Who uses Berger bullets for elk? Results/experiences please.
...........Landkiller.....Realize that most if not all of the VLD detractors on any VLD thread such as this where this is debated, haven`t used them on elk or on any other game. To not use them is their choice and they are entitled to their anti VLD opinion.
What you do, is take stock from those who have frequently used them on elk, such as John Burns and a few others. Their experiences using VLDs on elk is far more than most including me as well.
Of my 10 elk taken, the latest one was killed with a 30 cal 190 hunting VLD. Thought I`d give the VLD a try and keep an open mind. Well! It did not disappoint.
Fired from 328 yards at a 2830-40 MV, the 190 penetrated the right shoulder bone and continued on doing massive internal damage with bullet fragmentation found just below the hide on the other side. The bull staggered about 3 to maybe 4 yards and then collapsed.
I have to say that out of the ten, the VLD gave me the quickest kill.
The perverbial thinking of many `ol school hunters as was mentioned on this thread earlier, is that they can`t seem to get their heads out of the sand when it comes to the VLDS. They automatically associate "hunting" VLDs as "MATCH ONLY" paper punching bullets and should not be used on elk.
Well I say to them. Look at the successful VLD results on elk by John Burns and by many others.
Imo, that alone trumps their old school way of thinking and their lack of experience.
To find out how they work just as with the rest of us VLD users have!! You just have to try them for yourself.
Fair enough. I am curious though if you would recommend the Berger VLD if you had to put one through an 800lb Bull Elk's paunch enroute to his heart at 75 yds? Realizing of course that real Elk hunters pass on those types of shots. I however am not a real Elk hunter (I've never even shot the all important real elk hunters obligitory cow elk for pitty sakes) so wouldn't pass on such a shot.
....................I wouldn`t hesitate in the least given your above example.
Have any VLD detractors here personally called and talked with Berger or studied their site? I doubt it. Maybe watch any of the videos previously posted on the Berger site, where various hunting VLDs were fired into carcasses including bone at point blank range? I doubt it.
Well I have called Berger on several occasions including a couple of times prior to my first VLD kill on elk several years ago. And one of the questions and concerns I had was regarding the maximum impact velocities where the bullet would still be able to do its job without fragmenting to hell before the vitals are greatly disrupted.
This is what they (one of the higher up techs) said....Using the hunting VLDs, "we like" an impact speed to generally not exceed 3000 fps. And that 3000 fps figure is not set in stone or is an absolute max.
Now given the average killing distances for elk all across the board, do you think that a 3000 fps impact speed and less would fall under most if not all of the cartridges used for elk? Now there may be some extreme examples where someone might use a 300 RUM at less than 100-150 yards using say a 185 gr Berger at 3350-3400 fps MV that he loaded to max that will exceed a 3000 fps impact speed. And who is to say, that a reloader cannot down load his 300 RUM Berger VLD hunting load a bit.
But given most elk hunting situations, a 3000 fps impact speed and less, will be far, far more common than otherwise.
