Sierra Gameking

[Rem700CDLSF3006]

I bought a box of 30 cal 165 grain Gamekings to try for my 30-06. Does anyone have any reloading info on them,And how good are they for whitetails

 

[Centurian22]

I have the .30 cal 150 and 165 SGK sp that I plan to load with IMR4895 for my .308 and possibly 7.62x54r for my mosin but haven't done the work ups yet. I'm interested in others replies as well. Are yours SP or HP?

 

[GooseGestapo]

IMR4350, or Reloader17.
start at 54.0 max at 57.0.
H4350 max at 58.5gr

I use 57.0 with Winchester cases and Winchester or Federal standard primers.
Seat to 0.020 off the grooves.

Imr4350 gives 2,825 from 24"bbl. RL17 gives 2,950+.
H4350 at 58.5 gives 2,900fps

Warning; either of these might be too much for your gun.
I had a Savage M110LH that wouldn't tolerate these loads. 56.0 IMR4350 and 54.0gr of RL17 were it's max and speeds were off accordingly.

Do work up these loads in YOUR gun.

 

[Rem700CDLSF3006]

thank you I have IMR 4350 some IMR 4831 and some h414

 

[Lennyjoe]

My Savage 110 loves the 165gr Gamekings over IMR 4350. 1/2" groups @100 yards. The soft point do not do as much damage to deer as the hollow points do. I went to the soft points exclusively after using the hollow points for 1 season.

 

[kestak]

Greetings,

LennyJoe is right.

Gameking bullets have a slower expansion than Pro-Hunter bullets. I would not be surprised they would go right thru a deer (The size of deers we have here in GA anyway). When I talked to Sierra, they told me those are for bigger preys.

Also, the GameKing is better suited for long distance "hunting" because of its better ballistic coefficient than the Pro-Hunter....In theory. With the Pro-Hunter 150 grains, I can punch a 5-shots 7 inches diameter group at 600 yards. The same group (not punched at the same place however) I am getting with the GameKing.

Just for your information, I use 41.6 grains of I4895 (NOTE THE I for IMR and not the H for Hodgdon!!!) wit CCI LR with LC brass. The brass has been trimmed and annealed.

Thank you

 

[Kachok]

Have used 165gr SGKs for the past few seasons, spectacular results but a little too destructive at close range at full stroke with 4350 in my 30-06.

 

[JimKirk]

The 117 gr .25 caliber, the 130 gr .277 and the 140 gr Sierra GameKings have put many many GA deer down for me and my folks....

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I shoot 168gr Sierra MatchKings for practice and 165gr Sierra GameKings for Deer. I use the same loads for both and there's no need to change scope setting for both either.

When loading those bullets I charge between 57.0gr and 58.0gr H4350 depending upon which rifle I'm shooting because I have several in 30-06 and they actually like slight different charge weights.

 

[kestak]

What is your exact result on deers? I would have thought it would go tru because of lesser expansion.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

What is your exact result on deers? I would have thought it would go tru because of lesser expansion.

Why would there be less expansion with GameKings than with any other hunting bullet of the same class? I don't use them on tougher game but they work very well on soft skinned game like Deer. They do pass through smaller deer when they don't hit bone but so will most any other bullet of the same class. Most worry about them expanding too much and not penetrating enough.

 

[Lennyjoe]

Of all the deer I've taken with the 165gr Gameking, the soft points expanded good and left just under a fist size hole out upon exit. The hollowpoints, however, pretty much decimated the opposing side ribcage and left an exit would far larger that the soft point.

Most of the deer were hit at around 100yds on average. The ones hit with the hollowpoint ran about 50-100 yds before crumpling. The soft points put them down where they stood.

That may sound over exaggerated, but that's what I've seen out of my reloads. I've since gone to the soft points exclusively and will keep on loading them. I'd like to try them on Elk but the way the 180gr Partitions shoot and perform out of the same rifle, with the same powder (different charge of course), I'll keep using them instead.

 

[dodge]

I use the Sierra 165 Gameking in my Savage 110 with 59 grs H4831 and on the average 1" groups. Been using them for years and the furthest that any der hit with this load went was about 50 yards. That one I hit more in the liver area and not the lung area.

 

[kestak]

My bad. The gameking I was talking about is the 'crimped-like' hollow point. Those expand slower than softoints.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

one of my go to 06 loads is a 165 game king with 60 grains of h4831 and a cci standard primer. It shoots real well in most guns.

 

[gamestalker]

I've used a good deal of them for mule deer, they get the job done if I do my part. As for accuracy, I have no complaints what so ever. Good bullets.

GS

 

[Rem700CDLSF3006]

does anyone have any recipes for IMR4350

 

[juk]

A buddy shot a deer with a 165 Gameking HP from an 06. It definitely killed the deer. He put a good boiler room shot on her and she just bang-flopped. When we had her trussed up and removed the hide, we found that the bullet "blew up" the insides. I bet we could have hidden most of a basketball in in the cavity on the exit side. The bullet penetrated completely and no pieces or fragments were found.

Seeing the damage and the loss of useable meat, I won't load them for deer in my 308. Instead, I use the SP 165 Gameking. I haven't harvested a deer with the SP GK yet, but the general consensus seems to be that the SPs won't cause catastrophic damage. Tbat's just my .02. Like I said, the HPs definitely kill em though.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

does anyone have any recipes for IMR4350

57.0gr IMR4350 under a 165/168gr Sierra bullet is a very accurate load for my son's Remington 700. It's all he wants to shoot.

ALWAYS VERIFY ANY LOAD DATA YOU GET FROM THE INTERNET. Mistakes can and will happen so don't trust the numbers without checking for yourself. The Hodgdon Load Data Site has all the load data you will even need for Hodgdon, IMR and Winchester powders.

 

[Lennyjoe]

My Savage 110 likes 57.5 gr under the 165 grain Gameking soft points .010 off the lands.

 

[horsemen61]

I like them in my Remington I can't recall the load offhand although

 

[DM~]

I find them rather "soft"....

Fine for rib shots, but i don't always take rib shots, so i don't use them.

DM

 

[Sunray]

"...how good are they..." A 165 will kill any game you care to hunt with no fuss. 165's are about the ideal bullet weight for the .30-06 and .308. I'd be thinking IMR4064.
You don't need specific data. You load for the bullet weight, not who made it. Who made it doesn't matter.
"...recipes for IMR4350..." Hodgdon's site. You have to work up the load for your rifle.

 

[Kachok]

I have had great luck with both IMR4350 and H4350 56gr of H4350 is the most accurate 165gr load in my 30-06, but 57gr of IMR4350 will drive my SGKs a little faster. My absolute most accurate 30-06 load is 61.5gr of RL19 and a 150gr Accutip Rem brass, CCI primer, loaded just off the lands, shoots .5 MOA all day long if you do your part.
As always work up any load, never assume because it is safe in another rifle that it will be in yours.

 

[Rem700CDLSF3006]

thank you all