VLD
- Thread starter stagpanther
- Start date
reynolds357
New member
I like Berger. I shoot them in my 1k match rifle. Their hunting bullets are wicked at killing game. I quit using them because they destroy way too much meat. I now shoot what I eat with Barnes or GMX.
reynolds357
New member
They have been Scarry accurate ever since they arrived on the scene. I don't like the hybrids as well as the orig design.
For me it's price and availability not unlike Varget . It's as simple as I don't want to like them because It would force me to buy them . Most Berger bullets I'd buy are $.50+ each locally and that's just to much for me . I'd likely treat those like factory ammo and never shoot them because of the cost . Same with Varget , I've never tried it because it's hard to get and cost more then most everything else I use . The funny thing about that is I just bought a pound of it ( $41 ) for the first time last week lol and still don't want to try it .
Probably because their stuff shoots Sierra's bullets more accurate.
Given the best bore and chamber dimensions for either one for a given cartridge, they're probably equal accuracy wise.
reynolds357
New member
My 1k stuff definitely does not.
I have only tried a couple of Berger bullets. Back when I first shot FT/R I used the 155.5' Bergers, they shot much better than I could take advantage of. The Berger 80's which shoot for me about the same as 80 SMK's but not as well as 77 SMKs.
I am going to give my new project rifle a go with 6mm 105 Hybrids this week. We will see how it works out. I found some for about the same price as 107 SMK's
I am going to give my new project rifle a go with 6mm 105 Hybrids this week. We will see how it works out. I found some for about the same price as 107 SMK's
I believe it was found not long ago that the use of Doppler radar to read ballistics advanced bullet design to a point ware. In the last five years or so we have learned more than we have in the last 70 years. The Hornady's are up there and they are a hole lot cheaper. Since I like to shoot. The more the better. My rifles with me behind them work well together. 
I know i didn't use Bergers for a long time, thinking they were priced too high.
When i compared them to 2 boxes of Ballistic Tips (50 per box) i reallized they were actually no more expensive.
Pay almost the same for the ABLR also.
My 7mm-08AI, 257 Roberts and 250 Savage like the Bergers.
While my 7mm Rem Mag shoots them rather acceptably, it prefers the ABLR, as does both of my 280 Rems.
The 284 Win i cannot get the Berger VLD to shoot well. Really long throat.
Ballistic Tips for it.
When i compared them to 2 boxes of Ballistic Tips (50 per box) i reallized they were actually no more expensive.
Pay almost the same for the ABLR also.
My 7mm-08AI, 257 Roberts and 250 Savage like the Bergers.
While my 7mm Rem Mag shoots them rather acceptably, it prefers the ABLR, as does both of my 280 Rems.
The 284 Win i cannot get the Berger VLD to shoot well. Really long throat.
Ballistic Tips for it.
well my initial testing of the 105 hybrids showed they like the seating between .010 off to just touching the lands. 3 groups between .6 to .5 using a light load of 29.0 Varget in a 6BR. The .010 group was .51, the .005 and .000 were low .6's. I liked the look and shape of the .010 group the best so I will use that for a powder charge test. It was windy as heck and threatening to rain at any second but the results were encouraging enough to get me to order 500 of them
My 6.5-06 likes those 130's Vld Hunting, my .270 likes the 130's, and my 6.5 Creedmoor likes those 130's.
7 mm rem mag however likes the 168's.
The 7 has to have a long jump for tighter groups, the others do not. I don't believe I need to shoot these Northern Missouri deer with them, as I really like the meat, not to waste any.
7 mm rem mag however likes the 168's.
The 7 has to have a long jump for tighter groups, the others do not. I don't believe I need to shoot these Northern Missouri deer with them, as I really like the meat, not to waste any.
reynolds357
New member
Yep. I guess my biggest gripe about Berger hunting is how hard they are to develop loads in in some rifles. They are superr picky. I loaded up some 130gr vld hunting last night for my 6.5x55. it's usually a 3/4 minute or better rifle. My first group of 5 was 9" at 200 yards. I am sure with minor tweaking, I will dial that bullet in, but it is astounding how great and how terrible the bullet can shoot in the same rifle. I honestly do not think I could make any other bullet shoot that bad in that rifle if I tried to.
I have to disagree about pickiness, at least on the hybrids. I did a break in yesterday first 25 down the tube were 100 gn soft points for the initial break in. These are rounds 25 - 50 where I decided to do a preliminary seating test. I started with 29.0 of Varget and the 105 Hybrids and did a lands test using a case with loose neck tension. Looks like I have a .015 window on seating depth
Nothing spectacular on this target but some of those horizontals were probably my fault. We had a front coming in and I was using a buddy's wind flags a couple of lanes down to shoot by. 5 - 10 mph wind and no mirage. I am going to take it back tomorrow to do play with some range development and get some chrono numbers at least
Nothing spectacular on this target but some of those horizontals were probably my fault. We had a front coming in and I was using a buddy's wind flags a couple of lanes down to shoot by. 5 - 10 mph wind and no mirage. I am going to take it back tomorrow to do play with some range development and get some chrono numbers at least
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Try going the other way, too. It can be surprising. The late Dan Hacket described a 40X in 220 Swift for which he seated bullets his usual 0.020" off the lands, but he could never get to average five shots into better than 1/2" at 100 yards. Then one day, in switching over to a Nosler bullet at his loading bench, he had a brain fart and turned his seating die micrometer the wrong way and wound up seating the bullets 0.050" off the lands. He didn't notice the error until after he had loaded 20 rounds. He considered pulling them but decided just to shoot them in practice instead. To his astonishment, that big jump gave him two 1/4" groups and two bugholes in the ones (under 0.2").
You just never know until you try.
You just never know until you try.
My .223 load for 80 Berger VLD's like it .075 off whereas the 80 SMK's like to kiss the lands Nick. Had a hell of a time trying to do range development today finally gave up and packed it in, lots of little issues made it not worth the effort. Will regroup next week and make up the loads at home
reynolds357
New member
In one of Sierra's real old manuals I have, they actually recommend pushing the Match King into the lands.
Hounddawg,
There are days like that. I find the likelihood of leaving something critical behind goes up exponentially with how urgently I am trying to get to the range. The likelihood the weather won't cooperate is directly proportional to how many days I plan ahead.
Reynolds357,
Berger did the same with their VLD's until they learned that only worked out in about half the rifles they loaded for. Read this, if you haven't already.
There are days like that. I find the likelihood of leaving something critical behind goes up exponentially with how urgently I am trying to get to the range. The likelihood the weather won't cooperate is directly proportional to how many days I plan ahead.
Reynolds357,
Berger did the same with their VLD's until they learned that only worked out in about half the rifles they loaded for. Read this, if you haven't already.