Would You Use Berger Bullets For Elk

[Pathfinder76]

There isn't a right answer. The more I experience the less I know for certain.

[Bergerboy]

Originally Posted by chuck

There isn't a right answer. The more I experience the less I know for certain.

Good, I thought I was the only person that felt this way.

[Bergerboy]

Originally Posted by DaleJ

Just like your posts.

X2

[sns2]

That's the point, Bergerboy... there is no right answer. Just a multitude of very good choices.

[Bergerboy]

Originally Posted by sns2

That's the point, Bergerboy... there is no right answer. Just a multitude of very good choices.

That is fair. Thanks.

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by Pudelpointer

If it was the only option available, sure.

If I had ANY other hunting bullet available, no.


You asked....

seriously? And what is your objection to a Berger hunting bullet?

[justinO]

Bergers are all I shoot and all I will continue to shoot nothing but great results for me. One load for everything 190gr vld 300 wm.

I once watched a older man try to return shotgun shells to a Walmart in the USA because he missed a Quail I couldn't believe it then he Said it was the ammos fault he was to close for it to be shooter error
just saying ppl love blamming anything but themselves lol

[Cow Town Bill]

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. As controversial as a separate post I made regarding partitions vs ballistic tips.
I'm going to try the 165 Berger---my rifle is sighted in with them, they are very accurate so lets see what happens.
Bill

[sikwhiskey]

Ive shot 1 bull elk with a 210grn Berger HVLD out of a 300wm. It was DRT with a fist size exit wound and the heart and lungs were shredded. Worked well with minimal shrapnel found in the meat. Hoping to hammer another one with a 180ttsx this year and find no shrapnel at all.
I don't think i would Hunt dangerous game with a Berger bullet though. Has anyone tried one on a grizzly or brown bear?

[gtr]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

Tougher as in tough enough to hold together if it has to pass through a shoulder before reaching the vitals, on a raking shot.



A hand grenade in the lungs is great for destroying tissue, but first it has to reach the vitals, and every animal doesn't provide a broadside shot.

I think stating the obvious ,as you do, is a little silly.If you have used the new generation of Berger bullets ,you are getting different results than I.Five shot groups not three,perform as good on paper,as they do in an animal. One hole. Just my first hand experience.

[Mike_W]

Originally Posted by Cow Town Bill

I'm working up loads for my 30-06 and am considering using Berger 165 hunting bullets. My test loads are very accurate but I wonder how they work on big animals like moose and elk. I have used their target bullets on paper and gophers and they work great.
I have great experience with Nosler partitions and Barne's TSX's and am considering Bergers---always good to try new products and I have read good things about Berger.
What experiences do members have with Bergers on moose and elk?
Bill

Well first off everyone has there own experience and preference but you are comparing two different styles of hunting bullet design. Nosler partition and Barnes TSX are a high weight retention deep penetrating design where the Berger is designed more like a big game version of a varmint bullet where they penetrate a few inches before fragmenting. This fragmenting does two things dumps a bunch of energy very quick and sends fragments throughout the animal to destroy a lot of other internals and organs.

I have no personal experience with Bergers but I have used other ballistic tip or non weight retention bullets and while I have never had an animal get away with those bullets they did have one negative effect that will prevent me from using them or any bullet designed to explode. .......The fragments from the exploding bullet had tore open the guts on a few different animals that were shot broadside tight behind the shoulder. I hunt for meat first and foremost so I am extremely disappointed when I make a perfect shot killing an animal quickly and then when gutting an animal and find the guts tore up.

For that reason alone I will never hunt big game with anything other that a premium bullet designed to retain weight.

[Huntnut]

Originally Posted by astepanuk

Berger Bullets are just like advertised they Shed 60% of their weight I shot a bull elk at 200Yard good sold lung shot I found pieces of bullets just about in every bite of the elk.

The only reason I use barnes instead of bergers

[Pioneer2]

A 130gr .270 failed to make it through WT doe shoulder broadside. I dropped running cow elk at 500 yards with 168gr clipping shoulder blade and exploding .Shrapnel everywhere with 10gr of bullet base remaining.From a custom .300 RUM at 3500fps.Two inches forward and I'd have had a 3 legged elk with undamaged lungs. I use Partitions and X bullets only now.Your mileage may vary.Harold

[wolfhunter]

Last year I used a 150 gr Berger VLD in my 30-06 and drop a mule deer at just over 300 yds and had absolutely had no problems.

[super7mag]

I can't comment from first hand experience about the bergers , I do know guys that have used them and like them . Just like I know guys that like Gamekings, and Inter-locks. I got a customer that's hunted since the 60's. and when he heard Speer was discontinuing the Hot- Core went out and bought boxes and boxes of .308/165 gr of them.
Personally I find more Nosler and Hornady on my bench then anything but that's me I've got some Barnes and some Sierra , very little Speer but some. I think if your reloading you got to reload a bullet your confident in, when you squeeze the trigger the next thought is to grab a knife. Whatever brand , style , or material it's made of becomes of little consequence at that point. Projectiles have been killing things with far less fan fair then we get on the interweb for thousands of years . For anyone to say a certain bullet won't kill is bs , will that bullet work in every situation and angle from here to kingdom come not likely. But on an average day with an average situation they all work. He'll the most cussed out bullet in recent history may actually have the most kills under its belt in recent history. The " Core-Loct".

[sns2]

The above post contains a world of common sense.

[Cowtown guy]

Originally Posted by super7mag

I think if your reloading you got to reload a bullet your confident in, when you squeeze the trigger the next thought is to grab a knife. Whatever brand , style , or material it's made of becomes of little consequence at that point.

This ^

But I would try the Berger to see for myself. I have been relying heavily on Barnes for more than a few years now. I tried the Accubond and didn't like it compared to the Barnes. I don't know why I think the Berger will be different, but I will give them a go.

[bowhunter36]

They all kill, just pick a f#!?@ bullet and shoot it.
That being said I like berger they work great. But every animal I've shot with what ever bullet I was using has died, the animal didn't seem to care what manufacture or design it was!
Just saying.

[gitrdun]

As for me, I've never shot Bergers. No particular reason, I have nothing against them so I have no experience. But my friend and neighbor absolutely swears by them. He continually tells me about the cow elk that dropped like hit by a train......he shot it in the head......

[dd3boss]

Originally Posted by astepanuk

Berger Bullets are just like advertised they Shed 60% of their weight I shot a bull elk at 200Yard good sold lung shot I found pieces of bullets just about in every bite of the elk. If you’re looking for a bullet to drop an animal they work great do I still shoot them answer is I just loaded 50 more 230 GR Berger Hybrids ready for the season. Everyone has their favorite bullets and my 300 RUM loves them.

Originally Posted by Mike_W

Well first off everyone has there own experience and preference but you are comparing two different styles of hunting bullet design. Nosler partition and Barnes TSX are a high weight retention deep penetrating design where the Berger is designed more like a big game version of a varmint bullet where they penetrate a few inches before fragmenting. This fragmenting does two things dumps a bunch of energy very quick and sends fragments throughout the animal to destroy a lot of other internals and organs.

I have no personal experience with Bergers but I have used other ballistic tip or non weight retention bullets and while I have never had an animal get away with those bullets they did have one negative effect that will prevent me from using them or any bullet designed to explode. .......The fragments from the exploding bullet had tore open the guts on a few different animals that were shot broadside tight behind the shoulder. I hunt for meat first and foremost so I am extremely disappointed when I make a perfect shot killing an animal quickly and then when gutting an animal and find the guts tore up.

For that reason alone I will never hunt big game with anything other that a premium bullet designed to retain weight.

To Cow Town Bill, I think these 2 comments explain it fairly well.

The Bergers are very effective as are many other bullets. Maybe even more so as the fragments will expand more than some bullets and aid in the DRT effect.
But the choice is really very simple. If you are a meat hunter, there are other bullets that retain their weight much better resulting in less spoiled or damaged meat.
If you are a trophy hunter, then the Bergers are just fine. It's that simple.
There really is no reason for the question to start an argument.

[kennedy]

Shot a cow elk at 487 yards using 169 grain Berger vld with a 7 rem mag. Pencil hole Both ends with exit slightly larger. Dropped on spot and once gutted the internal chest cavity organs were completely destroyed. It was phenomenal. Last year shot a 5x4 wt at 400 yards using same bullet and rifle. It dropped on its spot. The internal organs and spine where destroyed. Great bullet for me.

[score]

If you drill a bullet, even a mono metal, through the shoulders of a deer, you are going to lose most of the front end. Are guys losing meat using Bergers shot through the lungs broadside?

[Bobby B.]

Originally Posted by score

If you drill a bullet, even a mono metal, through the shoulders of a deer, you are going to lose most of the front end. Are guys losing meat using Bergers shot through the lungs broadside?

I never have unless you include rib meat as meat.

Bobby

[spur]

I've shot elk, a nice bear and two rams with bergers and they do what all bullets do if you put it in the right spot.

[JJ-65]

There is an old adage stating that just about any bullet and rifle will get the job done when everything goes right, but a smart man will always carry a rifle and bullets that will get the job done when everything goes wrong.

I have killed both elk and moose and deer with Berger bullets in the past but having seen the light, I only hunt with the Barnes TTSX now.

Have a good hunt Bill, and if you want to borrow a 7mm STW you know where find one or two or maybe even three. Regards Josh.

[gitrdun]

I've shot a lot of bull elks in my hunting times. All bulls, not a single cow. Once I dropped my 5x5, I stopped being a trophy hunter. That being said, all of my bulls fell to a 175gr Speer Grand Slam from my Win 70 in 7mmRemMag. My last bull fell to a 265gt FP Hornady outta my .444 Marlin. That had to be the most impressive instant kill that I've ever seen. It was a mere 90 yard shot, but that 3x3 bull got literally lifted off it's feet and dropped on it's back.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by gitrdun

I've shot a lot of bull elks in my hunting times. All bulls, not a single cow. Once I dropped my 5x5, I stopped being a trophy hunter. That being said, all of my bulls fell to a 175gr Speer Grand Slam from my Win 70 in 7mmRemMag. My last bull fell to a 265gt FP Hornady outta my .444 Marlin. That had to be the most impressive instant kill that I've ever seen. It was a mere 90 yard shot, but that 3x3 bull got literally lifted off it's feet and dropped on it's back.

Literally lifted off his feet? Now that's impressive.

[Bobby B.]

Originally Posted by chuck

Literally lifted off his feet? Now that's impressive.

Especially if it was a four legged elk!

Bobby

[xring_assassin]

I've only been shooting elk for the last 10 years - 8/10 years I killed an elk and 7/8 of those died with a Berger bullet in the ribcage.

None did the "electrocuted" and flop thing - but none made it more than ten steps after they got hit.

The only one that I saw make it about 100 yards was the one shot with a partition. It was awful close though and there wasn't much left of the projectile, but there was even less left of that elks heart and lungs.

I'm a bit fussy about my shots - while some argue not every animal presents a broadside shot - I'd argue "wait for it to turn then". Lung soup is lung soup...park one in the ribs and they just die.

[fishcop669]

Been reloading my .30-06 with Bergers for a few years (168gr) and have had excellent results (no tracking - died within 5 yds if they didn't drop straight down) and no fragments in the meat. All were shot in the ribs except the Elk (neck) and one Mulie doe (head). All were shot once except the moose, which was dead on it's feet, but I wasn't taking any chances, so put 3 in the boiler room as quick as I could get them in there, and he dropped right where he stood. Here's a list of animals harvested with Bergers, and some pics of the ones I decided to photograph.

2011 - WT doe

2012 - Bull elk, WT buck, 2 WT does, Mulie buck, Mulie doe
340193_10152127078360434_21637518_o.jpg
560757_10152237698090434_1246316495_n.jpg
63799_10152264703285434_1511296532_n.jpg

2013 - WT buck, Bull moose, Mulie doe
1236194_10153266205890434_955710036_n.jpg
1238354_10153290236145434_2020858416_n.jpg

I'm not a Berger "fanboy" but since I tested them - they have worked so well I am now confident to keep using them. If I encounter problems I will re-think my selection - and I will continue to experiment with other bullets (nosler's accubond long range for starters).