Sierra Gameking Bullets

[K3]

The Barnes thread got me thinking.

Who here uses Sierra Gamekings (the Spitzer BT), and what kind of results have you had on game? I am most ineterested in the 180gr 30 cal and the 140 gr .277. Feel free to chime in with other calibers and bullet weights though.

I know they are good accuracywise, as I've punched paper pretty well with them. I have yet to put one into a deer or elk. I did drop a bobcat with a 180grainer, MV was 2830fps, and the range was 60 yard. Exit hole was 1-1/2" in diameter, so not too bad on pelt damage.

* I don't normally use that much gun on kitty cats, but it was all I had available, and I wasn't going to let a gimme shot like that get away,

 

[MCgunner]

I shoot the 150 in my 7 on medium game, the 100 grainer in .257" in my Roberts. VERY accurate (you can count on accuracy), but explosive on game. For deer, the 7 tears up meat if you shoulder shoot it. The .257 is pretty awesome on medium game, though these are Texas bambies I have shot with it. I've taken up to a 150 lb plus buck with it. I had one fail to exit a doe when it busted through a scapula, bounced up and broke the spine behind the shoulders, and busted through a rib on the off side and wound up a pancake under the skin. Normally, I like to see full penetration, but seeing how much bone this thing crushed and penetrated and how fast that doe fell when I hit it, I couldn't be too critical of the performance. LOL When it hit, I heard a LOUD crack of bones shattering. It was pretty medieval. When that vertebra shattered, she never knew what hit her, never flinched.

A doe I shot at 50 yards with the 7 through the shoulders got both shoulders pretty well blood shot. Well, the off side was blown off! The lungs just ceased to exist, couldn't find much lung tissue in her left. I've never seen such massive destruction of an animal's thorax. It was impressive and at least I got the hind parts, the back strap and tenderloin, and some of the on side shoulder and neck to grind. She was a big doe, too, over 100 lbs dressed out.

One nice 8 point 150 lb buck I shot with the 7 went in behind the shoulder about 200 yards quartering away, came out in front of the off side shoulder. DRT (they all were with the 7) and not much meat damage. So long as I kept the bullet off the shoulders/scapula, I didn't tear much up with the gun. All about where you put the bullet. When you hit 'em with that 7, though, you don't have to worry about a blood trail, LOL! You ain't gonna have to trail one in the first place if you hit lungs. He ain't going far without any lungs to breath with.

 

[BAT1]

I just loaded up some 165's SBT last night with 43.5 and 44 gr of Varget. They will be exiting a Stevens .308 in the morning. I'll keep you posted.

 

[scbair]

I've dropped three SC whitetails with 165 gr. Game Kings in my .30-06 Ruger. Can't recall the exact powder charge (I worked the load up a couple years ago, and just load a batch, consulting my notes, when I run low ), but it's just a tad under manual-recommended maximum charge; gives me very good accuracy (about MOA) from my light barreled sporter.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I had Sierras break up on a deer -- both bullets penetrated, but were found in fragments on the opposite shoulder.

A friend had two failures to penetrate on a Black bear. The bear's front shoulders were broken (it swapped ends when hit the first time) but the bullet did not reach the vitals. He crawled into a "laurel hell" and finished it with a .357.

These were 165 grain .30 caliber bullets, mine from a .30-06, his from a .308.

 

[KODB]

I load the 165s over Varget for both bolt guns and M1. Every deer I've taken has been dropped within 25 yds or DRT. I have not seen the bullet frag out or break up in my experience but as noted above by Vern, it obviously happens. They are exceedingly accurate and probably exceed most peoples accuracy requirement for the typical hunting shot. I would not be hesitant to take a game shot out to 300yds with my rifles and this load although realistically, 95%+ shots will be much shorter.

Regards,

Bob

 

[Horsemany]

I have shot 3 deer with 140 Gamekings out of a .270. They all died but ran a little. It didn't drop em on the spot but got the job done to be sure. The reason I can't get away from them is that like most Sierra bullets they shoot better than most others. I tried 8 other bullets in the gun and the Gamekings produce groups around 3/4" on a consistent basis. They're not bonded which is probably why they shoot so good. I'd recommend them if you're looking for a new deer bullet. Good luck.

 

[Shawnee]

Hi K3...

I've not used Sierra GameKings but I know two guys here in Ohio who consider the GameKing the ONLY bullet worth using at all, ever, and both of them shoot a lot of deer and antelope and elk.

 

[ZeroJunk]

I think they are great for deer. They are soft, expand quickly,and transfer a lot of energy fast.
I usually use something like a Nosler Partition or Barnes X type bullet on Elk since you may need a little more penetration. But, I have killed an Elk with a Sierra Game King and it worked fine.

 

[dogrunner]

165 HP/BT #2140 in '06. 57.5 gr's of IMR4350. SLR WW primers......gives me 2850 from my 24" M/70 and under an inch at 100. With no doubt the most effective .30 I have ever seen on deer and hogs. Everything I have shot with that load has dropped where it was hit.

I was using the SP's but got tired of looking at the "dubbed" tips every time I'd top up a mag. The HP's shoot every bit as well, if not better, and the effect on game is dramatic.

 

[Trojan6]

Gamekings have always been and probably always will be my favorite bullet. I've bought all kinds and tried them out, but gamekings always seem to shoot best in my rifles. I've gone to a new approach here lately, and decided to pick one bullet, one rifle, shoot it all the time, and be intimately familiar with it. It's taken me about six months of tinkering to settle on the Sierra 180 SBT, 44.5 Varget, F210M, Nosler Brass, 2.810" OAL. Avg velocity is 2629 out of a 20 in Rem 700V in .308. Accuracy is okay at 100m (consistently less than one inch), but really starts to shine at 300 (between 1.5 to 2 inches). I chose this bullet for it's high BC, heavier weight, and my success over the years with other weights of Sierra Game Kings. Currently all I've shot with it are 3 hogs, and it performed as expected when I did my part. I don't claim it to be a magic bullet, but I think it is a great combination of expansion/fragmentation and penetration. I prefer neck shots, and it does a great job of dumping energy in the neck of piggies and sitting them down, whether or not it hits the actual spine. My goal is to take this load on an elk hunt in the fall '08. I know there might be more highly recommended calibers and bullets for elk, but I figure if I've got 18 months worth of data on the load in various temperatures and altitudes, confidence from several hogs, deer, and coyotes, that I've got better odds of dropping an elk within 300m than buying a new 300 -uber-magnum shooting Partitions or some kind of solids. Feel free to PM me if you've got more specific questions. Hope this helps.

LH3

 

[Cocked & Locked]

I shoot 150 grain Sierra Game King bullets in my .300 Win. Mag. Remington 700. They are absolute death hammers on deer and hogs.

 

[dakotasin]

i've never had a problem w/ a sierra gameking or hornady interlock in weight-appropriate-for-game/range chamberings. since most of my chamberings that i hunt w/ are either mags or ultra mags, and because i want ballistic advantage at range, this would be bullets in the mid-heavy for caliber range.

i suspect that if i uncorked a 120 sierra gameking from my 7 rum at full honk on a deer at 30 yards, i would have tremendous problems. but, the handful of 160's that left my 7 rum for deer and antelope had exit wounds and tipped over. quickly.

 

[Zeke/PA]

I remember when the 140 gr. Gameking came out in .270 cal.
The bullets were so new that no loading data was available.
A buddy and I contacted Sierra for info and proceded to tune up some rifles with the bullet.
Great bullet!!
My Ruger #1 just loves it. My nephew shoots the same load in his Rem.700.
I have killed SEVERAL deer with the bullet, one at 320 yards distant.
Zeke

 

[jonboynumba1]

I've shot a ton of the 130gr in .270 win I have a bud the swears by the 140gr -he says the 130's didn't group in his rifle but the 140's did. A lot of guys are liking the H4831SC with that combo over the more traditional 4350.

I've shot many deer with the 130...they all fall over dead like someone flipped a switch. I have never recovered a bullet or seen any signs of separation/fragmentation. It's a rock solid choice for any .270 and very accurate in my rifles.

 

[K3]

For accuracy, I haven't been able to beat 140gr Gamekings with 55.0gr of IMR 4831 in Federal brass with Win LR primers. I usually shoot 0.75 - 1.00 inch 5 round groups at 100 yards, and I'm no Carlos Hathcock. I had one 3 round group that took some looking at. Turns out they were all in the same hole. I had to look closely, but I could see three different arcs. Haven't been able to duplicate that performance - I must have been having a particularly good day!

 

[MNgunhead]

One thing I haven't heard mentioned is the Sierra ProHunter. I have heard that it is a little tougher than the GK, but I haven't hunted with them. I have had nice results at the range with them. The 150 grainer consitantly prints in the .5 to .6 range. I talked to my guy at the reloading store and he said they were not tough enough for hunting bullet and I should stick with Barnes (which I have used with success in a 270) or Nosler Partition, A-frame, etc. I am not sure I agree. I am on the fence. I just got out this morning to test some Barnes 150 gr Tipped TSX, but they aren't holding the same groups as the Sierra's. They were giving me 1" groups, which is entirely satisfactory for any practical hunting range, but I would like to have a load that is less expensive so I can get out and shoot lots without breaking the bank.

Great thread K3. Lots of usefull info. to ponder.

 

[JimKirk]

I've had very good results with Gamekings in 25/06, 243 Win, 7mm Rem Mag, and 270 WSM.

I shoot the 117 Grain in the 25/06, the 100 gr. in the 243 Win., 140 gr. in the 7mm, and the 130 gr in the 270 WSM. All kill whitetail deer with ease.

I have had some breakup with the 7mm on close shots <100 yds.. but longer shots gave good results.

Jimmy K

 

[Art Eatman]

Sorta guessing at the number, but I've probably killed near twenty deer with the GameKing bullets. Mostly the 150-grain SPBTs. 26" '06, so velocity was fairly high. The Sierra folks say it probably works better for MV at 2,900 or so; 3,100 is a bit much--particularly on the buck I shot at 30 yards. (DRT, but the bullet blew up in his neck.)

Playing on the steel at 500 yards, the 150 made a dimple. The 165 HPBT was a big more dimple. The 180 SPBT actually began a crater with splashback. I figure from that that the 180 would likely work better on, say, a quartering shot on an elk, particularly if something like a 300-yard shot was the deal. The 150s are plenty good for deer.

 

[dakotasin]

One thing I haven't heard mentioned is the Sierra ProHunter.

excellent bullet that holds together a little better than gamekings because of its flat base design. however, i prefer gamekings.

I talked to my guy at the reloading store and he said they were not tough enough for hunting bullet and I should stick with Barnes (which I have used with success in a 270) or Nosler Partition, A-frame, etc.

for deer? near insanity... i will reiterate that a hornady interlock or sierra gameking is tough enough for any deer at any range provided an appropriately weighted bullet is selected.

4 months ago (since this is a 2-year old thread) i delivered a 162 grain hornady interlock out of my 7 rum on a trophy mule deer at 30 (or less) yards. the deer dropped so fast it was gone when i came out of recoil. those conditions are huge stressors on a bullet.

if you are talking about elk hunting, then i can buy the argument for barnes and its ilk. that said, my last elk hunt was w/ my 338 win mag and i delivered a single 225 grain hornady interlock at a lasered 400+ yards. i don't think the elk even made 3 steps.

select the right bullet for the job. if you insist on shooting light bullets at high velocity, you will probably need a 'premium' bullet.

go forth with your sierra prohunters with confidence on deer.

 

[exbiologist]

I'd like to add one other thing. It seems there aren't a lot of folks who know that many of Sierra's toughest bullets are their Hollow Point Game Kings. The .277 140HPBT, 120 .257, 160 7mm, and 165 .308 all have tougher jackets than the standard spitzer boattails. So if you like the accuracy, but want a little more penetration and a little less expansion (say if you are a shoulder shooter), you might think about these. Also, if you actually own Sierra's manual(I know, I know, it's tempting to just jump on a forum and ask for a load recommendation), you could read which of their bullets have their double tapered jackets for added toughness in the GameKing line.

 

[Pumpkinheaver]

I went 2 for 2 with them last fall on Missouri whitetails. I was using the .30 cal 165bt out of a 30-06.

 

[interlock]

i have used both gamekings (spbt) and prohunters. both are good bullets and proven game getters. maybe the gamekingfs are a bit sofgt when driven very fast but at normal velocities they are fine