Terminal performance on game for Berger 7mm 168 VLD...

[The Oregonian]

Curious what others have experienced. Shot a small doe at 70 yds behind the shoulder...blew up her insides but didn’t have much of a blood trail. Shot a 225lb buck behind the shoulder quartering away at 200 yards and he ran 30 yds without much blood, but it tore him a new one inside. Vitals were jelly and a shard must have splintered off from hitting the ribs on entry - went straight up and jellied his neck. Entered at 2724 fps and had 2768 energy.

I have zero complaints, just haven’t seen many on-game performance discussions. Should have a few more deer in the next several weeks and hopefully a few hogs as well. Let’s hear your experience with them.

Pics from the buck...these are coming out of a 280AI at right about 3000 fps.

Entrance

Exit

Neck damage, same side as entry

Obligatory trophy shot

 

[257Tony]

Bergers doing what they are supposed to do, penetrate 3-4" then fragment, providing rapid kills, but little or no blood trail. Don't need a trail when they only go a few yards.

Nice Whitey!

 

[S96743]

Shot a mouflon last year at about 315yds. The front shoulder was history, vitals shredded, but off side shoulder was fine. This was out of a 7rm about 2800 @ muzzle.

on the flip side shot another one in the neck at 50yds. Blew a softball. Size hole in the offside. Bugger dropped and then got up after 20 secs or so never to be found again. Didn’t have a chance for a follow up shot. Found some blood but in the heat after doing circles for 30 min never saw another drop.

 

[Tiny Tim]

on the flip side shot another one in the neck at 50yds. Blew a softball. Size hole in the offside. Bugger dropped and then got up after 20 secs or so never to be found again. Didn’t have a chance for a follow up shot. Found some blood but in the heat after doing circles for 30 min never saw another drop.

Have to ask. If you never recovered the animal, how do you know it blew a softball sized hole in the neck?

 

[Deputy819]

Bergers doing what they are supposed to do,

^^^^^^This^^^^^^
I’ve used the 87gr vld, 168gr vld and 210gr vld on deer and had the exact same results. ‘Jello’ on the inside, little to no blood-trail and the deer laying within 30 yards (give or take) of where they were shot. No complaints here. 👍

 

[Kmccord]

The ones shot mid shoulder dropped in there tracks with legs stiff and pointing up for a few seconds. One shot at 78yds with a 7 mm Rem Mag, the Grandson did not see him drop, he fell so fast, mid shoulder, bullet stuck between skin and muscle on far shoulder, just fragmented.

 

[S96743]

Have to ask. If you never recovered the animal, how do you know it blew a softball sized hole in the neck?

Saw it when it was running away.

 

[Tiny Tim]

Saw it when it was running away.

That sucks. Didn't know if you could see it when it was on the ground or just how you saw the exit. Animals can do some extraordinary things.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Shot a mouflon last year at about 315yds. The front shoulder was history, vitals shredded, but off side shoulder was fine. This was out of a 7rm about 2800 @ muzzle.

on the flip side shot another one in the neck at 50yds. Blew a softball. Size hole in the offside. Bugger dropped and then got up after 20 secs or so never to be found again. Didn’t have a chance for a follow up shot. Found some blood but in the heat after doing circles for 30 min never saw another drop.

There are vital areas in the neck but also a lot of non vital areas as well.

 

[Joejack]

I have shot several deer all bang flop and 2 bull elk only bullet I use in all my guns

 

[Troutslayer2]

I had a couple bad experience with it in 280AI. I shot an elk 3 times while it was standing broadside. Each bullet well placed, I had a pencil in, pencil out basically archery type performance. If that bull hadn’t given me the opportunity to put more bullets in I am not so sure I would have recovered him. 200 YDS, 2850 MV. I had similar experience with a couple of deer. I abandoned that specific bullet despite it giving me the best accuracy in that gun.

 

[S96743]

I had a couple bad experience with it in 280AI. I shot an elk 3 times while it was standing broadside. Each bullet well placed, I had a pencil in, pencil out basically archery type performance. If that bull hadn’t given me the opportunity to put more bullets in I am not so sure I would have recovered him. 200 YDS, 2850 MV. I had similar experience with a couple of deer. I abandoned that specific bullet despite it giving me the best accuracy in that gun.

Did you clean the tips?

 

[Skimbleshanks]

Ive had about 50/50 bang flops or running 50+ yards with 175 Bergers from my 06. Always tremendous damage inside. I think it's just the will to live that some animals possess. Looking forward to getting my 7 mag in the next couple weeks and starting load development with the 168s

 

[LeddSlinger]

The new 30 cal Berger 220gr LR Hybrid bullets are phenomenal performers on game as well. Shot 3 bucks with them at 370, 650, and 840 yards this year. Perfect performance throughout the great variation of impact velocities.

The 220gr had much better terminal performance than the 215gr Hybrids I used last year because the 220gr had way less damage on entrance and exit yet the same devastation internally on the vitals.