XP3's or VLD's

[Haulin'Quarters]

I have been shooting 150gr. Winchester XP3's in my .270 WSM for 3 years now and don't really have any complaints but, I shot some Berger VLD's loaded by HSM and they grouped tighter. I am not a long range shooter and don't advocate 1000 yard shots. Just wondering if any body has used them and what you experienced.....fragmenting, etc.

[Harmy]

Iv'e used the VLDs in my .30-06 and .300 RUM for the last 3 years.

.30-06. I used to use 180 gr partitions. They worked quite well for the most part. However, as I really started to focus on reloading and shooting better I found I could not get much better than 1.25 MOA and this was mainly due to weight variance in the bullets. Once I sorted bullets by weight I found I could get to .75 MOA but they were so inconsistent I would only get about a 50% yield by including bullets in the 179.8 through 180.2 gr range. Then when I went Bison hunting I found they would not penetrate that well even though I have shot moose, elk, and deer with those loads with good results. I then thought I would try out the Berger's. I use the 175 gr VLD. Much more consistent weights with 95 or more of 100 having the exactly 175.0 gr weight and the others being -+.1 gr. Quick load development got me consistent .3 MOA groups. I shot one cow elk last year with this round. It penetrated to the other side of the chest cavity and fragmented exactly as claimed by Berger with penetration for a couple inches and then fragmentation resulting in a 3" diameter channel right through the vitals. The remaining bullet was probably 60% of the mass and was against the outside skin. The animal went about 10 feet. There was not as much meat damage on the near shoulder as I was expecting. I am very pleased with the performance overall.

300 RUM. This gun was/is a very frustrating gun. Groups with factory ammo were in the 1.5 to 3" range when new and not much better after breakin. I tried reloading with several different bullets (Partitions, Ballistic Tips, and VLDs) and powders (H-1000 and Retumbo). This gun took me over 300 rounds to develop a recipe that would provide consistent sub 1 MOA. I finally achieved that with the Berger 210 gr VLDs and Retumbo. It shoots consistent 0.5 MOA after 200 yards (higher at 100). However, I begin to get flyers after having shot more than 10 rounds. If I clean the barrel after 10 shots I maintain my groups. I shot a spike with this load at 550 yards last year. Same results as the cow. Good penetration, fragmentation inside the vitals, and about 50% weight retention. Now, with the gun well broken in and using a shooting bench I get consistent 6" groups at 800 yards. Have not tried it out at 1000 but plan to this winter.

I would prefer more weight retention but these bullets performed very well, causing deep wound channel, and quick kills. For a much more indepth analysis of bullets, terminal performance, and damage check out Terminal Ballistics Research. http://www.ballisticstudies.com/ Some great info to be learned on this site.

[Haulin'Quarters]

Thanks Harmy, that was a very informative website.

[duckdog28]

These are two very different bullets. The XP3 is a high weight retention bullet great for elk. The VLD is basically a ballistic tip, which tend to explode if shot at close range on heavy bone. I'd be very hesitant to use a VLD on an elk...