did not consider is magazine lenght with the Berger... will it fit in a Ruger 77 standard lenght action? Darn.. could be too long. The AB is definitely a close 2nd choice. Good to hear about impact at 2700 starting. Just the bone issue is still uneasy in my mind. Would the AB at lower velocity expand out to 400m?.. that is, 250g at 2650?

FWIW - I loaded the 250 Berger EH to magazine length in my semi-custom Rem 700. That put the bullet a whopping .220" off the rifling. The very first group I shot was the .92" @ 300yds mentioned above. I assume that this bullet isn't seating depth sensitive.

 

[Porker]

Thanks guys, your making a darn good case for both those projectiles. Seating depth box ticked, penetration of the Berger is acceptable but I'm finding myself leaning towards the AB now...if it penetrates that well, short and mid range shots make it a viable all-rounder.. just darn expensive compared to the Berger here down under. Can take that AB to Africa as well.

 

[Capt RB]

100V or Rl17 will give you some speed over Rl19 with 100V being a bit more temp stable. You may also want to try RL26 with the 250's. You most likely would get closer to the speed of the bigger cased 338's. It should hold enough to get to pressurre

 

[bigngreen]

I've shot the 250 Berger a fair bit from RUMs and they shoot amazing even with a lot of jump, there is no other bullet I'd shoot from a 338 Win for hunting, regardless of BC it's my hands down favorite, at higher Rum speeds it opens aggressively but slowed down a little it's the ideal bullet, I have boxes of Barnes, Cutting Edge and Accubombs that haven't been opened since starting to shoot the Berger 250, it's in my top 5 hunting bullets!

 

[hseII]

Tagged.

I was busy gathering up parts & pieces to have a 338-06AI, or most recently a .338 Sherman, but I suddenly fell in to a 700LH 338 WM a few weekends ago.

 

[Porker]

Capt, will have to use the ossie powders, AR2209 is popular with the 338 crowd down here. My understanding is that felt recoil is more acceptable in the heavier 250g pills. The same recoil distributed over a longer time frame giving it a push rather than a snap?

BGreen, with the ogive/meplat of the Berger, will standard seating dies (lee) deform the tip? Anyone using standard seater for their Bergers?

VM, I'm sure my Ruger box should be fine then, wonder if it's longer than a 700 box?
If the seating depth is not going to be much of an issue, even an amateur like me might get below an inch at 100... think I will try a box of the cheaper Bergers first. Don't really want to invest in a custom seater right now.

 

[bigngreen]

I've never ran into seating issues but I don't have any Lee.