Just wanting to know what anyone thought of the berger VLD 168gr 30cal bullet for use on deer? did a few groups with them today before i got interupted by the rain and got to .6" 100yard group. wanting to know if they are any use for a longer range bullet, around 500 yards.

The Berger bullets are now being advertised as 'hunting' bullets in the gunrags. I saw it yesterday. They add that the proof is on 'thebestofthewest.net' website where John Burns and his crew take long pokes at game.

John was testing the Berger bullet at longer ranges and found that they killed game adequately. This topic will go right back to the SMK debates. But my understanding, after a few phone calls, is that the video, best of the west- Beyond Belief, does not yet employ the Berger bullet. Mr. Burns and crew use only the Scirocco and Barnes X for that entire video.

You can watch his 7 minute promo video here:
Best of the West, long range hunting/shooting

The match grade bullets will certainly kill. Many who have used them will back that up. However, there are plenty of good bullets specifically designed for hunting that will group as well as your Bergers did and will certainly kill at 500 yards on deer.

Accubond, Scirocco, and Interbond have decent BCs and would probably do a good job at long range for you. Even a Btip is an adequate bullet on deer at long range.

Right on Doc. I agree with every word except for the poor ol' ballistic tip. Long maligned as a wounder, a heavy for calibre ballistic tip is a great deer bullet when not pushed to excessive velocities in magnum calibres.

my 300wsm doesnt seem to like the 165gr Nosler B tips, and accubonds are just the same. but with the vlds i do a good half inch at 100yards. and the 150gr btips i have going are doing 3200 at the muzzle, averagly the load is doing 3 shot grops to an inch, but 2 shots practically go down the same hole with the 3rd leaking out to an inch or so. haha i actually tried to pull a VlD out of my backstop, which is just a hill and man aint much left of them! they just blow to peices.
the scirrocos are a bit more expensive which is why i havnt tried them yet, but they have been proven to work!

quote:

Originally posted by buckshot:
I agree with every word except for the poor ol' ballistic tip.

OH, that's ok to disagree on that one. Most do. But the point I was trying to make is the distance. A btip, IMO if hitting soft tissue only, will do fine on deer at LONGer ranges.

Me personally, I've never had a problem with them. Even at short range---I'm the outcast on Btips. I think they're fine...not one wounded animal. But I've never juiced one either. My typical 150 Btip/270 combo was only 2700fps.

quote:

the scirrocos are a bit more expensive which is why i havnt tried them yet, but they have been proven to work!

If you weren't so far away, I'd sell you some at a great price but the shipping would still get you. I have 30 cal 150s, 165, and 180.

I'm trying to put my loading bench on a diet and narrow it down to only a few brand bullets. I love the Scirocco, have had fun with it, but I like some other bullets better (TSX).

quote:

Originally posted by buckshot:
Right on Doc. I agree with every word except for the poor ol' ballistic tip. Long maligned as a wounder, a heavy for calibre ballistic tip is a great deer bullet when not pushed to excessive velocities in magnum calibres.

I've never had a 165gr ballistic tip fail to exit a deer, even one "hotrodded" to 3075fps and stuck into a deer at 30yards...

I can only view the Accubond as an improvement to an already excellent bullet.

I have one 30-06, a remington auto that likes 165 BTs any way I feed them to it (max charge of IMR4064)
I'm a believer in the OGOL concept and though this rifle "likes" 165's, they aren't necissary for anything I want to shoot with it, so I'm gin the process of developing a 150gr load for this rifle, RL19 and an 150gr accubond.

What I want is a load that meets velocity goals
(2900fps) without pressure signs at 70degF
(I cannot sa the same thing about 50gr of IMR4064 behind a 165Gr, I won't fire that load
above 50degF Ambient....

though why I worry I don't know I've never found ANY factory load that doens't DEAD FLATTEN
the primers in that rifle, it has an exceptionally tight chamber, which I won't disturb because that rifle has delivered too many 1.5" groups OFFHAND for me to be willing to mess with it.



AllanD

strange rifle i have, at 68gr the primers flattened a little, but at 69 and 70 they were normal, random little thing!