Berger not going splat or pencilling.

[clark270]

Just wondering why you want to use a Berger for shots like that. A shotgun would work better, mtmuley

If all the shot are 100 or less. I have a rifled 12 gauge for that. But I get shots out to 350-400 yards. And don't want them to go in thick cover or the neighbors.

 

[mtmuley]

I've been thinning some landscape eating whitetails with my 12 gauge. Even killed a couple elk with it. Pretty much crushes them. For shots like you describe, take a look at the Hammer Sledge Hammers. mtmuley

 

[Timber338]

I have had mixed results with Berger bullets. Killed lots of elk but had a .308 215gr Hybrid pencil and had a .338 300gr EH banana and another explode like a shotgun. Accurate as hell but I've moved away from hunting with them based off of my own experience with them.

 

[bigngreen]

I have heard the same thing, but never experienced that. I heard somewhere that some of the holes had something in them or the cavities weren't opened up appropriately etc. I have never experienced that myself.

All open tip match type bullets are ejected from the die that forms the tip by a small metal rod going into the tip, if there is some copper in the way it punches it down into the tip until the bullet pops out. The odds are slim of shooting an animal with one if you shoot a lot but in every box there are some, I don't worry about it that much since I'll just punch something again and if I do check I just sort them to rock shooting.

 

[stx]

Going to try Berger classic hunters in 270 win at 2,600 fps. I should not have to worry about blow ups or pencilling right? Most shots are under 100 yards, but could be as far as 400 for deer. My other load is 130gr. @3125 fps. Thanks

I've shot hogs, whitetails and elk from 100-500+ yds at 2700 to 3360 fps with 115, 140, 168 & 210 VLDs (all shoulder shots except elk) and none have penciled or blown up! I do check all meplats to make sure holes aren't plugged....and if so clean them out with small drill bit.

 

[Elkeater]

I shot two antelope this year with a 215 hybrid out of a .300WM at 2980 muzzle velocity. Both at about 200 yards. One bullet worked perfect. .30 cal hole going in and a 1.5" hole going out. The other one blew up on entrance. Did not exit, put a 4 inch hole on the entrance side and the antelope required a follow up shot to the head.

I'm moving away from bergers in favor of solid copper bullets like Barnes and hammers. I have kids and I don't like worrying about feeding them lead fragments.

 

[bigngreen]

I've tried for 10 years to blow up or pencil a Berger, only saw one pencil and it was a 210 on the lightest hit possible, still down but shot again.
I've tried hitting elk in the shoulder with with fast 6.5's shooting between ribs at the back of the lungs everything. I've had far, far more consistency from them than a Barnes and now the ELD is just all over the board so I'm done messing with bullets, Berger's or Hammers.

 

[SP101]

If all the shot are 100 or less. I have a rifled 12 gauge for that. But I get shots out to 350-400 yards. And don't want them to go in thick cover or the neighbors.

I load those for my 270 and hunt very similar shot conditions as you described. One morning I could be hunting in a stand set for bow hunting, and in the afternoon might be in a box blind overlooking a 500 yd bean field. I have to say that although I have been shooting the classic hunters, it is hard to beat the effect of a pointed soft point like a cheap old Remington core-lokt for vast the majority of the shots encountered.

 

[clark270]

Sp101 thanks. I killed most of my deer with the 150 core lokt about 100. My new barrel doesn't like them. I have been using nosler balistic tips. Some deer still make it about 100 yards. And makes a mess if you hit the shoulder. But drops them right there. Thinking serria sp or hallow points. Or just start neck/head shooting. Again.

 

[Riflehunter1776]

If you want to drop a whitetail quick, the nosler ballistic tip, aka whitetail grenade, fired at close range and high velocity, is devastating. Just make sure you dont clip a branch or brush, as they will blow up. I went away from them and used the Barnes bullet for years, shooting about 25 deer with them, finding them extremely effective and never experiencing a failure. I used the accubond briefly, and did see 2 pencils with no expansion, out of a high velocity rifle. Since last spring, I've been looking for berger 6.5/130 hunting VLDs to shoot out of a 6.5-284 that I had built for me, but no luck tracking any down.

 

[DENWA]

If you want to drop a whitetail quick, the nosler ballistic tip, aka whitetail grenade, fired at close range and high velocity, is devastating. Just make sure you dont clip a branch or brush, as they will blow up. I went away from them and used the Barnes bullet for years, shooting about 25 deer with them, finding them extremely effective and never experiencing a failure. I used the accubond briefly, and did see 2 pencils with no expansion, out of a high velocity rifle. Since last spring, I've been looking for berger 6.5/130 hunting VLDs to shoot out of a 6.5-284 that I had built for me, but no luck tracking any down.

The ballistic tip was great under 30-06 and lower velocities even at closer range. I highly recommend them for 308-243 etc...

When the 300WSM came on the scene all my friends went out and bought them. We never lost so many deer! BT's BLEW UP and did not penetrate.

Only issue I have with Bergers is I've seen far too many of them BLOW UP mid air when pushing them at higher velocities. Several guys running F Class and the 6.5-284 were having issues with them just coming undone at ~600yds.

 

[Kimber7man]

Since last spring, I've been looking for berger 6.5/130 hunting VLDs to shoot out of a 6.5-284 that I had built for me, but no luck tracking any down.

Found some for you! https://forum.snipershide.com/threads/fs-berger-6-5mm-130gn-vld-hunting-bullets.6919020/

 

[stx]

Since last spring, I've been looking for berger 6.5/130 hunting VLDs to shoot out of a 6.5-284 that I had built for me, but no luck tracking any down.

Midway has them!

 

[hunter67wa]

Ive shot deer and elk both with the 6.5 140 vld and 284 168 vld from 46 yards to 919 and had great luck