My son just purchased a Browning BAR in 30.06. To find a factory load that the gun liked, we bought several brands. The 165 grain Federal Classic Sierra-Hunter SP worked pretty well. Out of curiousity, I ran a few rounds through my New Ultra Light Arms rifle: Presto! Half inch groups, besting my Ballistic Tip loads! Curious about this bullet, I went on the Sierra website. They do not show this pill in a 165 grainer. Is Federal right? What has been your experience with Classics? Should I buy out the store and be happy? What is the terminal performance of the Sierra Pro-Hunter? Did we buy a mismarked Speer? If so is that any good? What?

The Federal web site list the only 165 grain .30-06 as being a Speer Hot-Core bullet. It could be that originally it was produced by Sierra but not offered as a component and now they use Speer as they were part of the Blount organization.

Federal has just recently changed their "Classic" ammo from Sierra to Speer bullets.

Odds are they will shoot just as good, and bullet performance on game will be very much the same.

I disagree with the statement that Speer bullets will have qualities "very much the same" as Sierra's. Speer bullets penetrate and hold together much better than Sierra bullets.

[ 10-31-2003, 19:31: Message edited by: rickt300 ]

I have been using Federal Classics and Sierra pro hunter bullets, which were what they were loaded with when I bought them, for several years now. They perform perfectly on deer and always pass through and the deer only make one jump if any. I loaded the Pro Hunters up to 3150 fps (180 gr) for a western hunt and proceeded to shoot a muley at 50 yards. Nice quarter size hole through both shoulders, so the theory that they don't hold up is not true, at least in my case. most of the problems that I have heard of were using the boattail Gameking Sierra bullets. Did I mention that this is by far the most accurate bullet in my gun? I think for the cost, the Federal classics are the best deal out there.

Sierra made those 165 ProHunters for Federal as a proprietary bullet, they weren't available to you and me, until Federal switched to Speer bullets, after the buy-out. For awhile, the 165 PH bullets were available from Graf's, as Sierra peddled them out, but I don't think they are available any longer. I had discussed this quite a bit with Sierra's techline people, before they became available as a surplus item. I don't like Gamekings, had several GKs fail on me, and wanted some pretty bad. I had sold my .30/06 before those bullets got turned loose, too bad, I would have liked them.

Federal loads the Nosler, thats pretty hard to beat....and they shoot little groups in every gun that I and Jim Brockman have shot them in...We were discussing that just the other day..He tests his guns with that brand and bullet.