...why oh why won't they put a bonded-core version on the market?!

Went to the shooting range today and managed to get one of their 160-grain SPBT's in my 7x64 up to 2 948 fps with no undue pressure levels. I was astounded!

I didn't have enough loaded ammo with me to check accuracy with that particular load but, being Sierra, it should group just fine.

I really like Sierra bullets for use not only in my 7mm but .30-06 and .375 H&H as well. My soon-to-arrive .243 shouldn't have any trouble with them, either.

WE JUST NEED A BONDED-CORE VERSION FOR SERIOUS HUNTING APPLICATIONS!

I talked to them about a bonded bullet line in popular diameters and adding a standard .366" (9.3) bullet but they have no plans for either. Talked to them about the market segment they are missing with both items and they seem happy with there current sales and didn't need to branch out.
Must be nice to be so full of work that growing is of no interest to you.
Even with that said I am a huge fan of their products. If I were you I'd use that 7mm bullet at that speed if its accurate, I use .257 117 gr bullets at 2800 fps and .308 180's at 2800 up to elk size animals and great results.

Like Snellstrom said, they are producing all the bullets they can and seem perfectly happy staying out of the "bonded/monometal" trend. I'm sure it takes a lot of R&D to come out with new bullet lines. Sierra doesn't get mentioned much on forums but they have a lot of loyal customers that purchase their products as fast as they can produce them.

Sierras have been very good to me as far back as I can remember.

130's for my .270
140's for my 7-08
180's for my -06

all Game Kings.....I however switched to Accubonds three years ago to see if I could save more off shoulder meat in Missouri deer.

Sierra are not known for bonded core bullets so to go into that crowded market would take lots of $$$ for questionable initial returns.

Hunters also don't shoot nearly as many bullets as target shooters.

And if the factory is at capacity already, why complicate the issue.

Adding more capacity for that line would not necessarily increase profit.

.

I have used Sierra Pro Hunters & Game Kings
for many years in 30/06 & .270 Win.
I have taken a lot of game with them.
They have always worked for me.

Only reason I'm saying what I am is because I've had one or two Sierra come apart in animals. One was a 175-grain 7mm (2 400 fps) in a blue wildebeest and the other was a 140-grain 6,5mm in an impala.

If Sierra could concoct something along the lines of the Swift Scirocco or Hornady Interbond it would be a hunting bullet par excellence - being Sierra, it would shoot straight and tougher construction would ensure better weight retention and no core/jacket seperation.

Must be great to be in a market position where you just couldn't be bothered to offer something else. Sierra make great bullets and I will continue using them, but I do wish for something a bit tougher on the well-proven recipe, though.

jvm

Then I think you are using the wrong bullet if you are unhappy that a couple came apart.

If you want a bonded core, then why not use a Interbond or a Scirocco ?

.

500,

Where I live (SA) we are sometimes forced to use whatever is available. I do use Interbonds (fantastic bullet, by the way) and Scirocco's from time to time but they don't shoot as well as they should in all of my rifles, whilst Sierras tends to shoot very well indeed in almost anything I own.

Sierras are, at present, fairly commonplace over here, hence my desire for a bonded-core version.

Please feel free to differ from me on this one - I still think a bonded-core Sierra in some of the popular calbres and weights is a good idea.

I'm a huge Sierra fan as I shoot more than I hunt. Love to hunt but just don't have the time or resources to hunt as often or travel to the locations i would like to.

Sierra's just always seem to shoot well in a ton of different rifles. Prohunters and Gamekings, and of course Matchkings. I look to Hornady and Nosler for hunting bullets. Even if Sierra began to make them, I don't think I'd give up the Interbond or the Accubond. I rarely even shoot TSX anymore because of those 2 mentioned bullets.

So, IMHO Sierra has made the right business decision. That's a big decision to R&D and then produce another line, possible at the expense of one of more of their already proven sales number of their present bullets.

jvm

"Please feel free to differ from me on this one - I still think a bonded-core Sierra in some of the popular calbres and weights is a good idea."

I will differ from you on this.

As Biscut said, the R&D of bringing a bonded core bullet to market is very high, to bring it into a crowded market with all the complications of bonding when you already have a captive market of a very high quality product.


You are basing your request on the basis that Sierra's are available over there.
Just because Sierra make something, doesn't mean it will be available to you.
Have you looked into all available bullets over there ? I know Woodleigh are available
in the calibres you use.

Also, look at it from a market perspective.
Where is Sierra's biggest market and where are they the biggest in the market ?
The answer would be the US and Shooting.

So where does hunting come into them being No 1 in those areas ?
It doesn't.

If anything, making more of what they currently sell and getting their bullets
into loaded ammo would be where I would put my focus if I was Sierra.

.

What they have works...

actually it bothers me that the markets keep catering to everyone who thinks they need the latest and greatest each hunting season, when a lot of bullets that have worked just fine for decades are being canned, and replaced with bullets that cost twice as much and don't do anything better than the previous stuff...

dead is dead...and old stuff works just fine...

quote:

when a lot of bullets that have worked just fine for decades are being canned, and replaced with bullets that cost twice as much

My sentiments exactly ..... +1



Actually a key business concept is not to stray too far away from your Core (pun intended) Competency. GameKings & MatchKings work, period.

I would think Sierra could partner with Woodleigh (not buy them out!) and lisence their bonding technique. I'd like to see it on the Nosler Partitions (front half) as well. Please don't tell me the Swift A-Frame is the answer, because for light skinned game at long distances they just don't open up as fast as the Nosler Partitions.

chuck

I don't think you can license the technique.

It was originally developed or at least done by Bitteroot Bullets in the US (I think that was the name).

I agree re A Frames, which is why I think they came out with Scirocco's.

Just my HO.

The fact that Partitions are not bonded is what makes them so great IMO. Near or far they expand well and even with the front mostly gone I have never had one stop short of killing penetration.

quote:

Originally posted by Quintus:
The fact that Partitions are not bonded is what makes them so great IMO. Near or far they expand well and even with the front mostly gone I have never had one stop short of killing penetration.

Agree.

If you bonded the Partition, it wouldn't act like a Partition
as we know it now.

quote:

Originally posted by 500N:

quote:

Originally posted by Quintus:
The fact that Partitions are not bonded is what makes them so great IMO. Near or far they expand well and even with the front mostly gone I have never had one stop short of killing penetration.

Agree.

If you bonded the Partition, it wouldn't act like a Partition
as we know it now.

It would be like an A-Frame.

I think I buy ten Matchkings to one none Matchking and I'm not alone. Its almost as if they dont shoot very well, you can be sure something is wrong. Their hunting bullets is also super accurate and work well if not pressed overly hard.

Great bullets and decent prices, I think I like it as it is.

quote:

Originally posted by cobra:
It would be like an A-Frame.

Good point.

.

quote:

Originally posted by seafire/B17G:
What they have works...

actually it bothers me that the markets keep catering to everyone who thinks they need the latest and greatest each hunting season, when a lot of bullets that have worked just fine for decades are being canned, and replaced with bullets that cost twice as much and don't do anything better than the previous stuff...

dead is dead...and old stuff works just fine...

Very well said!

I've used Sierra pro hunters for years, started w/ them in 1989 for 8x57. You just can't beat them for a consistant killer. A few have lost some weight when they hit a rib or other bone, but they still drop the game. For Whitetail, Black bear, Moose, or pigs they are more then adiquite. I've used a heavier constructed bullet for heavier game such as Elk in the last 10 years, not sure why as the 150gr in 7mm Rem mag always did the job before. Now between 140 and 160gr Barnes I have enough to last a lifetime. I still have 5 of the original 175gr pro hunters I loaded up in 1989. I keep them as they are so accurate and deadly. When it has to happen, they come out. For average hunting at under 400 yards, they are hard to beat in standard calibers.

My opinion has always been if you use enough gun and, or bullet a Sierra or any cup and core bullet will work on most game. This also means you must pick the right point of entry. If you want light calibers or light bullets going super fast then maybe you need a bonded or other premium bullet. Want to take less than perfect raking shot same deal. That said I have had more luck getting Nosler and Combined Technologies bullets to shoot the best over Sierras.

When I first started handloading ifle ammo, Sierra was still in Southern California. Their bullets were slightly less expensive in San Francisco where I lived at the time so I used the Sierra 150 gr. 30 caliber spitzer in my 30-06 and deer just died when I shot them. (They were not called Pro-hunters or Game Kings back then.) I've probably shot more Sierra bullets than anything else as most of the gun I shoot have muzzle velocities of 2800 FPS or less and at those speeds, I see no need for premium bullets. The only reason I even used any barnes TSX bullets in my .257 Bob and .35 Whelen was because the state of Arizona asked hunters with tags in the Arizona Strip and Kaibab National Forest to voluntarily use them as the areas were part of the condor flyway. The reason I took the Whelan is elk sometimes stray into the Kaibab and Aeizona does not want them there. If we saw an elk, we could go to the game reporting station at Jacob Lake and buy a special tag to take out that elk. There was also the chance of a stray bison as well. I would have loved to run into one of those. I really like the meat.
I use the Sierras in just about everything non-magnum I shoot with rare exception. One is the 165 gr. Speer Hot-core for my Ruger M77 RSI. That's the only bullet that will shoot decently in that one trick pony.
I've used some Horndays, Noslers and Speers as well but always seem to go back to the Sierras. They work just fine for me.
Paul B.

Several years ago I had a friend that was an itinerant gunsmith. He could do just about anything with a piece of leather, wood or rifle. He was a very impetuous fellow. He'd get up a head of steam and there was no holding him back.
About every couple of months he'd decide he needed a new rifle of some sort or other and having a very short attention span, he'd want to sell the one he'd bought/built a couple months before. I loved hangin' round cause he'd sell some pretty fine rifles cheap.
Here is a Winchester Super Grade in 300 WSM I bought from him "cheap" as you see it.



When I took possession of the rifle he gave me 20 rounds of his handloads. They were 150 grain Sierra spitzers over H-414 powder. He said the rifle was on at 200 yds. Well friends are friends but I don't ever take anyone's word about whether a rifle is loaded or on target. Later on, before I pointed it at any animal, I fired two rounds @ 100 yds. to check zero, they touched, and according to my chrono were clocking 3250 fps avg. I hunted that rifle a bunch between 2005 and 2007 and proceeded to fire it 26 times and made 26 one shot kills on deer, turkey and hogs. I don't think one animal took a step. All DRT. IIRC, except for the turkey no exits. I like an exit wound in case I have to track, but then again, if everything you shoot is DRT, it's kinda hard to argue bullet failure and for the need of a blood trail. That particular rifle has never known anything but Sierra Spitzers.

It took me a long time to appreciate Sierra bullets, and now that I do, it will take even longer for me to unappreciate them. Most likely that will never happen. IMO, the only thing that could hurt their market would be some kind of restrictions on the use of lead. I shoot many different brands of bullets, and find most of them acceptable. What I like about Sierras is that I have always found them better than merely acceptable. For most of my shooting I will appreciate great accuracy and reasonable price over high tech bonded most of the time. I can shoot more for less money, and save the expensive bonded and mono-metal bullets for when they can serve their purpose.

The main thing that got me to start liking the Sierras, aside from just buying a box, was that it seemed that every time I wanted to find out just what a particular rifle could do for accuracy, I did some loads using Sierras. That went on for several years, and after a while I figured out that if a rifle wouldn't shoot accurately with Sierras something about the rifle needed fixing or it simply had to go. Messing with other brands instead never has resolved any accuracy problems. So now, I have it in my head that Sierras are the bullets which I measure all others regarding accuracy. Sure there may be and probably are others just as accurate, but at some point that distinction is moot.

KB

Several things I've always like about the Sierras is the comparable BC's with Nosler Partitions.

Example of some of the calibers I load for...

120 gr 25 cal Nosler Partion = .391 BC
117 gr 25 cal Sierra Spt BT = .388 BC

140 gr 6.5mm Nosler Partion = .490 BC
140 gr 6.5mm Sierra Spt BT = .495 BC

180 gr 30 cal Nosler Partition = .474
180 gr 30 cal Sierra Spt BT = .501

If I can find a load with the Sierra's, I use their cheaper bullets for practice and hunting. If I feel I need a premium bullet, then I can simply work up a load with the Partitions and my drops are fairly close or right on.


Also, back in the late '70's when I was a young soldier, I took my first few Mule Deer with the Sierra 150 SPT in my 30-06. Killed the deer quite dead but the blood shot meat gave me pause. I went to the "heavier" for caliber theory and moved up to the 180's for all my 30 cal hunting. From then on out, simple pass through kills with much less blood shot meat. Same thing with the Speer 180 SPT BT.

Alan

I am good as long as they keep making the 225 grain .358! My 358 Win loves them.

Personally I do not use them for big game. There are much better bullets out there that can handle the task better.

For targets and varmints? Yes.

geedubya,

That buck should be already tagged. Game warden come by and you have a fine

quote:

Originally posted by mikethebear:
geedubya,

That buck should be already tagged. Game warden come by and you have a fine :

quote:

Originally posted by mikethebear:
geedubya,

That buck should be already tagged. Game warden come by and you have a fine

What the heck.........

He already had a tag in his ear when I shot him,

Are you telling me I need another?

Can you get one from a game warden?

Please advise at your earliest convenience.

GWB

Oh, he's one of those. Did you pick him out of a scrap book before you shot him?

What makes you think I shot him. Actually the rifle is a prop.
It's called grin and release. When you only have a 10 acre ranchette, with high fence, and a limited budget, taken with the price of corn, you can't be shooting your livestock.
I grinned him into submission. I let him go shortly after the photo was taken.

Best
GWB

I realize that some Sierras are on the soft side but I have shot a lot of game with them and they always killed the game and because they are soft they killed quickly and mostly instantly..

Some of the Sierra bullets are not so soft, such as the 300 gr. Sierra for the .375, its a great bullet for about anything. The 130 gr. .270, the 250 gr .338 are all pretty tough bullets..

I don't use them on game larger than elk, but they work well on elk and smaller IMO, the 300 gr. 375 is the sole exception, I would shoot Cape Buffalo broad side with it and have.

You just have to try them, and decide which ones work for you, as with most bullets..

I was amazed when Phillip Price of Swartkei shot a huge but mortally wounded Eland that was still traveling, in the hindquarter and the tiny 100 gr. 243 Corelokt factory rounds lodged in then shoulder skin after breaking shoulder and the other one went into the neck of that Eland. Pretty impressive stuff, thats the same thing my .375 did on that Eland..He was a tough old bugger for sure, took a total of 7 shots to get him down, all deadly shots, he just didn't know it..

quote:

What they have works...

actually it bothers me that the markets keep catering to everyone who thinks they need the latest and greatest each hunting season, when a lot of bullets that have worked just fine for decades are being canned, and replaced with bullets that cost twice as much and don't do anything better than the previous stuff...

dead is dead...and old stuff works just fine...

Harrumph! Just like Speer "dumped" my favourite 270 Winchester 150 grain un-cannelured flat base soft point! Luckily I found and bought five hundred "new old stock" from a gunshop some two hundred miles away.

quote:

Originally posted by enfieldspares:

quote:

What they have works...

actually it bothers me that the markets keep catering to everyone who thinks they need the latest and greatest each hunting season, when a lot of bullets that have worked just fine for decades are being canned, and replaced with bullets that cost twice as much and don't do anything better than the previous stuff...

dead is dead...and old stuff works just fine...

Harrumph! Just like Speer "dumped" my favourite 270 Winchester 150 grain un-cannelured flat base soft point! Luckily I found and bought five hundred "new old stock" from a gunshop some two hundred miles away.

They're doing away W/all the "Hotcore" line & replacing them W/the "Deepcurl". They don't have a 200gr 8mm Deepcurl in the works.

I asked them if they would continue the 200gr 8mm Hotcore & could not get an answer one way or the other.

I bought 400 of the 200gr 8mm Hotcores from Midway. That's all I could afford @ the time.

Hopefully I can get some more before the supply dries up.

quote:

Originally posted by jvw375:
...why oh why won't they put a bonded-core version on the market?!

Went to the shooting range today and managed to get one of their 160-grain SPBT's in my 7x64 up to 2 948 fps with no undue pressure levels. I was astounded!

I didn't have enough loaded ammo with me to check accuracy with that particular load but, being Sierra, it should group just fine.

I really like Sierra bullets for use not only in my 7mm but .30-06 and .375 H&H as well. My soon-to-arrive .243 shouldn't have any trouble with them, either.

WE JUST NEED A BONDED-CORE VERSION FOR SERIOUS HUNTING APPLICATIONS!

W/"160-grain SPBT's in my 7x64 up to 2 948 fps", I really don't think you NEED a bonded bullet.

Granted you are on the borderline, but unless you get a really close 10yd shot that hits heavy bone, you won't need the extra toughness of a bonded bullet.IMO

Wonderful deer bullets...

I prefer Nosler partitions and the bonded core bullets of today, and I know they are better than Sierras. On an expensive hunt to Africa or wherever I suggest you use premium bullets,but I have killed a ton of stuff with Sierra bullets and very few have failed and those that did still killed the animal.

I use them today with certain calibers..The 300 gr. .375 is an outstanding bullet for elk size animals and I have seen them perform on Cape buffalo very well.. The 250 gr. .375 at 2800 FPS works great on elk and lots of my daho friends fill their freezers with elk shot with those 250 gr.Sierra BT bullets..I like them in the 9.3x62 that doesn't stress bullets and kills as well as about any caliber in its class that I have used.

They are great deer bullets, just don't push them too hard is the secret I suspect, slow them down just a tad, and they work..I like about 2700 to 2800 FPS with most.

I use the GameKings..They are as good as a Hornady interlock, Speer, or Win bullet and not as good as a bonded core or partition bullet. IMO. They are also much cheaper.