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A buddy I know has developed a load with the 210 Berger at 2950 fps that shoots lights out in his 300. Honestly my experience with Berger has not been all that great although they did the job. I never use them on elk so I can't give him any input. Does anybody here have any experience with them on big animals. This is the bullet he's using

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1076528197


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I've got lots of experiences with Bergers on Elk, from 6.5 140 gr up to .338 300 grain. The 6.5/150, 7mm/180, and .30/215 are my favorites. Never had a "failure", all bulls dead and accounted for, most of them went down almost immediately.

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With the aforementioned bullets??? I'm asking because the ones that he loaded up are 210 Target bullets not the vld hunting


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Fotis

The target version works very well. IMO it seems to hold together a bit better especially the core/shank. Your buddy should have no problem destroying vitals on an elk.

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I would take Berger word that these are great for paper target and larger varmints...

No way I would use this on an Elk.. These are NOT hunting bullets.. We live in a world where we have tons of bullets to choose from. Why would anyone use a frangible bullet on an Elk?? Honestly, it doesn't seen ethical to me.

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Originally Posted by harleyguy02
I would take Berger word that these are great for paper target and larger varmints...

No way I would use this on an Elk.. These are NOT hunting bullets.. We live in a world where we have tons of bullets to choose from. Why would anyone use a frangible bullet on an Elk?? Honestly, it doesn't seen ethical to me.



How many elk have you personally killed with a Berger bullet?

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Bergers are utter crap for elk. They are frangible target bullets, not hunting bullets. Now you know laugh You can write hunting on the box, but it changes nothing. The bullet he chose they didn't even bother to write hunting on the box.

A-Frames, Trophy Bonded (any version - TA, ELD, Tipped, or regular) or Northforks are tops. Barnes X family, Weldcores or Partitions if you can't get those. Choose a bullet with a SD of 0.3 if possible, at least 0.27 if you can't get the heavies. If it's a monmetal you can go lighter.

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Originally Posted by Llama_Bob
Bergers are utter crap for elk. They are frangible target bullets, not hunting bullets. Now you know laugh You can write hunting on the box, but it changes nothing. The bullet he chose they didn't even bother to write hunting on the box.

A-Frames, Trophy Bonded (any version - TA, ELD, Tipped, or regular) or Northforks are tops. Barnes X family, Weldcores or Partitions if you can't get those. Choose a bullet with a SD of 0.3 if possible, at least 0.27 if you can't get the heavies. If it's a monmetal you can go lighter.


How many elk have you personally killed with a Berger bullet?

Just last year I took a bull and was the spotter for my 2 buddies on their bulls. 1 bull was DRT, the other made it 10 ft and the last one stumbled a whole 10 yards spraying a blood trail Stevie Wonder could’ve followed.
I have great confidence in the Berger bullets and the trauma/tissue damage they cause but to each their own.

Fotis- If your buddy kills an elk and you are present I’d be interested in your thoughts on how well it worked.

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i sold my 300 sendero to a buddy who guides, they use the 300 and the ammo i loaded. 210 berger. he loves it and the ammo. the 210 berger penetrate between 30 and 33% on elk. they shoot great groups out to 1000 yards. my son inlaw and my son each shot 15 shot groups you could cover with a sheet of notebook paper at 1000. ( i am using 168 accubond in 7mm this year on bull elk... i have shot a rocky mountain bighorn, and another buddy shot a record book mule deer with my 7mm and 168 berger )

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Originally Posted by Llama_Bob
Bergers are utter crap for elk. They are frangible target bullets, not hunting bullets. Now you know laugh You can write hunting on the box, but it changes nothing. The bullet he chose they didn't even bother to write hunting on the box.

A-Frames, Trophy Bonded (any version - TA, ELD, Tipped, or regular) or Northforks are tops. Barnes X family, Weldcores or Partitions if you can't get those. Choose a bullet with a SD of 0.3 if possible, at least 0.27 if you can't get the heavies. If it's a monmetal you can go lighter.


Guaranteed 75+ years old and has never shot an elk with a Berger bullet let alone that one...

Fotis - next year I expect to draw an elk tag that'll likely be my best elk tag I'll ever draw. Its a unit known for 400+" bulls. I'll be hunting with a .284" 168 VLD...


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Originally Posted by GregW

Guaranteed 75+ years old and has never shot an elk with a Berger bullet let alone that one...


Wrong, and you did a nice job of proving you're a moron. I'm 40 and live in elk country and get to see the carcasses of all the uncrecovered elk at the end of November. The ones that aren't too eaten to tell, almost all of them have an entrance hole in the chest (usually not even a horrible shot), and no exit. They just ran a mile on one lung. That's caused by frangible bullets, insufficient SD, and cup and core bullets. And of course word gets out among outfitters and what not around here that Bergers are a primary cause of hunt failure, used by morons like you who don't know what an appropriate elk bullet is.

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I’ve never shot an elk but I think we as hunters place to much emphasis on “lights out groups.” I hear people all the time say choose whichever one is most accurate in your gun. Honestly when we’re talking about what probably amounts to .5 MOA or less difference for a FIVE shot group shooting off of a rest. From a practical field shooting standpoint that slight accuracy improvement doesn’t mean a thing other than being fun to have the tiniest bench load possible. With all of the proven terminal performance hunting bullets, Swift A-Frames, Barnes TTSX, and so on to me something along those lines with a rock solid rep for smashing through bone would make more sense than a fraction of an inch tighter five shot group.

I suppose wind drift could be a factor if he’s someone that hunts at well over typical hunting ranges that most people hunt at but assuming he’s shooting at elk within 500 or even 600 yards I don’t see much of an advantage there and can’t see any practical advantage due to to a slight accuracy edge.

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Originally Posted by TheLastLemming76
I’ve never shot an elk but I think we as hunters place to much emphasis on “lights out groups.”



Correct. Even at 4-500 yards, a 1.5MOA rifle is capable of guaranteeing you a it in the vitals from most angles. There is an advantage to reduced wind drift and thus reduced sensitivity to wind call error though. For a single shot in the mountain valleys, it's extremely difficult to get an accurate wind call because the shot passes so far above the ground and there's no wind flags up there. There are rules of thumb, but they are frequently wrong.

The first most important thing when choosing a projectile for elk is that it will reliably expand or starts out very wide and gives sufficient penetration depth to at least reach the back lung, but it's very good to get an exit. Repurposed match bullets guarantee neither.

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I have been shooting the Berger 210gr VLD since they were introduced in my 300 WinMag, back then they did not make a Hunting and a Target. I'm guessing they are the same as today's Hunting bullet.
This bullet is the most accurate non-custom bullet I have ever shot, I used this combo for years shooting rockchucks well past 1000yds. As for big game I would have to say I had more limited success, used it on several long range deer with great success. When I was a guides assistant about 10 years ago the client used this rifle to shoot a Desert Bighorn in southern Nevada. The only shot we could get on this Ram was just over 700yds, she was not comfortable with her rifle so I dialed my gun in for her. One shot done, but the exit was softball size. not ideal for a full body mount trophy.
The one debacle I had with this bullet was on an antelope hunt a few years ago, I had snuck up to 150yds on a nice buck pulled the trigger and watched the bullet blow up on impact, I don't think it penetrated an inch !!!!!!!!
it blood shocked every ounce of meat.
To me the longer the range the better this bullet works, at close range I think there are better choices.
I love this bullet but would NEVER use it on an Elk hunt

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Originally Posted by boatanchor

The one debacle I had with this bullet was on an antelope hunt a few years ago, I had snuck up to 150yds on a nice buck pulled the trigger and watched the bullet blow up on impact, I don't think it penetrated an inch !!!!!!!!

They are frangible target bullets. This is what they do - blow up unpredictably. Why people don't understand this basic fact is beyond me.

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I've guided somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 bull elk hunts, not including my own personal hunts. I shoot Berger target hybrids in my main Elk rifle, a 28 Nosler. Take that for whatever you feel it's worth.

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Originally Posted by Llama_Bob
Originally Posted by boatanchor

The one debacle I had with this bullet was on an antelope hunt a few years ago, I had snuck up to 150yds on a nice buck pulled the trigger and watched the bullet blow up on impact, I don't think it penetrated an inch !!!!!!!!

They are frangible target bullets. This is what they do - blow up unpredictably. Why people don't understand this basic fact is beyond me.


Says the guy who’s never personally shot Berger bullets on game animals.
I’m also curious how you know an animal was shot with a Berger because it doesn’t have an exit hole while examining a carcass in the field?
Could it have been an inexperienced hunter shooting a cup and core bullet way beyond its capable range? Could it have been a deflection and thus not a pass through?

Everyone has the right to pick what they want to hunt with. Why people don’t understand this basic fact is beyond me.

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I would definitely be more picky with my shots using a Berger or a GameKing , then with a mono or bonded. Not that I would go looking for hard quartering shots and pass up nice broadside shots. . I like using a bullet I can have the confidence to get the job done. If the OP’s Buddy is confident that the Berger bullet will work he can fill his boots .


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While not a 210, my nephew and I both just shot Bulls with my 30-28 Nosler with 215 Berger and both dropped like they were hit with Thors hammer between the eyes.

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With a 180gr in 7mm or a 212gr in .308 Berger, would you take a frontal chest shot OR a quartering away, last rib shot to hit the offset shoulder on a bull?

I have only shot elk with NABs, NPTs, Swift Scirs, and Barenss TTSXs. I would with those but have always wondered if I should with Bergers.

I have a 7mm RM that absolutely loves 180gr Hybrids and I have only used them on deer but the initial question has always made me question it, so what say you, Berger guys? For a classic broadside shot, no problem, but with a tough angle, would you under typical situations, all things considered?

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