berger terminal ballistics past 700 yds?

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

Good on Elk

i havent need a blood trail yet but being that i am shooting at those ranges. i dont shoot unless i feel very comfortable with the shot. i have been fortunite to make good hits i am wondering if anyone has hit a little to far back, like the liver. will it still kill the animal in under 100 yards. i hunt in crp and hill country they could make it a 100 yards,without an exit wound, it might be hard to find the animal. hope i will never hae to deal with that situation. two years ago i was shooting 160 accubonds they penitrate, i hit my buck high shoulder and the bullet still exited at 490yards. i still think that the berger is harder hitting. i guess what im trying to say is that i wish that someone combined the expolsion of the berger with the penitration of the accubond. until that happens i feel that the berger is the bullet for me... i have also heard that about smk they are a great paper round.

My buddies twin 13 year old girls made two one shot kills on elk this past December with the 168 VLD from my 300 Wby mag, (3250+ fps). The first was 385 yds shot at about a 55 degree down angle.... she missed the shoulder hitting vertical center just infront of the shoulder... The bull folded up.... upon boning out the bull the bullet vaporized about 5 inches of spine had some bullet fragments passing through the cape, but not a big hole... a couple of smaller holes. The Second bull was shot at 450 yards straight across a canyon. Again missing the shoulder and hitting about 8 inches back, but still center up and down. The bull made about 6 jumps up hill and tumbled back down. We did not examine the inside of the cavity (gutless bone out job), but the bullet did not reach the ribs on the other side..... there was not ANY bloodshot or bruising on the off side. All I can say is that with the shot hitting that far back the bull had a bloody "protein shake" draining out his nose as we roled him over. I am real pleased with these bullets at that middle range. Looking forward to letting those girls shoot some Javelinas with that bullet in two weeks! I'll post the results.

 

[ddgo]

For what its worth

I have been shooting Berger 6mm vlds this year for cropping whitetails. We shoot alot of deer each year, so studing bullet performance has become a past time for me.
I am shooting 95gr vlds in a 28" 1 and 9 twist tight neck 6mm AI. MV 3400fps. At 400 to 600 yds I have been getting exits on about 50% of broadside high shoulder shots. On the bullets that did not exit, most fell below 50% in weight.
Hope to set up a 850 yd shot in the next few days, and will get back to you with the results.
Hope this helps
ddgo

 

[Tyler Kemp]

ddgo can you PM me your loads for your 6mm AI? I am in the process of building one, and am considering the 95 grain Bergers for deer.

 

[älg]

I agree on sectional density being important.- that´s why I like the 6,5 caliber among other reasons.


I sure will give the 140 bergers a try on game soon.

Thanks everybody for the replies.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

i havent need a blood trail yet but being that i am shooting at those ranges. i dont shoot unless i feel very comfortable with the shot. i have been fortunite to make good hits i am wondering if anyone has hit a little to far back, like the liver. will it still kill the animal in under 100 yards. i hunt in crp and hill country they could make it a 100 yards,without an exit wound, it might be hard to find the animal. hope i will never hae to deal with that situation. two years ago i was shooting 160 accubonds they penitrate, i hit my buck high shoulder and the bullet still exited at 490yards. i still think that the berger is harder hitting. i guess what im trying to say is that i wish that someone combined the expolsion of the berger with the penitration of the accubond. until that happens i feel that the berger is the bullet for me... i have also heard that about smk they are a great paper round.

If you want an explosive bullet nose and a stout rear to ensure penetration, look no farther than the time tested & proven Nosler Partitions.

 

[gamehauler]

V. Hunter,
I agree the N.P. has been a great bullet
but are you saying that there can not be something better
I just have to say it again.
I have a hard time finding negitive feedback on them
other than people wanting a pass thru, but why

Sit down less than 50yrds from the shot and have a bowl of jello before you pack it out.
Great protein buster
Mike

 

[Varmint Hunter]

V. Hunter,
I agree the N.P. has been a great bullet
but are you saying that there can not be something better
I just have to say it again.
I have a hard time finding negitive feedback on them
other than people wanting a pass thru, but why

Sit down less than 50yrds from the shot and have a bowl of jello before you pack it out.
Great protein buster
Mike

I guess you would have to define "better". Different bullets, display different qualities, under different circumstances. But if you want a bullet with a fairly soft nose for expansion AND a bullet that will not go to pieces under almost any condition, then the NP is hard to beat. If you want a bullet that won't have its nose wiped off during expansion and penetrate even better than a NP, try a Swift A-Frame.

 

[ddgo]

For what its worth Part II

Just recovered another Berger 6mm 95gr VLD from a 3 1/2 yr old whitetail cull buck.
Distance 456yds
MV 3400fps
6mm AI
High Pocket shot (thru both shoulder blades clipped bottom edge of spine,bruising top of both lungs)
Found bullet on off side
Weighed 34 grs
ddgo

 

[Tyler Kemp]

What was the damage like?

 

[ddgo]

About 2" all the way until nearly the end. Normally this shot will shred the top of the lungs. but I was probally about 1/2" too high. I like this shot because nothing runs, make the recovery much easier.
Had to play about 1/2 of a rib cage worth of wind, so all worked out for the good.
ddgo

 

[älg]

N partitions are great, but:

- BC is lower than that of a Berger (or an accubond)
- tip may suffer deformation
- if the NP hits a bone first, the front section may explode and the rear section will penetrate with - I think-less expansion than a bullet that does not lose the front end so easily (i.e. an accubond)
- Bergers or accubond usually give better accuracy

 

[Varmint Hunter]

N partitions are great, but:

- BC is lower than that of a Berger (or an accubond)
- tip may suffer deformation
- if the NP hits a bone first, the front section may explode and the rear section will penetrate with - I think-less expansion than a bullet that does not lose the front end so easily (i.e. an accubond)
- Bergers or accubond usually give better accuracy

All may be true but are not what the poster asked about. He was looking for a bullet wth an explosive effect AND penetration like an Accubond. IMO nothing fills that bill better than a Partition bullet. It is like having two totally different bullets attached at the H mantle. Bullets of this design can not be expected to shoot with match grade accuracy but frequently shoot far more accurately than neede in the typical hunting scenario.

 

[älg]

VH, dont you think the accubond performs (expansion wise) very similar to the NP??

My impression is the NP opens up and loses the front end; the accubond opens up, and does not lose as much mass, maybe keeping a wider diameter mushroom?

 

[Varmint Hunter]

VH, dont you think the accubond performs (expansion wise) very similar to the NP??

My impression is the NP opens up and loses the front end; the accubond opens up, and does not lose as much mass, maybe keeping a wider diameter mushroom?

No - and for the very reason that you stated. I have seen many Partitions expand to the point of loosing all the lead forward of the H mantle. However, the bonded Accubond will maintain more nose lead.

I will say, however, that Nosler has stated that these two bullets should have similar terminal performance.