Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles SIERRA GAME KING BULLETS

The good news is I have settled on excellent loads for my 7 ultra and 257AI.The bad news is I used the 160 gr and 120 gr Game King bullets in all my testing instead of the premium bullets I intend to hunt with.<P>I've had trouble before getting partitions to shoot well using the same loading as for target type bullets.I especially like the 257 load since I've never made this rifle shoot like it should.<P>Are the Game Kings supposed to be for hunting? Is there a good hunting bullet similar in shape? Can't use Ballistic tips for the ultra and I aint sold on them anyhow. <P>------------------<BR>Boone and Crockett was rednecks

Seems to be a hot or cold subject. Some people swear by them, but most reports I've heard have been that they are very frangible. I've taken a few small Whitetails with them years ago and they seemed to do OK. I've also read many reports on premature blowup when pushed over 2600 fps. Given the choice, I would use Partitions on larger animals, the Hornady Interlocks and SST's are also a real "confidence" load for me. I am somewhat leery of the Game Kings when used with faster calibers such as the Ackley and Ultras. regards,badger.<P>------------------<BR>Gun control is good bullet placement.....

my only experience w/ gamekings was last year in my 25-06. i was hunting mule deer, and had the cartridges loaded to about 3030 fps.<P>shot a good buck (large rack, large bodied) at about 100 yards. bullet penetrated both sides, so it was not recovered, but it was a one shot kill, w/ the exit wound being plenty large. i found no bullet fragments during cleaning or butchering (if that's good or bad to you, i don't know).<P>worked for me then, and i expect that i will be using them again this fall. they shoot plenty accurate, too, from what i can tell so far. <P>------------------<BR>Hunting is not a matter of life or death. It is much more important than that.

Hornady Boattail Spire Points are usually quite accurate and perform well on game.

Hi Gene. I'm doing the same thing. Using the very well made Sierra's for load development work, and then plan to switch over to the Barnes X for big game. I've done similar things with the Nosler Partition in the past. I found my maximum with, say Hornaday's, was higher than with the partitions. I seem to recall that Speer was like that, and I think Sierra is too. However, it gives you some idea where to start looking for the max. load. It can also give you a cheaper practice/varmit load. What accurate with one, doesn't work with the other. I've always had to go to a different powder. Or at least not for me yet. And we are talking several rifles here. As far as game performance, there is no way I'd risk using anybody's boatail on big game at those velocitys. The exception would be Swift's. They have a reputation of losing their cores easily. The Nosler Ballistic Tip will lose it's core shooting through a slab of bacon at 250 yds. according to Gun Tests magazine. There isn't any easy way to do this. And it is worth it. Particularly when you have a shot that is at a less than ideal angle. E

Gene the Gameking is the most accurate hunting bullet ive ever shot. Depending on the rifle its also the most accurate bullet ive ever shot...period.<P> Yes in an '06 I have had the G-King even outperform a match bullet, tho in heavy wind nothing is going to outshoot a match bullet. I think that in your .257AI its would be a great choice, why not just stick with it?<P> The .257AI is a goodie but I dont think its velocity's are high enough to cause much of a problem with the G-Kings, especially on the thin skinned game you are , no doubt, going to be hunting with it.<P> The 7 Ultra, well, thats a bit different. If I were you, and were really wanting to stick with a SPBT, I would try loads useing the new Swift Scirroco. Its a SPBT, like the Gameking, but it has its core bonded to its jacket. In theory it should be as close to a "perfect Bullet" as anyone ever made ; Its available in 7mm & .308 I believe.<P> I use the .308 G-King in my '06 for deer & 'lopes. True I get the occasional core/jacket separation but the animal dies anyway, and usually within 50 yrds of where he was hit. Im sure I'll have the G-Kings loaded on my Fall deer & 'lope hunt this year, tho I am going to experiement with 180 grn B-tips in my .338win.<P> I know that 1/2" MOA accuracy has very little "real world" significance in Hunting ; But , It cant be argued that an extremely accurate Load gives a hunter confidence.........10<BR> 3 shot & 5 shot groups with the .308 G-King<BR> [img]http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1651079&a=12640177&p=49837954[/img] <p>[This message has been edited by 10point (edited June 05, 2001).]

Thanks to all.The 257 is my walk-around rifle.The 120 gr game king with enough IMR 4831 to push it at 2880 will shoot iside a half inch at 100 yds for 3 shots when I hold 'em.I like 10 Points idea I think.If I had heard any real horror stories about the bullets from y'all,I would back off.<P>I'm in agreement that pinpoint accuracy is not essential in hunting situations for most folks.Since shooting is at least 95% mental I dont want to even think about anything when I have game in the crosshairs,so being able to shoot small groups consistently is very important to me.That doesn't make me superior to the guy who is content with less accuracy it's just my style,and evidently it's 10 point's style.<P>That same type thinking is why I must have confidence in the bullet I'm using.Since I can't try them all on game myself,I really appreciate the input from y'all.I've got some copper bullets from CA. coming to try in the ultra.A friend is getting them for me and I dont know the name of them.The 160 sierra at 3550 m.v. will cloverleaf if I let the barrel cool between shots.I had asked about the SWIFT bullets on here before but didnt get an answer.Much obliged.GENE<P>------------------<BR>Boone and Crockett was rednecks

<BR> Gene the 180 grn scirroco showed great promise when loaded for my '06. Now that the 165grn .308 is available Im going to be loaded that also, "I want to go up to 165grn's in my '06 for my Prairie hunts due to wind".<P> For flat shooting and wind performance NOTHING beats a BTSP. The .284 150 grn scirroco is available from Cabelas. If I had a 7mm-Ultra, 7mm RM, 7mm STW,.280 Rem, or even 7mm-08 & 7X57 I would give them a real long/hard try.<P> The again there's nothing wrong with the G-King, tho if I were after one of those huge western Mulies, or an Elk, with my 7mm I would be more comfortable with a bonded core design. I took a 'lope at a shade under 300 yrds a few years ago. Not a long shot but that darn prairie wind had me worried, about 10mph to 25mph and gusty.<P> The SPBT gives me the confidence needed for that kind of wind. I think you made a wise choice dvelopeing loads with them, especially in your .257AI "which Im quite envious of thank you"........Rick

Gene, look again in the big game forum. I will try to pull up a couple of threads for you. Good luck, Troy.

Gene tell use a bit about what type of hunting you will be using them for and for what kind of critters. That would help me to respond to you.<P>Thanks<P>"GET TO THE HILL"<P>Dog

I had this Ruger no.1 rebarreled to 7 ultra,with 30 in barrel,to shoot across mesquite flats at big whitetail.Shooting is from blind at range from 50 yds to 600.The trophy bucks never take the same path twice it seems,and will likely be screened by light brush if he stops at all.<P>This rifle with 160 gr bullets-at least on paper-will almost exactly duplicate the 30-378 shooting 180 gr.Recoil is in same class as 06.The brush and range disqualifies the TTH and some other "hot stuff".<P>------------------<BR>Boone and Crockett was rednecks

<B>Gene</B>,<P>I have used the Gameking on one game animal. The gun was a Browning BLR in .308 and I was using 150 gr GK's at about a grain under max I think. <P>Shot a relaxed wild pig (about 100/125 lbs on the hoof) at about 40 yds right through both shoulders. I know, dumb thing to do but thats how it worked out. The pig was dead instantly. The bullet penetrated both shoulders, smashing the ball/socket joint on each side. It then exited and buried itself in the dirt band beyond. There were lots of bone fragments as you can imagine. The enitre shoulder area of that pig was bloodshot to hell. <P>I am sure, had I made a neck shot, the meat damage would have been minimal. If I had shot through the ribs, the meat damage would also have been a lot less. Personally, I think Gamekings in heavy for caliber weights(180 gr in .308; 117 or 120 in the .257; 160 gr in the 7mm) would be fine for deer. They are more fragile than the premium bullets, so a bit more starting weight would be nice.<P><BR><B>Eremicus</B>,<P>Don't believe everything you read in a magazine. Not all the ballistic tips are bad. I use 225 grain Ballistic Tips in my 35 Whelen and they are pretty stout. I dug some out of the dirt backstop at the gun club and was amazed at the weight retention and frontal area. And they are extremely accurate. Starting at 225 grains, the bullets weighed between 157 and 160 grains with a frontal measurement of .687". Thats 70% weight retention and 1.9x the caliber in expansion. The dirt bank was not hard as a rock but rather a mixure of clay, pea sized gravel, and bullets. This was in the fall, so the dirt was damp. You still needed a screwdriver or stick to dig further than four or five inches though. I think thats pretty good performance and these will be my deer load from now on. [img]images/icons/smile.gif" border="0[/img]

I've never had a dime's worth of trouble with any Sierra bullet, in the 22-250, 25-06, 30-06 and 8x57.<BR>As far as I'm concerned, they perform as well as most of the premium bullets on whitetails.<P>I also use a fair number of Ballistic tips and get cranked-off at some of the comments about bullet failure. It's become almost a cottage industry, slamming Btips on the internet. I reckon when they iniate a slab bacon season here in PA, I'll have to opt for another bullet, if Btips ain't the choice for bacon-shooting, eh?<BR>I know what the 100gr Btip has done on over 2 dozen deer, fired from several 25-06's, and that knowledge is worth more to me, than anybody else's opinion. Opinion is what makes it fun to come here though, ain't it.

At normal ranges, just about anything will work on deer. Assuming standard deer/all around cartriages are used. However, with stuff like the .243, there is a very definite improvement when one goes to a premimum, like a Nosler Partiton. Likewise, when the velocity gets jacked up in the magnums. I want'em to shoot through, and leave a blood trail. I want the option of taking a fanny shot with the knowledge that it will penetrate adequately. I want the option of shooting through cover. In otherwords, I want maximum short range penetration, and maximum long range expansion. I don't want much, do ? EI ? [img]images/icons/crazy.gif" border="0[/img]

The ballistic tip and the game king share one characteristic. In calibers less than 8mm they are trash as a big game bullet. Very thin jacket and the bullets blow into a zillion pieces on impact. The heavy bullets from 8mm on up have a thicker jacket and a stronger antimony lead which will perform adequately on big game. I have seen way to much game lost to these bullets. They are some of the most accurate of all hunting bullets however they must do there job or all the accuracy in the world will be useless. The ballistic tip in 200 grain 338 caliber and the 225 grain 35 caliber are excellent bullets. The heavy 8mm and up gamekings also do a good job. Please, from a lot of experience, do not use these bullets in the smaller calibers on big game.

Hunter, that has not been my experience, or that of my huntin' buds, with any Btips, in a variety of cartridges, on deer.<BR>I don't put much faith in everything I read for various reasons. <BR>Good example...neighbor insisted on using 140gr and 150gr 7mm Btips in his 7mm Rem. mag one year for Idaho Elk. Bad results, but is it the bullet's fault, or his for using the wrong bullet? He now hates all Btips based on that one incident, and happily badmouths them at the drop of a hat. At least 3 of us advised him not to use those bullets for his Elk hunt.<BR>The guy I usually deer hunt with and I, have a string of over 2 dozen one-shot kills going with our 25-06's and 100gr Btips on PA whitetails. Don't reckon we'll be changing bullets anytime soon. Have dumped them with anything from the 95gr 6mm up to the 165gr 30 cal Btips....all one and done.<BR>Perhaps we're just the two luckiest old men on the planet.

Not wanting to start a fire or a Sierra roast on this thread, let me just say this. Most Sierra Gamekings bullets will come apart in magnum velocities. Some will come apart at normal velocities. Some will expand and not come apart at all! These are experiences which I was present.<P>Case #1: Sierra 165gr 30 cal Gameking (not HP) 30-06 at 2750 fps. Hunter shoots average size mulie doe at 45 yds. Doe drops like she was hit bu the Hammer of Thor. Autopsy revealed. One entrance hole behind the shoulder (rib shot) and 3 exits holes. In between full of sharpnel.<P>Case #2: Sierra 160 gr 7mm bullet at 3000 fps from a 7mm Rem Mag. Hunter shot a 5X5 bull elk at 100 yds or so. Right behind the shoulder. Bullet apparently blew up. Tracked elk for 5 miles that day in deep snow lots of superficial bleeding. Hunter never recoverd elk.<P>Case #3: This is my personal experience. I have fired lots of 375 cal 300 gr BT Gamekings at wet newsprint w/ heavy dry magazines in the bullet box. This is from a 378 WBY MAG and impact velocity is 3000+ fps. Bullets are all intact, retained weight is around 70%, and expansion is great.<P>What does all this tells me? Some Gamekings are tougher than others. Until I try them out on the bullet box all the non-confirmed sierras are for varmints.<P> [img]images/icons/wink.gif" border="0[/img] [img]images/icons/wink.gif" border="0[/img]

dubePA, I have known several people who have much higher strings of one shot kills on little eastern whitetails than you and your buddies by using a 22 rimfire. Back in those days shells were cheap and easy to find while centerfire cartridges were expensive and hard to find. It wasn't the best tool for the job but they still needed the meat. A couple dozen kills on little whitetails doesn't make for much of an expert. The info I hand out here is from facts of many years testing equipment and hundreds of big game kills. It is not opinion.

Sierra advertises their GK bullets as medium to long range missiles. If you're shooting close and at high velocity, the ProHunter line may be more suitable. However, because of their accuracy , I'm using Sierra GK's in most occasions. Below is the pic of my 2 (ever)* recovered GK's, shot at the same angle but at widely differing distances and game animals. As you'll notice, results are practically undiscernable and both bullets held together.<BR> <P>Bullet #1 is a 7 mm 160 GK (7x64) recovered just short of the ham of a Muntjac. Frontal chest shot at 80 m.<P>#2 is a .308 165 GK (.300 Win Mag) shot at a Red Stag (= European Elk). Frontal chest shot at 250 m. Bullet recovered in a skin pouch on the opposing flank.<P><BR>* I have experienced the same on numerous occasions but these are the only 2 cases I can prove on photo.

Just tonight I used my stoney point oal guage and comparator to figure out what max lengths where in my .270 for 130gr SPBT's and 140gr HPBT's gamekings that either badger or littlebit gave me last year. My intention is to load some of both for accuracy and pre-season practice. If they shoot like I know they should, I'll probably test them on one of our little 120-140 Lb whitetails. I've got several friends who swear by Ballistic Tips so these should be a little tougher even than they are.<P>Mike<P>I'll report the results!