Hunting

We at Berger are very passionate about providing shooters with the best bullets possible. That means not only making bullets with the highest quality components and tightest tolerances, but also continuously pushing the envelope on bullet design and technology. Sometimes, we get so excited about providing shooters with better bullets that we end up introducing several new designs at once. Each is meant to meet a specific need, but it can cause some confusion. In an effort to reduce that confusion, here is a short summary of our latest bullets and designs: Match OTM Tactical bullets – designed for cartridges and rifles that are used [...]

After realizing that SAAMI standards are not going to change to allow for increased performance we decided to make bullets that will comply with SAAMI dimensions for factory rifles. The key difference is that Bryan Litz would optimize these shorter noses by using a specially designed Hybrid shape. The other difference is that these bullets had to kill animals quickly like our current VLD Hunting bullets. We were quick to test these bullets in media and the results were a success. However, we knew we weren’t going to sell them as a hunting bullet until we had proven them on game. We needed [...]

One of the challenges Berger faces with our hunting bullets is that some hunters regard them as being good for only long range hunting. We know this isn’t true, but it is difficult to help hunters understand why. For this reason, we made the decision to sponsor a TV show called Brush Country Monsters hosted by Lamar Smith. Brush Country Monsters is based out of the Novillos Ranch in South Texas. The Novillos Ranch is a free range whitetail hunting operation that uses methods that are necessary in conditions where the brush is so thick you can't see more than 20 feet. They’ve [...]

Let’s get one thing out of the way right up front. There are several different ways one can go hunting. You can go out into the open spaces all over this great country of ours and seek out animals in a free range hunt. You can spot and stock or set up in a blind and wait. Another option is to go to one of the numerous ranches who raise game for the purpose of being hunted (or shot if you regard the word hunting as meaning more than shooting game). Some would call this game shooting rather than game hunting, and I don’t disagree [...]

The story of the Berger Hunting VLD is a story of discovery rather than design. The VLD bullet design was created by Ballistician Bill Davis during a project that also involved Dr. Lou Palmisano and Ferris Pindell of PPC fame. Bill’s goal was to produce a bullet design that performed better in the wind than the 30 cal 168 gr SMK. He was asked to do this by the US 300 meter shooting team, who had discovered that they were losing points late in the match due to recoil fatigue. They wanted a lighter bullet (less recoil) that would fly with the same or better [...]

Barnes recently published test results on their website at the following url: www.barnesbullets.com/information/bullet-talk/lab-tests/ *NOTE - In response to this article, Barnes rewrote the introduction of their report to address some of these points. I encourage you to read their report before you continue reading this article. They shot Berger, Nosler and Barnes bullets into bone encased in ballistic gelatin at impact velocities consistent with (according to Barnes) 100 yard and 1,000 yard shots using a 7mm WSM and a 300 Weatherby. They also list accuracy results which I will address later. Based on the opening text at the top of the report it seems that [...]