Bergers or Hammers for Africa

Hunting
1

I am going on a plains game hunt to South Africa next summer and I would like to get your opinion on what bullets to load. I am taking a 300 wsm and a 7-6.5 PRCW. The largest animals I am going to hunt will be kudu and zebra. In the states I hunt mostly with Berger bullets. I have always gotten fabulous results with them. I have also hunted with Hammer bullets and have had great results with them also. On the land I hunt in the states we are required to kill lots of does… I will shoot 20-25 each year; so I have lots of history will seeing how a bullet kills deer. In my experience Hammers and Bergers kill everything I shoot… but the Bergers kill faster. I get mostly “bang flops” with Bergers. With Hammers I get a great blood trail with a dead deer within 40 yards. So… with African game will I be OK with my Bergers, or should I shoot the tougher Hammers… ( Also, both bullets shoot little bughole groups)

2

Sorry I can’t help with the bullet question, I have shot neither. But, I am really curious where you hunt that you required to kill that many does. What state? And is it a. Leased hunting property?

3

I am in South Alabama,its farm land and woods by a river. 1500 acres. It is leased and private land owned by a lifetime friend of mine. 6 of us hunt it. 2 weeks ago I glasses a 30 acre peanut field on the Property and counted 97 deer!!!

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4

I have a short video I could send you if you would like to see it LOL

5

Which Berger are you using may I ask? I have been using the Hammer Hunter on whitetails in Oklahoma successfully and haven’t tried any Bergers.

6

VLD hunting and EOL hunting mostly

7

for my 7-6.5 prcw I use the 168 Berger VLD Hunter

8

For what it’s worth, when I went to South Africa the PH’s all recommended the Barnes TTSX. That is what they had in their own rifles. Everything from a 6.5 CM up to a 375 H&H. I think either would do alright. I took 6 animals and all of them were with a 30-06 and 180 gn TTSX’s. Only one went more that 5 yards and he gave me a quartering away shot.

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9

Thanks… I have tried to reload Barnes but had trouble getting good accuracy. I would assume barns and hammers would have similar outcomes on game both being monolithic.

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10

I’d personally go with the Bergers. With plains game there’s always the danger of a pass through that hits an animal behind it so I kind of like quicker expanding bullets.

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11

Thanks Jim!

12

I have never shot hammers but you are right in that performance should be similar to Barnes TSX. I used 165 TSX exclusively in Africa all 3 times I went in my .300WSM. Of the two bullets you have, I would use the Hammers. I like shooting thru the shoulder and dropping animals immediately. I don’t think I would shoot a Berger ‘on the shoulder’ as you will hear your PH say. You will kill stuff with either with right shot placement. You could ask your PH to see what he recommends as well. Good luck! You are gonna have a blast!