The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

spud wrote:out of the box for the 68 and weight sorted on the big 7's

Well there you go mate, I can get a Nosler, Hornady or a Sierra to the business on the big 7 straight out of the box without all the tinkering. Go figure.

Blu

ill stick to me berger i think

Ovenpaa

I agree with Spud the Berger in .284 is a very good albeit expensive choice

Fair enough, but look at all the messing around he has to do to get them to shoot well. For the price of them and all the hype about them I expect them to shoot better out of the box than the Hornady or Nosler but the fact is they don't.

Blu

spud wrote:ill stick to me berger i think

Spud, if your happy with them then great, I just don't want to spend the time faffing around with bullets, I want to spend my time shooting them and I want them to go where I want them to go without having to tinker with them to get them to do so.

Blu

Blu wrote:ENG, fair enough mate you are using them for competition shooting. I was looking to use them on game and coyotes and personally I wouldn't use them on either. I am looking to a bullet at the very least, to be able to shoot under an inch group straight out of the box, Nosler, Hornady, Barnes, Sierra and hell even some Speer will do that yet to get a so called "premier" bullet to do it, well look at what you have to do to get your rounds to go where you want them to go.
Overpriced $hite.
Blu

Hi Blu

I agree for your fox / jackal vermin hunting the cost of Bergers can be hard to justify! I also agree - some of the mainstream premium brands (e.g. Hornady A-max) can deliver 1 inch (+-) out of the box at 100 yards and seriously most main stream brands i.e. Sierra, Hornady Nosler and Barnes (I dont like Speer) are more than adequate for hunting.
For varminting and small game animals pretty much anything would do - provide it was accurate enough and had the required terminal performance characteristics!

I do believe in "horses for course" and "there is no point in entering a new 911 into a stock car demolishing derby" and for larger hunting events there are different contexts to consider.

And for me I assessed bullet selection and my prep level on ....
The quality of the bullet lot
The performance of a test batch
The accuracy within the specific hunting gun
The expected distance of engagement
The size of the target kill zone
The humane factor - in my hunting requirements
The relative cost of my game animals
The relative cost of my time and lost family time

However on a proper hunting trip for larger eating or trophy game where the following factors apply to mind:
5/6 day trip (3 or 4 likely to be earning / billing days
My accomodation / day fees / tips for the game farm /lodge
My travel / fuel costs
All the hunting gear and equipment that we buy (originally) replace and or improve
and additional Gear we buy or top up with specific to environment

So lets say a proper trip can cost £1000 or £2000 or even £3,000 to £5,000 (plus)

RISKS : On certain game farms and for certain animals you may be charged the fee for just "Shooting" at the animal to cover the owners risk that your shot has clipped an animal that has now run away and will die somewhere else - not the hunters goal - but it happens in the field!

Here is a thought and/or question - what is the only thing that touches that game animal?
The BULLET!

So I would buy a box or two of premium bullets - even if they cost £1 or 2 quid each.
That is one of the smallest costs in any hunting event - yet it is the very thing that takes the game animal down.
my 2 pennies worth.

So in my world I found and chose the GS Custom HV or Solids after I had tested and used all of the premium brands.

The £1 per shot versus a 2,400 pound game animal and a £2,500 hunting event cost was justifiable.
http://www.gsgroup.co.za/galtimstewart.html

Cheers - keep safe

ENS

ENS, good morning mate.

The £1 per shot versus a 2,400 pound game animal and a £2,500 hunting event cost was justifiable.

I completely understand where you are coming from mate but c'mon, big difference between hunting African big/dangerous game and hunting in the UK were the biggest thing hunters are going after would be hinds or stags.

I've taken long shots out West on antelope and mule deer and the mainstream bullets I have used to take them have done what I wanted them to do. Admittedly I have had to choose the right bullet for the job/distance and terrain but as I have said they did what I wanted them to do and they did it right out of the box without all the faffing around with the bullets. Hey I think you'll agree a lot of it is also down to the nut behind the butt and their shooting skills, and no I am not calling into question the shooting skills of anyone on this forum. Personally I believe a lot of it is down to hype by bullet manufacturers and the conditioning of a shooters minds.

Blu

Guys, all I'm saying is compared to the other mainstream bullets out there and for what they cost, Berger Bullets are nothing special, in fact out of a lot of bullets I have tried over the years, they were $hite and please believe when I tell you that when reloading ammunition for my firearms, I take into account all the factors to make the round go where I want it to go and how far it has to go.

As far as I'm concerned I don't really care what the price of a bullet is as long as it does what the manufacturers say it will do, but as far as I'm concerned for the price Berger charges for it's bullets and the claims they make for the bullet, well I think Berger Bullets are a big let down.

Blu

Blu wrote: Personally I believe a lot of it is down to hype by bullet manufacturers and the conditioning of a shooters minds.

Blu

No two ways about it they are certainly part of the arms race/gun kit fashion circuit/shooting snobbery clique, but its still a relatively free country and if Berger is what pleases you then good luck with them. Let me know when they walk on water.

Dromia, good morning to you sir,

but its still a relatively free country and if Berger is what pleases you then good luck with them. Let me know when they walk on water.

Completely agree and you will see in an earlier post that's what I said to Spud. Hey if Bergers float your boat then go for it, I just would rather spend my time shooting the bullets than faffing about with them to get them to go where I want them to go. For the price Berger charges they should do that without having to mess around.

Blu

Blu wrote:ENS, good morning mate.

The £1 per shot versus a 2,400 pound game animal and a £2,500 hunting event cost was justifiable.

I completely understand where you are coming from mate but c'mon, big difference between hunting African big/dangerous game and hunting in the UK were the biggest thing hunters are going after would be hinds or stags.

I've taken long shots out West on antelope and mule deer and the mainstream bullets I have used to take them have done what I wanted them to do. Admittedly I have had to choose the right bullet for the job/distance and terrain but as I have said they did what I wanted them to do and they did it right out of the box without all the faffing around with the bullets. Hey I think you'll agree a lot of it is also down to the nut behind the butt and their shooting skills, and no I am not calling into question the shooting skills of anyone on this forum. Personally I believe a lot of it is down to hype by bullet manufacturers and the conditioning of a shooters minds.

Blu

"but c'mon, big difference between hunting African big/dangerous game and hunting in the UK were the biggest thing hunters are going after would be hinds or stags. "
Agreed any decent hunting bullet from e.g. Hornady will do

Berger at the cost is overkill