Thread: Berger VLD Hunter and Hunter classic

Hi all, any comments re these two pills in say 30Cal and their respective performance or lack of on animals?
I’ve never used on game, I know they shoot well that’s all.

I’ve used the 6.5 135gn classic hunters & they are vicious of deer.

Yeah. Vicious. They are inclined to splatter a fair bit of copper and lead fragments through the meat. I've only used them at moderate ranges though. I expect that they hold together better at longer ranges.

ive used both hunter and target flavours from bergers all with good results so far touch wood

Exit on opposite shoulder of bull tahr shot at 600 (270wsm) can see bits of copper jacket in the wound channel, they work bloody good

Originally Posted by Ryan_Songhurst

Exit on opposite shoulder of bull tahr shot at 600 (270wsm) can see bits of copper jacket in the wound channel, they work bloody good
Attachment 85902

This Hunter or Hunter Classic?


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I use the 185 vld hunting for my 300wsm. Everything dies real quick. I’ve found them easy to load for in for that and a 300 win mag. Both loads are about 1/4 moa from a decent rest. Never needed a follow up shot

Thanks for feedback guys. Going to load some tomorrow and shoot some shit...


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This was a 7mm 162 vld hunting out of a 7mm rem mag on a fallow buck by one of my hunting clients at 200 ish. Pretty devistating. About 2850 muzzle vel.
The Americans love the 215 vld in their 300 win mags.
The only deer I’ve shot with a vld. It was a specific test comparison. I usually use the 150 sst that explodes heads. This was with the 270 150 vld hunting. Shot a fallow in the head. 160m. It was a little low of the brain and missed the spine. It pencilled straight through and it took off like I had missed. Managed a second shot later on when I found it and used my usual sst in the neck so I could see what the vld did. I have never tried a chest shot with one so maybe better but when selling the meat I can’t sell chest shot deer.

Originally Posted by Danny

This Hunter or Hunter Classic?


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VLD Hunter

Either VLD Hunting (as opposed to VLD Target), Classic Hunter, or Elite Hunter. Those are the three designs sold by Berger for hunting, so presumably all with the thinner (original-thickness) jackets.

Reliability of expansion may be on a model number by number basis. I've had both ends of the sprectrum, none in 30cal sorry, ranging so far from 100% reliable expansion from 25cal 115gr VLD Hunting at a range of impact speeds, through to a couple of 7mm 180gr VLD pinholing when between the ribs at 2800ft/sec - not slow for a terminal velocity.

Whether the somewhat more stubby profile of the Classic Hunter better promotes expansion at lower velocities than the VLD design seems to be a popular topic for online debate. Berger naturally enough say they are equally as effective. I would scour the various forums on the particular calibre, weight, and designs you are interested in, see if you can make any sense of the endless anecdotal reports! There is much less info on the performance of the Elite Hunters, being a more recent release.

Have dropped quite a few chamois with them too from 100yds to way out there, doing 3170 at the muzzle, always a complete pass through and vitals turned to soup, never had one pencil and chamois are about as light bodied as they come for a game animal

For what it’s worth I use 7mm 168 VLDs and and lost count of animals shot now, but no problems from 30-630yds so far. Usually bang flop and a good exit hole if animal did run a good blood trail to follow.

Thanks for feedback as it’s not lost on me.
The caliber is the 30-06 so I don’t want a pure target (soft) pill and for use on deer, mainly under 200m.
I have 208 Amax, 168, 155 Amax and soon some 168 VLD. So I’ll see what tickles the bullseye fancy before I buy a couple a hundy...


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I am however for no other reason than my own curiosity right this moment sitting down to have a play with some of these things again, used them heaps in my 270win, will see how they like a bit more speed...