5th Berger Hog and Another Unexpected Result

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  • Double Naught Spy
    Chieftain
    • Sep 2013
    • 2560

    5th Berger Hog and Another Unexpected Result

    This was a big hog, 270 lbs. I shot it through the neck and I expected the Berger to dump all of its energy in the hog. The angle was such that the hog should have absorbed the bullet, especially given the fangible nature of the VLD-Hunting round. What it did was to overpenetrate some 20-22" of flesh, which is fairly impressive penetration, but not what the round is supposed to be doing.

    Check out the video. Shot placement was pretty good. While I did not butcher this hog, it would appear that the shot entered the mid neck and exited going in another direction out 6" or so behind the opposite side front leg.

    Kill a hog. Save the planet.
    My videos - https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange
  • 81police
    Warrior
    • Feb 2013
    • 286

    #2
    that's one skull & jaw to keep right there!
    John 11:25-26

    Comment

    • Nomad636
      Bloodstained
      • Mar 2016
      • 38

      #3
      Just a thought....... with the construction of the Berger VLD bullet, it would make sense that if the projectile hit a branch on its flight path it may have dimpled the tip of the bullet so that upon impact of the hog it wouldn't fragment as designed. In essence causing a frangible projectile to be an FMJ and it would make sense that it would travel straight through the hog without stopping.

      After all of the videos you have posted using the Berger bullets.... I must say that I'm not impressed with their performance. I would love to see you use some Nosler Partitions or even better some of the LeHigh Defense Maximum Chaos, or the Max Expansion projectiles. I'd love to see what kind of number they do on hogs.

      As always, thank you again for an awesome video. I know the hog hunting community enjoys them.

      On a side note.... will you be coming to Weatherford this weekend for HOG FEST?

      Comment

      • Double Naught Spy
        Chieftain
        • Sep 2013
        • 2560

        #4
        I might make part of the day. Mom is in the hospital and I spend most of my daylight hours here right now.
        Kill a hog. Save the planet.
        My videos - https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange

        Comment

        • LRRPF52
          Super Moderator
          • Sep 2014
          • 8569

          #5
          Nice shot and a good data point on shooting through some brush.

          Prayers for your mom as well.
          NRA Basic, Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, RSO

          CCW, CQM, DM, Long Range Rifle Instructor

          6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbooks & chamber brushes can be found here:

          www.AR15buildbox.com

          Comment

          • Double Naught Spy
            Chieftain
            • Sep 2013
            • 2560

            #6
            Appreciated. We had a good day today. Hopefully tomorrow will be the same.

            After I finished there, a buddy met me for extracting the hog from the creek. It took over 100 feet of tow cables all connected together, LOL. The bad news is that it broke one of his cutters. Errr.

            I opened up the entry wound and it was nothing special, nor was it expected to be. Opening the exit wound was pretty neat.



            So there was a pretty massive soft tissue wound under the skin that was just mush. I probed the wound toward the head and decided to peel back more flesh....




            The wound was massive, but in part because what you are seeing is a cross section of part of the long axis of the wound. However, what is really interesting is that when I probed the wound further, I encounter ribs that were broken and missing a portion (gapped). It would appear that after traveling some 14-16" through soft tissue, the frangible Berger bullet that was supposed to have come apart violently starting at 3-5" was still intact enough to completely blast through 3 ribs and notching a 4th rib before exiting the body. In other words, the round appears to have performed much like a typical hunting bullet.
            Kill a hog. Save the planet.
            My videos - https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange

            Comment

            • LRRPF52
              Super Moderator
              • Sep 2014
              • 8569

              #7
              When I watch the video, the bullet path seems to be pretty much in line with your POA, as he was quartering towards you.

              That's a tough son of a swine right there when you think about what kind of damage he suffered.
              NRA Basic, Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, RSO

              CCW, CQM, DM, Long Range Rifle Instructor

              6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbooks & chamber brushes can be found here:

              www.AR15buildbox.com

              Comment

              • Double Naught Spy
                Chieftain
                • Sep 2013
                • 2560

                #8
                It would be in line except I was firing down at the hog and the bullet exited at an upward angle. No doubt it deflected off the ribs and I would assume it deflected off the last rib hit that was notched.

                I think the damage is outstanding. I don't have a problem with Berger bullets so long as I don't think of them as being particularly different in terms of terminal ballistics, which would be contrary to their advertising. So far, every hog I have shot has been over penetrated. That is what I usually get from 123 gr. SST rounds. HOWEVER, I usually don't get over 20" of penetration.
                Kill a hog. Save the planet.
                My videos - https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange

                Comment

                • am4966
                  Chieftain
                  • Jul 2014
                  • 1036

                  #9
                  When you use all of the Berger's, are you going to use another type of hunting bullet? Or go back to SST?
                  12.5" SBR Grendel - Need Barrel
                  Surge - Rugged Suppressor
                  Been a fan of the Grendel from the very beginning and haven't second guessed that choice one time.

                  Aim small, miss small!

                  Comment

                  • Double Naught Spy
                    Chieftain
                    • Sep 2013
                    • 2560

                    #10
                    Since I am not hunting at 400-800 yards where the supreme accuracy of the round would be most beneficial, the extra expense of the Berger seems undue given that similar terminal results can be had for much less expensive bullets/ammo. I can get just under MOA performance out of my SST ammo from my main rifle and that seems good enough out to 250 yards or so.

                    There is a lot of quality hunting ammo out there (regardless of the claims by ALL manufacturers about how their rounds are particularly superior) and an animal can only be so dead. After that, it is just a matter of finding what works well in your rifle for your kind of hunting and how much you want to pay for it.
                    Kill a hog. Save the planet.
                    My videos - https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange

                    Comment

                    • am4966
                      Chieftain
                      • Jul 2014
                      • 1036

                      #11
                      I agree, 00Spy. I was just curious if you were on a fact finding, to see if a different ammo would work better in your rifle. Whatever you do I going to be waiting for your next video!
                      12.5" SBR Grendel - Need Barrel
                      Surge - Rugged Suppressor
                      Been a fan of the Grendel from the very beginning and haven't second guessed that choice one time.

                      Aim small, miss small!

                      Comment

                      • SG4247
                        Warrior
                        • Aug 2013
                        • 497

                        #12
                        I love Berger bullets. Shoot about 1000 Bergers a year.

                        I have killed many deer with them, and have been considering using them for hogs.

                        Until yesterday....

                        Went out with my Suppressed 16" Grendel and a box of Hornady 123 SST.

                        Cleaned up a pile of hogs, all shot behind the ear at about 100 yards. No meat damage, all DRT.

                        Very pleased with the Hornady Factory 123 SST. In my mind there is now no reason to look at Bergers, as I cannot justify the hand loading time and cost for them, compared to the performance of the Hornady box ammo.

                        Now, we do not shoot hogs beyond 200 yards generally.

                        I am thrilled with the Hornady product.
                        Attached Files
                        NRA F-Class Mid Range High Master

                        Comment

                        • customcutter
                          Warrior
                          • Dec 2014
                          • 452

                          #13
                          I agree the SST's are hard to beat. I may try some 100gr TTSX's later in the year, but I've got 6 or 7 more boxes of the SST's to use.

                          Comment

                          • jawbone
                            Warrior
                            • Jan 2012
                            • 328

                            #14
                            appreciated the bullet performance autopsy. that bullet is a beast. thanks, too, for showing the Fireflies in action. wish i'd had them all these years when i was dragging deer while trail-blazing through thickets in the dark.

                            Comment

                            • Double Naught Spy
                              Chieftain
                              • Sep 2013
                              • 2560

                              #15
                              Hey jawbone, we tried a variety of lights, but what I found that I like are small, lightweight, inexpensive (per unit), last for 6-8 hours (at least, but are dimming by then), and disposable. Being cheap, you don't worry about losing them.

                              This is what I use. You can buy in lesser quantity, but the price per unit goes up. 60 for $16 if you have Amazon Prime and get free shipping. They also come in all white, but I like the colors. http://www.amazon.com/HOSL-Multicolo...+balloon+light

                              40 for $12 http://www.amazon.com/HOSL-Multicolo...+balloon+light

                              They are nothing for than balloon decorations, but you can see them for hundreds of yards in a open field. They are light enough to be threaded onto oat, Johnson grass, or other still grass stalks up high where you can see it.
                              Kill a hog. Save the planet.
                              My videos - https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange

                              Comment

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