I've never had a bang- flop with a Barnes bullet. Seems to take them a while to bleed. Lots of bang- flops with Berger. That said, they have their place.
Bergers blow up - that's what they do. If you get lucky, they blow up in such a way the animal goes down fast. If you get unlucky, they blow up in such a way you never see the animal again.
Is your hunting plan to depend on luck?
I've killed way too many animals with them to say they " blow up".
They have such a sharp meplat that they typically penetrate well into vitals before "blowing up".
I've never seen one blow up on the surface. I have seen it with Amax, Sierra match kings and a few others.
If you're hunting timber with Bergers you're using the wrong bullet. Better bullets for saving meat. If you want to swat one down, the Bergers are very reliable at this.
Like I've said, I've killed/ seen killed way too many head to think otherwise.
