Does anyone have a good load for these in a 308? I have a friend that's wanting some loaded for his ruger m77 to try out and I can't find any load data online for them unless I buy a berger load manual which I really don't wanna do to just use probably one time.

When I can't find data for a specific bullet, I typically select a bullet of similar style and identical weight, and use the start data to work loads up. I can't ever think of a time where the exact charge, OAL, etc in the manual gave me what I was looking for. I just use it as a reference point of where to start powder loads, and work up being mindful of pressure signs.

Here's my load first target is 100 yards second is 300 yards. Fed LG rifle primers, Federal Brass, 43.5 Grains of Varget.

That's some fine shooting. Varget is always my go to in the 308. Any idea on your velocity?

Varget is great stuff those short case rounds like 7mm-08 308 and 243 it's hard to beat. If your are hunting with the vld's at close range you may not find any blood had a friend to load a bunch for a 270 and he lost several deer never found blood and we walked circles from where he seen them last and never found them went back next weekend and the buzzards and coyotes had a feast. His farthest one was at 75 yards and no blood.

I have never had a Berger VLD NOT go threw a deer. BUT I shoot 180s, 210s, and 300 grs bullets out of 7mms, 300 WSMs, and 338 Lapuas !

My problem with Berger is on a 150lb deer unless I hit some bone I get a .30 hole. Both sides. I guess that can be debated good or bad.

This is what I use in .308 and 06. Read the reviews:

Bullets

41.7gr varget with 168 berger VLD was my best load, 22" light contour barrel. Email Berger and they'll reply with load data, max powder, etc. max charge is less using a VLD bullet compared with more traditional bullet designs.

I've shot from 100lb antelope (all over 300 yards) to a 600+lb bull elk (less than 200 yards) with that .308WIN load. Whitetails & one mulie buck too, all under 200 yards. All but the elk had passthroughs. The elk had the VLD copper base only stuck on the offside hide, basically no weight retained and shredded the chest cavity. A few inches from there was a 300WSM Accubond mushroomed with near 100% weight retention, also stuck in offside hide. Me & my hunting partner shot at the same time.
Never checked velocity.

I've shot three deer with Berger VLD in .308 / 168 grains. A buck at 260 yards went bang/ flop. A doe at 140 yards, same thing. However, the third deer was a 200+ pound 10 point buck shot perfectly at 30 yards. The bullet basically exploded on his shoulder. He ran about 100 yards and laid down, leaving a puddle of blood the size of a dinner plate. When I approached him, he got up and ran off. As nightfall was rapidly approaching, I backed out and came back in the morning with 3 buddies. We found two more dinner plate size pools of blood, but after tracking over a mile, we lost him in a deep water swamp. That was the last time I shot VLD's at a deer.

Would these bullets do better if the deer was shot right behind the shoulder instead of in the shoulder. In my opinion it's hard to beat an accubond and I tried to talk my buddy into them but I think he's seen one too many episodes of Long Range Hunting.

E-Tip is a GOOD killing bullet. Like a Barnes-X but better BC

Would these bullets do better if the deer was shot right behind the shoulder instead of in the shoulder. In my opinion it's hard to beat an accubond and I tried to talk my buddy into them but I think he's seen one too many episodes of Long Range Hunting. [/quote]

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Yes -if you shoot a deer right behind the shoulder with any bullet it will die rather quickly. You are right you need to take into account shots at very close range with a long range bullet. They are designed for long range after all.

I shoot Hornady A-Max bullets for long range in two rifles -a 280AI with 162 a-max and a 308 shooting a 208gr a-max no deer no matter if it's a 400lb. mule deer can survive a thin jacket bullet through the lungs heart .
You can shoot a big varmint bullet as long as it's not a quartering/raking shot and drop deer where they stands and I mean right now.

A friend who is a retired hunting guide leased about 50,000 acres near Del Rio ,Tx. from the early 80's up until around 2002ish .
To keep the deer herd in balance he/we shot many Does off the property -I went only twice and shot 15-20 each time . I had never heard of Barnes -premium bullets or any of that at that time -but the best killing bullet was a soft point or a varmint bullet for true bang-flop type kills.
They thought my 25-06 with an 87gr. varmint bullet -a Sierra of some type -don't remember for sure was a magic gun , -no magic to it . The magic was a 16x leupold scope with a rock solid zero -rock solid rest and a decent understanding of windage and bullet drop.
As people always say on these forums -it's not what you hit them with it's where you hit them -and they are right .
Berger bullets are the real mcCoy they work as advertised and it's real simple -put one where it counts and you have a dead deer/elk/bear etc..
These are used at long range because of the BC they retain far more energy than a common bullet like a core-lok etc. and have a thin jacket that opens fast and hard on impact.
A 308 168 VLD hunting bullet will hammer any deer -at close range don't aim for bone -at long range I would take a bullet of this design over the vast majority of bullets . The trauma this bullet will cause with a less than perfect shot will give you a far higher percentage chance of killing a deer than a xyz bullet.
Go big 185-190 --even 210gr. in the 308 -don't let the 2600fps velocity make you think it's too slow. 210gr. vld then aim right at the shoulder ,I wouldn't think twice about shooting a big hog or deer with a 208 amax or 210 vld.

I cant comment on the 168 but I have been shooting the 155VLD out of my 308 for the last three years and have nothing but praise for them on shots from fifty to three hundred yards. Have not had the 30 in 30 out on any deer I have shot. Running them on top of 43.5 grains of Varget twenty thousandths off the lands at 2770 fps.