Berger Classic Hunters Performance

Does anyone have any Big Game kills or any "real world" hunting experiences with the new Berger classic hunter bullets?
I have been playing arround with the CH 185's in my savage 110 300wm and they are are shooting very well (5 shot 1/2" @ 100yds if I do my part) and the B.C. difference between it and the 185 VLD is negligible (.547 vs .549). This is a hunting rifle, so being able to fit extra cartridges in the magazine is a huge plus. I'm thinking this could be an excellent medium to long range elk/mule deer bullet.
I don't really want to open a can of worms and get into the whole ( deep penetrating Barnes vs rapid expansion Berger) thing. I'm just curious if they perform as well as the very proven VLD on big game animals.
Thanks - Leo

I'm sure they will. They wouldn't be marketing them as hunting bullets if they didn't. I have some 130s that are running very well in a 270 but like you have yet to kill any game with them. I did do a milk jug test with them though and I was well pleased. I lined up five milk jugs at 200 meters to test and the first two jugs were obliterated with three and four showing some pretty excessive splits and jug number five was riddled with bullet fragment holes. I never found any pieces of the bullet everything went through and into the dirt berm. I would say performance like that should tackle just about anything.

i have been wondering the same thing about the classic hunters, if they do the same "penetrate 3-5 inches then shed 60% of their weight" like the vlds. wanting to try somw 168 classics in my 280ai for elk but hesitant sice ive never heard any actual reports on them

Not exactly. I shoot the 175 Hunting VLD in my 300Win Mag. For the DBM they are quite a bit off the lands; Berger has reported that long jumps have been found to work fine, esp for hunting accuracy. I have shot elk 300-400 yards and the bullet performed just as advertised.

I shot one head on through the briskett last year with a 168 gr berger VLD hunting in .308. The damage was extensive to the point that it may not be the best bullet for eating the meat. Red goo is not always a good thing. I shot this deer at 25 yards or so and it was essentially point blank. If I were taking long shots Bergers would be OK. Up close they are too destructive.

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Originally Posted by jersurf101

I shot one head on through the briskett last year with a 168 gr berger VLD hunting in .308. The damage was extensive to the point that it may not be the best bullet for eating the meat. Red goo is not always a good thing. I shot this deer at 25 yards or so and it was essentially point blank. If I were taking long shots Bergers would be OK. Up close they are too destructive.

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I believe the concept of the high BC Hunting bullet is for the long range hunter who requires closer to match performance to make their shot. The Bergers are good open country bullets where it's harder to get to the "standard" hunting ranges. If you hunt in the woods of the midwest there are plenty of cheaper bullets that have been far proven for the 150-200yds or much less range that's common in those scenarios.

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Originally Posted by Londerko

Does anyone have any Big Game kills or any "real world" hunting experiences with the new Berger classic hunter bullets?
I have been playing arround with the CH 185's in my savage 110 300wm and they are are shooting very well (5 shot 1/2" @ 100yds if I do my part) and the B.C. difference between it and the 185 VLD is negligible (.547 vs .549). This is a hunting rifle, so being able to fit extra cartridges in the magazine is a huge plus. I'm thinking this could be an excellent medium to long range elk/mule deer bullet.
I don't really want to open a can of worms and get into the whole ( deep penetrating Barnes vs rapid expansion Berger) thing. I'm just curious if they perform as well as the very proven VLD on big game animals.
Thanks - Leo

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Londerko,

i shot a whitetail doe at 469yds this past season with a 168gr CH out of my 300wm. You could just about put your fist in the exit hole. She dropped immediately. Can't say how they will react at shorter yardage but I was happy with what I experienced. One thing you might want to check is to make sure the hollow point is not clogged with lead. Berger recommended using a plain old staple and insert it to verify its not obstructed. You can also use the staple to clear the ones that are. I had exactly 20 out of a box of 100 that were obstructed.
hope this helps.