109 Berger LRHT Terminal Performance

Libtard McSocalist

Lil-Rokslider
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Dec 29, 2021
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So I’ve seen several posts on hybrid target bullets but not nearly as many on long range hybrid target. I was hoping to get something going here and maybe have others share their experiences. I clean the tips on every berger bullet I shoot at game. NRL and PRS and F class matches I don’t bother.

109 LRHT with a 0.6mm drill bit in the nose to clean up the tip. Muzzle velocity 2953 FPS on a freshly cleaned barrel. Impact velocity 2707 FPS. This doe was roughly 90lbs perfectly broadside. Watched the bullet hit exactly POI and the deer ran a few steps over the crest of the hill. Shot was up hill out of a 6GT PRS rifle mounted in a tripod. I waited about 15 mins before getting out and getting the four wheeler and heading over to pick up the deer. As this rifle weighs well over 20 lbs I left it in the truck and brought my Kimber mtn ascent 308 with me. As soon as I crested the hill the deer was bedded down exactly where I last saw. As soon as it saw me it took off running perpendicular to me as fast as deer can go. It was running like it never got hit. Enter 165 Sierra game king hollow point and that’s all she wrote.

6mm bullet entered between two ribs and liquified the close lung. The far lung was completely untouched, bullet fragments landed on the far rib cage about 45 degrees towards the head from where they should have came out if they held their impact angle. About 22 grains of jacket and lead were on the far side under the hide IN FRONT of the far shoulder. As best I can figure it got damn near immediate fragmentation and very very little penetration. It possibly would have got more penetration if it had held its angle. I guess the doe was mortally wounded living off one lung and the ~ 25 minutes it took me to get everything together to skin and load just wasn’t long enough to kill it with one lung functioning perfectly. What do you all think terminally performance wise? I would estimate this bullet would work much better on down in impact velocity. I’ve shot a lot of 115VLD in a 25-06 and 25-06 ai, 140 6.5-284, 168,175, 180 7mm WSM and 280ai, 185,205,210 308 3006 and 300wby and never seen this level of deflection/lack of penetration. Regardless, the 109 LRHT is highly expandable with the tip cleaned up.
 

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You’re sure it was the close lung that got destroyed and not the far side lung?

I shot the 135 LRHT in a 25 creedmoor for awhile. I had a few shots with a long neck length..bullet making it through onside lung then exploding the offside lung. Fine for elk but on deer I like immediate expansion because they are not all that thick before you’re into the lungs.

FWIW I also drilled the tips on mine, never lost an animal and they killed really well most of the time. But I prefer eldms over bergers for the most part because of that neck length, plus the LRHTs are an even thicker jacket and you probably lose some reliable expansion at lower impact velocity
 
You’re sure it was the close lung that got destroyed and not the far side lung?

I shot the 135 LRHT in a 25 creedmoor for awhile. I had a few shots with a long neck length..bullet making it through onside lung then exploding the offside lung. Fine for elk but on deer I like immediate expansion because they are not all that thick before you’re into the lungs.

FWIW I also drilled the tips on mine, never lost an animal and they killed really well most of the time. But I prefer eldms over bergers for the most part because of that neck length, plus the LRHTs are an even thicker jacket and you probably lose some reliable expansion at lower impact velocity
That’s exactly what I thought too but it wouldn’t explain the change in direction. I’m 100% sure it was the close lung that got it because during field dressing I pulled from the entrance side to keep the drain hole from the 308 down on the ground so nothing would leak out of the hole on to my lap.

Doe was so broadside I couldn’t see the far leg from the close one blocking it
 
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