Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles sierra goes polymer tip SMK 175 is sleek!

I'm not going to post links to every state hunting regs but here is one for Wisconsin.
It is illegal to  hunt deer with ammunition loaded with non-expanding type bullets. http://dnr.wi.gov/files/PDF/pubs/wm...95hUW9QQ&sig2=xHQhenrj7DzTCa6weC9K5g

I should add that I do use sierra bullets. 175gr match kings. At 200 yards they make one hole groups all day long. Soon I will see if this load holds up @ 1000 yards or if it's back to the drawing board. Also need to find a comparable bullet to hunt with. The 180gr game king should foot the bill but it never in stock So I will likely try the nosler ballistic tip or go with barnes.

You do realize that "non-expanding" bullets refers to FMJ, right?

Matchkings are legal for hunting in every state in the USA.

SMK's do expand, but do not mushroom. They more or less fragment, which is expansion. And yes, SMK's work well for hunting. Especially the lighter bullets on varmints and coyotes. Your terminology is incorrect. Match Kings DO expand.

Well....technically..."fragmentation" and "expansion" are not the same. But why get into it. You can look it up.

You know what I mean. They do expand past their original diameter. But they also like to break apart...regardless, they are perfectly legal for hunting. Even when applied to the rules that had been posted. They are not a nonexpanding bullet.

Sierra's niche has always been match bullets, thats why sierra has stuck with the plain cup-core design. They just vary jacket thickness, profile and core hardness for different applications. They do seem to be stuck in the past that way but, they do it well. Sierra does make one darn accurate bullet.

Accuracy has always been there claim to fame. I don't think any other bullet manufacture has as many wins at long range high power events as sierra. There fame is not in kill'n game....that's for sure.

For me, keep the hollow pointed match bullets on the range, varmints, Paper, gongs and silhouette shoots is there place where all the concern is of hitting one spot and that's ALL the requirement of the bullet, That's all. No bad angles of animals, heavy bones or the need of a blood trail... All that does not exist at high power competition .

Drives me nuts that people obsess over which target bullet works well on game. Some bullets are made for killing animals and some for paper...I wonder why that is?

At least here you better be ready for something tougher when you are deer hunting.

First - .308 150 NBT 80 yrd, passed thru both shoulder. (don't ask about Dennis, just let it be noted that this years Dewitt County Highest IQ contest ended in a two way tie)

Second - .357 Mag @ four inches. Passed thru brain.

The 175 SMK is my favorite bullet for deer from a 308 Win. Have used them on dozens of deer and pigs without a hiccup. They tend to tumble, which can cause massive damage. I usually try for a diagonal through just forward of the shoulder, exit behind the opposing shoulder, which generally produces DRT while minimizing loss of meat.

Apologies for the graphic content, but trying to show some examples. On deer, every single one has exited, I have yet to have one not exit on a deer. Pigs shot in the head, different story. They fall over dead, but their skulls can stop one. Most shots are inside of 200 yards, but some have been as far at 475. For longer shots, the softer Amax is preferable, but shot placement is paramount for any of them.

Few representative examples of exit wounds.












On placement, they are not soft enough to expand rapidly on neck shots, so I stick to angles that will impact bone, or go through the chest cavity.

Neck exit on a small doe, still quite dead though.



They work fine on pigs too.

[img]http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k55/jeffbird2/Pigs_zpsed170139.jpg[/img]

Including big ones. No exit on a big pig skull, but DRT.

[img]http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k55/jeffbird2/IMG_1918.jpg[/img]

Excellent pics!! I love large exit holes, But now just imagine how large the exit hole on that doe's neck, the body part with the least resistance for a bullet in your pics, would have been with a ballistic tip or a regular soft point. You know, a bullet designed for killing game. But dead game is dead game...wich I love to make also

Those exit holes on all those pics tells me the bullets where a little late on the expansion. I would just about bet there was little to no damage except for a bullet diameter hole till about half way threw the body...... But dead game is dead game, right

I know the game in the pics where not strafed with bergers, but I do think Berger started to label his excellent match bullets with the "hunting" word on the boxes to catch more sales. A genius marketing stunt that seems to have spread the practice of match bullets use on game.

BW,

In my experience, the SMK tends to tumble through causing substantial damage all the way through.

For those that prefer neck or lung shot placement, I agree that a softer, rapidly expanding bullet would be a better choice. However, I am not a fan of neck shots, as I've seen a few deer paralyzed, but still alive requiring a followup. So, I do not use that shot placement anymore, as I do not want an animal to suffer. Also, the neck has some very nice meat, especially on a mature buck. As for lung shots, they rarely are my first choice.