Berger 215 Hybrid Performance on Elk

[Tumbleweed]

Hi fellas, just got through with a successful elk hunt with my son taking his first elk in a one shot kill. I am using the 215 Berger Hybrid "Target" from my semi custom 300 RUM at a muzzle velocity of 3,185 fps. Distance to elk~ 522 yards. Impact velocity at 1900ft altitude and 50 degrees~ 2,535fps. Kinetic energy at animal~3,069ft/lbs. Bullet entered directly behind the elk's left shoulder in a quartering away angle. The bullet struck and broke three ribs on the way in. Traveling past the rib cage it completely destroyed the heart and lungs. We found no penetration past the vitals in the offside rib cage wall. This is not really a surprise to me after seeing that the bullet hit all three ribs on entry causing it to open rather quickly decreasing overall penetration. Below are some pictures. Sorry about the resolution on a couple, these were cell phone pics in dark timber.
Below is the shot placement:

Below is the heart/lung group:

Below is the bullet entrance damage to the rib cage. The hole is around 4" long in an oblong pattern:

I am satisfied with the performance of the 215 Hyrbid in this situation. I feel that if it were a perfect broadside shot with the bullet striking one rib that I may have had a complete pass through.

 

[ProfessorM]

I would like to add to this post....I shot a whitetail the other day with the 215 Berger. 300 RUM, 92 grs. Retumbo, getting 3100 fps from a Sendero. The deer was quartering away at 285 yards and I put the bullet about 4 inches behind his shoulder wanting it to go in the far shoulder. Shot placement was perfect and the bullet entered through a rib and did not exit. I didn't take pics as it was cold and getting dark as I was skinning it but the bullet went into the far shoulder after destroying heart/lungs like in the pic of previous post. Damage to shoulder was massive! DRT and did not even kick. Very happy with close range performance, looking for a 500-600 broadside doe next.

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

So you have recovered no bullet parts etc? Great post

 

[ProfessorM]

I recovered the back 1/2 of the jacket (all copper) in the farthest point in the far shoulder. It entered the shoulder and went throught the thickest/boniest part of it and needed about a 1/2 inch to exit. I assume the fragments were in the shoulder around the wound channel, but I didn't dig around too much and I "discarded" that shoulder. I was impressed. I killed a 300 lb boar back in the summer at 350 yards that was DRT but didn't skin him to look at damage. It was a high shoulder shot. That was when I decided that they would "kill" just fine!

 

[bigngreen]

Dang, the carnage is impressive, looks like he sucked up a grenade gun)

 

[Broz]

Dang, the carnage is impressive, looks like he sucked up a grenade gun)

I was thinking the same thing looking at this and remembering the 13 kills with them we have had this season. The ones under 500 to 600 yards, it is like they enter the vital area and go off like a grenade destroying all vitals. The ones past 600 pass through and out with a nice sized exit sucking the life out as they go.

Jeff

 

[Tumbleweed]

So you have recovered no bullet parts etc? Great post

Have not cut him up yet. Looks like the on side shoulder ahead of the bullet entrance has some damage on the inside and suspect there will be a lot of fragments in that area. But no large pieces found so far and do next expect to either, this is very similar to damage I have seen with the 210VLD's.

 

[BigBboy25]

Thanks for sharing.

Would you guys be hesitant to take a shoulder shot on elk at closer ranges( less than 400 yards) with this bullet out of a .300 Win. Mag/.300 RUM?

 

[Tumbleweed]

Thanks for sharing.

Would you guys be hesitant to take a shoulder shot on elk at closer ranges( less than 400 yards) with this bullet out of a .300 Win. Mag/.300 RUM?

I personally would not want to take a direct shoulder shot inside 500 yards. The bullet may work fine in this situation and Broz with his impressive resume using these bullets can give you a better opinion. I just saw how quick it expanded at 500 yards after hitting three small rib bones. I also would not want to waste a whole shoulder as I need all of the meat I can get with the way my family eats

 

[Tumbleweed]

The kids, wife and I cut up Mr. Bully tonight. I did find three pieces of what would be the ogive and very tip portion of the bullet. The pieces were lodged in the inside of the onside shoulder just ahead of bullet entry. It appeared that as the bullet entered and hit the three ribs the tip broke off and deflected away from the ribs and steered towards the inside of the shoulder. In any case, the rest of the bullet went in the right direction and caused utter devistation.