Berger VLD vs Barnes TTSX

[azcoueshuntr]

lookn at reloading 300 wsm was leaning towards berger vld or the barnes ttsx

[azcoueshuntr]

for coues only out to at least 600 yards be in a 300wsm

[deserthntr]

Go with Berger. I've had great success with them. But some people like a more solid bullet that expands and exits with good retained weight. That's how my dad is and so he shoots a nobler partition. I like the bergers because they essentially explode and all the energy goes into the animal. Every animal I have shot or seen shot with these just have chunky soup for vitals. Plus they have great BC

[scoutm]

I'm guessing if you choose the VLD you are going to sacrifice velocity because the bullet will need to be set pretty deep in order for the cartiridge to fit the magazine...I had this very issue in my wsm using the 168gr TTSX. I would suspect it to be worse with the VLD unless you choose a lighter bullet.

[azcoueshuntr]

gonna try a few 110 ttsx and some 130 see which 1 the 300wsm likes on paper then ill try the bergers

[bustedknuckleinc]

gonna try a few 110 ttsx and some 130 see which 1 the 300wsm likes on paper then ill try the bergers

 

If your looking to shoot out to 600 yards on a coues deer I would stick with whichever weight bullet has the best BC. Just my 2cents.

[Coach]

Nice bullet selection - I'm reallly interested in seeing how the TTSX fly - that's a lot lighter than I usually shoot in a .300 WSM - pretty high velocities (and pressure) there. I like the Accubond in 180 and 165 grain, and CT in 168 grain.

 

Can't wait to see how those lighter bullets fly in 300 WSM. I always considered 150 grain the lower limit for a .300 mag of any flavor but my dad used to load up some 100 grain match kings in his .270 as a "plinking" round and had great accuracy.

 

Keep telling us what is working for you!

[desertdog]

Whats wrong with Hornady bullets?

 

Look at BC and other specs and let me know what I am missing........

[Couzer]

I would choose the berger, cheaper and they shoot great

[Coach]

Whats wrong with Hornady bullets?

 

Look at BC and other specs and let me know what I am missing........

 

 

Absolutely nothing. Hornady bullets have been killing critters for years. Same with Sierra, etc. These days picking a bullet is like picking a bow - there are lots and lots of great ones to choose from. If Hornady, Sierra, etc. weren't still performing well, they would have faded into the shadows as other players with a more agressive advertising strategy (Barnes, Nosler, Swift) start to gain more of a following.

 

Sierra Match King bullets are some of the cheapest around, but have a huge following with reloaders as do Hornady bullets.

 

Same as with archery equipment, when it comes to bullets, powder, favorite hunting round, you just have to find what is right for you. The good news is, there's a lot more "right" anwers these days than wrong ones.

 

The selection we have today in every category of hunting equipment is so far advanced over what our dads grew up hunting and reloading with is mind boggling. But the companies they used are mostly still in business, and for a good reason.

[John O]

Been loading 110 gr. Tipped TSXs in .270 for years now. Between myself and my boys, shot 4 deer, 2 pigs, and a cow elk with them. Fantastic wound channels, and group less than 1 MOA. Can't go wrong with them.

[DesertBull]

The lighter bullets look great on paper but shooting 500 yards across a canyon with a 10 mph breeze that is probably 15 mph in the middle of the canyon, you'll wish you had a heavier bullet. Especially on a 8-10" kill zone of a Coues buck.

 

Personally, If I had a .30 cal rifle, I would be looking at a bullet in the 175-200 grain range. With a range finder and practice, you'll know exactly how far the bullet will drop at your max range so what difference does it make if the heavier bullet is dropping 6" more than the lighter one?

 

If I wanted to shoot lighter bullets I would move down from the .300 WSM to a .270, .270WSM, .260, etc.

 

Berger VLD

Hornady SST, Interbod or AMAX

Nosler BT or Accubond

Sierra Match King

 

 

All good bullets with good to great BC's that will effectively kill any deer if the bullet is placed on the vitals.

[Jeff Welker]

I vote the Berger VLD.

 

One thing to keep in mind is how any "VLD" style bullet performs at close range (i.e. under 200 yards). I'm specifically referring to impact and expansion damage compared to controlled expansion hunting bullets like the Nosler Partition or Barnes TSX. I spoke with an individual who recently guided his hunter to a very nice desert bighorn ram. The hunter had anticipated making a long shot and loaded his ammo with Berger VLD's. They were able to stalk to close range (just under 100 yards) and the Berger VLD did such devastating damage that he was worried that a taxidermist might have problems with the mount.

 

Just something to consider when making your final choice.

[kwp]

The bullets that you are considering are exact opposites as far as their design and their terminal performance so you really need to consider what you are looking for the bullet to do.

 

The bergers are thin jacketed bullet designed for rapid expansion and large wound channels. The bergers are one of the higher BC bullets on the market and have become very popular with the long range crowd. The downfall with a rapid expansion bullet is that they will often blow up with very little penetration. This is most prevelant at higher velocities that usually occur at closer range shots. A complete pass through will rarely happen with the bergers.

 

The barnes bullets are 100% copper bullets that are intended to give very high weight retention which results in smaller wound channels but greater penetration. The barnes typically have lower BCs but their new LRX bullets have gotten them into the higher BC group. The downfall with the all copper bullets is that at longer ranges (lower velocities) they can create a very small wound channel due to minimal expansion. Barnes claims that the polymer tipped bullets (TTSX and LRX) will expand at lower velocities than the original X and TSX bullets.

 

So the question is, do you want a bullet that expands rapidly that can create a huge amount of damage but provide minimal penetration or do you want a bullet that will hold together better with better penetration but smaller wound channel?

 

For coues deer their both gonna kill em quickly but I would go with the barnes because the berger will tend to ruin more meat and the cape.

[308Nut]

When you draw the line at 600 yards it greatly simplifies things. Windage out to 600 yards even in a full 10MPH 9 or 3:00 direction will be similar whether you use a Berger or the Barnes 175 LRX or the 180 ACCUBOND or SST or Ballistic tip etc...

 

Pick the bullet your rifle likes the best, learn how to use it and be happy.

 

For a 'coues only' load, I prefer the AMAX. They have good BC's, expand rapidly for coues and expand at MUCH lower velocities than the Bergers or Barnes. I have used them close up as well with great results.

 

As far as the 110 and 130 Barnes for a serious 600 yard rifle, I think is a big mistake. You will need a much better BC to keep your windage down and your velocity up for expansion. Try at the very least the 165 or 168 TTSX's and better yet the 175 LRX. If you go with the Bergers, I would use at a minimum 168 and preferably the 185, 190 or 210.

 

For AMAX's. the 168, 178 or 208 gets my vote. I used a 168 AMAX on my 09 coues buck and my cousin shot his with the same rifle/load. Mine was 440 and his was 502. Wound channels were pretty large and both were pass throughs. Good size exits but not huge. One dropped straight down and the other went a few yards and piled.