.308 bullets - Sierra vs Hornady

[russellcframe]

Hi all,

I'm new to reloading and just finished shooting up a box of Sierra GameKing 165gr HPBT in .308 which I was pleased with.

I need to pick up some more bullets and notice the local store shelves dont have a lot of Sierra in stock, but there's a better supply of Hornady.

Can anyone comment on the relative performance of the Hornady InterLock 165gr BTSP, how they might compare with the Sierra's I was shooting? I know they are a few dollars cheaper.

This is for an all-around round for me for deer, black bear, and elk. I'm confident in the terminal performance and am more interested in the external ballistics/accuracy as compared to the Sierra GameKing.

Any comments appreciated.

 

[ScratchnDent]

The Interlock is a bit "tougher" bullet that may perform better on heavy game.

My particular rifle shoots the Sierra just a shade better on paper, though the Hornady also gives me plenty of accuracy for hunting.

 

[Tom S.]

Either one will work fine. Both companies are known for making quality products.

 

[joed]

Every rifle I own has shot Sierra bullets better then any Hornady. Don't know why but the Sierras just group better.

 

[Slim Pickens]

You asked about external ballistics and accuracy -

I have worked up loads in a bunch of different rifles, I don't remember ever finding a combination with a Hornady bullet that was more accurate than the equivalent Sierra bullet. Sierra is usually significantly better, IMO. My advice would be to stick with Sierra.

 

[roc1]

Both of my 308 shoot either Hornady or Sierra very well. I use both brands and am pleased with both.
roc1

 

[NCsmitty]

I would pick up the Hornady's and try them, chances are they will shoot very near what you get with the Sierra Gameking. With all things being equal, they could conceivably shoot better, but you won't know until you try.
That's the beauty of rolling your own.




NCsmitty

 

[dirtman]

I have been using Hornady #3045 165gr. BTSP for 30+ years.... they work great for me... i have taken several Elk and untold numbers of whitetail and everything in between... I started using them because at the time there was very little choice in my area.... but they always grouped nice and tight on paper so I have stayed with them... You could try several different bullet types and see what works best for your gun.. hey its all fun, you load'em up and bust the cap and smell the powder.... just hard to beat that.... good luck...

 

[JimKirk]

Evey rifle is different as far as bullets go.

If you were to buy two rifles just alike, one serial number apart, it is possible that one would like Sierra and the other Hornady. It is just the way it is.

The fun of shooting and reloading to me, is finding that magic bullet that shoots the best.

How boring would it be to just pick up a bullet stick it in a case and it shoot 1/4" groups.

You'd be dang lucky thats for sure and I would sometimes like to be more lucky than I am. It can be rather frustrating not to able to find a load that will shoot reasonable, but sometimes that is what happens too.

Buy a box of each, use good data and find out what shoots best in YOUR gun, because what shoots good in mine may not shoot in yours.

Jimmy K

 

[roc1]

I agree with JimKirk if every load was great then it would be very boring nothing to shoot for to be better. reloading and trying different things to just get a little better is half the fun.
roc1

 

[russellcframe]

Yeah obviously loads react differently in different firearms, but requesting to hear about people's direct experiences with the two bullets relative to each other in their firearms helps me decide what I want to invest time and money trying out in my own guns. If it were up to pure trial and error of all possible combinations I'd need to have a lot more money and time on my hands

I also put very little faith in testimonies for an entire company's products. Every company makes a variety of products that have a variety of appropriate applications and relative quality...I'd rather stack the odds in my favor by learning from others experiences than relying on manufacturer specs and marketing BS.

Thanks for the feedback all.

 

[Tom S.]

You asked about external ballistics and accuracy -

I have worked up loads in a bunch of different rifles, I don't remember ever finding a combination with a Hornady bullet that was more accurate than the equivalent Sierra bullet. Sierra is usually significantly better, IMO. My advice would be to stick with Sierra.

Would you care to define "significantly"? A half inch group at 100 yards is significantly better than a 1" group, but for a hunting round, especially at distances under 200 yards, does it really matter?

 

[LeverGunJunkie]

I'm reticent to comment and add redundant points; but my experience is that Sierra provided me better accuracy in my WIN 70 than Hornady. Both were hunting accurate, but Sierra gave me consistent Sub- MOA, while the Hornady 165s printed 1.5" or slightly larger groups. FWIW.

 

[jem375]

Since my hunting bullets have always been Hornady and have no need to try the Sierra GameKings, they have always done the job.

 

[Offfhand]

Russell, from your quote from above:

"I also put very little faith in testimonies for an entire company's products. Every company makes a variety of products"

If you have so little faith, then why would you have more faith in what a gaggle of amateurs on the net would tell you? Why don't you test them all yourself and let us know?

 

[russellcframe]

Offfhand, user experience is very interesting and I actually prefer the feedback from amateurs over the so-called experts because there are usually more pure motives coming from amateur reviews. The wide availability of user reviews are one of the great benefits of the Internet I think.

All I meant by that comment was that I dont give much weight to those opinions that pop up so often where people just chime in with "all I use is XYZ company's products" in response to questions about a specific product's pros/cons. It's still helpful to know that someone likes a company's products and feels no need to switch, but more weight is given when people can explain "why" they prefer a particular product and can elaborate on the pros/cons of different options from their own experiences.

Sorry if that rubbed you the wrong way, it wasn't intended to be a negative remark.

Cheers.

 

[evan price]

I have always had good results with the Hornady 165-gr SST in my Rem 700 and the 129 Spire Point in my Swede mausers. I also have good luck with Noslers but that's not being asked about here. Sierra makes good bullets too; I think that if you are talking hunting fodder they are all good, 2MOA or better. If you are looking for bench rest accuracy, then you need to find the bullet that shoots best for your rifle, and no two rifles are alike.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Until the current bullet "shortage" I always shot a Sierra 168gr MatchKing for practice and a 165gr GameKing for hunting. Since bullets are so hard to find now I've been shooting a lot of 168gr Hornady BTHP Match bullets and see no difference in them compared to the Sierra. I'm guessing the Hornady hunting bullet will yield similar results. You might want to try Hornady's 165gr InterBond instead of their InterLock. The design of the InterBond is much more like the GameKing than the InterLock which is shorter and has a crimp groove.

 

[JimKirk]

It still goes right back to the "you got to shoot them yourself" thing.

Regardless of what any of our "experiences" are, there is no way, especially in reloading, for that experience to translate in to usable information for "your" gun. I mean that we can tell you how good a bullet is and how well or how bad it works in our gun, but that is our gun, not yours.

I don't think there is a bullet out there made by any major company that is not any good. Take the Nosler BT bullet, a fine accurate bullet in my experience, but they tend to expand too fast for me in close shots on deer. So I use Sierra and Hornady in my deer rifle, both work very well, both shoot about the same. If there is an edge I would say that the Sierra is slightly more accurate and I mean very slightly. Nosler got a lot of feed back about the BT and I think they are making the jackets thicker now and they now have the accubond too. At 300 yards the BT is a fine bullet and preforms very well, just not at 35 yds.

Jimmy K