Do “ premium “ bullets really make a difference? Fact vs hype

[f16jack]

Good point. For all I know they both slammed sideways into the animal.
But, I'm not going to go field test a good Berger and purposefully aim at a shoulder. I'll leave that for other hunters. Let's hear from them on the shoulder penetration of an intact Berger.

 

[WeiserBucks]

Shot aquare in the shoulder with a Berger, on purpose, killed stone dead DRT.

 

[f16jack]

NIce elk. Great shot. Love those Bergers. I retract any mention I made of avoiding the shoulder (except for the loss of meat, but that's another thread.)

I do have some 195's if anyone wants them. They don't work for my setup (I'm sticking with the 180's).

 

[Formidilosus]

The inability for a Berger to penetrate a shoulder, though, is real. Personal experience.

No, it’s not. The “shoulder” of an elk is about as thick as common cardboard, with around 3 inches of muscle tissue over the blade- it’s not stopping any 180gr bullet. I’ve seen more than 50 elk with bullets through “shoulders” and match bullets from 223 to 338- how people think that the shoulders stops bullets is beyond me.


If you had baffle strikes, every bullet would have shown issues.

 

[f16jack]

I agree with you Formidilosis (see my earlier reply). Let's assume both of my baffle strike bullets were damaged and hit my elk sideways. There's no way they would have performed. I have no idea how an intact Berger interacts with a shoulder or rear. I've never hit that part of an elk except with my damaged bullets.

 

[KenLee]

For people that shoot until the animal falls, instead of hitting it (or believing you did) and then sitting there and watching for 30 seconds to several minutes until they fall shooting multiple times is par for the course.

Meant to say at what "distance".
I'm also one that will keep shooting, but deer don't generally hang around, they usually run.
Daddy said you can't eat what you can't find.
No elk down South so I was curious legitimately curious.

 

[Formidilosus]

Meant to say at what "distance".
I'm also one that will keep shooting.
Daddy said you can't eat what you can't find.
No elk down South so I was curious legitimately curious.

Ah!

 

[Formidilosus]

I agree with you Formidilosis (see my earlier reply). Let's assume both of my baffle strike bullets were damaged and hit my elk sideways. There's no way they would have performed. I have no idea how an intact Berger interacts with a shoulder or rear. I've never hit that part of an elk except with my damaged bullets.

 

[willfrye027]

I prefer to hit animals in the shoulder with a Berger. I don’t really hunt elk (did shoot a cow with a Berger this year). Hitting the shoulder seems to help the bullet upset more violently especially at lower impact. Shoulder shot=bang flop for me, usually find the jacket or piece in the offside shoulder or under the skin.

 

[LoggerDan]

For deer, black bear and the like, I’ll always use a Speer hot core or a plain Jane super x, and I prefer a roundnose. Always a flat base. Elk, it’s just dependent on what caliber if I choose a bonded, cup n core or a solid copper. Big bear, premium.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Contentricity, BC, Quality. Thats the difference between a interlock and a berger hybrid. Berger are some of the most concentric bullets out there and most consistent in length.

If you're shooting game to a couple hundred yards then it's not going to make a difference.

 

[simplepeddler]

Interesting conversation! I would say, with all the current technology, as compared to MY grand father, (I am NOW a grand father) that everything in a hunting situation still comes down to shot placement. Current rifles and loads do indeed have more consistency and capabilities from tighter tolerances and such. But has the “rifleman” become better? No bullet can overcome a bad shot placement. And most of what I see as “facts” in these debates are anecdotal at best with regards to animals taken.

Bench situations are a different story.

 

[KenLee]

"No bullet can overcome a bad shot placement"

Depends on the situation and animal.
I've made/seen some awful shots on whitetail with the 300wsm rifles I've been using alot and loaning out the last 4 seasons.
150 gr NBT will leave em DRT or very close with some really bad shots. Deer that would have ran hundreds of yards if shot with many type bullets.

 

[simplepeddler]

Yea, 30 caliber and 150 grains may indeed overcome a bad shot!!! I guess a cannon would too!. LOL

 

[KenLee]

Yea, 30 caliber and 150 grains may indeed overcome a bad shot!!! I guess a cannon would too!. LOL

Only things I inherited from my Mama was "essential tremors" and a smart mouth. I find help for the shakes, but the other still causes trouble

 

[Jon C]

I am leaning more towards penetration , there can’t really be much difference between the old cup core bonded and the new hype

Ok what’s the difference between say a .270 140gr interlock @ 3070fps @ $27 per box and Berger hybrid same spec @ $48 or ELD-X @ $47 ?
the S.D = the same , B.C is a little bit different on the three

I get it with a accubond , partisions , ttsx , A frame

but the rest just seems like a marketing strategy.

my grandfather shot piles of stuff from elk to whitetails with Winchester super X and silver tip and I can’t remember ever hearing a bullet debate growing up like now days, what am I not understanding?

close range I’m taking a interlock or power point over an eldx. Shot a buck at 40 yds this year with a 300wsm and 200 gr eldx. Huge entrance hole exit looked like a pinhole. Very effective but not sure how it would have been if I hit it to far back. Cup and core are pretty predictable as long as you aernt shooting a lite bullet out of a big magnum. Partitions are my favorite though in my 7 mag and gonna reload them in my 300 wsm. I’ll keep the eldx for hunting where ranges are gonna be a bit more. My non magnums will shoot interlocks or power points.

 

[Pharmseller]

I think where you hit them matters more than what you hit them with.





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[JGRaider]

I think where you hit them matters more than what you hit them with.
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Couldn't agree more. Shot about a dozen feral hogs, roughly 150 pounders with my 7mag and 168 VLDH running 2900 at the muzzle, through the shoulder. Impacts at roughly 100 yards. The majority of them ran off without much of a blood trail at all, and had I not seen where they went (into plum thickets) I'd have never found them. Also shot a mature whitetail doe (see pic below) at about 120 yards BEHIND the shoulder. I know lots of guys have great luck with them, but you guys can have 'em. Not my idea of good bullet performance.

 

[Pharmseller]

N of one, so not significant, but my experience with the VLD-H was similar. Smallish mulie buck took 3 140 VLD tight behind the shoulder from my nephew’s 7mm-08, 275 yards or so. I was watching through the spotter so hits were obvious. That was the last time I loaded Bergers.





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[prm]

I always find myself debating the merits of the bullet choices I have. While the Berger VLD and Scenar have certainly worked, they seem to vary more than I was used too. Again, end result is the same, but a fat mono hitting at higher speeds is very effective and boringly consistent. If I were shooting longer distances that may be different.