Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 7mm 140 Berger Hunting VLD for elk

Pretty bold saying no one reputable uses them or recommends them. I don't know who you are and you don't know who I am. I'd not be talking quite so strongly about those you don't know. So lets' leave at they have never failed to work for me. And GFY.

Or if Ilamas are your thing, GFYL.

Wow, the clowns are out in force

You're an idiot. I think I've killed 10 or 11 elk in the last 15 years with my muzzleloader and no exit wound. Didn't lose any.

You strike me as someone who's read a lot of books on hunting and shooting.

Berger threads crop up here every few months and the gist of the comments can be boiled down to:

(a) I haven't actually used them but they aren't worth a damn--they blow up, don't penetrate, they don't leave an exit wound, and (with the exception of szihn) I know this for a fact because someone told me so.

or

(b) I have used them and they worked for me.

I think it's safe to say the people with the brilliant idea to use a target bullet for hunting, and those rocket scientists who think a bullet going 5 inches in and falling apart means it "worked", well, they're the same people.

People who know anything about terminal ballistics and ethical hunting would never find themselves in that position frankly. When you watch a product repeatedly and consistently fail for others, you'd have to be touched in the head to want to use it yourself.

Congratulations. You've gone beyond "idiot" to azzhole.

Every single one of your points here is false. Congratulations. And unlike you, I've actually watched Bergers kill critters, along with every other type of bullet you cited. Maybe you should put down F&S and get out and actually get some kills under your belt with the bullets in question, before coming on here and making claims full of nothing but verbal bile.

You can't fix stupid

I would take a Hornady interlock over a berger , but that is just me.

I wonder what Larry Root thinks about Bergers.

I see what you did there.

Well at least you'd be using an actual hunting bullet.

There's a good reason premium bullets with a parition or bonding (or both) in heavy for caliber weights are recommended. Elk are big bodied animals, and to ensure your bullet makes it through the vitals and gives you a nice exit wound you need a heavy bullet and you need that bullet to retain the weight as it travels through the animal. The interlock may do that - the lock ring is an attempt to prevent bullet failure. It may not. An Accubond will do much better typically. An A-Frame will basically always work, but you need to make sure the impact velocity is high enough it expands.

The Berger bullets will either not expand at all, or fragment in the first few inches (which you get appears to be random). In either case you're not ensured much damage - if it doesn't expand you get a pencil thin wound, and if it does the depth of penetration is only a few inches and damage may well be contained to one lung. Those kinds of wounds will absolutely kill the animal, but it may very will die hundreds of yards if not miles from where you shot it, and in either case there's likely to be little or no blood to track (no exit wound, or one that seals up).

The Berger hunting bullets are junk, plain and simple. Those who advocate them are fools.

Bob, I see you're relatively new to the Fire.

We got enough trolls already...

DF

And I'm sure you see why. "Clowns, kiddies" and such.

DF, I have an idea he's not new here.

Grinning--and all with about the same level of first-hand experience...:)

This post caught my eye because I drew a premium Nevada Elk tag and am test shooting a bunch of different bullets. I for one need to step back and evaluate all these new bullet choices in context. In my home state I bow hunt and occasional rifle hunt bulls in a wide open high desert location that some tracking is no problem other than I can not stand witnessing a slower than faster kills. In scouting my Nevada unit with thick Juniper/Cedar knock-down bullet choice is more on my mind. I was talking to an old friend outfitter last weekend describing all the various bullets I am shooting.I asked for his advice for my desire for long range plus drop ability. he reminded me how much more advanced all bullets are these days. Of course he reinforced what we all recognize about normal shot failure.That is when bow and rifle hunters do NOT take out both lungs. Penetration, bullet weight retention plus fragmentation are all on our mind but most likely number one is accuracy. It is hard to dispute that Berger shooters have got the confidence in shot placement down. It would be helpful if some fire members could send a picture or two of real bullet failure if in fact the animal was recovered. Similar arguments with the all copper/copper-alloy bullets with impressive penetration but less so all-inspiring internal devastation. Being a newby long range shooter it takes a bunch of time to reload for 600 yards plus. An accurate down range bullet is a must for starters. Have had my share of tuning challenges with several of the long range bullet designs but will get it and then the harder best design choice. Thanks
for the debate.

My 14yo likes them....

Rowdy tags a good one...

You have to just love internet blowhards. My rifles have taken 9 elk using Bergers. In 7mm08 and 7 WSM. Not a single one of those elk took more than three steps.

Please share with the group your personal experiences with Berger bullets on elk. You've made a point to mouth off several times about Bergers performance. I wish to know your personal experiences on shooting elk with them.

Hey, Bob. Do you make friends as quickly and easily in person as you do on internet forums?