Can Berger hunting bullets take down large African Plains Game?

[Russ16]

At least 1/2 the mental exercise of an African safari always goes into this sort of thing. And, that is absolutely FINE.

But, every plains game animal that will be shot, can be taken (very ethically) with a .30/06 Springfield with factory 180g Remington Core-Lokt bullets.

Of course, we all want to "overthink" it.

and:

- decide on obscure cartridges
- work up special loads
- develop special loads for specific animals under specific condition, etc...

And, of course, we can, but we really don't need to...


Everything from a dik-dik to an eland can be taken with a .30/06 Springfield with factory 180 grain Remington Core-Lokts, if your rifle will shoot them accurately.

It can be very simple, or as complex and you want to make it.

It's YOUR safari!

And everything probably has been taken with a 30/06 and a 180 grain core lokt. In fact worldwide just about everything has including some things where it probably wasn’t a good idea.

Decades ago as a kid I read a book about a guy who hunted the world including elephant and rhino with a 30/06. Wish I could remember the name of it.

 

[LivingTheDream]

There are lots out there that don't like them. For me they just flat out kill. Here is a thread I started on them a few yrs ago:

Thread 'Berger bullets in Africa'

Oct 9, 2019

I promised Mike (Livingthedream) that I'd start this thread. He wanted me to title it the efficacy of Berger bullets in Africa. I thought that might start an argument right off the bat. I will start this with a few observations. All bullets are designed with a use in mind. There is no one size fits all in bullets. I have no problems with other bullets. I have taken Barnes TTSX's and Nosler accubonds to Africa. Both have served me well. This last trip I took Bergers. I usually get extremely good accuracy and good results with them. Bergers are often used in longer range hunting and are...

• gillettehunter
• Replies: 48
• Forum: Firearms & ammunition

• 

Since this thread I've been back to Africa again and used them with excellent results. Use some common sense and always check the tips and they work very well. I've killed 3 eland with 4 shots. Thats with a 7 SAUM and a 180 grain bullet. Hard to do much better for most folks I'd think.
To each their own.
Bruce

I was waiting for you to contribute.

Long story short, yes they will work and do work. I have experienced it and seen it.

I think you have to pick your shots, but they are very effective when used properly.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

A very fair & experience based review. I personally would shy away from using them on African big game. Since we're paying top Dollar for an African Safari and the bullet happens to be the only element which is actually touching the game animal, I would pick something that penetrates & holds together regardless of what angle the shot is being taken from.

Remember Murphy's Law= If something can go wrong, it will.

All too often a shot which you were planning to take completely from the broadside position, unexpectedly ends up becoming a quartering away or departing shot.

 

[1dirthawker]

In this caliber, I prefer my Nosler Accubond 250 gr that always performed well on games with their bonded core, or even the classic cup and core Sierra Game king 250 gr bullets that were tougher than the Berger.

i've used the sierra game king, a pretty soft bullet, i have had them come apart on deer (7mm) so not really a fan of them either. my 2 cents.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

i've used the sierra game king, a pretty soft bullet, i have had them come apart on deer (7mm) so not really a fan of them either. my 2 cents.

I use 180gr Sierra Game Kings in my 300 Win, which is the loaner rifle for hunters who hunt with me personally. It flattens everything at all ranges. Certainly not in the same group as Bergers.
The Sierra Game Kings do separate, but have broken every shoulder bone that I have asked it to. Some go through, some don't. Causes enough trauma for my liking.

 

[ThinusS]

I have seen Berger's drop game, including eland, blue wildebeest and zebra, in their tracks or after a very short run, so yes, they can work.

However, I have had to track a blue wildebeest bull for half a day after a 168gr Berger from a .280 AI disintegrated in the shoulder joint, failing to penetrate into the chest cavity, on a quartering on shot.
It would not be my choice for hunting the larger antelope, but if you have the self-discipline to wait for an animal to turn broadside or give you a slightly quartering away shot, they are useable.

I avoid fragile hunting bullets, unless I am culling, because things can go wrong and when following up a wounded animal, I want to be able to kill an animal from any reasonable angle, even shooting through heavy bone or the rumen.

 

[grand veneur]

I use 180gr Sierra Game Kings in my 300 Win, which is the loaner rifle for hunters who hunt with me personally. It flattens everything at all ranges. Certainly not in the same group as Bergers.
The Sierra Game Kings do separate, but have broken every shoulder bone that I have asked it to. Some go through, some don't. Causes enough trauma for my liking.

I have also not had a bad experience on heavy game with Game King bullets from Sierra, especially with the 250gr GK bullet caliber .338 and the cartridge 340 Weatherby Magnum as well as the cartridge 338 Lapua Magnum. I have no experience with Berger bullets, but perhaps the difference lies in the alloy of the bullet jacket.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

I have also not had a bad experience on heavy game with Game King bullets from Sierra, especially with the 250gr GK bullet caliber .338 and the cartridge 340 Weatherby Magnum as well as the cartridge 338 Lapua Magnum. I have no experience with Berger bullets, but perhaps the difference lies in the alloy of the bullet jacket.

I have no doubt that the jacket on the Berger is thinner. Not my personal choice, and there are better tools for the job, but I have seen them work down here, which was the original question.
Sample size is much, much smaller than the game taken by Sierra Gamekings out of my 300 though. I'm sure you can just imagine the numbers from a rental rifle over a few seasons.
Probably been using the same load for the past 5 years and they haven't failed me yet.

 

[rwj387]

Good input and perspective, very helpful. Glad to see that all is still right in the hunting world as I received at least one response that the 30-06 has shot more game than all others combined and is the still the best all round caliber for big game out there!

I had been debating retuning the Jarrett with a 212 gr ELD-X bullet and will be doing just that after reading the comments here. The Berger VLDs flat out hammered everything that I sent them down range on except the sable and that situation highlighted situations where Bergers may not have been the best choice and a controlled expansion bullet would have performed better. I have lots of experience with the ELD-X on game and it now gets the nod when you factor in the deeper penetration performance on quartering shot angles.

A couple of thoughts in response to the comments in this thread.

1. In my opinion shot placement, accuracy and practice trump everything else. I will always shoot the most accurate rifle and bullet combination possible matching bullet construction and performance to the game being hunted.

2. Caliber selection and recoil management matter. I wouldn't think of hunting Cape Buffalo with anything else than my .375 H&H with a low power scope and 300 gr Swift A Frame bullets - that combination has worked very well for me and absolutely hammers big game at close ranges. Take that rifle and bullet combination to the Kalahari or Mountains of the Karoo in pursuit of plains game and you will be in for long days.

3. Like bullets there is no one right caliber or bullet combination that works in all situations or locations in Africa. Sure dangerous game is going to be taken with big bore rifles, in close and typically in thick cover. Hunt in the Kalahari or the Mountains of the Karoo you had better be able to shoot and that's where accuracy, practice and high BC bullets come into play. We always plan to get in as tight as we can but can push out if needed in the right conditions. All but one of our shots out there were 300+ yds, that's not bragging just the reality of the conditions in those wide open spaces.

The shortest plains game shot I had presented on our last 3 week safari was a Blue Wildebeest at 120 yds and nothing made me happier than hearing Johnny say as I leaned into the sticks "he is at 120 shoot him in the chest"... and the Berger absolutely flattened him!

 

[375Fox]

They only work in the US. Not on the armor plated animals in Africa.

Vitals and shot placement in Africa are further forward on the shoulder not behind the shoulder like in North America. However, I’d also say unless you really like chewing on lead fragments, they don’t work that well in the US either except on paper targets.

 

[JimP]

I have never shot any Berger bullets, mostly by choice since when I did most of my load development for my rifles all they were offering were target bullets.

But while they may work quite well on a number of animals I would always ask the question of "what if". You can always have that one shot that for some reason just doesn't go where you want it to. Then you need a bullet that is going to do damage where it hit and there are a number of bullets out there that just won't do that. Nosler Balistic Tips shoot fantastic out of a couple of my rifles, but I would never think about hunting Africa with them. I've used them a couple of times on mule deer here in the Western US but have switched to bullets that can take care of that "what if"

But like everything,shooters are a strange group. Some like using what they want and there is no way to change their minds. But for animals I don't need a bullet that shoots 1/2 moa or even 1/4 moa. The kill zone on most animals is at least a 6 moa target and most bullets do that quite well.

 

[375Fox]

Good input and perspective, very helpful. Glad to see that all is still right in the hunting world as I received at least one response that the 30-06 has shot more game than all others combined and is the still the best all round caliber for big game out there!

I had been debating retuning the Jarrett with a 212 gr ELD-X bullet and will be doing just that after reading the comments here. The Berger VLDs flat out hammered everything that I sent them down range on except the sable and that situation highlighted situations where Bergers may not have been the best choice and a controlled expansion bullet would have performed better. I have lots of experience with the ELD-X on game and it now gets the nod when you factor in the deeper penetration performance on quartering shot angles.

A couple of thoughts in response to the comments in this thread.

1. In my opinion shot placement, accuracy and practice trump everything else. I will always shoot the most accurate rifle and bullet combination possible matching bullet construction and performance to the game being hunted.

2. Caliber selection and recoil management matter. I wouldn't think of hunting Cape Buffalo with anything else than my .375 H&H with a low power scope and 300 gr Swift A Frame bullets - that combination has worked very well for me and absolutely hammers big game at close ranges. Take that rifle and bullet combination to the Kalahari or Mountains of the Karoo in pursuit of plains game and you will be in for long days.

3. Like bullets there is no one right caliber or bullet combination that works in all situations or locations in Africa. Sure dangerous game is going to be taken with big bore rifles, in close and typically in thick cover. Hunt in the Kalahari or the Mountains of the Karoo you had better be able to shoot and that's where accuracy, practice and high BC bullets come into play. We always plan to get in as tight as we can but can push out if needed in the right conditions. All but one of our shots out there were 300+ yds, that's not bragging just the reality of the conditions in those wide open spaces.

The shortest plains game shot I had presented on our last 3 week safari was a Blue Wildebeest at 120 yds and nothing made me happier than hearing Johnny say as I leaned into the sticks "he is at 120 shoot him in the chest"... and the Berger absolutely flattened him!

I’m not going to understand the need for 0.25 MOA and the recent craze of high BC bullets. 1” groups at 100 yards are perfectly acceptable for most hunting situations someone will encounter and it shouldn’t take long to find a good hunting bullet capable of that accuracy in most rifles. I’m a believer in tough bonded bullets for consistent results for most African hunting situations but if someone wants a softer bullet but still controlled expansion something like a Nosler Accubond or partion, Norma oryx, federal fusion or terminal assent should give both expansion and some weight loss combined with good performance and penetration on game. I want good hunting accuracy but reliable bullet performance and penetration on game is a lot more important to me than perfect accuracy at the range. I’ve hunted both the areas you listed and many others in several African countries. My longest first shot I’ve ever taken has been 360 yards. I generally have not seen the need to shoot over 300 yards in most cases. There are a few specific African hunts and species I can see the need for long shots, but if a person says they are shooting 300-700 yards and are hunting with bullets designed with long range target accuracy in mind, I’d suspect they were looking for that shooting experience more so than it being fully necessary.

 

[Rare Breed]

A very fair & experience based review. I personally would shy away from using them on African big game. Since we're paying top Dollar for an African Safari and the bullet happens to be the only element which is actually touching the game animal, I would pick something that penetrates & holds together regardless of what angle the shot is being taken from.

Remember Murphy's Law= If something can go wrong, it will.

All too often a shot which you were planning to take completely from the broadside position, unexpectedly ends up becoming a quartering away or departing shot.

+1 here…why would you possibly want to take a risk when there are clearly so many far better options

 

[pilar]

i've used the sierra game king, a pretty soft bullet, i have had them come apart on deer (7mm) so not really a fan of them either. my 2 cents.

Crude ! I just bought a case of .270win 140gr Sierra game changer, but keep 3-4 boxes of Norma oryx 150 handi
I am definitely not a Berger fan of the flying grenade wording in their brochure
“‘Classic Hunters are designed to penetrate 2-3″ and then begin to expand and create a massive wound cavity up to 15″. This delivers maximum organ/tissue damage and extreme hydrostatic shock aiding in an ethical kill.“”
That scares me even on a deer or pronghorn!