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Posted By: 358win Sierra pro hunter bullets - 02/05/11
Mule Deer and other esteemed campfire mebers.
What do ya'll think of the Sierra pro hunter bullets for deer and hog? I have a 1955 M1 garand 30'06 that I want to hunt with (have 5 round clip to be legal) and I am thinking of using these bullts. My current load consist of 48 grains of H4895 and 150 grain Hornady SST and CCI 34 primers. I do not have place to test either of these bullets so would like ya'lls opinion on these two bullets. I hunt in north Florida so the deer and hog are not that big. I enjoy many of the topics here on the campfire. smile

358win
Posted By: mathman Re: Sierra pro hunter bullets - 02/05/11
My father killed many deer with 150 grain Sierras, Speers and early Ballistic Tips shot from a 30-06. They always worked fine, but he always busted them in the clockwork. There were no SST bullets then.
Posted By: MCT3 Re: Sierra pro hunter bullets - 02/05/11
I currently live in FL, and frequently hunt hogs and deer. The Sierra pro hunters will work well, as will most any bullet out of a 30-06 in FL. I only use my 6.5x55, 7mm-08 here and have had good success with a variety of bullets on FL deer and hogs (including 140gr SGK). If your gun likes them, load the Sierra's without worry.
Posted By: WPAH Re: Sierra pro hunter bullets - 02/05/11
I have heard complaints about the terminal performance of their gameking (boattails) but not the Prohunters (flatbases). I have seen them work numerous times. Match the bullet and caliber to the game animal. They are very accurate
Posted By: Con Re: Sierra pro hunter bullets - 02/05/11
Originally Posted by WPAH
I have heard complaints about the terminal performance of their gameking (boattails) but not the Prohunters (flatbases). I have seen them work numerous times. Match the bullet and caliber to the game animal. They are very accurate


The GameKing will often shed its core whilst killing the beast, the ProHunters will often not whilst killing the beast just as dead. I prefer the ProHunter though. I treat Sierra's as a softer conventional cup/core projectile and they do just perfectly fine.
Cheers...
Con
Yeah, they should work just fine, especially with the powder charge you're using. It probably isn't getting more than 2900 fps, and maybe less, about perfect for a cup-and-core and the size of game you'll be hunting.

I haven't had any problems with GameKings at those sorts of muzzle velocities either.
Posted By: 22250rem Re: Sierra pro hunter bullets - 02/06/11
Never hunted hogs, but for deer those 150 gr. Pro-Hunters are pretty lethal, as are Gamekings. Used to punch holes in paper with 150 gr. Sierra HPBT's out of my DCM Garand with 47.5 gr. of IMR-4895 for an average 2616 fps; 48.5 gr. of IMR-4895 gets 2653 fps. See if your gun has a preference for flat base bullets (Pro-Hunters) instead of boat tails. Never hunted with my Garand either but it sure would be interesting to try it someday. If I ever did I'd try something like a decent 150 gr. bullet with either of the 4895's or IMR-4064, along with the aforementioned 5 round clip.
The 180gr Pro-Hunter 308 bullet is my go-to bullet for determining how well a 30 cal rifle can shoot... and I use the bullet in one of my 300WM 700s for hunting. I have shot quite a few deer and other critters with it and it acts just like a C&C is expected to act...
art
Posted By: M1Garand Re: Sierra pro hunter bullets - 02/06/11
My brother and I have shot quite a few deer with them with 270's and they always worked well. Most of these were loaded to around 2800-2900 fps or so MV.
Originally Posted by Sitka deer
The 180gr Pro-Hunter 308 bullet is my go-to bullet for determining how well a 30 cal rifle can shoot... and I use the bullet in one of my 300WM 700s for hunting. I have shot quite a few deer and other critters with it and it acts just like a C&C is expected to act...
art


Good point. I also used the 150gn Sierra flat base and the 130gn Speer HP. If a .30 cal won't shoot those bullets, toss the gun.

JW
Posted By: 358win Re: Sierra pro hunter bullets - 02/07/11
Thanks for all the replies. I will give the Pro Hunters a try.

358win
Posted By: super T Re: Sierra pro hunter bullets - 02/07/11
For your intended use, the Sierra at 2800fps or so can't be beat.
Posted By: jobyjob Re: Sierra pro hunter bullets - 02/07/11
180gr RN Prohunters at moderate velocities out of a 308 or a 30-06 really really hit the target hard.
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