Help me understand hunting with Berger bullets!

[TheCoyote]

The hunting bullets punch pencil holes in game and the target bullets punch massive holes?

My 7prc shoots 180 Hybrid targets really well and my friend swears by them. But I’m hesitant to hunt with a “target” bullet.

I started searching around the forums and reviews are all over the place. I’m so confused.

Anyone hunt with 180 Hybrid Targets?
What am I to believe here? I don’t really feel like taking a chance on a trophy.

 

[Jlowry809]

I shot my first elk with bergers 140g elite hunters with my 6.5 prc. 500 yrds shot. It went through the right shoulder blade, through the lungs, and lodged in the left shoulder blade causing it to fracture but not go through. Didn’t have a ton of meat damage but the lungs were absolutely destroyed. Elk ran 40 yards and dropped.


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[DanMan]

Berger bullets = dead meat.
I've shot many animals with Berger bullets, great and small. Never had a pencil through. Sometimes there can be extensive meat damage though.

 

[TheCoyote]

https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/berger-hybrid-target-bullets.367987/

Just found this thread

 

[waspocrew]

You’ll be just fine with the 180 hybrid.

 

[TheCoyote]

ok so if I understand correctly the target bullet has a thin jacket and explodes; not great for quarrying or frontals, damages lots of meat?

The hunting bullet has a thicker jacket that sometimes doesn’t expand and/or does something erratic after impact?

What am I missing?

 

[TheCoyote]

You’ll be just fine with the 180 hybrid.

Glad to hear it shoots fantastic!

 

[TheCoyote]

Berger bullets = dead meat.
I've shot many animals with Berger bullets, great and small. Never had a pencil through. Sometimes there can be extensive meat damage though.

Berger targets or hunters?

 

[DanMan]

VLD Hunters and Elite Hunters

 

[Jlowry809]

ok so if I understand correctly the target bullet has a thin jacket and explodes; not great for quarrying or frontals, damages lots of meat?

The hunting bullet has a thicker jacket that sometimes doesn’t expand and/or does something erratic after impact?

What am I missing?

It’s not like hitting steel explode. It still penetrates a couple inches and then it will have a pretty rapid opening and dump energy. Yes they are thinner and will open easier than a heavy jacketed bullet but that makes them effective at longer distances because it takes less impact velocity for them to properly function.

Yes hunting with target/match bullets will cause more meat damage than traditional hunting bullets or mono metals but they kill faster because they cause more damage. That means you’re more likely to recover the animal.


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[wapitibob]

I use 195 EOL's out of a 7stw and will use 180 hybrids out of the 7PRC when I put that together. I have no concerns. The people I converse with that use Bergers for hunting believe the 180 hybrid is the best 7mm Berger you can use.

This is the exit side, no meat loss.

.

 

[ckleeves]

ok so if I understand correctly the target bullet has a thin jacket and explodes; not great for quarrying or frontals, damages lots of meat?

The hunting bullet has a thicker jacket that sometimes doesn’t expand and/or does something erratic after impact?

What am I missing?

Other way around, the target bullets have a thicker jacket.

They both kill critters very dead.

 

[Bubblehide]

Either will kill if shot placement is good. The Burgers really shine at long distance as they open up at fairly low velocity. Additionally, the longer your shot, the more exponential a poorly placed shot will be. Burgers simply do much more damage, which at long range, means not only more killed animals, but more recovered animals.

 

[eric1115]

As stated, the target bullets a have a thicker jacket. I have used the 180 hybrids in 7mmRM on game and been very pleased with the performance on elk and deer. I think it's one of the best all around 7mm bullets there is.

 

[khuber84]

Ensure the tips are clean down to the lead with wire drill bit. The 140, 180, and 215 hybrid kill very well, several personal experiences. I've witness several animals taken with 195s, those have had the most inconsistent results. But those guys didn't check tips either, just load and shoot. I took quite a few deer sized animals with the 108 elite hunter, the woman killed 5 with 140 elite, and those all did very well, seemed to have slightly less expansion than typical hybrid performance I've observed.

 

[TheCoyote]

Sounds like everyone agrees that the 18ogn. Hybrid Target is a good hunting bullet, especially if your gun shoots them well.

 

[TheCoyote]

Ensure the tips are clean down to the lead with wire drill bit. The 140, 180, and 215 hybrid kill very well, several personal experiences. I've witness several animals taken with 195s, those have had the most inconsistent results. But those guys didn't check tips either, just load and shoot. I took quite a few deer sized animals with the 108 elite hunter, the woman killed 5 with 140 elite, and those all did very well, seemed to have slightly less expansion than typical hybrid performance I've observed.

Dumb question here, but how do you check the tips?

 

[wapitibob]

Dumb question here, but how do you check the tips?

Look at them. The jacket is drawn around the core, culminating at the tip, and leaving a small hollow point.

 

[TheCoyote]

Oh ok. Yeah, I thought it was more scientific than that. Yeah mine are open. I can push a thin wire in there maybe 1/4” before it taps the core.