Disappointed with the Berger 156 grain EOL

[WiscGunner]

My 7SS puts 155Hammer Hunters and 180Eld-m's almost spot on at 300. Those ELD-M's have been fantastic for me from close to darther shot with heavy damage and pass through. Want to start using the Hammers at closer range.

 

[Hard rock]

There has been a lot of talk about how Berger "designed" their bullet to act on game. It's my understanding that Berger didn't design the bullets for hunting at all. It was devoted Berger target shooters who started shooting animals that determined how the target bullets performed on game. At some point Berger started marketing the target bullets as hunting bullets and put them in orange boxes, rather than their traditional yellow boxes.

Berger also started to make identical bullets with a thicker jackets which were then marketed as their target bullets. Many newer bullets have been released over the years and there seems to be some overlap in design & application. Their 30 cal 215gr hybrid bullet is probably the most widely sought-after bullet for hunting, and it is not marketed as a hunting bullet by Berger.

Lots of controversy on the internet regarding the use of "target" bullets for "hunting" purposes. Berger has proven that the line certainly is not clear.

Mike I have loaded and shot partitions for years , but if you can find some old win fail safes you might have found the bullet you just described. It is a shame they don't make them any more ,then there would be one more controversy of bullet design and terminal performance.

 

[Goldengun]

EOL! Why are you shooting EOL bullets? Do you understand what EOL means relative to bullet composition? They are not created equally to other non-EOL(lighter for caliber) bullets. But like pretty much any bullet out of a 6.5 PRC will get the job done at 130 yards on medium sized game animals. Do you need EOL bullets? If so, you need to understand the trade off which I think is acceptable on medium sized game. If you don't shoot EOL distances, then you don't need them.

 

[Bruce Treloar]

Yeah, the Bergers are designed to maintain enough of their jacket to enter 2-4" and then violently expand (completely come apart), imparting all of that energy into the vitals of the animal. This usually ends up causing what a lot of people describe as "turning the vitals into soup". This is achieved by having a slightly thinner jacket than their match bullets. This means the totality of the bullets kinetic energy is imparted inside the animals chest cavity. There's tons of write-ups about it on Bergers' website and other media platforms.

Ditto the above

 

[kirt]

I shot a buck at 130 yards with my 6.5 PRC using Berger 156 grains EOL. I hit him right behind the shoulder. The buck ran about 50 yards with no blood. There was no exit wound. My Son and Grandsons have shot whitetail and axis with no exit wounds. Kind of disappointed with this bullet. My loads were going about 2860 fps and no exit wounds on that buck I shot. Looking for some advice as to what would be a good bullet to use that would have good exit wounds, thanks in advance

Berger makes nice hunting bullets, just have to be careful witch one you buy

 

[blvette75]

I shot a buck at 130 yards with my 6.5 PRC using Berger 156 grains EOL. I hit him right behind the shoulder. The buck ran about 50 yards with no blood. There was no exit wound. My Son and Grandsons have shot whitetail and axis with no exit wounds. Kind of disappointed with this bullet. My loads were going about 2860 fps and no exit wounds on that buck I shot. Looking for some advice as to what would be a good bullet to use that would have good exit wounds, thanks in advance

I had good luck with Nosler products, Partitions, Accubonds and long Range Accubonds with other calibers. The 150grain long range accubond is the one I am trying to find in stock. I have had luck with 6.5 creedmoor Hornady ELDX precision Hunter, I believe that is made for the PRC as well, not sure if you want to go that low with your bullet weight.

 

[QuietTexan]

I have a farmer friend with a few ferrule full grown Hereford steers

Steers are the poor little fellas that sing soprano, that would be a rapidly self-correcting feral population.

 

[Bruce Treloar]

Steers are the poor little fellas that sing soprano, that would be a rapidly self-correcting feral population.

Wouldn't matter if they were twice as wild, when a 52 grain match bullet in the forehead puts them down like they died standing up and didn't hardly flinch when they hit the ground that's humane shooting.

 

[QuietTexan]

The joke you're missing is that steers have been castrated, so they can't be feral because they're domesticated enough to have had a human close enough to take their balls. And they can't reproduce a truly feral population because again, no balls with which to reproduce.

 

[Wetwrk]

The joke you're missing is that steers have been castrated, so they can't be feral because they're domesticated enough to have had a human close enough to take their balls. And they can't reproduce a truly feral population because again, no balls with which to reproduce.

Not everyone knows...I've been stationed with lots of folks who didn't know how to start a lawnmower (raised in a apartment building). Cow is cattle to lots of folks same as steer. I didn't know port or starboard til I went to sea.-WW

 

[Bruce Treloar]

The joke you're missing is that steers have been castrated, so they can't be feral because they're domesticated enough to have had a human close enough to take their balls. And they can't reproduce a truly feral population because again, no balls with which to reproduce.

 

[Mike D Texas]

Lol. How did this get derailed to talking about castrated cows?

 

[Bruce Treloar]

These steers were moved to a large parcel of land in the Snowy mountains, hadn't seen a human for years and to use my terminology had become ferrule or to keep you happy become very wild.
I'm not a Texan with a herd of long horns but have owned and run beef and dairy properties and have castrated quite a few during those times.

 

[WildRose]

Their 30 cal 215gr hybrid bullet is probably the most widely sought-after bullet for hunting, and it is not marketed as a hunting bullet by Berger.

Lots of controversy on the internet regarding the use of "target" bullets for "hunting" purposes. Berger has proven that the line certainly is not clear.

Maybe among dedicated Berger Shooters but not the hunting public at large.