Its crunch time for my upcoming Mulie hunt and I am planning on bringing my 25-06 with 117gr Sierra Game Kings loaded to an average 3050fps. They shoot great!
Anyway, for my maximum personal shooting range of around 300yards, I am not concerned about broadside shots, but was wondering about the toughness of this bullet if quartering shots are taken.
Appreciate hearing from some experienced members!

My buddy Snellstrom who posts on here uses them in his .257 Roberts. I've never heard him say he has had anything but stellar performance with them. I don't think I'd hesitate to use them in my .25-06 but my rifle likes the Sierra 120's a little better.

If you drive the 117 Sierra too fast they well fall apart. Too that I say, So what! They produce dead animals. It’s a little late in the game to be second-guessing yourself.

The 2 bullets are out of 2 different animals.

3000 fps is the top. but the 117 isn't traveling at 3000 fps at 500 yards or even at 300 yards is it?

quote:

Originally posted by Westernmassman:
Its crunch time for my upcoming Mulie hunt and I am planning on bringing my 25-06 with 117gr Sierra Game Kings loaded to an average 3050fps. They shoot great!
Anyway, for my maximum personal shooting range of around 300yards, I am not concerned about broadside shots, but was wondering about the toughness of this bullet if quartering shots are taken.
Appreciate hearing from some experienced members!

From personal experience the 25-06 is not the rifle to be used on quartering shots unless you have a great bullet. IMHO that Sierra ain't good insurance.FWIW roger

For the past 30 years, my .257 Ackley shooting 117 gr Sierra GameKing bullets has been my favorite Deer/Antelope/Sheep rifle.

Muzzle velocity is just under 3000 fps, and all shots were under 300 yds.

I've used this combination for a Mule or whitetail buck and/or 1 or 2 Pronghorn antelope almost each of those 30 years. Most were one shot kills.

I've also shot 3 Bighorn rams, a Dall ram, a Mountain caribou, and a 6 pt bull Elk with this bullet and rifle, that were also one shot kills.

I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a 117 gr Sierra from a .25-06 at a Mulie buck.

buffybr - care to share your load recipe, I'm looking for a deer load for my 257 AI

quote:

Originally posted by Westernmassman:
Its crunch time for my upcoming Mulie hunt and I am planning on bringing my 25-06 with 117gr Sierra Game Kings loaded to an average 3050fps. They shoot great!
Anyway, for my maximum personal shooting range of around 300yards, I am not concerned about broadside shots, but was wondering about the toughness of this bullet if quartering shots are taken.
Appreciate hearing from some experienced members!

I would use that bullet and load you have with confidence.
I shoot a 257 Roberts and shoot that same bullet at 2815 fps average. Have not recovered a bullet all pass throughs 2 buck and one doe antelope from 175 to past 400 yards and one large Mule Deer buck.
The Mule Deer was 200 yards and quartering away I shot just behind the shoulder and it exited in a straight line near his jaw in the neck, that had to be greater than 24"-28" of penetration.
I will use the same bullet to fill my Bull tag this year if I have the opportunity.
Don't worry about it and just shoot it.

I've used a .25-06 with 117 and 120 grain bullets since the early 1970s and have never had a problem with any of the bullets and I've probably tried all of them.....but there's one I like the best....it's Hornady's 120 HP....

117 SGK is my favorite bullet for my .257 Roberts. I drive it at 2,850 fps over 44.0 gr. of H4350.

It's put down about four deer and three hogs. Good times!

Superbly accurate in my rifle. Just superb.

No better 25-06 bullet out there for deer sized critters than the 117 Sierra Game King!! 30 plus years of them doing the deal on whitetails and two mulies. That bullet performs the same way time and time again unlike some projectiles which have gotten a lot of hype and have a higher price that may perform like a varmint bullet on one deer and then act like a solid on the next one. 49.0 grains of ImR 4350 or 53.1 grains of h4831sc should be the ticket. GHD

First of all no body shoots a deer at the rifles muzzle. What counts is velocity at the given range of impact. The 117 SGK is a great 25 caliber bullet for all thin skinned game.

quote:

Originally posted by 30378:
The 117 SGK is a great 25 caliber bullet for all thin skinned game.

If it wasn't Sierra would have gone belly up many years ago!

If you don't come home with a deer it won't be the fault of they bullet.

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:
I've used a .25-06 with 117 and 120 grain bullets since the early 1970s and have never had a problem with any of the bullets and I've probably tried all of them.....but there's one I like the best....it's Hornady's 120 HP....

Just picked up another box of these myself. I had to use copper the last few years and havn't liked them much. I've had great results with Sierra & Hornady's 117gr-120 gr. out of both my Roberts and .25-06.
The one bullet I tried and don't think I'd try again is the 100gr. Nosler BT. It worked but proved to be a little softer than I like. Nate

OK, I get the message and will use the 25-06 with confidence! Thanks for all the real life advice.

I agree on he weight (117) but I prefer the Pro-hunter (flat base) to the Game King

Prologue:
Just got back from Wyoming west of Cody. Used the 25-06 to take a 3X3 towards the end of my week. Shot it through one shoulder quartering towards me at 40yds with the 117gr sierra ending up against the hide on the far side. Retained weight was 66 grains. Thanks

I would use the 1640 flat base 117 grn Sierra bullet.
There are not many cartridges using 25 cal bullets and they all operate in about the same velocity range. In my experience with the 100 grain Sierra flat base they have exited from any angle except head on on whitetail.
The coyotes carried off that bullet all the rest exited so I do not have any failed cup and core photos for you. Shots varied from 80 yards to about 350.

The suspense of all this has me on my third or is it sixth Grey Goose on ice. When the Sierra boys go hunting, they use? Please this hand wringing is driving my liquor bill to the point of having to use sierra's. By the way I'm going on a hunt, would a premium-'.
Kidd

Ive used them on deer in a 257 Robts and a 250 Savage with steller results..A deer offers very little obstruction to a bullet, I would not hesitate to take a going away shot with that bullet in a 25-06..I would not choose it for elk, except on broadside shots where it does fine. I have a number of friends who use that combo on deer and elk without complaints. Most of them live in Wyoming where the 25-06 seems to be extremely popular.

quote:

buffybr - care to share your load recipe, I'm looking for a deer load for my 257 AI

Jim,
In my rifle, my .257 AI load for Sierra 117 gr GameKing bullets is: WW cases, CCI 200 primers, and 48.0 grs of IMR 4350 powder. It shoots 5 shots sub MOA at an average of 2988 fps.

Thanks buffybr,

My 257 AI does not like IMR4350, haven't tried H4350. It does like the Alliant powders - RL15, 19 & even 22; and H414.

Off subject but I'm building a 117 load with Hornady's RN for hunting deer in Minnesota woods.

i use the 117 SGK in my 257 Wby...works swimmingly...i shot a mule deer a few years ago with it quartering away at a couple hundred yds...BOOM, flop.

I use SGK's in alot of different calibers...great bullets. as a matter of fact i shot a mule deer this year with my 6.5-284 using a 140 worked great and have also shot deer with the 120...worked great as well.

great bullet selection IMO.

I hunted antelope, and most years, we got mule deer tags too, in Wyoming for 6 or 7 years in a row. We hunted on a family ranch.
The dad, his 3 sons and daughter also did their hunting for deer and antelope while we were there. They all used the 25/06.
They all used handloads with 100gr Seirra Spz bullets. So I have seen a fair number of animals taken with that load, and it worked great. The sons even used the same guns and loads for their elk, they always got them with no problems.

So I think your 117gr Sierra will work just fine.

While I am a big believer in premium bullets, the wife and I have killed a lot of game with Sierra bullets, in several different calibres, with not only no Drama, but with excellent results.

Every rancher and cowboy in Wyoming uses a 257 Roberts or a 25-06, mostly the 25-06..They use them on deer, antelope, and elk and if an elephant got loose on their ranch they would go out and kill him with a 100 gr. sierra, of that I have no doubt...