Match bullets

[44hunter45]

I wrote a TLDR again.



Scraped that. Here's the summary bullet selection catechism.:

What are you trying to kill with this rifle? (Elk tough, deer not so tough)
How fast is your bullet at muzzle, 100yds, 200yds, 300yrds,etc. (speed kills bullets as well as animals)
How far can you honestly accurately shoot in the field? (Do you really need a ULD 1000 yard laser bullet? A fat round nose might be what you need. )
Forget Miller's equation and go shoot it, the bullet will stabilize or it won't.

Enjoy the project, Go shoot it. Make adjustments, Have fun doing it.

 

[mtmuley]

Are exit holes needed to kill an animal? Did you find the buck?

It's OK if hunters don't like Bergers. mtmuley

 

[cahunter805]

It's OK if hunters don't like Bergers. mtmuley

It’s 100% ok. Just asking a question. I like Bergers as well as other bullets.

 

[brockel]

Killed quite a few animals with 6.5 140 Berger’s. You will be fine. I would look at the 156 grain Berger too

 

[std7mag]

For anyone wanting to try a Berger for hunting I recommend using the heaviest for caliber bullet your twist rate will allow.

While i could have shot the 168gr VLD, i chose to shoot the 140gr VLD.
7mm-08AI with 22" barrel.
I'm a firm believer of matching bullet weight to cartridge & barrel length.

I'm building a range rifle in 7mm-08AI, with a 30" heavy barrel.
I'll have enough velocity with the long barrel that i'm planning on the 160gr Sierra TMK, and 168gr VLD.

 

[choc dogs]

Are exit holes needed to kill an animal? Did you find the buck?

Exit holes aren't a requirement, and yes, we found the buck, on the other hand, in my opinion, a rib shouldn't disassemble a bullet, at a moderate range, at a moderate velocity. I'll choose other bullets for game. Wanted to try the Berger hunters, tried them, moved on.

 

[Don Fischer]

Something pretty basic about bullet's. No matter what bullet you use, hit the animal in the brain and it will likely die. Hit the same animal in the chest with a match bullet and it certainly may die. Or the tip could close up turning the bullet into a bent FMJ and shoot through without killing or the tip could bend and penetrate destroying something important and kill or the bullet might go through, open a bit more than desired and turn the inside's to mush but kill the animal. I'm not an engineer and don't try to second guess real engineer's that do design bullet's. If they say it's a match bullet, I figure it's a bullet designed for shooting match's. In one of my 243's i do shoot 70gr match bullet's, varmints and predator's only though.

 

[sbhooper]

If you are hunting elk, I would use the tougher "hunting" bullets. Deer, however, are no big deal. The 147 ELDM, 130 ELDM and Amax work very well in my Creeds and .260s. The problem that you have with the prc, is that the velocity is higher for one thing, so you need a bit better durability sometimes. As far as the "target" designation, don't let that keep you from shooting deer/antelope with them. Besides the ELDMs, the Amax has always been a good performer as well as the Scenars.

One exception to the "target" bullet thing, is the new A-tip. Those things are like shooting solids. We shot some into my big sand pile with the idea of digging them out. We never found a single one. I have no idea how far they penetrated into the sand, shot from 530 yards. Sand generally stops bullets in a couple feet or less.

 

[ImBillT]

Exit holes aren't a requirement, and yes, we found the buck, on the other hand, in my opinion, a rib shouldn't disassemble a bullet, at a moderate range, at a moderate velocity. I'll choose other bullets for game. Wanted to try the Berger hunters, tried them, moved on.

I’d bet the wreckage would have been similar without hitting a rib. Bergers disassemble themselves, no rib required.

 

[ImBillT]

Walt actually did use his VLD for hunting before he sold/passed.
One of his better known friends (i can't remember his name off the bat) brought up to him that it had better terminal performance, and accuracy, than anything out there.
Walt didn't take his word for it& joined him on a couple of hunts.
Hence the original VLD became their hunting bullet.
Having used them, i'll attest to their terminal performance being spectacular!
They do exactly as advertised!

But on that same note, pretty much everybody makes a bullet that will work for you.
I'm particularly fond of the Ballistic Tip, Accubond Long Range, and Cutting Edge bullets.

Walt sold the company to J-4 a long time before he passed. I’m pretty sure they were working on the “VLD-Thick” during the J-4 era, and that came before they started recommending the original VLDs on game.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

OP, I’d look at 156 Bergers, 151 atip, 140 extreme hunters, and 125 cutting edge lazer.

 

[Doublecluck]

My experience with Berger comes from years of reloading, shooting, and in the field use. Nearly every animal on every wall in my house or every photo on my computer was shot with a Berger. Most with 168 vlds in .30 or .284 variations, many of my kids in 140 Gr .284 or 6.5 variations. I also reload for quite a few friends and family most of which is also Berger’s. One shot kills that absolutely drop animals where they are standing has been the norm. As stated above they also have the ability to anchor animals on less than perfect shots, I’ve witnessed this enough times to know it’s not a fluke. The 140’s and 156’s if you can spin them are great options.

That said, there are lots of other great bullets out there built for other purposes, if you want a bullet that will drill thru the rib cage of a elephant, than solid copper or a partition might be the way to go. I use Berger’s because I know they will perform at 100 or 1000, and I don’t like “looking” for my animal, I want it to die right where it was standing. That’s the experience I’ve had, I don’t knock anyone else who does or uses different. And Berger’s are not the only bullet I’ve used. Just what I prefer.

 

[HandgunHunter]

The old amax and the Eldm kill animals like deer just fine.

 

[mrjashu]

My personal rule is I would only use a match bullet that has a plastic tip to help initiate expansion. As long as it expands they're pretty similar to the standard cup and core hunting bullets that have been used forever. For more pentatration on tougher game (ie elk) go with a tougher bullet.

 

[Brian in Montana]

I for one like exit wounds, and minimal meat damage and shrapnel. Therefore I use bonded core hunting bullets and avoid match and rapid expansion bullets. Match bullets will kill stuff, but that's not what they're designed for. I have a friend who hunts with match grade bullets because they group the best in his 300 WM, he has been successful over the years, but he's showed me some pics of explosive results where the bullet fragmented and blew apart a significant part to the animal that he otherwise would have eaten. There's a balance to strike between kinetic energy causing rapid organ failure and a hand grenade going off. I'm really not interested in the hand grenade effect when there are hardier bullet designs that I can get to shoot accurately.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

Another 139 scenar victim hit the ground last night. One double lunged bear, he ran about 15 yds curled up and died. 0.264" entry, half dollar exit, works for me.

 

[MThuntr]

Another 139 scenar victim hit the ground last night. One double lunged bear, he ran about 15 yds curled up and died. 0.264" entry, half dollar exit, works for me.

Pics or it didn't happen

 

[OhHeyThereBen]

I honestly have a hard time believing that you can't find 6.5 bullets. Every time I go to Scheels I swear they take up half of the shelf.

I have had great luck getting all of the Hornadys to shoot but they don't do as great in my Creedmoor for meat damage as I'd like so I'm switching. I've shot quite a few whitetails with them and every one had a large entry and exit. The Accubonds do shoot great so they may be worth you checking out, although it appears that you don't want to spend that kind of money.

 

[6mm Remington]

120 gr. Nosler E-tip. B.C. - .497. Nosler book using 6.5-06 which is close to same capacity as the 6.5 PRC getting almost 3300 fps out of a 120 gr. E-tip. That thing would be a killing laser that would hold together on 25 yard shots and still expand nicely at 500 yards. I'd trust it to do a great job on something even as tough as an elk.

125 gr. Nosler Partition. B.C. - .449. Nothing wrong with using a Partition, NOTHING!

130 gr. Nosler Accubond B.C. - .488 This would be a sweetheart in the 6.5 PRC. I sure like my Accubonds. Man those things shoot well, penetrate, and hold together.

140 gr. Nosler Accubond. B.C. - .509. Same as above!

140 gr. Nosler Partition B.C. - .490. Back to the darn old Partition. Can't go wrong picking one of these!

 

[6mm Remington]

I ordered the Berger elite hunters 140 grn and some Lapua scenar 139 grn. I will test them out before using them on any critters.

These were shot into water jugs using a 6mm Remington. All were recovered in the 5th water jugs, almost making it out and into number 6. That's 30" of penetration!




Here's how they look all set up before shooting them. No this is not shooting them into game but I have seen how each of these perform on game and it is impressive.


6mm Remington 90 gr. Nosler Accubonds shot into water jugs at 25 yards. 3250 fps muzzle velocity - now this is a brutal test. Look how nice they mushroom and hold together. Recovered in the 5th jug.