Disappointed with the Berger 156 grain EOL

[CNY Yote Hunter]

Don't think that was a hunting bullet. I believe the vld hunting bullet start at .243 caliber.

I stand corrected, they don't say VLD however they are for hunting

 

[WildRose]

So at what distance does a animal need too be before you can shoot it with a Berger ,from what I'm reading ,as long as he is at 200 plus yards the bullet is designed for a long distance shot but at close range under 100 yds any thing might happen. Also someone on this forum stated Burger was originally a target bullet , like the Hornady eld bullets and hunters started using them at long range hunting successfully ,so Berger kinda got into the hunting style bullets accidentally . It's pretty obvious that a lot of hunters and shooters like Berger bullets and I think I understand , but in reality was the Berger bullets designed too do any thing other than shooting targets?

I don't shoot them at game at any range because of problems with penciling through or failing to penetrate at all and just blowing up before it even makes it to the rib cage.

The only exception to that rule for me would be if I had to buy and shoot factory ammo and that was my only choice.

 

[WildRose]

I stand corrected, they don't say VLD however they are for huntingView attachment 339728

It does say "Varmint Bullet".

That means it's going to be a flying bomb.

 

[WildRose]

t's pretty obvious that a lot of hunters and shooters like Berger bullets and I think I understand , but in reality was the Berger bullets designed too do any thing other than shooting targets?

Their hunting VLD's and Hybrids are specifically designed as hunting rather than target bullets.

 

[CNY Yote Hunter]

It does say "Varmint Bullet".

That means it's going to be a flying bomb.

I don't disagree, jacket at the impact site. I just haven't had good luck with performance on coyotes with these at all. 1/4 to 1/2" size exit but the things still spin and run way to far for my liking. I like the DRT approach

 

[WildRose]

I don't disagree, jacket at the impact site. I just haven't had good luck with performance on coyotes with these at all. 1/4 to 1/2" size exit but the things still spin and run way to far for my liking. I like the DRT approach

There's two kinds of varmint bullets because there's two types of varmint hunters.

Hide hunters prefer a single hole with a complete internal explosion or at most a very small exit. The latter may be the case here.

Hornady varmint bullets at least those I've tried aver highly explosive and may not even exit at all.

For those dead bang flop kills you've just got to interrupt the CNS and get the blood pressure to zero instantly, that means basically head, neck, spine and shoulder shots and that gets tricky if you're shooting them on the move like we usually do.

 

[Marky_mark]

Ive had inconsistent terminal performance with the 156's this year as well
Not as many pass through and sometimes they acted like they werent even shot
Then the next animal would crumple like the switch was turned off
Going to pay closer attention to the tips and make sure they are open and consistent
Didnt have problems before soooooo not 100%sure what the problem is

 

[jbenevides89]

Did you track it? If it was a buck I really wanted, I would have started a grid pattern and circled till I found blood. Deer probably died! Might not have even gone far. I hate hearing stories like that, as a bow hunter for 30 years and a white tail guide I have recovered maybe a hundred deer others would have given up on. Sometimes the first drop of blood won't be for a hundred yards or more. One of my biggest buck ever a big semetrical 10 ran 1.5 miles with a bad shot, but I found him in the morning. Another big 12 I shot ran a full mile with the heart center punched, very little blood. I think tracking and recovery are the most neglected skills in the hunting world today. A broken twig or scuffs in the leaves tell a story if you listen. If you don't have good eyesight maybe buy a hand held thermal for recovery or make friends with some one with tracking Dogs.
Another pro tip is always have a compass, deer will usually take a certain direction and stick with it until the very end when they are going to crash they vere off.

I tracked it for hours through the swamp following every set of prints in the mud or kicked up tuff of leaves I could find. I know I am not the best, but I have followed some pretty tough trails before. I normally have an orange drag harness and put it on the last place I see a sign and look from there. I start at impact and find hair, a drop of blood, something and start smaller circles and get larger and larger until I see next sign. No deer, no blood, and I am sure the bullet left a pinhole entry like all the others and no exit. Unfortunately this one was lost.

 

[Kimber7man]

According to Berger themselves - No.

Walt Berger was a dedicated benchrest shooter and the originator of Berger bullets. I'd bet that he never shot anything but paper. But that's just a guess.

It was after Berger determined that many of their loyal customers where successfully taking game with their match bullets that hunting bullets became a business model of it's own. I kind of liked it when Berger put designated hunting bullets in orange plastic boxes and their designated match bullets in yellow plastic boxes. However, today there is so much crossover use with all the Berger bullets that it almost makes sense that they decided to drop the orange boxes.

IIRC you'd be wrong on Walt. John Barsness wrote an article for Rifle or Handloader magazine on the Berger bullets after he went on a hunting trip with Walt and Eric to NZ. IIRC Walt used a 257 Roberts and 115 VLD on red stag.

 

[xsn10s]

IIRC you'd be wrong on Walt. John Barsness wrote an article for Rifle or Handloader magazine on the Berger bullets after he went on a hunting trip with Walt and Eric to NZ. IIRC Walt used a 257 Roberts and 115 VLD on red stag.

I believe he was described as an "avid hunter".

 

[Joefrazell]

But he said he wanted a good exit

Then he should stick to other bullet designs and be limited to there undesirable flight characteristics.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

IIRC you'd be wrong on Walt. John Barsness wrote an article for Rifle or Handloader magazine on the Berger bullets after he went on a hunting trip with Walt and Eric to NZ. IIRC Walt used a 257 Roberts and 115 VLD on red stag.

I guess I'd lose my money on that bet. LOL

 

[born2hunt4ever]

I recently made the switch to berger bullets in both my hunting rifles after shooting nosler accubonds and hornady eld-m bullets for years. I am running the 210 berger hunting vld in a christensen ridgeline 300 win mag at 3000 fps and a custom 6.5-284 running the 156 at 2840 fps. I have only one kill with the 156 and that was on a mule deer doe here in Montana. Shot was 363 yard broadside. I shot and she death jump kicked and nose plowed down the steep mountain for approximately 75 yards tumbling and kicking and rolling the whole way. Entrance hole was a dime and exit was half dollar coin. Blood trail was amazing. I only have four animals taken with the 210 bergers. 100 yard antelope doe was like she was shot by a lightning bolt. I have never seen an animal fall over backwards like that. Two cow elk, first one 250 shot behind the shoulder dropped on the spot. Second, 350 yard cow elk hit back ribs (where I was aiming due to some branches) and made it 30 yards, fell behind some trees so I couldn't watch her drop. I shot a mule deer doe at 350 yards and she dropped on the spot. I do not have enough animals with these bullets to make sure I love them but so far they have been impressive. The only downside I see with these is they do have more meat damage than competitors bullets. So far I have been impressed and will continue to use them. They are so accurate out of my rifle it is hard to switch to anything else. I was shooting the 147 eld-m out of my 6.5-284 and was very impressed. Running the 147 eld-m at 2950 fps. Only the antelope at 100 yards had an exit and it was the size of a half dollar as well with the 210 bergers.

 

[Kimber7man]

I guess I'd lose my money on that bet. LOL

Lots of us might have!
it was an interesting article. I seem to recall that Barsness shot through shoulders of dead animals just to see what would happen.