Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting 1000 YARD BENCH REST

The Pa 1000 yard bench rest season is in full swing.Alot of good gun's and shooter's.5 inch group's every match.Ray C shot a perfect 100 score today with a 5" group.WOW..........Any other BR people out there?

i was considering the same.(matchkings)can you tell me about bullet performance on game at close/distant ranges?

Jimi....I have yet to see a MK fail......From a cull doe I shot at 30 yard's last year with a 220 at 3050fps.To the Buck I shot at 875 with the same load...They preformed as good as any other bullet I've used....

Used as they use them, anything will work.
<br> Sierra, the maker of the MatchKing, specifically recommends against their use on game. E

Dodge does'nt recommend speeding.....And then they build a Viper........Go figure....

I'm not opposed to using MKs on game, but you have to realize that they will not reliably penetrate through heavy tissue and bones. I don't claim to be a MK user expert, or even a pert, but in response to this forum and some discussions we had on it, I shot an approximately 300 pound boar hog with a .308 168 gr MK at a range of about a 100 yards, using a typical MK .308/.30-06 target load, that is muzzle velocity was around 2650. I hit him as the was quartering facing me, fortunately to the inside of the chest wall, that is, the bullet did not have to penetrate the leg or shoulder joint, and he died on the spot. However, upon examination, the MK basically disintegrated on the surface and the shrapnel shredded his lungs/ and damaged his heart, even though it was somewhat below the point of impact. I recovered what can best be described as a partial bullet, flattened, sort of spoon shaped, and weighing about 80 grains that did not penetrate the complete chest cavity. What I am saying is, that if, as the LR shooters do, you are willing to wait for a rib cage shot, head, or possibly a neck shot, then a MK will kill them dead and right now. But if you miss just a bit, on a bigger animal, then you very possibly could have a wounded animal on your conscience. It is my opinion that if I had hit that hog to the outside of his chest cavity, he would have run off and died later, but hog fat and tissue seem to bring out the worst in bullet performance for the size of the animal. Saeed of the Accurate Reloading forum just returned from Africa where he used MKs on several animals, all of them were one shot kills I believe, and most, if not all of the bullets behaved similarly to the one I described above. He says he would not use MKs on game again, but the results also speak for their killing ability if put in the right spot at the right angle. I'm not trying to re-fight this war, just posting what I know about their actual performance in tissue. Great bullet, just not a great game bullet for most shooters IMO. Probably a decent choice for most deer hunters that don't shoot them in the butt. But IMHO, for most hunters, there are quite a few better bullets that will kill them just as dead on the good shots and have a much higher chance of recovery on the shots that are off a bit. Now, if you shoot the heavy(300s?) Mks in .338 then probably just having a chunk of lead that big will give you enough penetration to get the job done, but I haven't tried it, so really have no input, but most people don't hunt deer or even elk with .338s.

Hog fat and tissue do bring out the worst in bullet performance. Dave King has shot many hogs with MK's an he is better able to comment on MK's and hogs.
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<br>Lets put things in perspective.. the larger the game typically the larger the bullet.. except for the 7mm guys...
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<br>Elk cartridges are typically the larger 30 cal up to the 338's... I have guided and seen many 7mm guys take 5 and 6 shots to down and elk with 7mm cals. ranging from the 7mm mag. to the STW
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<br>There are a whole lotta guys on this board that use a 243 for Mule Deer/ Antelope and no one says "man are you sure thats enough gun" ..... I feel thats way to light for a mule deer/ antelope and I'll take my 168 gr SMK's at 2665 fps over any 243 load.......
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<br>I plan on using 168 gr SMK's and 142 gr SMK's for mule deer this year. If I have the chance to connect I will give full autopsy reports ....
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<br>IFIDs, Your load you described would have easily taken a deer sized animal out to 5-600 yards.
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<br>I know for a fact there are a whole lotta guys shooting the nosler ballistic tips and they are thinking there isn't a better bullet for the job.. that bullet performs very poorly on anything larger than deer and many of those bullets have wounded deer. Again the SMK is much better constructed than the nosler BT. But no one is telling those guys any different....who would the manufacturer say " They are a hunting bullet" so it must be true!!!
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<br>Boyd is right Dodge doesn't advocate speeding.. but they build one of the fastest production cars with 6 gears... you only need about 3 for 65 mph.... what are the other 3 for????
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I can't comment on the Nosler BT's performance, haven't tried them. But just because another bullet performs as poorly as a MK doesn't ipso facto make the MK the answer for shooting game. It ain't. It is a choice for those who demand accuracy above other aspects of hunting bullet performance and who are willing to not take certain shots that the bullet is not capable of performing adequately. The bottom line is that most game is easy to kill with good bullet placement and we spend a lot of time discussing the best bullet performance for the possibility that we will be confronted with a marginal shot or no shot. At that point, some people want a bullet with the required penetration to at least have the option of taking the shot or not.

I have seen the .243 with the Nosler Partition work on big game. They leave nothing to be desired on deer class animals. I've seen them work on much heavier stuff as well. Shoots right through them too.
<br> The Nosler BT is a very fragile bullet. But unlike the MK's they are designed to expand at velocities as low as 1600 fps. The MK won't, according to it's maker. They need 2300-2400 fps. to get true expansion. Again according to the maker. Anything lower than that, and they tend to tip over.
<br> I've seen lots of stuff killed. Even with things like the .220 Swift, and the .22 RF. Just because it is lethal, doesn't mean it is really up to the job under usual hunting conditions.
<br> I will say that I have no longer a problem with you long range folks using them on game. I understand your animals are neither alerted, or in flight. They are relaxed when shot.
<br> You practice alot. You odviously know your guns, and loads. And your own limitations. With those sorts of policys, I really am not concerned with what you shoot.
<br> I do not, however, like hearing a bullet recommendation that is specially recommended against by it's maker for general big game hunting. We have availiable much better designs. E

IFID,
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<br>I am not saying the MK is the answer to all bullet problems or is the best bullet for every job. I wouldn't use it on Cape Buffalo..
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<br>But for Elk, Deer and other similar game.. I wouldn't hessitate a min. I know for a fact it is made better than the Nosler BT. As always keep in mind the LRH's don't take any shot thats available most wait for the right shot.... A shot they know that will allow the MK to perform as intended...

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<br> I respect your comments.... but the facts are facts.. plain and simple the MK is made better than some "hunting bullets" again I refer to Boyd's comment about the Viper..
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<br>think of it this way .. No 4X4 auto maker advocates taking a production vehicle off road and into mud bogs, steep ravines, or sand dunes.. but the consumer buys this vehicle and puts alot of after market additions on to make this vehicle able to perform in those conditions
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<br>So we as LRH's take the MK bullets and use them in rifle made to make it porform.....
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<br>again it is not stated by the manufacture as a hunting bullet but it performs as well if not better than the "hunting bullets" if it increases accuracy and still performs.. why not use it.....

E,
<br> I respect your comments.... but the facts are facts.. plain and simple the MK is made better than some "hunting bullets" again I refer to Boyd's comment about the Viper..
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<br>think of it this way .. No 4X4 auto maker advocates taking a production vehicle off road and into mud bogs, steep ravines, or sand dunes.. but the consumer buys this vehicle and puts alot of after market additions on to make this vehicle able to perform in those conditions
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<br>So we as LRH's take the MK bullets and use them in rifle made to make it porform.....
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<br>again it is not stated by the manufacture as a hunting bullet but it performs as well if not better than the "hunting bullets" if it increases accuracy and still performs.. why not use it.....
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<br>as far as the 243 .. great caliber.. but I feel that ( and it is my opinion ) that the 243 on larger deer and bigger game is questionable at best.... not my choice for this type of hunting

You say you know for a fact that the SMK's are made better then the Nosler BT's. Please elucidate your knowledge.

Simply, Cut them in half and compare.....