.270 cal 140 gr.berger hunting vld
- Thread starter droptine
- Start date
I have loaded the 130 and 150 gr. berger vld in 270 Win. for my sons guns. They have hit and killed every elk they shot at over a 5 year period. I really like the Berger VLD. You won't find much bullet when cleaning the animal, but it will be dead. You may have to play with the bullet seating depth and find your guns sweet spot. I have had best luck in my guns at 20 thousands off the lands. They shoot very accurate and hammer game with massive energy upon arrival. Good luck
Slugz
Veteran member
Load ands shoot em. High end quality bullets like those will always work. As said, seating depth is key to personalize it for your rifle due to the longer overall (bullet) length.
I have not used them in 270 cal, but have used the 140gr VLD's in my 264 win mag. They have performed exactly as advertised. Fragments exit some of the time on a broadside shot on a whitetail or especially antelope. They definitely don't always exit but do a lot of internal damage and drop animals quickly. I have not and would personally use them on elk. I bet they'd do great on a broadside shot that didn't hit bone, but I'd worry about adequate penetration if anything went wrong. For what it's worth I have used the 140gr Accubond in the 270 win and taken an elk, it worked very well. I've also taken some deer at real tough angles and they still exited.
Bitterroot Bulls
Veteran member
I have killed several elk with VLD Hunting bullets of various calibers.
Regardless of caliber, the VLD-H performs very consistently. It penetrates about 2.5 inches and then explosively fragments. On broadside shots, this provides excellent performance as the "explosion" portion happens in the vitals. However, depending on the target and angle of impact, you could get some bloodshot meat though, if some of the explosive wound channel makes it to desirable meat.
Regardless of caliber, the VLD-H performs very consistently. It penetrates about 2.5 inches and then explosively fragments. On broadside shots, this provides excellent performance as the "explosion" portion happens in the vitals. However, depending on the target and angle of impact, you could get some bloodshot meat though, if some of the explosive wound channel makes it to desirable meat.
JimP
Administrator
I don't know if I would want to use a bullet the "fragments" on a animal the size of a elk. There are way too many places that you can hit a elk where I believe that he will get away wounded or leave you with a long tracking tail. Now for deer they might be alright. It doesn't take much to kill a deer, they don't have the muscle mass that a elk has nor the skin thickness of a elk.
There are a lot of better bullets out there for elk, and remember you don't need to shoot sub moa accuracy to kill a elk.
There are a lot of better bullets out there for elk, and remember you don't need to shoot sub moa accuracy to kill a elk.
The Berger VLD are very popular. I used to use them in my 338 Utra Mag and the did great but I only killed deer with it.
Just the sound of that cannon going off would probably be enough to scare a deer to death, nevermind the bullet.
Conrad8899
Active Member
I shoot the Berger 140 grain. Out of my 270wsm. H4831sc is my go to powder for my gun. Weather its 140 Berger or 140 Accubonds..
Bitterroot Bulls
Veteran member
Interesting. So only monolithic bullets for elk? What about other fragmenting-style bullets like Nosler Accubonds or Partitions?
The Bergers have been very successful for me and others I have hunted with. No lost game or long tracking trails that I have seen.
troybackman
Active Member
IMO I don't consider accubonds and partitions in the same class of fragmenting as a berger. I shoot them both but would shy away from shoulder shots with a berger on an elk. Not hating on Berger's just my opinion..
Umpqua Hunter
Veteran member
Is there a simple way to determine which of the Bergers have the "Hybrid" Ogive. My understanding is the VLDs have a secant ogive and are a bit more sensitive on seating depth. I believe the Berger "EOL Elite Hunter" has the hybrid ogive. Do the Berger "Classic Hunters" have the hybrid ogive as well? I believe they do:
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/846190/berger-classic-hunter-hybrid-hunting-bullets-270-caliber-277-diameter-130-grain-hollow-point-boat-tail-box-of-100
The reason I bring this up is that if the "Classic Hunter" is a hybrid ogive, it may be an easier to tune an accurate load for the 130 grain "Classic Hunter" in the .270
Here is a link from Berger discussing the advantages of the Hybrid ogive.
http://www.bergerbullets.com/berger-hybrid-bullets/
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/846190/berger-classic-hunter-hybrid-hunting-bullets-270-caliber-277-diameter-130-grain-hollow-point-boat-tail-box-of-100
The reason I bring this up is that if the "Classic Hunter" is a hybrid ogive, it may be an easier to tune an accurate load for the 130 grain "Classic Hunter" in the .270
Here is a link from Berger discussing the advantages of the Hybrid ogive.
http://www.bergerbullets.com/berger-hybrid-bullets/
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Bitterroot Bulls
Veteran member
Why not? I have recovered quite a few Accubonds from elk over the years and they generally hold about 30-40% of the original weight and fragment the rest. The Bergers do about the same. I like both of these bullets for elk. They generally lead to quick kills and short tracking jobs.
The difference I have seen is that Bergers generally penetrate a little further before expanding while the Accubonds start expanding immediately. I get more bloodshot on the entrance side with accubonds. More than once I have found that little white plastic tip in the entrance wound.
As far as shoulder shots go, I killed an elk a couple seasons ago at a little more than 300 yards. The Berger Classic Hunter punched a caliber-sized hole in the entrance side scapula before turning the vitals to soup and exiting the off side. It was impressive terminal performance.
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Bitterroot Bulls
Veteran member
troybackman
Active Member
BB, do you have any experience with close range shots on critters using vlds? I soley basing my stay away from shoulder theory on that I've seen them explode at high velocity short range shots and not exit on whitetails. Granted the deer didn't take a step though. Like I said I still shoot them and love them (especially long range). I will continue to use them too but my crosshairs will be behind the shoulder on an elk;-)
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JimP
Administrator
I have never shot a Berger bullet no do I care to but from reading what they have posted on their web site it appears that they are just a cup and core bullet such as a Speer Grand Slam, Sierra Gameking and others. I don't think that you can put them along side a Nosler Partition since that bullet has a partition between the front and rear of the bullet and will 99% of the time always retain the same amount of weight if everything else is shed from the tip to the partition.
I don't like the idea of a bullet fragmenting inside of a animal. While it may work quite fine on a properly hit animal there are times that doesn't happen and then you have a bullet fragmenting inside muscle tissue which will cause a long tracking job. But this isn't saying that if you shoot a monolithic such as a Barnes and have a bad shot you wouldn't get the same thing.
So if you are getting good performance and they work for you then by all means continue to use them I am not going to try and change your mind. But I enjoy a bullet that holds together and punches two holes into a animal, a entrance and a exit hole along with the hydro-static shock as the bullet goes through a animal is better in my opinion. And I know what they say about opinions.
I just believe that there are better bullets out there that do what I want a bullet to do.
Bitterroot Bulls
Veteran member
I shot a bull with a 185 VLD-H from a 300 Ultra at 80 yards. Similar performance. Tiny entrance and big exit. Dead elk. It wasn't a scapula shot though.
I have seen similar kills as well, but I wasn't the shooter.
Bitterroot Bulls
Veteran member
Lots of good bullets to choose from. I have killed elk with monolithic x bullets as well, and find them suitable as well. (although I have had them fragment too).
All I want a bullet to do is hit where I aim and kill the elk quickly. Berger bullets are good at that.