6.5 Berger Hybrid target 140 for hunting

[codyadams]

Just looking for anyone who has used these for hunting, and their experience, good or bad. YES, I know they say 'not suitable for hunting' on the box, but so do Hornady A-MAX bullets, and I personally know several deer and 2 elk that would beg to differ. If you personally haven't used them, please allow people that have used them on game to comment. And please don't suggest using other bullets, I know there are other bullets that would work, if I was interested in them I would write a post about them. This is about the berger hybrid target bullets.

Since the main concern with the target bullets is not expanding, as they have a thicker jacket, I want to see what people's first hand experiences are...I recently shot my rifle and had a couple bullets go off the steel target at 885 yards, and impact the soft wet mud behind the target. At this range, they were going about 2,000 fps. They had full expansion and fragmentation on both bullets, and I recovered the base of both. One weighed 81.5 grains and the other weighed 68.8 grains, This is 49% and 58% weight retention, and both penetration about 12 inches.

I know that wet mud will be different than an animal, but if the bullet is shedding around half it's weight at nearly 900 yards, I tend to believe it's going to expand well anywhere under that distance. Either way, I plan on using them for my doe antelope hunt, and possibly my buck antelope hunt this year if I draw, and I will post my results. But if anyone has any experience, please chime in!! Thanks all

BTW these are going 2960 from my rifle, just as a reference point.

 

[jwing]

Yes in a 6.5-06 3000 fps work awesome killed a deer 800 one shot, deer 200 6 pigs from 50 to 300 yards all one shot kills

 

[North Idaho Hunter]

I witnessed 4 elk shot with the 215 hybrid last year. not a 140 like what your shooting, but they did not shed their weight like the conventional VLD hunting bullets do.

Performance was good on 2 elk at 300, 1 no exit at slightly quarter on shot, the other complete pass through. one at 500 was about 3/4 inch exit hole.

I will continue to run these in my 300 win mag for all purpose hunting.

 

[codyadams]

I witnessed 4 elk shot with the 215 hybrid last year. not a 140 like what your shooting, but they did not shed their weight like the conventional VLD hunting bullets do.

Performance was good on 2 elk at 300, 1 no exit at slightly quarter on shot, the other complete pass through. one at 500 was about 3/4 inch exit hole.

I will continue to run these in my 300 win mag for all purpose hunting.

What speed are you shooting them at?

 

[Buffalobob]

Using a 20 inch barrel 260 Rem I was not all that happy with them on antelope and switched to the 130 Berger. Was not all that happy with them on a cow elk at 300 yards and switched to the 140 Berger hunting bullet. I don't use them for anything anymore.

A lot of variables in any real world bullet performance but once I have tried a bullet twice and am unhappy I am going to switch. The animals just deserve better from me.

For a non magnum cartridge the BC advantage of the hybrid over a hunting bullet is negligible for the feasible ranges of the cartridge being used.

 

[jwing]

Well good more for me.. I like them. One shot kill on a cyote at 1225 yards blowers rock chucks up. My be the 6.5 thing?

 

[North Idaho Hunter]

What speed are you shooting them at?

validated 2795 FPS

 

[jwing]

3000 fps

 

[codyadams]

These are the two bullets recovered from the soft wet dirt hillside. Retained velocity at impact was 1,989 fps. Muzzle velocity is 2960 fps.

 

[codyadams]

Using a 20 inch barrel 260 Rem I was not all that happy with them on antelope and switched to the 130 Berger. Was not all that happy with them on a cow elk at 300 yards and switched to the 140 Berger hunting bullet. I don't use them for anything anymore.

A lot of variables in any real world bullet performance but once I have tried a bullet twice and am unhappy I am going to switch. The animals just deserve better from me.

For a non magnum cartridge the BC advantage of the hybrid over a hunting bullet is negligible for the feasible ranges of the cartridge being used.

Why weren't you happy with them? Did they not expand enough, expand too much, not penetrate enough? How far was your antelope? and where were the bullet impacts?

 

[North Idaho Hunter]

One of the bullets recovered in an elk at 300 yards looked very similar to that. jacket seperated from the core, sure did make a mess of the internals!

 

[lancetkenyon]

Haven't had the opportunity to use the 140 Hybrid on big game from my 6.5 SLR yet, but coyotes from 60 to 840 hate them. MV of 2950fps.

The .308 215 Hybrid @ 2956fps turns coyotes in mush, and elk that we have hit don't go more than 10'. This is a reduced load in my .300RUM for my 13 year old daughter. Full power loads at 3100fps should do the trick if I could ever draw a bull tag.....

I also shoot 180 Hybrids out of my 7 Rem Mag. Since I just built it this January, we haven't had an opportunity to try it on game yet. Hopefully one of my kids or wife draw an elk tag if I don't. I have a reduced load at 2860fps, and a full power load at 2980fps worked up and ready to go.

 

[Rick Richard]

Not a 6.5, but 7 mm 180 grain Hybrid shot from 7LRM. Projectile recovered from a bull elk shot at 650 yards. Projectile went through the bull and was lodged underneath the hide on the opposite side.

 

[Len Backus]

Andy and I are using that exact bullet.

2016 RESULTS
Andy killed a 6 point elk at under 200 yards with his 6.5x284.

I killed a 195 class mule deer at 450 yards with my 6.5 GAP (SAUM). Also several whitetails at 200 to 550.

In prior years with a 180 Hybrid and my 7mm Dakota I have killed lots of deer and one bull elk and a couple buck antelope.