6.5 156gr berger

[JohnB]

https://bergerbullets.com/product/6-...-elite-hunter/

[marky_mark]

Took a while but they finally got these on the market

[6.5 shooter]

Going to have to use a lot of powder behind that one to make it effective. Not going to be your go to bush bullet that is for sure.

[Pioneer2]

Wouldn't trust it to stay together and penetrate,I used 156gr Sako RN and Hornady 160gr RN on deer ,bear and moose in my 6.5x55 and have never recovered a bullet yet.Berger is not a hunting bullet no matter what some say.Rather a disintegrating target bullet.Had them turn to shrapnel at 500+ 600 yards on elk.

[marky_mark]

The bearing surface is shorter than most bullets that heavy so your not loosing that much speed if any
These weren’t designed to stay together like an a-frame
They penetrate a few inches then expand rapidly

[Nyksta]

Originally Posted by marky_mark

The bearing surface is shorter than most bullets that heavy so your not loosing that much speed if any
These weren’t designed to stay together like an a-frame
They penetrate a few inches then expand rapidly

"Expand rapidly" is a misleading description of complete fragmentation failure. A proper hunting bullet mushrooms its frontal area and stays together to penetrate to the vital organs.

[Salavee]

Originally Posted by Nyksta

"Expand rapidly" is a misleading description of complete fragmentation failure. A proper hunting bullet mushrooms its frontal area and stays together to penetrate to the vital organs.

Not exactly so . I was with my hunting partner when he shot a Cow Elk with a 180 gr vld Match from his 7 LRM at 280 yds. MV was slightly over 3000 fps. It was a frontal shot that impacted the center of the chest and literally exploded after penetrating about 5 in, completely destroying both lungs. Bullet fragments impacted both sides of the rib cage and not one piece got through the diaphram. Total devastation. The bullet perfomed exactly as others had indicated and as advertised by Berger. Not the best bullet choice when encountering major resistance such as a shoulder perhaps, but it sure did a marvellous job on that Elk when placed properly. No need for super deep penetration or a pass through in that case. Different strokes for different folks.

[6.5 shooter]

Originally Posted by Salavee

Not exactly so . I was with my hunting partner when he shot a Cow Elk with a 180 gr vld Match from his 7 LRM at 280 yds. MV was slightly over 3000 fps. It was a frontal shot that impacted the center of the chest and literally exploded after penetrating about 5 in, completely destroying both lungs. Bullet fragments impacted both sides of the rib cage and not one piece got through the diaphram. Total devastation. The bullet perfomed exactly as others had indicated and as advertised by Berger. Not the best bullet choice when encountering major resistance such as a shoulder perhaps, but it sure did a marvellous job on that Elk when placed properly. No need for super deep penetration or a pass through in that case. Different strokes for different folks.

Some would call that bullet failure or bullet success.... depends on your point of view...
To have the bullet "explode" at that range and drop in velocity to me would be a cautionary tail as to what might happen if you shot an animal at closer ranges the results could lead to a wounded animal. I like Berger bullets and have used them with success, But I still prefer H frame bullets, then cup and core, Bonded, Berger style.....last and least mono bullets...But those are MY choices...

[Jerry D]

At 156 grains maybe the front half explodes and the back half penetrates!!!

Im sure a lot of guys will use it.

[Curly Bill]

I find it hilarious when people talk about Berger bullets failing. Did the bullet fail? or did it perform exactly like it was intended?

Berger markets their VLD line of bullets exactly the way you guys describe them as "failing".

I think the failure was not knowing what you were buying.

[Mateo]

Thats usually what happens, at least in my 140 gr VLD's. i'll find the base inside the animal. I like the idea of dumping as much energy as I can into the animal. helps bring up the hydrostatic shock and get an instant drop. my 6.5 sherman shortmag is gonna be trying these out for sure. I was at the rosebud range and shot beside a guy who shot f-class. he had a labradar and I asked to shot beside it to see what my ES was. I hadn't shot over a chronograph with the new barrel (benchmark 5R) and was in for a treat. the ES wasnt too bad but my velocity was up there with an average 3248 fps with 140 VLD's in a true SHORT ACTION cartridge that I feed from an AICS mag. 60 gr of N570 propel the bullet with no pressure signs. the 156 gr bullets are gonna be perfect. although it'll be tricky finding an accurate chronograph to use to find out how fast they are moving. i got lucky last time.