Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles New game bullets from Sierra

Sierra bullets are a lot tougher than years ago,. I've had good luck with them lately. The same thing as with Nosler BT's that were not tough at first but are a lot tougher now and I think they are great for deer size animals.

I am sure they will expand the line

I got half a notion to buy some 7mm and give them a run on elk this fall. I've always had good luck with Sierras grouping well.

Only thing interesting to me in that lineup is the .243 if it stabilizes in a 1:10

Just ordered a box for my 6mm.

I am going to give some 130 gr. Game Changers a try in my .260 Rem. My rifle does well with 130 AccuBonds, but they are not consistently available. So maybe these will prove to be a good substitute. We’ll see… CP.

They are $10/ box more expensive than ELD's. And I don't believe some of the stated BC's. A .53 BC for a 165 gr .308 bullet is better than the BC's for some of the better 175-180 gr .308 bullets. But I'll be watching and let others do the product testing. If they show promise I might give them a try down the road.

I think the 130gr 6.5mm and 165gr .308 could be interesting options for deer in shorter barreled rifles. Equivalent ELDXs are only $10 cheaper when they are on sale, at normal prices, the difference is closer to $6. Also, at least the last time I looked Hornady didn't produce ELDXs in the 130gr 6.5mm and 165gr .308 varieties, so these are new options if you want to shoot lighter bullets that still sport respectable BCs. The ELDMs are cheaper, but they should be compared to TMKs, not these new hunting bullets. Regardless, Sierra's pitch has never been bargain basement pricing. They do tend to shoot really well without much work though, and that's worth something.

The 165gr .308 BC falls right between the 168gr ELDm and the 168gr ABLR, good but hardly unbelievable. I'd be surprised if the BCs wind up being inflated to any measurable extent, that's not really Sierra's game.

The main thing will be how they perform on game, if they expand uniformly across velocities and penetrate deep, I'll probably give them a try.

I don't see any reason why the 165gr weight wouldn't be correct for the 7mm. Sierra already makes a 165gr 7mm Gameking (at least for factory loads), why wouldn't they make a 165gr 7mm GameChanger?

Federal Premium Vital Shock 7mm Mag

Just a little info.

When I talked to the Sierra technician yesterday, I asked what they were running in their video in order to get the performance/expansion results shown in the video. They were running the 7mm 165 gr in a 284 Win, at ~2700 fps at 100 yrds, which is roughly a 2550 fps impact velocity.

I also asked about running those same bullets in a 280 AI at a MV of ~3000 fps, and would their be any issues of blow ups and cup and core separation, at ranges of 200 yds and in. Their response was that they hadn't tested at that velocity yet, so that was unknown, but that this bullet was a much tougher bullet than previous GK bullets, and should hold up well.

Finally I asked about them expanding the line with heavier bullets and more calibers, and they said that was currently in the works as we speak.

I have always gotten good info from Sierra when talking with them, and never had a reason to doubt any info they provide.

Not a very good test then...

Thanks for the info!! Makes me even more happy to try them in my short barreled 308 then, seems its designed for the slower impact velocities. Likely won't be putting the same bullet in my 300 WSMs and driving them 600 fps faster and expecting them to hold together very well.

I've always had great success getting Sierra products to shoot. I should have a box of the new 165s arriving at my door today. I'll throw some loads together this evening, and take my newly acquired HS Precision PHL in .300WSM out tomorrow to see what the gun says.

I have H4350 and R26 on hand, and will try some of both. Magazine is the limiting factor for sure, so won't have much to work with there. Will report back tomorrow if all goes well.

Dave

[quote=slickyboyboo]Just a little info.

When I talked to the Sierra technician yesterday, I asked what they were running in their video in order to get the performance/expansion results shown in the video. They were running the 7mm 165 gr in a 284 Win, at ~2700 fps at 100 yrds, which is roughly a 2550 fps impact velocity.

I also asked about running those same bullets in a 280 AI at a MV of ~3000 fps, and would their be any issues of blow ups and cup and core separation, at ranges of 200 yds and in. Their response was that they hadn't tested at that velocity yet, so that was unknown, but that this bullet was a much tougher bullet than previous GK bullets, and should hold up well.

quote]

Why the he!! would you release a bullet without fully testing them at different velocities?

Don't you know most test their products to get their desired effect?

Hell, lots of "varmint bullets" go through a deer at 2500 impact...

Back in the early 1970's I bought a 5lb coffee can of Sierra 6.5 120gr factory bullet seconds. This was before their move as they were still in Santa Fe Springs Calif. I still have about 300 of those bullets. .Over the years me & mine have taken so many mature mule deer there is no way we could have kept count. They were fired in 6.5x308 ( 260 Rem today ) 6.5x55 & 264 mag. Made no difference what rifle they were fired from, big mature muley bucks went down time after time. They always worked. See no reason to change the type or weight of bullets to take deer now. . "If it ain't broke don't fix it"..

The old one are fantastic in a 308. I’m gonna have to try some of the tipped ones.

My thought as well. I'll try the same in a 243.

.490 is significantly higher than the 95 grain ballistic tip, which is a great hunting bullet.

I am hoping it is a good long range coyote bullet.

Hopefully the line expands on game.