Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Sierra Gameking 165grn. 30-06

Gentlemen, I am doing a little research here on live animal shots. I have a 30-06 that just loves SGK 165grn, very tight groups. I have been shooting Accubonds in the same weight and there OK but not near the pretty clover leaf groups. Will the Sierra Game Kings work well on large deer in Canada both 50yd shots and 300yd. shots? Can you take a shoulder if you hit it and not have the bullet stop pentrating? Really looking for some field experience here. I am beginning to think that all these hard bullets don't expand as much and there fore do less damage. Maybe? I am sure they are good on elk. I would only hunt deer with these loads but they are big some 300lbs actual weight. Thanks Buckfever 1

I have not used the 165 grain version but I have used the factory loaded 150 grain Sierra Gameking. I used them for several years with no problems whatsoever on deer. I shot through shoulders and all different kinds of shot angles and I never recovered one from a deer and never had any bullet failures. I always got a quarter sized exit from them. I think the Sierra Gameking is a fine bullet for deer hunting. If you can hit a deer with it, anything will work from a .30-06.

06 size wise with them, our experience has been they hold together awful good, less expansion and such that I'd have been with a boat tail game king.

Of course your comment about hard bullets is interesting. If I was going to hunt big deer it would always be a TSX hands down. That way I'm not worrying about a bone stopping the bullet etc.... even from a total raking shot on a big animal. Might not drop as fast as with a cup and core flying apart inside, but really now how hard is it to find a deer that ran a ways. Especially if you have snow.

For years I shot the 30.06 180 GR. Sierra Game Kings (Factory Federal Permiums)in my Browning Bar and they did a very good job. 165's should do ok.

I've killed several deer with 165 Gamekings, the softpoint kind in Federal Premium ammo. They are a little "tender" on close range shots, but sure work well out past 200 yards. All were very quick kills, except for one deer who was dead and didn't know it for a few seconds. He kicked a bit at the lung shot, ran in a little circle, and then bent over to take a mouthful of winter wheat, and then just tipped over. He went the furthest, about 25 yards.

The 165g GK ia a great bullet for any size deer. 57-58g of IMR 4350 with a Win primer will really make you happy.

Good luck

I've shot numerous deer with 165 SGK from factory Federal .300 Win Mag at 200 to 300 yards (super accurate, they don't seem to make it anymore :(; all 1 shot kills, most DRT, one ran 50 yards. I never hit a shoulder; mostly lung shots broadside.

I shot a deer this year with a 150 TSX at 70 yards from a .308 Win...bullet hit behind left shoulder and stopped inside the right shoulder (I guess...never did find the bullet, but, it didn't exit because I skinned it, dug through the guts, etc...mystery!) so much for TSX penetrating all the way though!

I've had great luck with Sierra GameKings

I've used this bullet from both a .308 and a .30-06 quite a bit on our narrow Ozark deer with perfect results. But not on 300 pounders at 50 yards at raking angles, so I can't really offer more than that. I don't think that I would choose this bullet for that sort of shooting. Works great for my 150 pounders though.

Got the usual pass thru with a 165 Sierra HPBT today. Big fat doe. High shoulder shot, 205 yds, exit was 2" hole.
.308 Win with a dose of IMR 4895. I have not recovered a bullet yet. Crazy accurate.

I have killed more than a few deer with the 165gr Sierra GameKing's in the 30-06 Federal load. It is one of if not my favorite deer bullet for the 30-06.

On occasion the core will sperate when the far side shoulder is penetrated if the near side has also been penetrated. But the deer die right there.

Being of the mind that you should shoot until the deer is down, I once put a second shot through a nice buck that took off running towrd me after a broadside lung shot. The second shot got him after he swerved 90* to run in front of me and hit him as he was jumping. That 165gr GameKing broke and penetrated his near side lower leg, then his torso, including his heart and then broke and penetrated his far side lower leg. Range at the second shot was about fifteen yards or so. No sign of the bullet breaking up.

JPK

I have used the 180 gr. GK primarily, but they have always worked well from deer all the way up to moose.

Killed two last year with the federal factory load using the 165gr gameking. Scary accurate out of the vanguard I was shooting. One nice size 6pt. Shot was about 80yds neck shot. Took out spinal cord and some vertabre with a half to 3/4 inch exit hole. Deer droped dead right there.

Second deer was a 100yd double lung shot on a average size buck, Deer ran about 40-50yds and left a good blood trail before dying. Good size exit hole on that shot as well.

Neither of those were shoulder shots, but from reading a lot of other hunters experiences with the 165gr gameking I wouldn't be afraid of taking a shoulder shot with the bullet. For whitetails, especially 'Bama size ones that run a little small I really like the 165gr gameking in the cup and core class of bullets.