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How well do the Sierra 224cal 53 gr Matchkings work on varmints?
Frangible enough to eliminate ricochets in PD towns?
Work well on coyotes?

Mark Shubert: Both the Sierra 52 grain and 53 grain Sierra MatchKings are wonderfully accurate - BUT - they are not the best choice for either Colony Varmint Hunting nor for Predators.
I quit using them several decades ago as they are so susceptible to "ricochet" and to pass through (no expansion) on Predators.
I do NOT allow along on my Varmint Safaris either of these two bullets to be used.
I have relayed this sad tale here on this site in the past but it bears repeating.
I Hunted for decades in central Idaho for Colony Varmints near and on some dairy ranches. One year I showed up to a dairy farm and the dairy man called me aside to issue a stern warning and to show me a "bullet" that had been removed from the carcass of one of his prized dairy cows he had to recently put down! The bullet had entered the cows flank and festered there for some time until noticed by the dairy hands. It was to late to save that expensive cow.
The deformed but intact bullet was obviously a 53 grain MatchKing H/P flat base.
Even the folks that make the 53 grain MatchKings (and 52 grainers!) DO NOT recommend them for "Hunting"!
They will kill Colony Varmints (and slowly kill predators) but they WILL ricochet after pass through or after a miss.
Lots of better (safer and more efficient) choices in that weight range for Colony Varmints and Predators.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Thank you for the information.
I guess I need to put the bullets I've got up for sale - as I do very little target work.
I don't need any problems, we have neighbors and critters out there!

Mark

I have not had good luck with them on coyotes. I shoot 50 gr ballistic tips out of 22-250 and 40gr vmax out of 223. Both anchor coyotes

Almost 50 years ago I thought I’d extract the greatest degree of accuracy from my .220 Swift by loading either 52 or 53 ( don’t remember which) Sierra match HP’s. They were accurate, all right, but it didn’t take many well-hit woodchucks running down their holes for me to realize that they just didn’t work well… not even as well as my .22WMR with 40 grain HP’s and nowhere near the same league as my .222.

I used to use 50 gr Rem HP's - then the market dried up, and I ran out.
Back to V-Max, I guess.
I just happened to have 600 Sierra 53's on hand, so wondered.

Thanks for the info, guys.

Mark Shubert: As rare as Sierra bullets are on store shelves nowadays I am sure you will have NO trouble selling them.
I hate it when "markets dry up".
Good luck.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

It's only going to get worse with FJB at the helm

52 gr. Sierra h.p. been useing this bullet on coyotes for over 30 years, nothing better. A close second is the Hornaday A-x in 52 gr. has plastic tip but stronger jacket and works well at high vel. like from a 22-250 ackley.

Thanks, TA. It appears the Sierra 52's work pretty well, but the 53's - not so much.
I've had pretty good luck with the V-Max line out of my 223's and 22-250.
Haven't experimented much with the Swift, though.
Guess I'll see.

Think I'll just sell the Sierra 53's to someone who can use them.

I bought 500 53's several months ago. Loaded some in a .223 AI, IIRC to 3,500 fps.. Shot one coyote at just under 200 yards, she was angling to a bit that I didn't see, thought she was broadside. Anyway with a shot behind the shoulder it exited in the middle of the flank on the offside.. Didn't knock her down and she ran about 50 yards and went down.. I wasn't impressed.. Won't use them again for that purpose.
Forty years ago killed a bunch of does with them out of .222's and .22-250's but all hit high in the neck. They worked well for that.