Sierra Ammunition?

Joey101 · Feb 1, 2005

Okay so I got my 400 rounds of MilSurp via UPS today, and I open up the box and there was a folded adpaper. So I unfolded it and it was a poster for Sierra Ammunition. So my question is has anyone of you guys used Sierra before? If so what expieriences have you had good/or bad.

Also if "one" were to fire a 230+gr. bullet what kind of rifle would they need to be able to handle that? I already know I won't be trying to fire it in my rifle. Not that I need to anyway. I will be just fine with my 150gr. But I was just wondering cause they have those bullets listed under "Specialty Long Range" bullets.

Also after looking at the ammo I got today. I cannot tell the difference between FMJ and the soft point Remington ammo I got at wally-world. Only difference I see is the FMJ has a longer bullet. The shell is exactly the same length and the bullet does not show more in the soft point than the FMJ.So what's the deal I don't understand the reason for having FMJ ammo. I only bought it cause of the quantity and price. And why do some ranges allow them and some don't? Is there any significant purpose for having FMJ ammo? Just wondering.

BTW those damn ammo crates (boxes) are a pain in the ass to open at first. :banghead: Took me forever to open it. :banghead: I guess it was vacuum sealed or something. But now that I have it open it is alot easier to open.

Sheldon · Feb 1, 2005

Sierra does not sell loaded ammo, just the component "bullet". They have a good reputation for accuracy and a lot of competition minded folk use their match bullets.

The FMJ (full metal jacket) bullet should be a bullet with no exposed opening at the tip of the bullet, whereas the soft point will probably have a open jacket at its tip with lead exposed there for better expansion.

Some ranges do not like the steel jacketed FMJ bullets because of the potential fire hazard from sparks. A lot of the surplus ammo has the steel jacketing, versus the all copper jackets of the commercial made ammo. Some bargain brand ammo is overruns of the companies military production ammo.....ie. Federal American Eagle and will have steel jackets as well. A magnet will let you know if that is the case. If the steel jacket is not the reason, then over penetration might be the reason a particular range would not allow FMJ ammo??

BluesBear · Feb 1, 2005

Most military ammo is produced for countries operating under the Hague Accord which prohibits ammunition that causes "undue suffering".

Modern military FMJ will have a solid copper spire (pointed) tip.
Soft point ammo will either have exposed lead or a ballistic tip of bronze or plastic.

Many ranges don't like FMJ rifle ammo because of the greater penetration or a problem with riccochets in their "snail" traps.

Some countries use a guilding metal coated soft steel jacket. These steel jackets are really no harder than copper. They're just cheaper to make.
Steel core bullets are a different beast.

Most soft point bullets will deform sufficiently upon hitting the typical range backstop as to cause no problems.

Joey you didn't mention what caliber you have, but from the 150gr I am guessing it is some sort of .30cal (7.62).
The brass casing will always be the same in the same caliber. Only the bullet will be different in various loadings.

There is a 220gr soft point hunting load for the .30-06.
Most rifles that use a 200+ gr bullet are in the .375 and larger range.

I also, have never seen Sierra ammunition but I have used Sierra bullets for 30 years.

Joey101 · Feb 1, 2005

It's a 30.06 Remington Model 710. I know I know!!! I've already opened that can of worms before, so no need to go into that on this thread. Yeah that would kinda make sense since after looking at the bullet closely I did notice that the tip was all metal. Haven't tried the magnet test. So I can fire a 220gr. soft point out of my rifle? Would it do better for long range? Also everyone feel free to answer this one. I figure I'm going to have to try out lots of different kinds of ammo. What should I buy? It will all have to be commercial for now anyways until I get up the courage to reload myself.

And yes your right they are Sierra bullets not Ammunition. So I guess the only way I'm going to see the likes of those bullets are by reloading. Oh well

BluesBear · Feb 1, 2005

Federal and Remington still load the 220gr in .30-06.
Winchester dropped it several years ago. It's not the best for long range because of the extreme trajectory. It does hit relatively hard though.

Federal also has loadings in their Vital-Shok line that use Sierra Bullets.

Remington, Winchester and Federal are now offering Speer, Sierra, Swift, Nosler and Barnes bullets as well as their own designs. The variety of factory loaded ammunition has never been better.

My suggestion is to get the ammo catalogues from Federal, Remington and Winchester and see what they have and compare the ballistics for yourself.

Attached is an Excell spreadsheet I made last year comparing all available American made Commercial rifle ammo loadings I could find in .223, .308 .30-06, .30 carbine and 7.62x39.
It shows factory published velocity, energy and trajectory.
Right click and select Save target As.
Just remove the .doc extension and save it as Rifle Ballistics.xls
It will be usable in Excel.
It is sorted by caliber and bullet weight but you can sort it however you wish.

I hope this helps.

JuniorG · Feb 1, 2005

I heard Nosler was coming out with a line of ammo but I hadn't heard about Sierra. Hmmmm.

Art Eatman · Feb 1, 2005

Sierra hunting bullets, particularly the boattails, are darned near match target quality. I've loaded them since way back when, and I think highly of them.

"It will all have to be commercial for now anyways until I get up the courage to reload myself."

Nahhh. It doesn't take courage. Just patience. As long as you're not in a hurry to select equipment, and not in hurry in the step-by-step process, it's a piece of cake. My uncle, ignoring the child labor laws, got me doing his reloading for him when I was sixteen.

I've been messin' with the '06 since 1950...

For all practical purposes, if the bolt will close easily on the cartridge, it'll shoot just fine. Always remember, the heavier the bullet, the more your shoulder will know about it.

The "standard" load (if there really is such a thing) for an '06 is a 150-grain bullet. For "just shootin'", whatever's cheap is good. Some el-cheapo ammo groups really good; other, not so good. No way to know ahead of time.

One thing about reloading is that you can load down, which gives a lot less recoil and lets you focus more on eye-trigger coordination. Just something to consider...

Art

444 · Feb 1, 2005

Just kind of expanding on what has already been said, but Sierra bullets are very highly regarded. Their Match King bullets are probably the most common bullet used over the years in competition at the highest levels. I also understand that our military snipers use Sierra Match King bullets in combat.
In summary, they are excellent bullets, almost certainly the best mass produced bullet made in the world.

Joey101 · Feb 1, 2005

What about Lupua bullets? Any good?

30Cal · Feb 1, 2005

What about Lapua bullets? Any good?

They'd better be for the price. Unless you have a match grade rifle, you aren't going to be able to see a difference on paper between them and a box of Sierra's or Nosler's.

FWIW, "Long Range" starts at 600yds. Unless have a good reason to subject yourself to 220gr recoil, I wouldn't go there.

Ty

HankL · Feb 1, 2005

FWIW Lapua bullets are not much more expensive than Sierras, about 1 cent per bullet in .30 cal 167/168 HPBT. The only comparison between the two brands that I can make is in .338 caliber. I can't tell much difference between the brands as far as accuracy goes in the 250 gr. HPBT. Price and availability are about the same. For some reason their seems to be some spot shortages of quality .338 Lapua components.

Of course, all of this is just academic until Joey gets into rolling his own.

Also FWIW "Long Range Starts at 1000yds." :neener:

Sierra Ammunition?

Joey101

Member

Sheldon

Member

BluesBear

member

Joey101

Member

BluesBear

member

Attachments

JuniorG

Member

Art Eatman

Moderator In Memoriam

444

Member

Joey101

Member

30Cal

Member

HankL

Member

Similar threads