Berger hybrid 30 cal. 215 hybrid for hunting

elkhntr

Active Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2010
Messages
41
Has anyone used these for hunting. Berger states that use only for target shooting. I hear of people using them. What where your results. Or do they have a 215 vld, for hunting
 
I use the 215 hybrid in a 300 win mag and have killed 2 mule deer bucks with them so far. 1 was at 970 yards and the other was 163 yards. Both worked perfectly.
Jon
 
If you think the 215s are wicked, try the 230 Hybrid. These guys have a G7 of 0.368 (G1 of 0.717). Guys have had great results at 1200 yards with them on game.
 
Thank you all for the info. After reading the thread by forum member boz I probably will be switching from 210 vld to the 215 vld in my new 300 win mag. Looks quite impressive. What would be a good safe starting load with the 215 using Hodgen 1000 powder
 
I know broz has stated he felt the 230 was a better fit for the rum because of the 215s being a bit too fast for close shots out of one.. anyone proved that theory?

Im thinking about a 300 norma build and with the recently reduced 230 bc numbers the 215 seems to be the 30 cal darling. Undecided on which bullet I would throat for. The 212 eld x would probably be a good choice too although not as proven.
 
I would wait and see. Real user data on the EDL-x should be out soon. I am a bit against the grain on the 215 Berger. Berger list the optimal twist for the 215 as 9 twist. The optimal twist for the 210 VLD is 10 twist.

My 300 RUM has a 28" 10 twist Bartlein. It shoots the 210 Berger VLD more accurately than the 215. The 215 shoots .5 or .6 MOA on average it seems. The 210 VLD shoots in the .25 range. Guess which one I shoot.
 
As far as load work up I started at 73 gr of H1000 in my 300 WM. Primer is a FED GM215M. Try to seat the bullet 30 thou off the lands to start.
 
I would wait and see. Real user data on the EDL-x should be out soon. I am a bit against the grain on the 215 Berger. Berger list the optimal twist for the 215 as 9 twist. The optimal twist for the 210 VLD is 10 twist.

My 300 RUM has a 28" 10 twist Bartlein. It shoots the 210 Berger VLD more accurately than the 215. The 215 shoots .5 or .6 MOA on average it seems. The 210 VLD shoots in the .25 range. Guess which one I shoot.

The most important thing is how they print on paper. It appears that the twist recommendations are a moving target. 1 in 9 seems awful tight for the 215. It wasn't long ago when the recommended twist for the 230 hybrid target was a 1 in 10.
 
The most important thing is how they print on paper. It appears that the twist recommendations are a moving target. 1 in 9 seems awful tight for the 215. It wasn't long ago when the recommended twist for the 230 hybrid target was a 1 in 10.

Twist rates are not universal, but the recommendations are. What works for someone at high altitude, may not work for someone shooting at sea level. It is best to keep in mind that published twist rates are designed to work for everyone, where as some shooters can fine tune based on location, and their objective. To quote "The new twist rate recommendations that Berger Bullets is offering are based on achieving optimal stability in nominal conditions. This means that the twist rates that they provide may seem conservative and the Berger recommendations for twist rates may be faster than what you actually need in your environment."

Here is a good article on it: http://www.abmediaresources.com/articles/ABDOC108_GyroscopicAndCoriolis.pdf

Also remember that just because you don't meet the recommended doesn't mean something catastrophic might happen. As a rule of thumb, you lose about 3% BC for every .1 you go below an SG of 1.5. Some are better, some are worse. But you don't necessarily lose stability, and I wouldn't expect a catastrophic failure.
 
Twist rates are not universal, but the recommendations are. What works for someone at high altitude, may not work for someone shooting at sea level. It is best to keep in mind that published twist rates are designed to work for everyone, where as some shooters can fine tune based on location, and their objective. To quote "The new twist rate recommendations that Berger Bullets is offering are based on achieving optimal stability in nominal conditions. This means that the twist rates that they provide may seem conservative and the Berger recommendations for twist rates may be faster than what you actually need in your environment."

Here is a good article on it: http://www.abmediaresources.com/articles/ABDOC108_GyroscopicAndCoriolis.pdf

Also remember that just because you don't meet the recommended doesn't mean something catastrophic might happen. As a rule of thumb, you lose about 3% BC for every .1 you go below an SG of 1.5. Some are better, some are worse. But you don't necessarily lose stability, and I wouldn't expect a catastrophic failure.

Completely understand. My point is that Berger frequently changes their recommended twist rates. Makes it frustrating for a guy that's trying to optimize performance and deal with long lead times. I also understand that one should calculate stability for their intended environment vs. recommended sea level stability.
 
Mr. Beech After reading your post you now have thrown a curve at me that i have not heard of. Are you saying that twist rates for stabilizing bullets can be affected by altitude?? My new to be built 300 win mag will have a 1: 10 twist. I have been shooting berger 210 vld but have considered uping to the 215 hybrid. My elevations can change from 4500 to 8500 depending upon where in Montana here that I hunt. My temperatures early season, 4500 ft. average 35-50 degrees Late season temps can be below zero to 35 degrees 7200-8500 ft. As you can see there are a lot of varaibles for me during hunting season here in Montana. I would think that if I run all the varaibles thru my bullet flight program and have the multiple range cards printed ready to asimalate the weather I would be close. Or am I taking this whole thing out of context. Please shed some lite
 
Mr. Beech After reading your post you now have thrown a curve at me that i have not heard of. Are you saying that twist rates for stabilizing bullets can be affected by altitude?? My new to be built 300 win mag will have a 1: 10 twist. I have been shooting berger 210 vld but have considered uping to the 215 hybrid. My elevations can change from 4500 to 8500 depending upon where in Montana here that I hunt. My temperatures early season, 4500 ft. average 35-50 degrees Late season temps can be below zero to 35 degrees 7200-8500 ft. As you can see there are a lot of varaibles for me during hunting season here in Montana. I would think that if I run all the varaibles thru my bullet flight program and have the multiple range cards printed ready to asimalate the weather I would be close. Or am I taking this whole thing out of context. Please shed some lite

To put it simply, you're fine with a 10 twist.
 
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