Choosing bullets Berger's or Barnes

[Tom Erickson]

Figured I should run some numbers and make sure I was correct.

So a 4000' elev and standard atmosphere the max point blank range is 446y and it would be 10.4" low at 500y. Yep hold hair out to 500y.

Originally I bought a swarovski z6 but only one revaluation kind of sucked talked to the dealer and he let me trade it in on a swarovski X5I 5-25X56 according to the app I should be able to get out to just over 1600 yards that's with the nosler 175 long range Accubond

 

[slv hunter]

You may think about the Berger 168g.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

You figure 3600 FPS with a 143 is possible? Seems pretty fast to me but I don't shoot the lights either.

Yes 3600 comes easy with N570. About 3500 fps with other powders like rl26, H1000. We have a customer that his rifle runs 3600 fps with Retumbo. We haven't been able to do that. I think he has a fast rifle.

 

[Tom Erickson]

If you want those lighter bullets I know Hammer makes a 155 and 143 Hammer Hunter. Berger makes a 140 grain bullet and 150 bullet. I guess you would just need to decide if you want a copper or lead bullet. I cant recommend a Barnes bullet so I will leave that to you. I think at the speeds those light bullets will be flying I would prefer a copper bullet. The copper should hold together nicely and still put a whoopin on the speed goat.

Why dont you like barns ? Do th hey not perform like advertise

 

[Tidus56]

Why dont you like barns ? Do th hey not perform like advertise

Check your PM's.

 

[Jluck]

Totally different bullet camps. Do you want bullet retention or exploding bullets. Do you love cleaning bloodshot meat and eating toxic metal? Go Berger. Want a little less benchracer numbers and like bullet retention and penetration without eating lead? Go Barnes.

 

[nimrod_gn]

I can't help you on a powder. But don't over look the Hammer line of bullets. There's guys running the 143 Hammer Hunter at 3500 FPS out of 28 Noslers with great results. The Berger could serve you good as well. Really depends how you hunt and shot distance. If your shots are not often over say 700 yds, I think the Hammer line will serve you well. As long as your barrel has the twist for the mono bullets.

Yup, I'm one of them. Shooting the 143 grain Hammer Hunter. Amazing bullet.

 

[Canhunter35]

I had to pass on a buck 2 years ago I got within 560 and a coyote spooked him never seen him again . Just wanted something that I could reach out and hit my target at further range . I have no problem hitting a gong at 400 yards so I'm confident if I find a longer range I'll be able to hit out at further distance. So do you think I should go to a heavier bullet? I want to use the long range bullet .

Barnes will just blast a little hole right through the goat. I'd go with something softer. You will have lots of energy with whatever bullet you choose, I'm pretty sure you won't be happy with the terminal performance of Barnes

 

[Tom Erickson]

Dose that include there LRX . I know it dont take much to kill a goat. Their video on the long rang bullet looks good .what if I loaded so at 1000 yards I'm down to 1500 fps would that be better?I like that it's a copper bullet and it dont blow up . But I do want expansion

 

[Tom Erickson]

Totally different bullet camps. Do you want bullet retention or exploding bullets. Do you love cleaning bloodshot meat and eating toxic metal? Go Berger. Want a little less benchracer numbers and like bullet retention and penetration without eating lead? Go Barnes.

I like the barns no lead and they sound like they hod together. But sounds like the dont expend very well. Do you have any experience with the barns

 

[Jluck]

I like the barns no lead and they sound like they hod together. But sounds like the dont expend very well. Do you have any experience with the barns

Lots! Pretty much our whole camp has gone Barnes/monos. (Well over 100 deer, bear, hog and one cougar) They expand as intended. Make nice mushrooms and penetrate like mad without blowing the holy crap out of things. People don't think about hydraulic shock just what the "exit hole" looks like and if you can park a VW in it or not. So many have watched us clean up our quarry and changed their minds on their dinosaur bullet design. I'm a believer. We understand and respect the limitations of a monolithic bullet too. I cannot speak for the new fad in "hammer" bullets personally. I believe they are intended to explode.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

Lots! Pretty much our whole camp has gone Barnes/monos. (Well over 100 deer, bear, hog and one cougar) They expand as intended. Make nice mushrooms and penetrate like mad without blowing the holy crap out of things. People don't think about hydraulic shock just what the "exit hole" looks like and if you can park a VW in it or not. So many have watched us clean up our quarry and changed their minds on their dinosaur bullet design. I'm a believer. We understand and respect the limitations of a monolithic bullet too. I cannot speak for the new fad in "hammer" bullets personally. I believe they are intended to explode.

They don't/can't explode. They are pure copper. We use a very soft copper so that they deform very rapidly on impact. They open with a few petals like a banana. They are designed to shed those petals. This rapid expansion and petal shedding creates the shock that is very impressive. The 70% to 90% retained (depending on the chosen bullet) weight will have a square flat front designed for deep straight line penetration. This retained weight needs to keep velocity after impact. Bullets that stop inside an animal stop doing damage. They don't have brakes, they slow down until they stop, doing less and less damage as they come to a stop. There is no such thing as energy dump. There is such a thing as shock and permanent wound channel. If we have a bullet that owns but does not shed its petals, we almost consider it a bullet failure. The shed petals very often follow the retained shank for computer pass through as well. Like 3 or 4 little 20g bullets.

Explode- no. Rapid expansion shedding a few pieces with the same weight retention regardless of impact vel- yes.

 

[Canhunter35]

They don't/can't explode. They are pure copper. We use a very soft copper so that they deform very rapidly on impact. They open with a few petals like a banana. They are designed to shed those petals. This rapid expansion and petal shedding creates the shock that is very impressive. The 70% to 90% retained (depending on the chosen bullet) weight will have a square flat front designed for deep straight line penetration. This retained weight needs to keep velocity after impact. Bullets that stop inside an animal stop doing damage. They don't have brakes, they slow down until they stop, doing less and less damage as they come to a stop. There is no such thing as energy dump. There is such a thing as shock and permanent wound channel. If we have a bullet that owns but does not shed its petals, we almost consider it a bullet failure. The shed petals very often follow the retained shank for computer pass through as well. Like 3 or 4 little 20g bullets.

Explode- no. Rapid expansion shedding a few pieces with the same weight retention regardless of impact vel- yes.

The non shedding petals is why Barnes can be disappointing imo

 

[Battering Ram]

Dose that include there LRX . I know it dont take much to kill a goat. Their video on the long rang bullet looks good .what if I loaded so at 1000 yards I'm down to 1500 fps would that be better?I like that it's a copper bullet and it dont blow up . But I do want expansion