Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Up close and personal with the VLD?

I was impressed by the quick death of this buck and the exit wound the 155 gr. Berger VLD Hunting made. The shot was from my 30-06 shown in the picture at 280 yds. The buck staggered a few yards and fell there.

I have used VLDS on pigs from 15 feet to nearly 300 yards and have never been dissatisfied with their performance. Thats with 155gr VLDs at about 2850 from a .308, 115gr VLDs at 3300ish from a .257 Wby and 130gr VLDs at about 2850 from a .260. The only deer I've shot with them have been at about 165 and 230 yards, and I was perfectly satisfied with their performance on them too. They pretty much do what Berger advertises and what Mule Deer has reported them to do, penetrate a couple of inches, then grenade. That being said, I have got some exit wounds with them on stuff that's not too big, a small whitetail doe and small pigs.

From my use of them, it is my impression that animals just make fewer steps after being hit with a VLD than with other bullets I have used. On pigs, I am not always picky about shot placement. Often times they have been running through mesquites or brush and if I can get cross wires on hair I am happy. Even with some very poorly hit pigs, they simply have failed to make it very far. That is saying a lot, as having shot a few, pigs have really impressed me with their tenacity and will to live.

I would not hesitate to shoot any non-dangerous game with a VLD at any range I could place the shot well. If you want to eat shoulders, don't put a VLD through them. Just as easy to put it a little behind the shoulders and the animal will still not make it far. I would not take hard quartering shots on anything I had any respect for (most things except pigs). On animals I admire, I would rather wait for a good angle, and do that pretty much no matter what bullet I use. If you are inclined to take hard quartering shots, I'm not sure a VLD would penetrate a full paunch and get to the vitals. If you are concerned that a bullet has to look like the perfect mushroom after recovery, the VLD is not for you. If you think the bullet should always exit in order to make a quick kill or leave a profuse blood trail, the VLD may not be for you. I will say that when a VLD DOES exit, it makes a HUGE blood trail.

Just thoughts based on my own observations...

John

Now that there is seriously funny.

In the 5 calibers I tried, 115 gr .25 cal (257 wby),140 and 150 gr 270 cal(.270 WSM), 140 gr 7mm cal (7mm Mauser),168 gr .30 cal (300 Rsaum).
Anything closer than 170 to 200 yards,was minimal penetration,huge entrance holes and massive meat damage,some even required follow ups on clean broadside shots due to poor penetration. These were all on white-tail deer does and some bucks.
It was very,very accurate bullet in all guns I loaded it in and maybe it cause it's built for long range shooting and it was out of it's element. I would rather go with a bullet that get penetration and through and through than one that pi$$es off your taxidermist everytime you take him a cape with a 8 inch hole in it.
But that is my experiance.
BBJ

Hmm. That has not been my experience, by a long ways, especially the "huge entrance holes and massive meat damage." I have yet to see one make more than a pencil-sized entrance hole, at any muzzle velocity from 2750 to 3200 fps. But that is my experience.

John, is it possible that Berger has recently changed the design like Nosler did to the ballistic tip? I swore off ballistic tips when I was about 10 (already a loony and not old enough to hunt, let alone know much about rifles) when I watched my old man pop an antelope via .270. What a mess it made. It sounds like the ballistic tip is much better these days, though I have not tried it in a big game rifle.

I only ask because my limited experience with Bergers mirror BareBack_Jack's, though heavy elk bone was hit.

I must admit, after some of what you have wrote on Bergers, I am thinking of trying them myself this year or next. (I was guiding, not shooting when I saw the first two VLDs in action).

I have shot a number of elk w/ 185's in a RUM as well as deer and goats. I have also shot a bunch deer and a lion with 7 Rems and & 7WSMs using the 168's. Ranges from 50 yards to 900. Entrance holes are very small with great performance. Most people who I know that try them like them.

That sounds "normal" to me and hardly worth being impressed over.

I have no doubt that Bergers work exactly as folks say they do.....what surprises me is the descriptions of the kills,and the reaction of the animals, which seem no different from other bullets I've seen and used.

As if "DRT",or staggering a few steps and tipping over, is some kind of rare occurence,unique solely to Bergers,which I have to sort of doubt,since I've seen exactly those kinds of reactions many times from other bullet designs.

I had core-lokts rip big holes in deer. Just don't shoot the shoulders.

I'm convinced I'll try them on goats. I have a buck tag in one unit, but a couple doe tags for close to where Mule Deer calls home. That may be a good hunt for my first try with them. mtmuley