Sierra Match Kings on game?

You are right.3250fps out of the 264 Win Mag.:rolleyes: Could make a difference:D. Went out hunting today but saw nothing to test on.Still have the entire month of Jan. left before season ends.
 
Yet another victim of the 150 SMK!!
 

Attachments

  • SNC00005 (3).jpg
    SNC00005 (3).jpg
    42.6 KB · Views: 236
Ok BossHoss tell me about the penetration and expansion you got out of this.Where was the shot placed?How much did the critter weigh? etc.We need details.:D
 
Tough to answer that---shot him quartering away at very short range a little over a hundred yards and the 150 7mm SMK mv 3390 dropped him like a stone. Round entered mid rib cage and exited the opposite rear part of the shoulder (shot this one for the wall and to get rid of not to eat) the exit wound was not large and I did not cape back that far. Weighed around 125 or so.
 
I was having problems with factory (Rem) 140 gr ammo in 7mm Rem Mag. They were going straight through medium sized deer with almost no hole. I hate it when a deer stands there and looks at you and then trots off after you made a perfect shot on it. I didn't lose any deer, but I had to track them down and shoot them twice. The 140s cronographed at just over 2,900 fps. I have gone to a 120 gr at 3,480 fps measured. I didn't carry it this year because I was hunting in close and used my 30-06. I was 6 for 6 with the 30-06 using 130 gr Hornadys, but got exit wounds on all of them. I may try the 110 gr next year if my rifle likes them. On a broadside forward ribcage shot you need a bullet which is going to happen fast. I think the trick to using lighter bullets in a 30-06 is not to speed them up to max velocity, just run them the same speed as the larger bullet. Nice thing about cartridges in the 30-06 class is that they use speed and bullet weight to kill, not all one or the other. On game the size of deer this gives you a lot of latitude to work with.
 
Boss Hoss, you got darn lucky.......

Brother and I both lost white tails with the 7 Mag shooting the 150g Match king at 3150, and not just one animal each. Shots were not close where the bullet would blow up, being 150 yds plus on multiple animals. I knocked one buck down, he was trying to get up and I shot him again in the neck, bullet blew up on the spine on the second shot and did not penetrate; first shot blew up on the shoulder blade.

Boss Hoss, you had great luck, I and brother had dismal luck...Match king is the answer....sometimes they work and sometimes they don't.

The 150g Sierra Sp BT however is a fine hunting bullet and has never failed us.

I shot the sierra 52g BTHP Match and 53g HP on p. dogs at 3550, and they penciled their way through the p. dogs, in a 14 twist 22 PPC. The rifle was accurate enough for me to take shoulder shots on p. dogs.

However, the same bullets did a really fine job on coyotes with never a failure.

70g Sierra MK also did not do a great job on p. dogs out of a 14twist 6 BR and 243 win, but did ok on yotes....better bullets for yotes.

The heavier the bullet, the more apt it is to kill the animal with just the bullet's core if/when the core seperates from the jacket.

Years ago, I shot deer with the 308 and 168g Match king; I found out that the 165g HP Game king was a much better bullet for deer.

I made Benchrest bullets for years. It amazes me at how accurate regular hunting bullets are today. The current cult following for using a bullet with the very highest BC has folks leaning towards Match Kings and target bullets with the highest BC, which is understandable.

It is very humilating to loose a trophy animal because of obvious bullet failure. I guarantee you that it will only happen to you one time.

If you are shooting a 180-220 g Match king on deer in 30 Caliber, I would feel as if the core itself would pole ax the animal, unless you contact bone and the point folds back over it's self, which is rare.

I had a friend that shot the 120g 6.5 Match kings at 3600+ and he never lost a deer...go figure.

The bullet is the cheapest part of the hunt.
 
papapaul.......

you would love the 130g Barnes Tripple shock on deer, accurate as a Benchrest bullet and puts the deer on the ground like an anvil dropped on them from a 747.

I was shooting an over max book load (not for my rifle) of Win 760, bullets all touching at 100 yds.
 
Match King vs Game King

Did a lot of silhouette shooting and the big apparent difference between the Sierra match and game bullets was jacket thickness. This was evident at the 500 meter rams, when a Match King would blow-up and leave the target splattered with a lead star-burst, while the same weight and velocity Game King would knock the target off its stand.

Shoot a 7MM Rem mag with the 175 gr Game Kings loaded to 2,800 FPS.

They are devastating and highly accurate at long yardage, capable of 1/2 MOA out of my slightly modified production hunting rifle.

Rather than take the chance of a match bullet not working all the time, suggest use of the Sierra Game King, or as an alternate the Nosler ballistic tips.
 
James Whitten said:
Any one have any experience using the SMK on deer size game?Im thinking of trying the 6.5 140gr. for deer out of my 264 Win Mag.Lots of choices out there but happen to have a box sitting here and was wondering.How well will they expand at 3200 fps muzzle velocity.They are very accurate out of my gun.
Click to expand...
They won't expand at all, the meplat may deform, thats all. If the jacket come off this may help or hinder! Why use a bullet not designed for hunting when the many ballistic types are availible? You should also check your local hunting laws; here in Kansas using a non expandable bullet, FMJ, etc will land you in jail. Good hunting. ART
 
James, I have been using the 264 for deer for 20 years, and have shot about every bullet you can get down the tube of it. I used to shoot alot on crop depradation permits for deer here, and it gave me the option to experiment with different bullets. Fisrt off, I have never had a penetration problem with any of the 264's that I have used. Almost all shots exited the deer even my fursthest deer kill at 607yds entered broadside a little back from the shoulders. That shot was made using a 140gr sierra game king. The matchkings that I tried a short while were unpredictable at best. MOST would just pass thru with no expansion. The others would severely fragment on impact. My main rifle that I hunt with now I built a couple years ago on a model 70 action with a 28" shilen barrel. I pretty much used the game kings for my deer bullet, but the past couple years I have been using the Hornady SST. I've found the 140gr shoots groups as tight as any bullet I have used, and there performance has been VERY good. They expand, pass thru leaving a blood trail, and hold together. The later is something I have had trouble with when using the Nosler BT's at higher velocities. In my 24" barrel factory model 70 I use the 129gr SST's with good results.
 
I've only used mk's a few times on larger game animals but they have worked very well. now i use berger vld's and they are absolutely amazing on animals. just like they claim, they enter about 2 or so inches before violently expanding. never had an animal take a step from a 6.5 140 vld and a high shoulder shot
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top