VLD Bullets On Game

440sixpack · Nov 15, 2012

I'm going to try VLD's for the first time in my 270 WBY, I'm sure they're accurate and I'm sure they're great on game at long range but what about average ( 100-300 ) yard shots ?

I find it hard to believe they're not going to be too fragile for all around use but I have no experience with them.

Stay thirsty my friends

dang302 · Nov 15, 2012

Should work fine on deer sized game. Elk might be a different story. a 130-150 grain bullet on deer doesn't need to be very tough.

I shot a 200 lb white tail with my 270 win at 10 yards with a 130 grain VLD and is it went completeley though it. It was a broadside double lung shot.

Your WBY is faster and the above same shot might not exit, but it will certainly be fatal.

trophyhunter · Nov 15, 2012

Dang...Danny: did you get my email on the bears ?

))))------>

dang302 · Nov 15, 2012

Trophyhunter...PM sent! Thanks again!

arroyobuck · Nov 15, 2012

"Your WBY is faster and the above same shot might not exit, but it will certainly be fatal"

That's an understatement. I imagine at supper you'd be spitting out quiet a bit of #7 1/2 size shot particles. LOL

dang302 · Nov 15, 2012

Maybe, maybe not, My point is that I believe that even if the bullet comes apart, it will do enough damage to BOTH lungs to be fatal (rapidly so).

I wouldn't hesitate to put that bullet on the point of the shoulder of a quartering towards mule deer at any range. Even if it comes apart it will get into the chest cavity and destroy both lungs in the process. My impact velocity was around 3000FPS and my bullet exitted. Thats no slouch.

I also believe an elk shoulder could stop it, or maybe only allow it to damage one lung. But elk and deer are immensely different in my opinion.

dang302 · Nov 15, 2012

As a side note, I have been shooting 3/8" steel plates at longer distances and the barnes bullets flatten down to a small disk and sometimes even stick into the divot they make in my plate (only about 20 grains of bullet left). I am talking about 180 TSX from my 300 win mag.

I let my brother shoot it with his 300 win mag and 190 Berger VLD's at 600 yards and now my plate has 5 holes in it.

Because of this, I do believe what berger and others say about the bullets being able to go through big bones and then start to expand. I don't believe they start to detonate immediately on impact. They have a closed hollowpoint that is not conducive to initiating expansion.

440sixpack · Nov 15, 2012

I'm just thinking of deer size game, I don't think I'd ever use a bullet like this on elk unless it was an open country hunt.

What really sets these apart from a common hollow point other than the super BC ? that's what worries me.

Stay thirsty my friends

REDDOG · Nov 15, 2012

http://www.monstermuleys.info/dcforum/DCForumID22/3303.html

lip_curl · Nov 15, 2012

LAST EDITED ON Nov-15-12 AT 09:01PM (MST)[p]ive got 3 elk kills with 210g vlds from an ultra mag and now 1 deer kill with a 150g 270WSM @ 3250fps @ 100yards.

One elk was a spine shot at 610, broken back, one and done.
the other two were 6x6 bulls at under 100yards. The first shot stoved them up and was probably all that was needed, but i keep shooting till they're on the ground.

i had a trigger issue this year and hit my muley a little farther back than i wanted to. i dont think i hit any bones and there was still plenty of carnage and internal damage and he walked 20 yards and tipped over.

so far, no complaints about the bergers at any velocity or distance...

440sixpack · Nov 16, 2012

I think I'll just stick to my 140 gr Hornady BTSP's they've never let me down. just human nature to look for a better mousetrap I guess.

Stay thirsty my friends

elkantlers · Nov 16, 2012

What is the difference between the VLD Target and the VLD Hunting bullet?

Apexmtnman · Nov 17, 2012

The target bullets have a thicker jacket to try to hold together better at higher launch velocities.

I just killed my first buck with the Berger 140 gr VLD .264 hunting bullet with my 264 Win Mag, he was at 455 yards. He had just gotten out of his bed and headed up through the quakies and stopped with just the front of his chest, head and neck showing. I figured 3 more steps and he would be gone so I put it on the front of his chest and touched it off, he dropped right there, he did roll down the hill about 10 yards before he died, it broke the facing shoulder and didn't exit.
Haven't shot anything close yet but the 140 VLD did the job on this buck.

elkhuntr · Nov 17, 2012

Apexmtnman, What load are you running in your 264? I tried to run them in my wifes and I couldnt get them to shoot. What twist are you running? How far off the lands?
Sorry for all the questions, Elkhuntr

Apexmtnman · Nov 17, 2012

LAST EDITED ON Nov-17-12 AT 06:50PM (MST)[p]68.5 grains of Retumbo, WW cases, 215M primers, 140 VLD .010 off the lands, 3280 fps out of 8 twist 28" Broughton barrel. I have a Rem 700 CDL SF with a 9 twist barrel that shoots the same load a little slower and 3/4 MOA or less. My son has a Sendero that also shoots this load real well. None of these guns show excessive pressure with this load but you should probably start a little lower and work up.

440, I've been a Nosler partition guy for 40 years, but they've got the BC of a brick, I built a rifle for long range and wanted a bullet that would carry well, hence the VLD. My nephew does a little guiding and has seen the VLD drop quite a few deer and a couple elk and hasn't lost one animal so far. I'll be interested in trying the new Accubond LR when they come out but only if they make a 140 grain in the .264.

lip_curl · Nov 18, 2012

the nosler post claims they're only making a 130 in .264

Silentstalker · Nov 18, 2012

My friend shot a spike bull this year with his 7mm STW at 30 yards, 3 times. These were 168 gr. VLD hunting bullets. He had 3 pencil sized holes going in and 3 coming out. Ended up shooting it in the neck a 4th time to kill it. The bullets performed exactly opposite of what I thought they would. He was shooting them around 3000 fps if I am not mistaken.

Needless to say he is switching back to his Interbonds for elk.

Apexmtnman · Nov 19, 2012

>the nosler post claims they're only
>making a 130 in .264
>
Ya I saw that, someone said they couldn't get the 140's to stabilize in the standard 9 twist but may be available later for those of us with faster twist barrels.

REDDOG · Nov 19, 2012

>My friend shot a spike bull
>this year with his 7mm
>STW at 30 yards, 3
>times. These were 168
>gr. VLD hunting bullets.
>He had 3 pencil sized
>holes going in and 3
>coming out. Ended up
>shooting it in the neck
>a 4th time to kill
>it. The bullets performed
>exactly opposite of what I
>thought they would. He
>was shooting them around 3000
>fps if I am not
>mistaken.
>
>Needless to say he is switching
>back to his Interbonds for
>elk.

That problem has plagued hollow point bullets since there have been hollow point bullets.

dang302 · Nov 20, 2012

LAST EDITED ON Nov-20-12 AT 08:04AM (MST)[p]For what its worth, the original VLD has become the VLD hunting (orange box). The new VLD target is supposedly tougher to be fired at very high velocities.(for target purposes only)

I wonder if these incidences where they "pencil through" is because they are the tougher target bullets that don't open at all.

My understanding of why these became usable on game originally was they would hold together just enough to get into the vital and they would then expand violently. (Hunting ones)

Anyway, I bet there are a lot of people out there that don't know which one they are using. I know I didn't for a while.

completesportsman · Nov 20, 2012

>LAST EDITED ON Nov-20-12
>AT 08:04?AM (MST)
>
>For what its worth, the original
>VLD has become the VLD
>hunting (orange box). The
>new VLD target is supposedly
>tougher to be fired at
>very high velocities.(for target purposes
>only)
>
>I wonder if these incidences where
>they "pencil through" is because
>they are the tougher target
>bullets that don't open at
>all.
>
>My understanding of why these became
>usable on game originally was
>they would hold together just
>enough to get into the
>vital and they would then
>expand violently. (Hunting ones)
>
>Anyway, I bet there are a
>lot of people out there
>that don't know which one
>they are using. I
>know I didn't for a
>while.

I wondered the same thing but Slientstalker stated they were using the 168gr Hunting VLD.