...Below is one of the hogs I took with the Berger 7mm 140 grain VLD Match/Hunting bullet earlier this year. Below the photos will be the text detailing the testing of the bullet. (NOTE TO MODERATORS: If this is too long or consumes too much bandwith, I apologize in advance and can simply cut to the skeleton if need be. Thanks!)








New Berger 7mm Bullet Displays
Excellent Performance Potential

by Bobby W. Tomek
Copyright 2008

After months without rainfall, the landscape was parched and the wildlife in peril. But on this day, the skies showed promise, and light, scattered showers had every living creature on the move -- myself included.

The area I was working had a long history of hog activity, but I had seen little in the past few weeks as the water sources dried up and the food had become scarce. Nonetheless, I had faith that the tides would turn as the rains came, and within minutes, my wish had become reality.

Amid the leafy cover of a drooping willow and assorted creek bottom foliage, I noticed movement and could make out the distinct outline of a hog's legs. As I circled around to gain a better vantage point, the hog emerged into the clearing, changed gears and appeared intent on vacating the premises. I was caught without cover or a shooting rest, so I did the next best thing: I dropped to a sitting position and wrapped the sling of the Contender around my arm to steady my aim. I then eased the crosshairs well ahead of the shoulder, gently touched off a shot and sent a prototype Berger bullet into a 250 pound slab of bacon.

As the sound reverberated off the walls of the stream bed, a dozen or more doves rose above the tree line while two smaller hogs broke from cover. The hog I had shot at lay on its side without so much as a twitch or spasmodic kick.

On the surface, it appeared the bullet had indeed done its job, but only a full field autopsy could confirm whether or not it had performed as the manufacturer intended.

A Proven Track Record for Accuracy

No one would deny that Berger bullets are among the most accurate you'll ever find. Cast a cursory glance around any serious shooting circle -- from back-yard aficionados to national and international match winners -- and you'll find that the Berger name is quite well represented amongst the top performers.

When Walt Berger founded the business, he did so with a commitment to quality and a philosophy that nothing other than match-grade machinery and match-grade components would ever be used in producing Berger Bullets. That same philosophy still holds true today under the guidance of Walt's grandson-in-law Eric Stecker, who today is running the company after having been around it since its very inception.

Lately, however, a number of long range hunters have been using the bullets with stellar results on game, and they've even come to prominence in a national hunting show. I'll quickly admit being leery of using target bullets on game as most brands have been designed with a sole purpose in mind: to punch tiny, bug-hole groups in paper with no regard whatsoever as to terminal ballistics.

However, both Walt and Eric note that the company's match-grade, VLD (Very Low Drag) bullets have become the darling of many hunters. Berger claims that the bullets, partly due to the needle-nosed neck topped by a tiny meplat, are able to penetrate at least three inches before expansion initiates. But Berger also notes that the bullets are designed to expand violently after those first few inches and that as much as 80 to 90 percent of the bullet's original weight will be shed.

Berger claims that very behavior is what allows quick, clean kills with most animals dropping right in their tracks.

As a whole, the Berger VLD series bullets are heavy-for-caliber designs which feature ample mass to get the job done on thin-skinned game, even if the bullet would begin to expand almost immediately. The bullets are generally the longest in their entire class and have a high -- often the highest -- ballistic coefficient, meaning they buck the wind extremely well, give up velocity grudgingly and reach the target with a maximum amount of available energy.

But the version I was testing was a 7mm, 140 grain projectile that fits into a more conventional weight range. Many shooters have been clamoring for this weight from Berger, and apparently someone was listening.

At Home on the Range

Upon receiving the bullets, I decided to run them through a couple of firearms: a Thompson-Center Contender with a 20-inch Bullberry barrel chambered in 7mm Bullberry and a Thompson-Center Encore with a 24-inch barrel in 7mm-08.

Anticipating their arrival, I had brass for both calibers prepped, primed and ready to load.

It did not take long for me to settle on a load for either. The very first load with the Bullberry cut a gorgeous 0.673 group at 200 yards using 30.5 grains of H335 and a Federal 210 primer. The Encore, while quite accurate, is more of a utility-grade performer compared to the custom Bullberry, so when the 2nd load attempted -- 40 grains of Re-15 and a Federal 210 primer -- gave me a group of 1.212" at 200 yards, I decided to stop right there as I only had 100 bullets at my disposal.

Four additional three-shot groups with the 7mm Bullberry afforded an impressive 200-yard aggregate of 0.724 inch. Although my Contender has turned in impressive groups before, the Berger bullet absolutely redefined accuracy in the 7mm Bullberry.

Even the Encore did well as a five-group aggregate of 1.199 was recorded.

To say I was pleased with the accuracy would be an understatement, but I had bigger fish to fry as expansion testing and hunting remained on my agenda.

Earlier, I had procured a large batch of newsprint and thoroughly soaked it in water for 24 hours. I often use a medium consisting of repeating chambers of water and newsprint, but because of what I anticipated -- that the bullets would shed a large portion of their weight -- I elected to go with conventional wet newsprint instead. This would simplify any recovery efforts as the fragments would be contained in the newsprint and not in a vat of water.

It did not take long for me to realize that Berger was right on the money with its claim. With impact velocities ranging from nearly 2800 fps to a low of just over 1800 fps, the bullets would penetrate anywhere from 3.5 to 5.75 inches before initiating rather violent expansion. Higher attendant velocities had the bullets opening quicker and reaching maximum wound channel volume sooner. But the lower velocity loads behaved similarly, the primary difference being they opened somewhat slower and penetrated a bit more before the maximum wound channel cavity was reached.

Regardless of the velocity at impact, every 140 grain Berger tested began to fragment violently and reached its maximum wound channel volume between 8 and 11 inches. And the physical size of the actual wound channels between the higher and lower velocity loads varied hardly at all.

Compared to bullets which behave more typically upon impact, one would surmise that the Berger would rack up notably less impressive numbers in actual penetration tests. But in the media I employed, the Berger VLD gave penetration numbers which were not unlike those recorded with several other 140 grain projectiles. In fact, the differences were rather negligible between several of the bullets tested, that despite the fact that the Berger came apart at the seams while the others retained their mushroomed shape in more typical fashion.

Nonetheless, despite the initial penetration prior to expansion, I still had my reservations regarding on-game performance. Those reservations were quickly put to rest, however, once I began field-dressing the old boar hog.

Proof is in the Pudding

An adult male hog is a stern test for any bullet as a mature boar will feature thick, mud-caked hide, a gristle-like shield protecting its vitals and bone structure that is clearly more substantial than those of the white-tailed deer in our area. Those features have a well-deserved reputation for soaking up an inadequate bullet like a sponge.

For those reasons, I prefer a heavy-for-caliber bullet with a proven track record for penetration. The said bullet will have a high sectional density and will be fired at moderate velocity to take advantage of all of its penetration capabilities. So you can understand my concerns when I realized my testing of the Berger 7mm 140 grain bullet would take place during the summer months, when the nearest available -- and legal -- big game would be wild hogs.

Those concerns, however, were quickly cast aside once I opened the chest cavity of the hog.

The 140 grain VLD bullet, which retained approximately 2185 fps at impact, had landed exactly where I had intended and was centered on the shoulder. Following an entrance that was hardly noticeable, the bullet plowed through the shoulder, left a .35 caliber hole through the ribcage, made absolute mush of the lungs and ruptured much of the major plumbing surrounding the heart. There was one dime-sized exit hole through the hide on the opposite side. Less than a half-inch away from it was a smaller exit that measured approximately .22 caliber.

However, a cut-away view showed extensive damage through the opposite shoulder, a fact disguised by the relatively small exit wounds. The bullet simply chewed through the flesh and bone and left a gaping wound channel through the opposite shoulder. Also in evidence were a few small fragments which were imbedded in an around the latter stages of the wound cavity. Later, I also found one sizable piece of jacket under the hide in the off-side.

Suffice to say, the results were instantaneous -- if not spectacular. The following day, I took another hog, this time another boar of approximately 225 pounds, while using the Encore in 7mm-08. The shot placement was nearly identical, and so were the results. The only difference was that the impact velocity was approximately 2550 fps and that there were 3 small exits -- each perhaps a quarter-inch in size -- along with the numerous small fragments to be found along the opposite-side ribcage. The wound channels were remarkably similar in spite of the fact that nearly 400 fps separated the two bullets at impact.

Granted, two animals certainly don't prove a thing other than the fact that the bullets did indeed perform exactly as Berger is claiming. And while they would not be my primary choice for a once-in-a-lifetime hunt for trophy elk or a Kodiak Island bear, they certainly have displayed the ability to be a candidate for thin-skinned, non-dangerous species such as pronghorn, mule deer, whitetail or many of Africa's plains game. After all, they had no problems punching through a couple of 200+ pound wild hogs while plowing through heavy bone in each instance.

Where I feel the bullet will truly shine is in medium-capacity rounds such as the 7mm-08 and for hunters patient enough to take broadside, ribcage shots, a scenario that will absolutely pulverize the vitals and put the animal down quickly and humanely. It may also be just the ticket for those unique individuals who have converted the art of long-range paper-punching into a means of bagging game. As long as the impact velocity falls between 1800 fps on the low end to 2800 fps at the other extreme, you'll be able to count on the predictable terminal performance of the Berger VLD bullet.
In fact, this fall, I'll hold out hope for pulling the trigger on a white-tailed buck using the new Berger 7mm 140 grain bullet. I am confident that if I do my part, the Berger VLD bullet will certainly take care of its end of the bargain.
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ADDENDNDUM: I've taken several more animals since then, and the Berger 7mm 140 grain VLDMatch/Hunting bullet has been a model of consistency in terminal performance.

Bobby, when are you going to get some 130's to try out in the 6.5? Do you see them as a good candidate for Texas Deer in the Swede? Interesting read. I hope you will continue to update.

Bobby, I am impressed by both the amount of effort and the quality of your produced results. This presentation is top notch and very informative. Thanks for your efforts.

Very well done Bobby

Match bullets can and do kill as your report clearly proves, Bravo

Joe-

I'll get the 6.5 info together for you in the next week or so. In a nutshell, the 6.5 version -- at least the lots I have tried -- were markedly more explosive than the 7mm/140. Unless the design parameters have changed in the last 2 years, no matter the claims, I would not feel comfortablwe using the Berger 6.5 on anything more tenacious than smaller deer and pronghorn.

But that 7mm/140 seems to be a winner in the medium game killing department.

Thanks for the reply. Guess I will save my money (wish I had some) for other bullets.

Joe-

In the 6.5s with the capacity of the Swede on down, most standard bullets work very well. The 140 grain Sierra GameKing is one of the best and works well for both deer and hogs given a muzzle velocity of 2450 - 2800 fps. It penetrates exceptionally well.


For a premium, the 125 grain Partition and the 130 grain Accubond -- not to mention the 140 grain Partition -- do an outstanding job as well.


I do not care for the Hornady SSTs, and if I feel the need for an unbonded tipped bullet, the 120 grain Nosler BT is at the top of the list. The plain-Jane Hornady 129 and 140 grain SPs are very consistent in terminal performance but do best when the impact velocity ranges from 1900 fps to around 2600 fps.

In the 6.5s, I am not a fan of the TSX but will give the TTSX a shot when it hits the shelves next year.

Hey Bobby, I quit taking all the Gun Rags, except for the NRA American Hunter, because they no longer had anyone capable of writing an indepth, factual, easy to repeat, well written Reloading/Hunting Article. Occasionally I'll flip through one at the store or a buddy drops one off so we can discuss a specific article. I've yet to see any current writers worth paying the cost of the Rag. Most think they know what they are doing and are simply fooling themselves and the Beginners.

Any Editor would be a complete fool not to jump at the opportunity to "pay" you for that kind of information. Great job!
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Did you use any of the Bullets "backwards" or do you just relegate that to bows?

Excellent post, Bobby. Thanks for your time and effort invested there. I appreciate your thoughts on the 6.5 Accubond. Those are the next to try in my M70 FWT.
Good hunting,
Graham