Thoughts please I am loading up some hunting bullets for the 300 WSM and 308. Really like the way the bullet looks, and it makes sense that it should be a great hunting bullet. Some of you guy's can shed some light on the pros and the cons. What powders and primers are you, or have you had best results with?

Thanks

They are in my experience an exceptionally accurate bullet.

They also in my experience quite soft. They should work dandy for deer sized critters in the 308Win at 308Win velocities. In fact I've used that exact bullet in 308Win on deer successfully. But honestly, I'd be reluctant to drive them at 300WSM velocities. In fact I probably wouldn't even load them in a 30-06.

The Pro-Hunters are supposedly much tougher but I haven't used them.

Hey Hoot,
I have shot exactly one deer with that bullet out of a 308. It performed well and they shot very good out of a couple of rifles.
I wanted to get togather and do some loading but I've been tied up every available minute on Rodney's house building project. You going to hunt this weekend?
Nimrod308

I am going to hunt this weekend. Are you? I'm gonna take that new M70 extreme weather I think.

Need in the club to go get on the bench for a few day's. Any news on new membership availability?

I'll call you.

Hoot :
I can only tell my experience with them in a 308 and my hunting budy`s with a 3006. My handloads were at 2650 fps and the 3006 ,not shure , but think about 2750 fps. Culling operation on red stags, distances from 150 to 320 meters , headshots -the bullet was adecuatelly accurate for the task- but results were dissapointing. We had many fragmented , no penetration , so follow up shots were required to the body..with even worst results.

Hoot,

I load the Sierra 165 gr. HPBT's (Moly coated - I roll my own) in both .308 Win. & .30/06 Sprg.

In the.308 Win. I use VVN-140 and in the .30/06 Sprg. VVN-160. Both loads are superbly accurate & my terminal performace results have been perfect on game the size of Roe, Fallow & Red Deer and the occaisional Wild Boar.

I consider them excellent bullets - couldn't ask for better performance the way I load them. My loads, according to several sources & my Chrony are certainly not anywhere near "Pushing the Envelope", either; just regular 'Ole Vanilla Flavored stuff.

We used to load the HP Game King in my friends
300 Wby at 3400.. Hence the name for his rifle...The Red Mist

quote:

pulki

Just to clarify...Sierra makes 2 165gr GameKings, the SBT and the Hollow Point BT. The HPBT is significantly "tougher" made with a harder lead allow and a thicker jacket. Were you shooting the SBT's or the HPBT's? Thanks

I have no experience with them on game but for a few years, my personal-best score at the 600 yard line was with the 165 Sierra BTHP (not the 168!).

They are at least accurate!

Mark

I use them (165 gr. HPBT) on deer and hogs out of a 308 with excelletn results. I have yet to recover one with double lung hits. The bullets run at 2750 out of my 308.

I have a real hard time believing the no penetration/fragmentations on head shots. I have never shot a Red Stag but they must have heads harder than hell to have "many" no penetration/fraqmentations. I am throwing the BS flag!

PaPa 260

quote:

I have a real hard time believing the no penetration/fragmentations on head shots

Pop,

I'm in the boat with you on this one. I was thinking exactly the same when I read the thread above but.....to each his own.

Olarmy
They were the HPBT. We had also bad luck with the Hornady SST , in this case we knew that they were softer and more adecuate for other kind of quarry. But here you have to use what you can find. In the past we had used the Sierras SBT , the Hornadys SBT and the Noslers Bal. Tip with excellent results. Now they are so scarse,that we save them for trophy hunts.
Pulki.

quote:

Originally posted by pulki:
Olarmy
They were the HPBT. We had also bad luck with the Hornady SST , in this case we knew that they were softer and more adecuate for other kind of quarry. But here you have to use what you can find. In the past we had used the Sierras SBT , the Hornadys SBT and the Noslers Bal. Tip with excellent results. Now they are so scarse,that we save them for trophy hunts.
Pulki.

Maybe they were Matchkings. The Gamekings are supposed to be much harder with thicker jackets. My Sierra manual recommends them with at least a 2500 muzzle velocity to expand properly. They are recommended for 300 Magnums.

I had one of the 165 HPBT gamekings fail misserably on a white tail at about 80yds from a .308. This was very upseting as it is an extremely accurate bullet in my rifle. I now am using the Nosler AB's with great success. I would use something other than the Sierra.

Matt.

I have shot a bunch of deer and several antelope with them.

Deer under 50 yards and anteloppe to 550 yards.

It is one of my favorite bullets in a 308.

They are very accurate.

They have been great killers.

I have never recovered one...

I'm getting ready to load some for one of my 308s. Looking forward to good results.

I have a Winchester Supergrade chambered in 300 WSM. I purchased it from a gunsmith friend of mine. He developed a load using 150 gr sierra spitzers. I have made 26 one shot kills on hogs, deer and turkey with that rifle. Shoots into 1/2" at 100 yds. Lots of people don't like sierra game kings, I've never had a problem with them.


Results of 150 gr spitzers in 300 wsm

I also like the 165 HPBT's. I have had excellent results in the 308 with them. They are a harder bullet that the spitzers. I usually do not get pass throughs with the spitzers but the 165 gr. HPBT's always pass through on the game I have shot.
In my Weatherby Super Varmint Master they shoot lights out. I also shoot them in my Savage 10 FCP in 308. With the 165 gr HPBT's they will shoot just over 1/2" at 200 yds. if I do my part. I do not know that I would hunt elk with them, but for hogs, white-tail, axis, audad, they flat work.
GWB

Results using 165 gr. Sierra HPBT's

Turkey taken at 200 yds.+


Hoglet taken w/ one shot near Vanderpool, Tx.


The hoglet picured above, on the wall.

PS: Did I say that I find these bullet to be very accurate given the right rifle and load!


before adujustment for zero (200 yd.)

where I stopped (200 yds.)

My choice in the 300 Win Mag is either the 165 HP Sierra at 3300 fps

or the 220 grain bullets at 2950 fps..either Sierra, Hornady or the beloved Nosler 220 grain SMP partition...

I shoot the 165 gr gamekings in my 30-06 and I love them. My load was designed with deer in mind but I've taken coyote,Black bear,caribou,mountain reedbuck, red stag,roe buck, along with lots of deer.