Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting question about sierra gameking performance on deer

do these tend to fragment inside deer? on a gel test they said the bullet fragmented pretty bad. that it wouldnt be a good bullet for those who dont want lead in their meat. talked to a couple friends who say all they shoot is gamekings but was just wondering if anyones had this issue? was wanting to try some in my 308 and 270

I wont shoot a Sierra at anything I have any respect for.

[quote=ingwe]I wont shoot a Sierra at anything I have any respect for. [/quote

because of fragmentation?

I've killed about 20 deer with 165gr. Sierra Gameking BTSP's out of my '06 and have never had one break up yet. 'Certainly can't speak for others, but I've been very satisfied with their performance.

I used the gameking in everything I owned up until 2008 when I switched to Accubonds

The reason?

Opposite shoulder meat damage

Sierra's are pretty soft, but I have used the in my .243, 25-06, ,270, 7mags. and various .300's. They have been use on game from p. dogs thru caribou, moose, and elk. They work better in the larger calibers. For deer I have no problem with them.. But care must be used when shooting larger game..

Most Sierras in the common hunting cals are ideal for deer. Some are really hard. The hpbt gamekings are designed to be a bit tougher jacketed than the spbt. A few of the heavies, such as the 200gr 30 cal and 160 7mm are stout and designed for use in magnums.

They will fragment. Any cup&core will fragment to some degree. Even the mono-metal bullets can fragment a bit. It isn't a problem, as deer are soft and each fragment enlarges the wound channel. Softer bullets transfer energy more quickly through fragmentation an rapid expansion. All good stuff when the goal is to put down a thin-skinned animal.

I killed 4deer with the 130 btsp gameking out of a 270 when I was young. They worked but were explosive. Shot several with 150btsp gameking in 308 and they worked great. Wouldn't hesitate to shoot a whitetail with either again but I do like the accubonds these days.

I've never had a problem with deer and the 165 BTHP GameKing in .308 or .300WSM. That's all I've ever used in my .308. I've shot deer from 15yds to 300+ and never had an issue. I practice the dreaded broad side shoulder shot and have gotten mostly bang flops.
All that being said, there is a lot of damage to the opposite shoulder but that's part of taking that particular shot.

Last B. bear I shot was w/a Sierra 130 BT in a 270 win HVA, 85 yds,60 gr H-4831 through heart in and out, no steps taken. However I am very careful when shooting bears and am a big fan of fast opening bullets with heart/lung shots. If I am specifically targeting B. bears I use Nosler PT's and any angle through the chest works fine in any caliber that is legal, I've used most. just don't use a bullet that only makes a hole without some "frag" spray, especially if not over 2300 FPS. Following a 1/2 dead bear in the dark is one of life's exciting but not fun things BTDT more than once.-Muddy

One I do like is the 165 HPBT in .308, shot at .308 and .30-06 velocity.

It seems to behave fairly well, so far all of them have gone through. One was a stem-to-stern, going in the chest, coming out of the left hindquarter. It was started at 2690 fps.

Same thing here Vic, shot a bunch of Mississippi deer with .30/06 165HPBTs. Never a problem..

They are the most erratic performing bullet I've ever used over the years.

Doesn't mean I won't fall back to them at times, and if in a hurry, they generally are easy to make shoot well.

RE lead in the meat? Quit drinking the coolaid....

Last thing I'd worry about is a few chips of lead, especially if you trim your meat well and know where to look.

Oh yeah, Barnes will solve your worries and be much more consistent on performance.

I have shot a lot of deer, pronghorn and elk with them. Just like any C&C bullet, push them too fast and they come apart. Either slow them down or step up in bullet weight if you experience it.

They certainly are not a magnum velocity bullet

I've used the 165 HPBT .308 on several deer with always an exit hole and total devastation of the chest cavity. I've also taken 1 or 2 with the 130 gr 270 a while back. Just keep 'em out of the eatin' meat if possible, but that applies to most HV loads anyway.

If that was the case with us we could have worked it all out. The bad thing is that X times they would work fine. Then the next they would barely expand. Then maybe the next thye would blow up and not penetrate.

Anything from 30-30ish, to 243 to mags...

I had a run on a 7mag, 160 sierras, where 3 shots were fine. The next almost took the head completely off. And literally the next at same range, was caliber in, caliber out. And a few more good shots in there, to have one blow up on a shoat, probably 200ish yards, shot in the back of the neck as it ran away, and thats where the bullet stopped in pieces... it never even completely severed the spine and exited, it just came apart most of the mass sitting against the spine.

I've had more luck with ballistic tips being consistent and then driving them slower than normal to get the controlled expansion that I desire rather than destrcution.

Yeah the 30 cal 180 and 200gr are garbage. Don't buy anymore. Tell your friends....

In my house my wife shoots 180 BTSP out of her 300wsm. I shoot the 200 gr BTSP out of my 300 Weatherby. The 225 BTSP is my bullet of choice out of my 350 Rem Mag.

Yes, I think Sierra's come a part a little more than other bullets I've shot. But, I know they come a part because 9 out of 10 times the animal is laying there stone cold dead where it was standing so I have ample time to inspect the wound. They are also accurate as all get out, out of our rifles anyways.

At low MVs(Heavy for cal in std carts) they do fine on WT size game. I like the HPBT GK variety the best.