Here's my two cents. I shoot a 25-06 or rather two of them for deer sized game. One takes Berger VLD's and the other takes Nosler accubonds.
I have shot several deer with both of these bullets, and they are all dead. But.... I am not going to shoot another animal with the vld's. They are a fine shooting bullet, but they are not for hunting. I know there are a lot of guys that have killed all sorts of animals, but in my opinion they have some faults that I won't chance on an animal.
My wife shot a buck this year at 240 yards with the 25-06 and the vld. The buck was standing behind a small sage bush and the bullet clipped the sage and hit the buck in the chest behind the shoulder. It ran off. We tracked it and found it about 80 yards away dead. The lungs and part of the guts were hanging out of a hole in the ribs that was the size of a football. The bullet had expanded before it hit the deer and blew an enormous hole in the rib cage. It didn't penetrate more than an inch. I know the deer died quickly, but to me that isn't what I want in a bullet.
Last year I shot a bear with the 7mm stw using 168 gr vld's. The bear was broadside and when I shot he lifted his front leg to step and the bullet hit the front leg and blew up on the front leg. The bear ran off and I tracked it for over two miles never recovering it. I believe the bullet did just what it was advertised to do... penetrate 2-3 inches and blow up violently. That kept it from penetrating the chest cavity like most other premium bullets would have done.
My two cents aren't worth much, but for me I'm shooting accubonds and staying clear of the VLDs for big game. The vld doesn't really do much for you until you are shooting at extreme long range anyway. Not 400 yards either. I'm talking 600 to 1200 yards. I want a bullet that is designed to penetrate and hold together, not blow up. You never know when you will have to take a shot at an angle that is not perfectly broadside. Besides, my favorite rifle likes the accubonds better anyway.
DeerBeDead