Sierra 30 cal 165gr Bonded Gameking?

[Gtscotty]

Today I received what I think are blems of an as of yet unreleased Sierra tipped bonded hunting bullet.

I saw this box of 500 "Bonded Polymer Tipped" 30 cal seconds on PV about a week ago with what looked suspiciously like a Sierra pattern SKU:

Factory Seconds Bullets .308 Diameter (30 Caliber/7.62mm) 165 Grain Bonded Polymer Tipped Box of 500

Product image is a generic representation of a similar bullet

www.powdervalley.com

Curiosity got the better of me after a few days because no such bullet exists on the market, so I ordered a box to check out. Upon receiving them this evening and comparing them with the 165gr Sierra TGKs I had previously bought from PV, I have to say it certainly appears that they are a bonded version of the TGK. Here are some pictures I took of the boxes and bullets (TGK box, and two lighter colored bullets on the left), I assume "BGK" must stand for "Bonded GameKing". I also hack sawed one in half as best I could and can't pry the core out, so it certainly appears to be bonded.




What do you think? First runs of the long requested bonded Sierra hunting bullet?

 

[Palladan44]

I'd say so. Looks like they even wet polish them after the bonding process. Some effort goes into making these for sure.
Nice score!

 

[algaeguy]

Did you contact Sierra? They have always been forthright with me including which primer gives the best accuracy

 

[AJC1]

If I were a betting man I would agree the you got blems of a tgk, but the bonded part was incorrect.... only company validation will prove one way or another....

 

[Gtscotty]

If I were a betting man I would agree the you got blems of a tgk, but the bonded part was incorrect.... only company validation will prove one way or another....

That's what I was curious about when I bought them, but now I'm almost certain they aren't regular TGKs. First, I ordered the 500 pack of TGK blems about a year ago, and PVI's SKU was a direct match for the Sierra SKU for the 165gr TGK (4665) with a PVI added, also the shipping info actually identified them as TGKs.
Shipment notice from the verified TGKs I ordered a year ago.


The new bullets I just received have an SKU of PVI6765R, which follows the Sierra pattern, but I haven't seen the 67 prefix on any of their other bullets, I kind of think it's a new prefix for a bonded series. Also the new bullets are advertised as bonded tipped bullets, and the packaging reads "BGK" instead of "TGK" from my last shipment. The tips are also a dark opaque green instead of the lighter translucent green of the TGKs. To me that's circumstantial, but points to this being a different bullet instead of just a bunch of mistakes that line up.

To try and see if I could get the core to separate, I crushed one of the bullet halves I sawed in my vise both lengthwise and widthwise. The lead is starting to bulge out, but is obviously sticking to the copper walls and wont separate. I'm pretty convinced they really are bonded.

 

[AJC1]

That's what I was curious about when I bought them, but now I'm almost certain they aren't regular TGKs. First, I ordered the 500 pack of TGK blems about a year ago, and PVI's SKU was a direct match for the Sierra SKU for the 165gr TGK (4665) with a PVI added, also the shipping info actually identified them as TGKs.
Shipment notice from the verified TGKs I ordered a year ago.
View attachment 1183452

The new bullets I just received have an SKU of PVI6765R, which follows the Sierra pattern, but I haven't seen the 67 prefix on any of their other bullets, I kind of think it's a new prefix for a bonded series. Also the new bullets are advertised as bonded tipped bullets, and the packaging reads "BGK" instead of "TGK" from my last shipment. The tips are also a dark opaque green instead of the lighter translucent green of the TGKs. To me that's circumstantial, but points to this being a different bullet instead of just a bunch of mistakes that line up.

To try and see if I could get the core to separate, I crushed one of the bullet halves I sawed in my vise both lengthwise and widthwise. The lead is starting to bulge out, but is obviously sticking to the copper walls and wont separate. I'm pretty convinced they really are bonded.

View attachment 1183453View attachment 1183454

Putting a few through a medium will be at least a practical verification. I see them as probably working on a project like this based on the eldx and Speers new bullet

 

[Gtscotty]

Putting a few through a medium will be at least a practical verification. I see them as probably working on a project like this based on the eldx and Speers new bullet

Yeah, makes sense I want to shoot them into some medium at some point, but just moved and don't have my reloading stuff or range set up at the new house, so it will have to wait for a little while. I use TGKs in 6mm, 6.5mm and .30 cal, I'm currently using the 165gr .30s over 40.5gr AR-Comp in LC-LR brass in my SFAR. Looking at how close these are in profile to the known TGKs, I suspect that I might have some luck with them in a similar loading, which would be nice.