Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Berger 6.5 140g VLD hunting bullet

on a scale of 1-10, where would this bullet rank for game Deer/sheep size?

Most accurate bullet I've found, still trying to get Barnes 127LRX to match the accuracy of the VLD, Love the mono's for the confidence factor in weight retention,

But for those of you, who've BTDT..........

You confident in this bullet holding up?

Hell of a bullet. Have killed coyotes to elk with them. Wife drove one through a bulls shoulders this year and was caught on the offside hide out of her 6.5-06. For whatever reason it seems to hold together fairly well in the animals we’ve killed with them. Up to deer we normally always get exits. On a few cow elk we’ve gotten exits but usually it’s up against the hide on offside

+ 1...

6.5x47 to 6.5-06 velocities they are giant killers. Can't speak to other velocities.
Pics of bullet after going through bull elk shoulder at 400 yards.




Large bear, no need to track lol. 400 yards.


Antelope this year 595 yards, no tracking required.

Mountain goat, shoulder shot, dead on impact, 280 yards.

Whitetail buck at 125 yards, instantly dead.


Just a few pics I had handy. Lot of critters been shot with 140 vld and not one has gone more than 15-20 yards with most dropping at the shot. Impact velocities at 2750 fps or less in all cases. In fairness I started messing around with 135 Hybrid Classics and 156 EOL just to try new stuff. They all seem to kill pretty well really at these velocities.

You may never get a 127 LRX to match a 140 VLD for accuracy, I have been unable to.

The 139 Scenar will match it, at least in my experience. IMO, the Scenar seems to have better exits, doesn't frag quite as bad.

My 26 Nosler is now loaded with the 156 EOL at around 3K fps over Vv n-570. No blood, yet. But look forward to seeing how it'll work on WT's.

DF

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My 26 Nosler is now loaded with the 156 EOL at around 3K fps over Vv n-570. No blood, yet. But look forward to seeing how it'll work on WT's.

DF
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We found the 156 to me more fragile than the 140. Of course that was only 2 elk and a handful of deer and antelope to compare to the truckload of 140 grain kills. I’ve read it’s the hybrid design that causes them to be more fragile compared to the vld design. Could be just internet gossip

Thanks for that info.

DF

I have not had the best success with them on shoulder shot elk, but for the deer/sheep sized critters you're asking about, they have done well for me at 2880 FPS muzzle velocity, out to about 400 yards.

I have yet to see one exit though.

The 130s have been too frangible for my taste at impact velocities around 2,800 fps. Under this they should be fine, I suspect the 140s would be better still.

What are you shooting with them and what cartridge? I feel like the best accuracy and terminal performance is around 2,900 fps at the muzzle. Like T Inman I wouldn't recommend shoulder shots on game elk and larger, behind the shoulder they are devastating.

Interesting the Hybrids seem softer, I guess there is more of an oglive to start fragmentation than the VLD.

6.5 creedmore around 2800 @ the muzzle.

They are accurate in my 264 Win mags

Used them a few years back in a 30 cal, application. I was not dissatisfied but I have had much better performance with other bullets. Like others who have posted here, I saw great weight retention but not the expansion other bullets have given me. The elk died but wandered around to much for my liking. Never tried them on deer, i use a bow for them.

I like the 156 Berger's better at 2850 fps out of my 6.5 GAP 4S.

And in my 6.5-284, 3K fps out of a 26” Krieger over RL-17. Does well on WT’s.

DF

I’ve shot a few with the 140vld at 3250 from my 264 and RL33. Always killed stuff but if it’s thick and they run even a little ways, makes for tough trackin. Pin hole in, not one exit(in my cases) and no blood trails. They killed 100% and work well for killin I just like exits so switched to accubonds. 264 is now a PRC. I now shoot scenars in the Creed and PRC and they make 1.5-2” exits and incredible blood trails. Seen to penetrate 5-6” before they scatter. Make a mess but always exit. Just my thoughts.


Roy

Curious for those shooting the 156 over the 140. This is a serious ?

I would imagine the 156 doesn’t have a high enough BC to overcome the velocity difference between it and the 140? So wouldn’t the 140 outperform the 156?

I thought the 130’s were supposed to outperform the 140’s due to this as well but it’s been a while since I read about that.

I settled on 140 hybrid as it grouped the best, and the 130’s were just okay in my 260

My go to bullet in both my .260 Rem and 6.5-.284.

The most accurate in them of any other I tried.

About 8 deer kills with them and had very good results with every one. From 100 to 596 yards.

Not sure where to rank it from 1 to 10 but I don't feel the need to keep trying any others. Might as well be 10.

My 6.5 Bee did not like them but I did not mind at all. It was an experiment if you will.

It shoots the 127 LRX and the 130 Hammers into bugholes and I do not have to worry about fragile bullets. I prefer premiums and monos to C&C

Over the years it seems almost universally that any issues I have heard about with the 140 vld are at high velocities and thus high impact velocities. I would and do slow roll them with outstanding success. For a guy or gal shooting 6.5 creedmoor or 260, or 6.5-06 or 6.5-284, they seem to be a great solution based on my personal experiences over the last decade or so.

I never ranked it, but the 140 is a 10 in my experience.

They shoot very well in my 6.5 PRC

They shoot very well in my PRC, Creed, and .264. .I took
a nice antelope at 347 yds.with the .264 NULA.

DRT and exit after going through both shoulders.




Lefty

Several deer, couple elk and bear outta 6.5 ai3100, I give em a 10 too.

Fotis,

I've shot some Hammers in my .358 Win, just ordered some for my .270.

How does terminal performance compare, 127 LRX vs. 130 Hammer?

I was working up loads for my 26 Nos, pretty well decided to NOT go with VLD's, went with the 120 TTSX and 120 E-Tip, both of which were very accurate and surprisingly destructive at hyper vel. Like you said, they don't break up.

Berger had max vel for the Nos at 3,100 fps. I talked to a Berger tech, told him I could push those 140 VDL Hunting bullets a lot faster than that. He said they didn't recommend pushing them over 3,100 fps, to try the target version with heavier jacket. I decided to punt on VLD's for that round, went mono.

DF

At very high velocity it is very much like a TTSX/LRX.
Hammer do have the tendency to lose their petals and then you have a "cast bullet like" flat meplat that just cuts man.

Only one bull elk with the 140 VLD out of my Creedmoor. Elk didn’t go anywhere. Well, except to my freezer.

I can see the 140 VLD performing very well at Creed speed.

To me, it's important to keep the bullet velocity design window in mind, reloading those (and other) bullets.

But, mono's aren't without some limit. They say there is no velocity ceiling, but that may not be competely accurate. With my .240, I shot a WT doe at 150 yds a few years ago, 60 gr. TTSX at 3,600 fps. Bizarre. It tore a huge gaping hole in the rib cage, she ran 150 yds into the woods, had to be found with flashlights. The bullet seemed to pencil on thru the chest with min damage. It seems most of the energy was expended too soon, too fast. Looking back on it, the S.D. was below .200, so maybe too much speed for that amount of bullet mass? Not sure, but I never shot another deer with that load. The current dedicated .240 load is with 100 gr NPT's. Much better performance and the most accurate bullet for that rifle. Never a mistake with a NPT is the best shooter in a rifle.

DF

Based on 2 bullets and 2 dead animals, quick death with good placement. Broadside bull elk at 620 yards did not result in complete penetration, but made an impressive wound channel. These things kill quickly, but may not be the choice if an exit would is the most important metric. Mine were launched close to 3000 fps.

Using this bullet, not sure you need an exit hole.