Berger bullets and bone

[gyrfalcon]

As a meat hunter, on the prairies I am sitting on the fence regarding using Berger bullets for deer hunting. Their legendary accuracy is a big plus. Reading that they enter the rib cage and then explode blowing the lungs to jelly, implies to me that if you hit a leg bone or shoulder blade, you essentially loose that entire quarter of meat. I prefer shooting the yearlings and fawns for the quality of their meat, making those bullets a tad too destructive. I can see Bergers being used for trophy hunting, since meat then is of secondary importance, or when it is imperative that the animal does not run into the thick bush or of a particular property etc. Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Hard rock]

As a meat hunter, on the prairies I am sitting on the fence regarding using Berger bullets for deer hunting. Their legendary accuracy is a big plus. Reading that they enter the rib cage and then explode blowing the lungs to jelly, implies to me that if you hit a leg bone or shoulder blade, you essentially loose that entire quarter of meat. I prefer shooting the yearlings and fawns for the quality of their meat, making those bullets a tad too destructive. I can see Bergers being used for trophy hunting, since meat then is of secondary importance, or when it is imperative that the animal does not run into the thick bush or of a particular property etc. Please correct me if I am wrong.

I've always prefer controlled expanding bullets for those uncontrollable circumstances Nosler partitions Barnes Failsafes etc but now I exclusively shoot the Hammer bullets your thinking is correct

 

[xsn10s]

As a meat hunter, on the prairies I am sitting on the fence regarding using Berger bullets for deer hunting. Their legendary accuracy is a big plus. Reading that they enter the rib cage and then explode blowing the lungs to jelly, implies to me that if you hit a leg bone or shoulder blade, you essentially loose that entire quarter of meat. I prefer shooting the yearlings and fawns for the quality of their meat, making those bullets a tad too destructive. I can see Bergers being used for trophy hunting, since meat then is of secondary importance, or when it is imperative that the animal does not run into the thick bush or of a particular property etc. Please correct me if I am wrong.

I'd use Bergers for meat or trophy. I'd just pick the right cartridge an load for the game and distance. I used to take shoulder shots to anchor game. The only time game got achored for me was when the CNS was taken out. Now I'll just shoot for the crease to save the meat. YMMV.

 

[Mayhem 487]

I have been hunting with Berger for about 15 years. Yes the are very destructive.
Smaller game, such as deer and sheep, I've learned to wait till the animal looks my way and send it right below the jaw. Takes out the CNS with ease. For those trophy hunters that are after shoulder mounts, just stick with the shoulder shots, there's a lot of ripping when neck shot.

 

[6.5x47hunter]

As a meat hunter, on the prairies I am sitting on the fence regarding using Berger bullets for deer hunting. Their legendary accuracy is a big plus. Reading that they enter the rib cage and then explode blowing the lungs to jelly, implies to me that if you hit a leg bone or shoulder blade, you essentially loose that entire quarter of meat. I prefer shooting the yearlings and fawns for the quality of their meat, making those bullets a tad too destructive. I can see Bergers being used for trophy hunting, since meat then is of secondary importance, or when it is imperative that the animal does not run into the thick bush or of a particular property etc. Please correct me if I am wrong.

more than one of us berger bullet hunters, mostly 140VLD 6.5 and 215 300WM bit into more than one piece of shrapnel.
they smash deer! and put them down.
if you are happy with what you are using...
they all kill on proper shot placement.

 

[xsn10s]

I guess the range the OP will be shooting at really needs to be known. For yearling or fawns (?) it's not going to take much to put them down. Heck a properly placed 22-250 at a reasonable distance would probably do the job.

 

[KurtB]

I've used a 6.5 Berger vld for years on game. Many times I have shot the onside shoulder, had the bullet drill through it and expand in the lungs. You have a hard time finding an entrance. There is usually a nickel sized hole in the backside of the shoulder blade and then havoc. This often results in the loss of less than a pound of meat on deer sized animals. I start them out at 2900 fps or so and impacts are mostly over 2400 fps.

Son shot a bull elk on the shoulder at 400 yards. Penetrated and blew up lungs. This with muzzle velocity of 2700 fps and same 140 vld.

I've seen this over and over with the Bergers. Shot a pronghorn once facing me with a 257 weatherby and a 100 grain Barnes. Bullet penetrated to hindquarter, blew up leg bone and exited. Lost about half that hindquarter.

Shoot enough and you'll see weird stuff. But for me, shooting Bergers has not resulted in excessive meat loss.

 

[lhedrick1]

I just shot my antelope with a 190 gr VLD out of the Win mag @ 300 yards.....blew through both shoulders and dropped instantly. Exit was impressive. Way over kill I know but we had seen a few good bucks and got some nasty weather roll in so I wanted to play it safe.

 

[Snyderite]

Not to start anything but wouldn't a mature doe fill the freezer easier and taste just as good?

Good to know about the Bergers. Thinking of going that route too!

 

[jbenevides89]

I will attest to the Bergers exploding inside. I shot a doe with a 6.5 156 a few weeks ago and hit her broadside at the top front point of the shoulder/base of the neck. I found the jacket on the other side just behind the last rib with no lead at all. It exploded on impact, I had a small exit wound in the front of her neck on the same side as the entry.

 

[6.5x47hunter]

I will attest to the Bergers exploding inside. I shot a doe with a 6.5 156 a few weeks ago and hit her broadside at the top front point of the shoulder/base of the neck. I found the jacket on the other side just behind the last rib with no lead at all. It exploded on impact, I had a small exit wound in the front of her neck on the same side as the entry.

and deer in hand. all that lead is gone with the guts.

 

[6.5x47hunter]

like a mini grenade. gets in and POW.

 

[jbenevides89]

and deer in hand. all that lead is gone with the guts.

Unfortunatley I shot a big buck 20 mins prior and know it was a good hit, he practically flipped over on his back. Im not bragging but at 100 yards on a solid rest with the tach driver I was shooting there is no way I messed that shot up. No blood, no trace of the deer and no recovery on that one .