Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting VLDS or NBT love um or hate um

Mr. Holton,

Where have you seen 1800 fps listed as the minimum recommended impact velocity for TTSXs?

I haven't seen anything from Barnes or any other authoritative source that recommends a minimum impact velocity lower than 1900 or 2000 fps for TTSXs (depends on specific caliber and weight of TTSX). Seems that a lot of people use 2000 fps as their minimum impact velocity for Barnes TSX and TTSX bullets, and I'm sure that's based on discussions with Barnes given what I've gathered from my correspondence with Barnes.

Once you try them they are pretty amazing aren't they(VLD's) I shot a couple of elk this year a couple of deer and as a group a bunch of goats. They were impressive on everything I shot out of my 300 RUM and 7WSM.

Driving drunk is bad. Do I have to drive drunk and injure someone to prove that?

I do not drink and have no plans to change.

I will not experiment on big game with your new 'magical' bullet, either.

I have no desire to jump on this cable-show bandwagon.

It's nothing new, just groupie marketing.

Glad you qualified that with �most� but I�m not sure even that is correct. �Some�, certainly.

Judging a bullet based on manufacturer�s stated performance is not necessarily the same as judging it on �pre-conceived assumptions and notions of what the proper big game hunting bullet should be�. Nor is basing it on the experience of people that have used them.

Berger advocates like to talk about shots to the chest and even you have stated that they work best with no more than a 30-35 degree angle. I don�t recall any VLD fans talking about what happens when things go wrong and you hit an animal in the hams because it turned away as the trigger broke. I have a little experience with that using the North Forks and the result was a very sudden and completely satisfactory ending � except for the buck � with the bullet recovered from up against the sternum. Barnes MRX have gone lengthwise through a mulie for me too, in the other direction, with the same straight down results. The Grand Slams I used for 20+ years provided a lot of straight down results with only two elk making it 40 yards and most of the rest no more than a step or two. It took me 20 years to recover one and when I did it had smashed the ball in both shoulder joints of a 5x5 bull.

Given that the North Forks, TTSX/ MRX and other bullets I use provide deep penetration and more than satisfactory results even on bad angles, why should I consider a VLD when the manufacturer states it typically won�t do the same?

I hear that they work well, I've had a heck of a time getting them to shoot the way I want though..

And the NBT's shoot so well and work so well that I see lil or no reason to push using them.

Now the Scenar has my attention and if they'd make one for my 7 Mashburn Super I'd be all over trying it. But, in the end I spect it'd do what the NBT does and that is shoot well and kill well.

Which VLD are your running in your 7 WSM?

Thx
Dober

guys thanks for sharing personal experiance and ideas here and keeping to pissing contest down i think some(myself included) dont or did not for a while relise that the vld target and hunting bullets are different i too am having a harder time get the bergers to shoot as good as i would like compared to NBT that is part of the reason i started this thread to see if i wanted to continue to spend the time and $ to do so or just stick with nosler for my long range loads (for short range like around 350yds and under i do use tsx or ttsx)hell i may just load accubonds for all and forget it

What caliber?

Dober

i will go look and see if i can find it and let you know it may be in a barns demo video?

I look forward to hearing about what you find. The only low impact velocity info I've seen on Barnes' website involved simulating bone contact before the the bullet enters the ballistic gelatin (Barnes refers to that as bone-gelatin).

Barnes info from testing with "bone-gelatin"

The 7mm TTSX results look good, even at long range, with the simulated bone strike, but I don't think I can count on hitting bone on the way in every time, particularly on a broadside or slightly angling away shot.

I will take that as a no. You have never sent a VLD into an elk, yet you feel the need to comment on them in the Elk hunting forum. Correct?

Again, no desire, Wyo.

If they work for you....great. The design just holds nothing new for me.

been toying with them in .257 roberts. for some testing but for hunting elk it would be .300wby

Pretty darn sure the Rbts would tip em over quite well with a 115 NBT

Dober

if wife went she woulkd pack a .260 hell i might just bring the wby ultalite in .308 a lot lighter to pack and nicer to shoot

The two bullets I used this year on game were the 180 Berger in a 280AI and the 162 Amax in a 7/08AI. Saw nothing to cause me to dismiss either as a game bullet; bear, antelope, deer, and elk all died in appropriate fashion. I do plan to try the Amax in the 280AI when the chance arises, for economy and simplicity.

ok i cant find what i was looking for so i called barns to make sure i had not lost my mind they said they test in water down to 2000fps with ttsx and 1800fps tsx so i was thinking backwards but aslo said in s study on a lot of game in the feild they were seeing fine proformance at some what lower vol. with both

Oh, and I don't have cable, so I doubt cable shows were a factor in my choices.

Carl-any chance you've tried the 155 AM's? They shoot great in my WSM and my G-dads old 300 Wby.

Dober

I haven't, though I've used the 168gr 30 cals on bear and deer with good results. The 155's wouldn't spook me if the application was within reason.

BTW, regarding your friends negative experiences with early 162's, they have changed the design since it came out, substantially I believe.

I heard that they've changed it, good deal as the fella lost a booner lope over the deal...oucha

Dober