Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Tested: performance of the 165 gr Sierra hpbt out of a .308

It's perhaps the best they have to offer for that application, but my experience is that they will fail at magnum velocities and close range.


This is good advice:

The OP was about 308 velocities already.

I used to load these over 55 grains of IMR4350 in a 30-06 Mannlicher Schoenauer rifle. Probably took over 50 whitetails with that load from 30 feet to 400+ yards. All were heart/lung shots. Some were drt, but most ran 30-40 yards. I never lost an animal and never recovered a bullet. Biggest problem, and the reason I changed to Accubonds, is the really low BC of the Sierra HPBT. I also tried the 140 HPBT in a .270 and had the same problem with trajectory.

Just for the record, My load was 43.5 gr H4895 behind the bullet. Never chronographed it, but it is a max load for a .308

If directed at my post, Scott from Dallas had stated that they were best used in magnums.

I have tried them in a .300 WinMag. They were too frangible at short range.

I've had excellent results in .308s and .30-06s, though.

Perhaps the jacket has changed and is causing the OP's undesirable results. That interests me because I am near the end of the stash I had bought just a few years back. With three rifles using them, they go fast, pun unintended.

I shoot tons of Sierras at paper.

I never worry how they do on game because I have seen plenty work on animals from other peoples rifles and some of my own early in my hunting career.

I just substitute Nosler Partitions when it's time to hunt and all these issues about expansion and penetration go away.

Given the chance, I'm going to try out the 100gr .243 Pro Hunter on a deer, after I try a 90gr AB. The PH jacket is tapered and pretty heavy on the bottom. I bought a bunch of blems from Grafs and in one bag was an empty jacket, so I sectioned it.

I have tried the 100 grain Pro-Hunter.

I could not get a through and through at close range.

The Nosler 95 grain Ballistic tip will punch through.

I always liked the explosive qualities of SGK's- results were usually very quick deaths. Sometimes though, they were too explosive as I mentioned before, resulting in unacceptable meat loss. Still in all, quick deaths from a bullet that grenades inside the chest cavity trumps a pass through that means a tracking job. I don't know- six of one and a half-dozen of an other...

I like the ability to reach, and break, the far shoulder in a raking shot. That is the shot presentation I see a lot.

Otherwise, I'll agree with the "grenade" scenario. Speed and explosiveness do have noticeable effects.

I have taken over 30 head of game with the 165 gr. Sierra HPBT. All game taken at between 10 and 200 yards. At 30-06 speeds between 2800 and 2870 fps.

I have never witnessed the "grenade" scenario.

I have shot a good number of elk and mule deer with the 165 HPBT and never had an issue. These were all using the .308. I only stopped using them due to their poor BC and my obervation that when the ranges got longer, they really got blown around by the wind. Inside of 500 yards though, I found them to be extremely accurate, and deadly effective.

These 2 mule deer bucks, each took a single 165 grain HPBT Gameking behind the front shoulder, and went nowhere but down. Range was 598 yards, lasered.

Excellent!!

jackhammer-

I have NO game experience with Sierra bullets -- because -- early on in my load development I tested Sierra bullets and others. I used a LOT of different test mediums (media).

I ' never' recovered ONE Sierra bullet that held together. My testing was at 25 yds and 100 yds. I tested 6mm, 270, & 30 cals.

There were & are much better cup-core bullets that are available. Obviously the premium bullets are tougher but for deer I don't use premiums.

These are MY experiences and MY results. Sounds similar to your on game experience.

Sorry. When you hold velocity -2700 fps you don't get flat trajectory.

Jerry

The best test media is the animal you plan to hunt...

If you get to shoot enough of them. That doesn't always happen.

And if you shoot enough animals, there will always be surprises with any bullet. The surprises just aren't as common with some bullets.

I agree however there is enough testimony of Sierra failures on game in this thread that I won't have any on game Sierra tests.




Jerry

The opportunities I get on my usual hunting grounds on public land tend to be very close and I would steer away from c&c bullets in smaller calibers there. I've got ABs and E-tips for that, and have used a 100gr NP with good success. This year I have permission on a small Virginia farm that doesn't have much wooded ground, but does have some grown up fields and edge cover that offers shots at up to 200 yards or so. The PH should do well there with its heavy base jacket.

In an article on .243 game bullets, John Haviland stated that he had never caught a 6mm bullet in an animal. His son killed a pronghorn doe with a head shot, after the PH had passed through and killed a buck. Not too shabby.

Sift back through the posts and you will find many have NO experiance (which is what the OP asked for)...or little experiance with that particular bullet (the 165 gr. HPBT bullet).