http://texaspredatorposse.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=14393

"It did not take long for me to realize that Berger was right on the money with its claim. With impact velocities ranging from nearly 2800 fps to a low of just over 1800 fps, the bullets would penetrate anywhere from 3.5 to 5.75 inches before initiating rather violent expansion. Higher attendant velocities had the bullets opening quicker and reaching maximum wound channel volume sooner. But the lower velocity loads behaved similarly, the primary difference being they opened somewhat slower and penetrated a bit more before the maximum wound channel cavity was reached."

Sounds like that one suits you just fine. Great bullet for varmints.

Chuck Hawks:

"A good bullet for medium size game should expand quickly and create a wide wound channel that destroys the maximum amount of tissue on its way through the animal's lungs. Ideally, a bullet should retain some of its core to aid penetration. However, a bullet that penetrates to the vitals and then fragments and scatters bits of lead and jacket material all through the animals heart/lung area will kill quicker than one which creates a long, narrow wound channel through the lungs and exits the far side. For light framed animals under 350 pounds, a quick expanding bullet that dumps the maximum amount of energy into a vital area gives the quickest kills."

as long as said bullet will hold up to a big rib on a 220# buck at close range....

I had a NBT blow into a thousand pieces on a rib entering a 160# buck. Had fragments in the outside side of left lung, NO penetration at all. Hole was prolly 4" across on hide.

troy

Probably a "Varmint" BT?

270Win, 130gr, not usually a varmint bullet.....

I killed a LOT of does, a few bucks, with those bullets. I always do a full examination of terminal bullet performance and noticed inconsistant performance. Then I shot a 700# bull elk, got a blowup and two passthrus
Then the blowup on the buck mentioned.

I went back to 130gr Nosler Partitions. My records indicate that the NP don't drop a deer as fast as other bullets, on average. But, big but, have never had a bullet failure with a NP, or lost a deer hot properly from any angle/distance.

I can't say that for any of the "soft" bullets I've tried over the years on 200+ deer kills.

If I did all my shooting on does out of shooting houses over greenfields....then a "soft" bullet would prolly be my choice.

But I don't, so it ain't....

troy

I have never tried the Berger bullets, just know what I read on them. They seem to be very accurate, but very lightly constructed. Not what I look for when I want to kill anything bigger than a groundhog. I may buy a box just for Shuter. I will load them for my 7mag and go squirrel hunting, or maybe shoot some crows.


What do you expect everyone to say Shuter? Is everybody supposed to believe that a bullet that acts like a grenade is the best option for deer hunting? I tried to see it from your point of view, but I couldn't get my head that far up my A$$.

kendall

I think they no longer make the "Varmint" BT in .270 caliber, but I'm pretty sure I bought some back when they, Nosler, first started making the BT.

Interesting to talk to others who actually take notes of terminal performance like you & I have.

Those, like Kendall, who actually have no personal experience with some "soft" bullets spread a lot of misinformation of which they know little about. We'd probably all be surprised how much an "opinion" becomes "fact" through unsubstantiated rumors.

The quickest and most immediate kill I have made in the past few years was with a custom 62 grain .243/6MM target bullet pushed at 3250fps (muzzle)by a 6PPC cartridge. This bullet was made with a J-4 jacket, flat base w/pressure ring and Niemi Dies.

Anyway, it entered at the high-mid lung section just behind the shoulder and centered a rib perfectly on impact.

The shrapnel, for lack of a better word, scattered lead and jacket starting immediately after the centered rib entrance and continued to the opposite side inside ribcage. The wound channel created was 6"-7" at the opposing end of travel. There were about 4 small bloody places where shrapnel hit the opposing tissue on inside ribcage but did not penetrate at all.
The deer was a relatively small bodied buck about 160 lbs., but he went immediately down with his legs underneath him with no observable kicks or quivering from where I was, about 150-160 (unmeasured) yards away. Small light calibers generally allow the observation of the impact and ensuing results of the shot.

I had one of those same bullets enter directly between two ribs on another deer with much less volatility. In fact, one sliver of lead exited in a tiny hole, but the wound channel was not nearly as wide, 3"-4" inches at the opposite ribcage. He bowed up & stumbled for about 30 yards after the hit.

I have not had any detriminal, long looks for deer, inconsistencies with the Nosler BT, but am guessing that hitting bone on entrance lends to the differences in terminal performance. I would think the shoulder bone would cause a huge difference.

My worst nightmares ever were caused by Core-Lokts at longer ranges. Even though they got full lung penetration & exits, some ran 200-300 yards and took up a lot of time finding them.

I'm shooting 190's and 210's out of my 30 cals with great results. I'm shooting 190's out of my .308 which is not done a lot, but I'm holding .5 moa to 300 yrds. For hunting this is about as far as I take it, much over that I go for the 300 even though the 308 is more than enough for what I am doing. I will be trying some SGK soon to get a little higher MV and range with the reduction in weight of the projectile.

i have just ordered some 87 grain vlds for my 6mm remington from midway. i can't get the groups i want from the other stuff so i'm gonna try these. i'll let you know how they work when i shoot some groups and i hope to try them on some north bama deer this year. i shot a deer with a 7mm mag loaded with 140 grain vlds a few years ago. the bullet turned the vitals to mush and didn't exit. it was probably a 75 yd shot. deer didn't go far. i switched to the gamekings though cause i like an exit hole.

Never had it work out for me like that. Seems like the lighter the bullet the higher the MV, but it ultimately results in more drop & less range. Have to find that balance.

This is true, I am just on the far end of the spectrum. I am just going to 500 and with the big boys (190's) I have a reduced powder charge due to seating depth. I am only getting around 2050 MV so I drop off pretty quick.

150-168 grain should work?

show me where I posted any misinformation Shuter. The bullets have killed quickly, they have also exploded on impact and caused lost animals.

here is a hard truth for you, everyone is not going to agree with you everytime. You may as well get used to it.

kendall

I will be trying the 168's next time we load up a batch.

Also keep in mind that the make a Hunting projectile and a match projectile...

To add to the confusion, my brother's son in law shot two South Carolina does with one shot friday at 75 yards using a 180 grain VLD in a 7 mm mag 2700 FPS, so it obviously did not blow up on the first deer.

Although 180 grain in 7mm for deer does not make much sense in my mind, but each to his own I guess.

180 grain in a 7mm is all about the BC. It is for long range shooters mostly, although it packs a punch as far as energy goes. The VLD hunting bullets are jacketed different based off of all the lit. Brian Litz the Pres. of Berger puts out. Often the heavies for these long range calibers do not go to sleep or do their best grouping at 100 yards. A friend of mine's rifle starts to shine at 600 yards and beyond with the VLD's. My 308 really shines at 300 with the VLD's.