Right now I'm shooting Barnes TTSX 150 gr bullets, but started working up a load with the Berger Classic Hunter 150gr. I was wondering what the hunting performance is with the Berger. Hammers are also on the radar mainly because you can buy a sample pack to check them out. I've hunted with Barnes since 2013 and have been happy with the results, but since I've started reloading I have this weird urge to tinker with my setup.
Barnes vs Berger after the shot performance.
- Thread starter Huntkook
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DamascusSteel
Active member
I have killed a few deer with bergers and it was quite devastating. If you go that route I don't recommend shoulder shots up close. I haven't used barnes yet but I do have some loaded up to try.
Those two projectiles are polar opposites in terminal performance. Barnes gives up hydrostatic shock in exchange for excellent penetration. Berger gives up penetration for excellent initial hydrostatic shock.
I’d much rather have confidence that my projectile will penetrate and reach whatever vitals I was aiming for. If I have to track it 100 yards then that’s fine. Therefore I would pick Barnes over Berger.
I’ve shot several deer with Bergers. All were shot in the ribs except one in the shoulder. All went straight down and were thoroughly blown up. I’ve never had a Berger exit. It’s just not what I’m looking for in a projectile.
Also shot several deer and some elk with Barnes. All died within 100 yards.
I think you’d be better off sticking with the Barnes. If you want them to fall over where they stand then shoot them in the high shoulder.
Or just shoot Hammers and get the penetration of a Barnes with much more hydrostatic shock. I switched to them a few years ago and it’s all I hunt with now.
I’d much rather have confidence that my projectile will penetrate and reach whatever vitals I was aiming for. If I have to track it 100 yards then that’s fine. Therefore I would pick Barnes over Berger.
I’ve shot several deer with Bergers. All were shot in the ribs except one in the shoulder. All went straight down and were thoroughly blown up. I’ve never had a Berger exit. It’s just not what I’m looking for in a projectile.
Also shot several deer and some elk with Barnes. All died within 100 yards.
I think you’d be better off sticking with the Barnes. If you want them to fall over where they stand then shoot them in the high shoulder.
Or just shoot Hammers and get the penetration of a Barnes with much more hydrostatic shock. I switched to them a few years ago and it’s all I hunt with now.
Addicting
Well-known member
Barnes is where I went and stayed. Great performance every time and you can eat almost up to the bullet hole.
Hammer was similar but just not as good of consistency on the animal. Some were great and the next seemed to pencil. Just couldn’t trust them, even though I wanted to badly.
Bergers are like throwing hand grenades inside the chest. Lots of bloodshot and massive tissue damage. Watched a 95g from a 243 that looked like a 5 gallon bucket of blood came out the far side.
Just my experience, you get it for what you paid for it.
Hammer was similar but just not as good of consistency on the animal. Some were great and the next seemed to pencil. Just couldn’t trust them, even though I wanted to badly.
Bergers are like throwing hand grenades inside the chest. Lots of bloodshot and massive tissue damage. Watched a 95g from a 243 that looked like a 5 gallon bucket of blood came out the far side.
Just my experience, you get it for what you paid for it.
bucdoego
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What rifle? What caliber? Have you considered the Barnes LRX?
Good luck. I love these bullet comparo-threads.
Good luck. I love these bullet comparo-threads.
ImBillT
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I was about to go down the solid copper rabbit hole after being consistently disappointed for years with Nosler and Sierra bullets. Then I ended up with an opportunity to shoot some meat on a high fence property at no charge to myself. The trouble was, the guy wanted me to show up a day early to prove to him that I could hit a deer at 100yds. Being annoyed I took my F-TR rifle loaded with Bergers(I would be shooting a deer under a feeder from a blind for crying out loud) just so that he would see why I was so irritated that I had to take an extra day off work to prove to him that I could hit something.
Almost every animal I’ve shot with a Berger after that “hunt” has been an INSTANT bang-flop! The two that weren’t were both gut shot, and frankly I think the Berger did them in far more effectively than a different bullet would have on a gut shot.
I’ve been so pleased with Bergers that I haven’t tried anything else since. I do choose heavy for caliber bullets, and I have no idea how they would perform if they were lighter. Considering that they do blow up, I like the idea of the extra SD and the extra mass. I’ve shot 130-156gr in 6.5, 180gr in 7mm and 180-190gr in 30cal.
Instant death. Don’t shoot the part you want to eat.
3 elk, a pronghorn, 10 mule deer, 2 whitetail does and a handful of hogs and I’ve been absolutely nothing but pleased.
Almost every animal I’ve shot with a Berger after that “hunt” has been an INSTANT bang-flop! The two that weren’t were both gut shot, and frankly I think the Berger did them in far more effectively than a different bullet would have on a gut shot.
I’ve been so pleased with Bergers that I haven’t tried anything else since. I do choose heavy for caliber bullets, and I have no idea how they would perform if they were lighter. Considering that they do blow up, I like the idea of the extra SD and the extra mass. I’ve shot 130-156gr in 6.5, 180gr in 7mm and 180-190gr in 30cal.
Instant death. Don’t shoot the part you want to eat.
3 elk, a pronghorn, 10 mule deer, 2 whitetail does and a handful of hogs and I’ve been absolutely nothing but pleased.
I rocked Berger’s for a year till my wife got pissed about all the shrapnel we pulled out of sausages and ground. It was a mess. I didn’t have an animal make it more than a step or two that year.
Moved onto Barnes and equally did not have an animal make it further than 20 yards or so, and not finding chunks of bullet fragment while eating is a plus.
Moved onto Barnes and equally did not have an animal make it further than 20 yards or so, and not finding chunks of bullet fragment while eating is a plus.
elkfanatic
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I'd stick with Barnes if your rifle likes em. I've got two 300 wm. One loves em, one hates em. The one that won't shoot em loves 220 Eld-x. They both kill effectively. Only difference I've seen is more bloodshot/fragments with cup and core bullets. I'm a meat hunter so if Barnes shoots well, that's what I use. If not then whatever I can get to shoot accurately.
Whitetail_kid
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I like Berger. Probably won’t get an exit if the shot is under 200 yards but you don’t need it. Massive trauma and most often the animal drops or goes down in sight. They do fragment but I’ve only found fragment in one piece of meat. If you stay off the shoulders you won’t have a problem. I am running an Accubond for the first time in my 7mm rem mag this year that I am curious to try, but I run a 140 Berger in my 6.5 PRC and working on a load with the bergers in a 6.5x284 as well.
ImBillT
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I’ve found shrapnel in two or three meals out of hundreds. That said, I process them myself, and steer clear of the wound. I can see how Bergers could lead to substantial issues with a commercial processor or even someone processing their own game but accustomed to processing animals shot with a bullet that doesn’t fragment as much. I still don’t consider it to be much meat loss, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t more potential for shrapnel with a Berger than say an Accubond or Scirocco.
Don’t consider my comments to be anti-Barnes or Hammer. Bullets kill by blood loss tissue destruction. Both the depth and the width of the kind channel contribute to both. There’s very little doubt that solid copper bullets penetrate well, and in general, better than, fragmenting cup and core bullets. In some ways that’s advantageous. The wide wound channel of a Berger is advantageous in some ways. I’ve found them to be VERY EFFECTIVE KILLERS. And I have not found the meat loss to be distasteful. Even on the shoulder(which I don’t do on purpose) they usually penetrate deep enough before fragmenting that meat loss is not extreme. That said, if a solid copper suits you, I’m not telling you not to use it.
Don’t consider my comments to be anti-Barnes or Hammer. Bullets kill by blood loss tissue destruction. Both the depth and the width of the kind channel contribute to both. There’s very little doubt that solid copper bullets penetrate well, and in general, better than, fragmenting cup and core bullets. In some ways that’s advantageous. The wide wound channel of a Berger is advantageous in some ways. I’ve found them to be VERY EFFECTIVE KILLERS. And I have not found the meat loss to be distasteful. Even on the shoulder(which I don’t do on purpose) they usually penetrate deep enough before fragmenting that meat loss is not extreme. That said, if a solid copper suits you, I’m not telling you not to use it.
I've had the same results with Bergers, whether VLDs or Hybrid Hunters, everything does straight down (7mm RM/168gr). Definitely had the same results as far as shrapnel, too. If you go behind the front quarter, and don't eat the heart or liver, you'd be fine. But you have to accept that not all shots land where you want 100% of the time, so I can understand the Monolithic or bonded bullet decision.
Bullets matter.
Wound channels are important as is depth of penetration and wind drift.
I’ve killed a truck load of game animals with Barnes bullets. Didn’t know any better at the time. No longer use them and couldn’t think of a single hunt or situation or circumstance I’d choose a Barnes or a monolithic bullet for anything. None.
Do your due diligence.
Wound channels are important as is depth of penetration and wind drift.
I’ve killed a truck load of game animals with Barnes bullets. Didn’t know any better at the time. No longer use them and couldn’t think of a single hunt or situation or circumstance I’d choose a Barnes or a monolithic bullet for anything. None.
Do your due diligence.
belshawelk
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VOLhunter
Well-known member
I love Berger bullets...for targets. Several years ago I shot a WT doe @ 100yds with a new box of Hornady SST, right behind the shoulder. The meat damage was unreal, so was the amount of lead and shrapnel throughout.. Most Bergers have a thinner jacket than the SST. Before that experiment I shot Rem Cor-Lots with little to no notice of metal in my steaks. I switched to Barnes and Accubonds after that. I bought a 7mm RM several years ago so I picked up some 175gr Partitions thinking I needed them for elk. No elk were seen but they have done great on WT since then, almost. Last year a shot a running buck quartering away. The Partition entered behind the onside ribs and traveled up to the neck, hit and buried in the spine. The lead fragments everywhere were the final straw. I now shoot only Barnes. Bought some E-tips to try and might look at Hammers one day but so far I'm happy with the velocity and accuracy from the TTSXs and LRXs.
I used Federal Power Shok years ago and didn't like the damage to the meat, so when I switched to Barnes I liked the fact that it didn't do near as much damage. I'll steer clear of the Berger, they shoot really well out of my rifle.
Aerosith
Well-known member
Yesterday I shot a pronghorn with my 308 @190yds with a Barnes 168 TTSX, it was a full passthrough and the heart was completely pulverized. I literally could not find the heart when I gutted him.
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Don Fischer
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Hey tinker with it. But Barnes has been making hunting bullet's a lot longer than Burger. Burger made a name for himself making target bullet's. You could not give me a box of Berger bullet's. Would you have a guy that builds go carts for a living build a fine car for you? I wouldn't!
You say you've been using Barnes since 2013 and have been happy with the results, don't fix what works!
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