Berger bullets

[7magtime]

Originally Posted by Bergerboy

I have only shot 3 big game animals with them. 1st whitetail 15m then dead, 2nd whitetail died in it shadow, cow moose 3 steps and dead.

This was a 140gr Hunting VLD 6.5mm at 2900fps.

Shot many coyotes with the 64gr 0.224" out of my 22-250 with very good results.

Next year I am concentrating on elk hunting and am planning to move to an accubond. I think the accubond should be a little more forgiving if bone is encountered on the way in.

x2 on Accubonds. Switched to 160's out of my 7mag and have never looked back. Flat shooting, hard hitting, great penetration and a lot less meat damage than ballistic tips. Used them on antelope to moose/elk and from 50-450 yards with zero issues.....

[terry b]

Originally Posted by Bergerboy

Maybe something like the Nosler Long Range Accubond is more fitting for your desires. I keep looking around for them but they do not seem to come into my close purchasing circles.

Yep started to look for the last year hard to find!

[terry b]

By the poast on this thread looks like I am the only guy that has lost a deer before! How can I live with myself! Thanks for the help guys!

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by terry b

By the poast on this thread looks like I am the only guy that has lost a deer before! How can I live with myself! Thanks for the help guys!

I've lost a deer before , but never because of the bullets I was using.
And not 5, let alone in one season!
Shoot them in the lungs and they will die just fine!
Cat

[6mm rem]

image.jpg
This buck was shot @ 400 plus yards broadside with a 140 gr Hunting VLD square I the shoulder with a .280 rem. It wouldn't have died any faster with a Nosler , Barnes or RPG for that matter.

[trigger7mm]

Originally Posted by Dean2

5 deer shot and none recovered? I don;t care what bullet you are using that is really poor performance by the hunters. With your shooting and tracking skills you should probably consider giving up hunting all together.

X2!!!

[Rockyman41]

Originally Posted by terry b

By the poast on this thread looks like I am the only guy that has lost a deer before! How can I live with myself! Thanks for the help guys!

I've lost a deer before. It was my own fault. Poor shot placement, no snow, minimal blood that disappeared relatively quickly. Searched long and hard for that deer, never found anything.

I was so ****ed off at myself for making a bad shot and wounding a deer that I quit hunting for the rest of the season, almost quit hunting completely. I couldn't imagine wounding 5 deer. Let alone blaming anything but myself.

Do yourself a favour and get a range membership and use it. Practice until you are certain you can deliver a good kill shot, one behind the shoulder, where the heart is. Limit your shots to ones that you are positive you can make. I'd wager that no matter what bullet you use you'll put deer on the ground.

[Hydro1]

I suggest you save the money that you spend on tags and get yourself a range membership.
No excuse for losing 5 wounded deer in a season.

[SD1797]

Originally Posted by Dean2

5 deer shot and none recovered? I don;t care what bullet you are using that is really poor performance by the hunters. With your shooting and tracking skills you should probably consider giving up hunting all together.

Agreed that's disappointing to hear.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Dean2

5 deer shot and none recovered? I don;t care what bullet you are using that is really poor performance by the hunters. With your shooting and tracking skills you should probably consider giving up hunting all together.

Exactly, it's pretty sad when five deer are lost in one year. I am not a Berget fan, but pretty much any bullet will kill a deer with proper shot placement

[Tcon]

I have been shooting berger's in my long range and comp rigs for years and last year switched over to the hunting vld from the nosler accubond. The bergers are devastatingly good, almost scary. With Berger's I am 5 for 5 and only the moose had the most post shot travel at 20 yards, which was quite incredible because it had a toonie sized hole through its heart.

But the other guys are right, they are horrible and I can help you out by relieving you of your supply.

[Scott h]

Originally Posted by terry b

Ah ya 6 tags not 5. 2 guys and 2 general and 4 sup tags but never put a tag on any of those deer! And to clear things up if you do your draws wright you can shoot 16-17 deer in one year learn to read the regs!

Really ?????

[terry b]

I know my spelling and grammar are bad but I lost 2 deer and a buddy lost 3 deer! Was not due to bad shot placement otherwise I would have never posted! I aim so the crosshairs are on the back side of the front leg mid body if that is not lungs then all the other deer I have shot with other bullets should have never died!
I had a range membership! The range got shut down and all the other ranges won't take new members! I can shot sub moa of the bench all day so not sure how spending more time at the range will help!
How is it I find every deer I shot with tsx with in 80 yards and never find a deer I shot with bergers! But I can shot bergers at 1/2 moa on the bench!
I am done with this thread and bergers! Just wanted to let people know I think they are a **** bullet and would not recommend them to any one for hunting!

[Hydro1]

That's where you are wrong.
You are still blaming the bullet.

[katts69]

Maybe you have problems at home,

Throwing you off your sub Moa groups off a bench. Wife is ****y, to much snow to shovel.
Or you and your buddy need more field practice.
I have seen Berger bullets perform and if you put them where they need to go you will recover your animal.

[catnthehat]

You obviously hit where you were aiming at with the other bullets.
In the case of the Bergers, you both made LOUSY shots, face it.
it happens.
maybe shooting off the bench so much is the reason you are missing in the field, that has happened as well.
There could be any number of reason you made bad shots but the fact of the matter is you did- it wasn't the bullet's fault that it went.
Cat

[35 whelen]

Originally Posted by Dean2

5 deer shot and none recovered? I don;t care what bullet you are using that is really poor performance by the hunters. With your shooting and tracking skills you should probably consider giving up hunting all together.

x2

[Dick284]

This is way to easy to diagnose.
It's a simple HMI issue.
Correct the interface interruption, and move on.

[Ceilidh69]

Got a whitetail buck and a goat with Berbers this year no issues

[sevenmil]

Have you shot your rifle on paper since you have been hunting? Twice in my life I have had my gun knocked out of alignment bad enough that I couldn't make a good hit on intended target (bull elk in both instances). The first time the bull got away hit. Went home and my gun was two feet high at 100 yards. The second time (many years later) I managed to get the bull (he was hit hard enough the first time to slow him up). I had tested my rifle just a couple days before going looking for the elk. Had never had an issue with that rifle/scope combo before but it was all I could do to get a finishing round into that elk. Finally figured out where it was hitting - way left - and compensated and finished the elk. Upon shooting the rifle at home, yes it was way left. Thought my scope had given up the ghost but I sighted it in again and have had no issues with it since then.

[ROA]

Was told of a buck shot in the sweet spot with bergers that nearly got away. Another hunter anchored the buck with a neck shot. The 7 mm Berger did not break through the ribs. The guy was a Berger fanatic up until that point sure changed his mind quick. Hard to believe any bullet would not make it through the ribs and I questioned him on that but he claims there was no hole in the body cavity.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by ROA

Was told of a buck shot in the sweet spot with bergers that nearly got away. Another hunter anchored the buck with a neck shot. The 7 mm Berger did not break through the ribs. The guy was a Berger fanatic up until that point sure changed his mind quick. Hard to believe any bullet would not make it through the ribs and I questioned him on that but he claims there was no hole in the body cavity.

It CAN happen, I saw a picture a few years back on another forum of a TSX that made a nasty splat with about 1" of penetration ( yup, that's all!) , and needed subsequent follow up shots.
However that is not 5 deer in one season!
Cat

[pilotguy89]

The wife made a broadside shot on her Mule deer this year at 300 Meters. She was shooting 215 bergers at 2750 FPS. I believe the impact velocity should have been around 2200fps with 2450 FPE.

Pin hole entry through ribs(meat only)- No blood on the entry

Blew through rib bone on the other side(2 inch exit hole)

But the odd thing is that part of the bullet deflected up through the scapula into the neck causing massive hemorrhaging and spitting ground bone from a pulp mill almost to the jaw area. I studied that deer for an hour after skinning and I could not figure it out. Lots and lots of pieces of bullet spread through out.

BTW the deer dropped on the spot.

This is the 11th or 12th animal that we have shot with bergers and only one of them(African Oryx) made a run for it. My fault as I called the wind wrong.

My issue is the lack of blood trail that I have seen with friends animals that took a walk after the shot and the fact that I have not recovered a bullet that hasn't had a loss of 70 percent weight. (I guess thats the intended design of the bullet upon impact but whatever). If you are hunting for meat you might want to try somehing else.

Another odd one-Last years mule deer shot in the head at 100 yards with the above bullet did not leave a drip of blood nor did it exit.. Explain that one!

On the flip side I am starting to use the Barnes LRX after seeing what it did to my goat this fall. But then again if you want to anchor an animal quickly like a goat, berger still is a bullet to highly consider.

[Cripler]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

It CAN happen, I saw a picture a few years back on another forum of a TSX that made a nasty splat with about 1" of penetration ( yup, that's all!) , and needed subsequent follow up shots.

However that is not 5 deer in one season!

Cat

Don't see it not going threw the first hard object it hits. Might lose enough mass to not exit the animal. My 168 grain Bergers will punch threw 3/8 steel plate at 400 yards where the Barns and Nosler shells will just make a dent. Buddy should give his head a shake. Any chunk of lead out of a 7mm mag regardless of bullet make in the kill zone should end life as it is for a deer

[mk63]

I'm new to the forum, and don't comment very often but this thread is ridiculous and I had to say something. I question why members feel the need to post stories such as this on the internet. I'm a hunter and hearing about 2 guys wounding 5 deer in one season makes my skin crawl, Imagine how the Anti's could use information such as this.

I lost a moose when I was 15 and almost gave up hunting because of it, so i understand ***** happens sometimes. But loosing 5 animals in one season is inexcusible, Get out to the range, practice and stop blaming your equiment.

[7magtime]

Originally Posted by mk63

I'm new to the forum, and don't comment very often but this thread is ridiculous and I had to say something. I question why members feel the need to post stories such as this on the internet. I'm a hunter and hearing about 2 guys wounding 5 deer in one season makes my skin crawl, Imagine how the Anti's could use information such as this.

I lost a moose when I was 15 and almost gave up hunting because of it, so i understand ***** happens sometimes. But loosing 5 animals in one season is inexcusible, Get out to the range, practice and stop blaming your equiment.

Well said and welcome to the forum!!

[North of Owlseye]

I want the OP to return and tell all of us how to read the regs so that 16 or 17 deer tags are available. Please explain this!

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by North of Owlseye

I want the OP to return and tell all of us how to read the regs so that 16 or 17 deer tags are available. Please explain this!

At one point you could get A lot of tags . Things like landowners, supp, wainwright........ Not sure about nowadays...

[sevenmil]

Originally Posted by Cripler

Don't see it not going threw the first hard object it hits. Might lose enough mass to not exit the animal. My 168 grain Bergers will punch threw 3/8 steel plate at 400 yards where the Barns and Nosler shells will just make a dent. Buddy should give his head a shake. Any chunk of lead out of a 7mm mag regardless of bullet make in the kill zone should end life as it is for a deer

The 168 gr. bergers passed through the steel plate but the Barnes bullets only made a dent??? I am having difficulty understanding how a lead core, copper jacketed bullet would out penetrate an all copper bullet. Copper is harder than lead.

[Cripler]

Originally Posted by sevenmil

The 168 gr. bergers passed through the steel plate but the Barnes bullets only made a dent??? I am having difficulty understanding how a lead core, copper jacketed bullet would out penetrate an all copper bullet. Copper is harder than lead.

Use to load Barnes triple shocks and buddy was shooting the Berbers. He would punch threw the plate where I would just make a dent. After seeing how hard they would punch threw the plate of steal I switched to the bergers. Don't know why they go threw the steal Easier but they do. Both of us shot 7mm mag. Not saying the Berger is better then other lead out there. Just saying in my exprence they penatrate hard