Weatherby velocity, berger bullet, very close range

[69firebird]

Looking at loading my .300 weatherby and 30-378 bee with bergers. Right now I bought a boat load of 185gr classics off a guy getting out of reloading, Ive got 600 lol. For moose and elk.

My concern is the high velocity, design of the Bergers and under 100 yards. Potential shooting through brush.

This year I shot a moose at 55 yards facing me in small trees. I had 150gr Partitions in my 7mm bee. 1st shot through the right shoulder and into the vitals bullet was under the hide in front of back leg, next 2 shots through the ribs, lungs, and exited. It went 20 feet and dropped.

I have only loaded 155gr VLDs in my .308 and shot 6 whitetail all bang flops 60 to 300 yards. I like how they drop deer in their tracks, thinking it could work for moose and elk. I encounter moose and elk 30 to 400 yards.

I understand shot placement with these Bergers are critical. And I'm thinking they wouldn't have worked on my moose this year and I don't want to limit myself in the future to wide open broadside shots. It just doesn't happen like that where i hunt. I come from a family where all my Grandpa and Dad load are partitions or A frames. And I've been doing the same. And they work. So maybe I SHOULDN'T BOTHER CHANGING.

 

[toddc]

Ask Elmer Keith.
Bullets like the Berger are conventional cup and core. They have to rely on PHYSICS to work not CONSTRUCTION like the A-frame or Partition.
High SD is what makes Bergers work on game. A long for caliber Berger will penetrate AND wreck a critter. A short for caliber Berger ESPECIALLY at the velocities those rounds are capable of at 30 yds will go SPLAT and you will not be happy.
If you are going to run target style bullets such as the SMK, Amax or Berger, run the LONGEST and HEAVIEST one available. I always run the longest bullet that will stabilize with these types of bullets. You have no safety net like you do with a Swift or similar design. Do some reading on SECTIONAL DENSITY and it will enlighten the subject for you.
The bullet needs length to function as it has no HELP such as a sectioned, bonded or locked shank.
Get some 230s if you want to try Bergers on larger critters, especially with larger cases like the Weatherby.

 

[69firebird]

Thank you thats the meat I was looking for!

 

[Outlaw6.0]

In my personal opinion, Todd nailed it and I can't add anything that'll improve what was said.

How far do you intend to shoot your WBY? As most will attest, the high BC cup and core bullets are the best at long range. If you're brush hunting moose, keep the Bergers at home and stay with your Partition or A-Frame.

I too agree that I'd be rocking the heaviest Berger made to keep the SD and weight as high as I could.



t

 

[toddc]

People not asking these questions and loading up some 155s in front of a 30-378 is how target bullets on game gets a bad name. A "TARGET BULLET" is essentially what everyone used up to the 1950s when most of the game on the planet was killed off by TARGET BULLETS. Then PARTITIONS and LOKTS and BONDS became necessary to kill game.
We have come full circle.
Kudos to the OP for asking BEFORE blasting. If everyone did we would have far fewer "BULLET FAILURE" threads.
IMHO anyway.

 

[69firebird]

In my personal opinion, Todd nailed it and I can't add anything that'll improve what was said.

How far do you intend to shoot your WBY? As most will attest, the high BC cup and core bullets are the best at long range. If you're brush hunting moose, keep the Bergers at home and stay with your Partition or A-Frame.

I too agree that I'd be rocking the heaviest Berger made to keep the SD and weight as high as I could.



t

400s a long shot in the cuts im hunting but you can see over 800 in places but I'd Ben moving closer. But they can pop out under 100 easily on you if they come over a ridge or out of a small timber patch. Or if I run into one on a trail. I'm really not 'long range hunting'. Just curious about trying these bergers.

I've been brush hunting whitetail and shot all 6 in the timber with the 155 VLDs outta my .308. And I'd say that's not conventional.

 

[toddc]

400s a long shot in the cuts im hunting but you can see over 800 in places but I'd Ben moving closer. But they can pop out under 100 easily on you if they come over a ridge or out of a small timber patch. Or if I run into one on a trail. I'm really not 'long range hunting'. Just curious about trying these bergers.

I've been brush hunting whitetail and shot all 6 in the timber with the 155 VLDs outta my .308. And I'd say that's not conventional.

A situation like that you could even run a DUAL setup like some guys in griz country do. Since LR shots are usually deliberate and you have time you can keep some Swifts in the pipe and mag and switch over to a Berger on LR shots. Sight in with the Swifts and when a LR shot pops up slap a Berger in an use your DOPE to smack it further out. I ran this for a while as a PBR system for under 400 yds and then used the SMK for longer shots. I used the 160gr Barnes at warp speed for short shots on deer and switched to the 300gr SMK for LR.

 

[69firebird]

Right on! Thank you I'll have to figure out the right weights for close POI