Bergers for Hunting or Not?

[FOTIS]

I'm not trying to argue for , or against Berger bullets . I don't know how they are supposed to work either . I did a bunch of looking on Bergers site , and found no theory on how they open . I did jug test a couple , and posted the results in the bullet test section . if the bullet gets the tip smashed , would the jacket open and form back nice and even ? the 300gr 338 bullet I posted looks like any other soft point bullet . interesting to me , I never gave it much thought how they work , just assumed like other hollow points . the other bullet I posted is a 7mm 140 gr .the jacket looks like a normal soft point bullet . it's a very frangible bullet , as seen in the water jug test , and also on some of the groundhogs I've taken with it .

Berger 300 grain Hybrid OTM tactical

this was shot at 20 yards , from my 338 Lapua . I haven't ran these through my chrony , so this is a quickload velocity of 2840 FPS . I'm going to give inches of penetration , instead of how many jugs . my jugs were different sizes , and I also used a few cardboard boxes, with plastic bags...

forum.nosler.com

7mm , Berger 140 hunting VLD

I shot one of these at 20 yards . there isn't much left to look at . I shot this from my rem 7mm-08 the muzzle velocity is roughly 3100 FPS . all these pieces weigh 42.0 grains I then shot one at 100 yards , it weighed in at 47.6 grains . all I could see was jugs flying . LOL it...

forum.nosler.com

this is the reason I no longer use Barnes bullets . 3 Kills , 3 harvests , along with 3 slow deaths , 2 tracking jobs , with one being a long tracking job . after this recovery , I got away from them .seeing is believing .

Barnes 160 TSX

guys I recovered this bullet from a whitetail I shot with my 7 rem mag . 160 TSX at about 50 yards . 3100muzzle velocity . it now weighs 138 grains . I had doubt about these bullets from a few other animals I shot . after recovering this bullet I quit using them . I'm just not sold on mono...

forum.nosler.com

there's a lot of bullets being marketed . all a hunter can do is buy a box and try them . if they work the way you want great . if not try something else .

I'll say it again , the Partition is a safe bet for hunting mice to moose . it's not the high BC , it's not a sexy plastic tip , it's not coated , it's not bonded , it's not a long slick VLD style . it is an old school consistent killer , that is always the chosen bullet , to judge other bullets against .

Try Hammer bullets..... That is all I will say on the monometal matter.

 

[jimbires]

Never used one hunting. Shot a few on paper over the years.

Why does it matter if the tip is cleaned out on a Berger? Doesn’t the nose just collapse on impact? Sorry for the question. I was wondering when a few said make sure the tip is cleaned out. I always thought they initiated expansion from the tip getting smashed and the bullet coming unglued from there.

some of the hollow points are plugged up with something . I "THINK" it could be polishing media ? some of these holes are filled solid with the junk . others are plugged a little at the front then break through to the hollow cavity . some are partially filled in the cavity , with an open hole out front . yes , some are perfect too . I bought a set of micro drills from Amazon to clean out the holes . I bought a econo cheapie set . some of these bullets are packed so tight I can't drill some of them . I'm not sure if a better set of drills would drill the junk out , or if the junk is abrasive , and dulling the cheap drill bits . the plugged ones , I try to clean out . if it turns into a fight I put them in a "NO HUNTING" box , and shoot them at targets . I "ONLY" hunt with bullets I have cleaned the tips on .

https://www.amazon.com/Carburetor-Numbered-Jewelers-Mini-Pin-Plastic/dp/B0FKN8X949/ref=sr_1_33?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.iUgMp5JMlOzDJlBbPIyYy20puzYgy21NvBEinRmcr76oNt4eVlNkDx6IvrXsURFGNo5aQhbIevOUnkLcfrzSRPHr02XPnCHq5k8hbZ3aIkG

I bought a meplat trimmer tool from Kevin Cram / Montour county rifles , for the 338 bullets . I messed like this for a while , but didn't see enough advantage at long range to warrant the messing around . trimming also lowered the bullets BC some , and required more elevation to be dialed . I did jug test a few after trimming , they seemed to open faster , and a little less penetration . still had plenty of penetration for hunting . I forget these numbers , of expansion , and penetration on the trimmed bullets .

https://montourrifles.com/web-store/ols/products/ming-tool-complete-set

 

[jimbires]

Try Hammer bullets..... That is all I will say on the monometal matter.

IF or when , I try mono's again , it will be Hammers . the guys that use them seem to be more than happy with , the ease of load development , and on game performance .

 

[FOTIS]

IF or when , I try mono's again , it will be Hammers . the guys that use them seem to be more than happy with , the ease of load development , and on game performance .

Given a sound rifle/optics platform, and reasonable loads I have never walked away from the range without a load that impressed me on my first outing with same.