Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 130 gr. Sierra BTSP, going to use it this year

Out of my 270. This bullet shoots so well in my Ruger 77. Been pulling my rifles out and running a few rounds through them to check zero and shoot the ammo I loaded up for them last year. This rifle i have put together two loads for. One a practice load using the 120 gr. SST at 2800 fps. First round was a bit to the left and I called it off the next two touching. The second load is the Sierra 130 gr. BTSP pushed by 59.0 grains of AA3100. The first shot landed in the last two made with the SST for a group of just over half an inch. Went to the other target and fired three more, once again just over half an inch. Still sighted in 1 inch high at a hundred yards. It has been years since I used a Sierra Gameking on anything and that was the .284 160 grain version. I can take 5 deer on my present lease though I will only shoot 2 or 3 at most and will be trophy hunting mostly. There is at least one 160 class buck on the property. On the other hand I could work up a good load with a Nosler Partition, use it to trophy hunt with and just use the Sierra on a doe or two. Anyone think I should trust the Sierra bullet?

If you stick that bullet in the lungs, it will undoubtedly kill just fine. You may not get many exits if you catch a shoulder or two at close range, if that matters.

If it were me, I'd prefer something a little heavier in a cup/core there, or maybe even a bonded / controlled expansion bullet. I like exits.

Use the Sierra BTSP.

The 130 Sierra was the go to bullet for many years.. People shot chucks, coyotes, antelope, bear, deer, & elk with it.. The idea that Partitions are needed for deer is silly.. Use them if you like, and I have.. But for years my bullet for .30 ca. was the 165 gr. Sierra HPBT.. I shot everything from chucks to moose and caribou with it.. Last season I dropped my last ram with that bullet from my .300 he was 300 yards give or take.. His reaction was to drop straight down, don't think he even kicked.. I came on to the .270 late in life... I had several over the last 60 years, but nothing I really liked.. Picked up a custom barreled 700 and now I would say it is my second favorite caliber.. My bullet for it has been the 140 gr. Sierra HPBT.. No failures so far...

I use the 140 grain version in a .270 WSM, with great results.

I shot a lot of deer with the 130 Sierra boattails. Eventually I switched to Speers and then to Hornady spire points Can't tell any real difference in deer killing performance.

Dale

I used them for a long time with no complaints. Wonderful deer bullet in the 270

Used it on deer from a Tikka 270 and never had an issue with Sierra bullets. I'd have no problem using the same bullet on does or trophy deer, never know what will walk out so I like to stick with one bullet for the season. I've used a host of bullets from Sierra, Berger and Nosler out of 243, 25-06 and 270 and they all do the job effectively. Most of my bullet changes have been due to my reloaders disease.

Well since I posted I worked up a load using IMR 4350 and the 130 gr. Partition. Shot fine with every half grain increment up to 54.0 grains but I went with 53.5 because it hit exactly where the Sierra does. It helped that I had 40 sized and primed cases ready to go and all components ready to go. With my 7x57 I like to use the 140 gr. Partition on feral hogs and the 150 Ballistic Tip on deer. Worked perfectly as I like to shoot for bone on hogs. Think I will do the same thing only use the Sierra bullet for deer hunting.

With IMR 4350 and a 130 the "money load" is often at 55 grains.

I wanted all three bullets to have the same POI, such a pleasure when you can get it.

It'll work just fine. I've shot a lot of deer with Sierras.

Me too!!! Bunches of pigs also!

Been working on the feeders and plan to set them out soon. Can't see why a test couldn't be done. Drew up a sleep in/make coffee and shoot from stand too. Might build two of them. I will say I have had a couple failures with Sierra bullets. An elk hit at long range (450 yards) with a 250 gr. BTSP from a 338 WM that didn't open up, an antelope hit right on the shoulder bone at 50 yards with a 130 gr. Prohunter that came apart making the crater entrance (I watched this shot), both recovered but long tracking jobs included. That same box of Prohunters took several Texas deer at short range and they really impressed me with the damage they could do and feet in the air drops. But this all happened before feral hogs were common as they are now. Early 70's. The early Barnes X bullets hold the title for poor bullet performance, generally no expansion no matter what!

I used them for years, and killed a lot of deer with them. When I got a different rifle, I did switch to the Pro-Hunter bullets (flat-based), as they shot a bit better in the subsequent rifles. Still using them with great satisfaction.

Bang! Thump. Get out the knife. .

Interesting that you had mixed results and still choose the Sierra. Any bullet can do strange things but once is usually enough for me to loose confidence. I am loading the Hornaday BTSP Interlock 130s with R26 and they are all I need for deer or any game the 270 is suited for. The Sierra may or may not be more accurate but they are so consistently accurate I use them or the Ballistic tip to establish baseline accuracy for a new rifle as both of these are accurate in almost all the rifles I have shot them in.

Only used that bullet once, factory Federal Premimium. Mule deer spike -Bang flop at 110 yards tight behind the shoulder. Found it against the far side shoulder,
perfectly mushroomed. So I agree it works.

Well the 250 gr. Sierra BTSP probably wasn't used at it best. Wind blowing 30 mph, distance 450 yards, temp was around -4 degrees. I think impact velocity was a bit low so no expansion. The Antelope was shot by a woman I was seeing at the time and she hit the antelope dead on the shoulder bone at the thickest point. It was loaded with 54.0 grains of IMR 4350 so it was going pretty fast when it hit. If I had been shooting it would have been in the ribs and nothing special would have happened other than a suddenly dead antelope. Been shooting Ballistic Tips for long enough I just want to shoot something different.

I have killed deer with the 130 grain Sierra Boat Tails, the 130 grain Flat Base and the 140 grain HP bullets.

Of the 3 I rank them in order of the 140 gr, then the flat base 130 and last the 130 Boat Tail.

All killed the deer well, the the boat tail was the one that blood shot the most meat and came apart the most with fewest exits. And it was also less accurate then the flat base 130 grain in 2 of my rifles.
Not that it was "bad", but the other 2 were better.

I had nothing but good luck with 130g Sierra btsp, in short range applications, 59-60g of H4831 or 55g of IMR 4350 in various 270's.

I switched to a 110g tipped tripple shock at 3400 fps with R#17 and fed 215's, or ~58g of Win 760. The 110g ttsx just kills well on deer and hogs, jump the bullet .50 and call it done.

Oddly enough, the 110 ttsx, 110g Sierra Pro Huner, and the 110g Hornady HP all shoot to the same point of impact.

Hogs are moving in here in a big way. Speer is making a short range 90 and 115g Gold dots, these deserve a try with IMR 3031 and AA2700/.

145 eldx did not shoot worth a darn for me, but every barrel is has it's lown likes.

Largest buck that I ever shot was in Alabama, 280 lbs shot at 10' as he charged through the brush with me grunting. The 130g Nosler ballistic tip, broke his right shoulder and exited his left hip. He died plowing briars and jungle growth for 30 yards, nice mature 12 pointer.