Sooner or later, things associated with long-range shooting find their way into the world of hunting. And so, in the very near future (if you have not already) you will begin hearing about VLD bullets.

VLD stands for Very Low Drag, which in layman’s terms means that they are long, super-streamlined projectiles designed to reduce drag more than any other bullet design before them. The downside, for hunters, is that by their very nature they are not very strong, meaning they can turn into a little hand grenade when they impact the side of a deer or other big-game animal. They are built to be heavy for their diameter. The basic design is a very long boattail, a relatively short body (shank), and a sharply tapered ogive. The target bullets have a small hollow point. They also have a very high ballistic coefficient.

All things being equal, VLD bullets drop far less than other bullets fired at the same muzzle velocity, and they buck the wind much better. Currently I am aware of two VLD-type bullets that hunters have begun using: the Berger VLD and Nosler AccuBond LR. I also expect to see more of this design in the very near future. If you choose to try them for deer hunting — and they would be a nice choice for any situation where long-distance shots could occur, such as a Texas sendero, beanfield, out West, hunting over vast crop fields, etc. — remember that they are soft by nature and not really designed as a bone-buster. But they do shoot great!