Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Sierra 200 grain GameKing

I'm aware of incidents regarding bullet blowups with some Sierra bullets, but does anyone have hunting experience with the .30 caliber 200 grain GameKing on elk? I tried a variety of bullets this morning in a heavy-barrel Remington 700 5R in .300 Winchester Magnum. Initial accuracy results were very good with the 200 GK. One of the other bullets I tried was the 180 ProHunter; good accuracy, but not quite as good as the 200 GK.

Sorry..no help. Ive seen the 165 GK and the 180 GK used on elk...and I wouldnt use either one on a dare....


Never seen the 200 used.

For elk, I recommend you talk to Sierra.
They say their new game changer bullet is harder and stouter than their game kings.

With that having been said, it’s hard to beat a 200 grain partition for performance and accuracy.

Don't know about the so called newer and tougher Sierra bullets but most bullet failures as folks call them with Sierras are caused by pushing them to fast for what the were designed for. Typically happening at magnum type chamberings. I have killed a lot of deer and elk with1 65-180 gr GK's in 6.5, .06, and .308 but usually in the 2700 fps + or- realm. They probably will suffice once some distance cuts that velocity down a bit.


I think Muledeer advocates 200gr partitions for the 300mag

Not the 200 gr. Game King but in 2009 I shot an antelope at 75 yards with the 150 gr. Sierra GK and the bullet hit at the short ribs and exited just behind the shoulder.. The goat traveled about 30 feet and expired.

I've seen my elk hunting partner who is a .270 of all kinds fan use the 150 gr. GK on elk from about 100 yards on out to a lasered 450 yards, all resulting in dead elk.

I've only shot one elk with a 200 gr. bullet and that one was a Speer Hot Core at long range. The bullet was not recovered.

My thoughts are if the shots will be way out yonder they'll work OK but under 150 to maybe 200 yards they may come unglued, especially if heavy bone is hit. I'd go with the 200 gr. Nosler as recommended by others because you never know when you might come up with a shot that's up close and personal.
Paul B.

Back in the '70s the only rifle that I had for elk hunting was a .30-06. I used that rifle and 180 grain Sierra GameKing bullets to kill 6 bulls and a cow elk. Most were one shot kills. In 1978 I had that rifle re-chambered to .30 Gibbs which added a couple hundred fps to the muzzle velocity, so I switched to 180 grain Nosler Partition bullets. For the next 20 years, that combination kept my freezer full of elk and Montana Shiras moose meat. Again, most were one shot DRT kills.

The last two bull elk that I shot with my .300 Weatherby were with a Barnes 168 grain TSX bullet and a 168 grain TTSX bullet. My current elk and everything else bullet that I shoot from my .300 Wby is the Barnes 180 grain TTSX.

The useful comments are appreciated; I can't argue against any of them. I've used mostly Barnes and a few Partitions over the years for elk, always with good results. Just curious about the 200 Sierra GK; seems like weight and bullet construction would be heavy enough to hold together fairly well if fired with a muzzle velocity of no more than around 2800-2850 fps in a .300 magnum. I enjoy trying new bullets, but perhaps I should stick with what I know works for elk.

Anybody tried the new Gamechanger from Sierra? It's supposed to have been toughened up

It will work just fine, but expect the core to separate from the jacket. Youll end up with dead elk on the ground.

They are. I have a statistical sample of one. 270, 140 grain, 257 yard shot through both lungs on a pronghorn that dressed at 97 #.

Being an antelope in the wide open, I didnt get too awfully torqued about it, but he ran a good ways...longer than a double lunged animal should to put it in subjective terms.

Upon dressing him out it was apparent that the bullet had ice picked on him. Little hole in, little hole out, virtually no damage to the lungs other than a hole poked in em. I would expect a drastically different story with a big ol bull elk.

That being said, I used North Forks a month later on my bull elk.

Yes, shoot them and kill with absolute confidence.

The Heavy for caliber Sierra bullets are good.

I have shot lots of game with Sierra 150 FB, 165HPBT though the 200 gr.. All killed well.. Not for smashing shoulders, although I have managed that.. Lung shot they are history... I do use 200 gr. Part. often now, so I can smash a shoulder if I wish.. Most of my elk hunting is behind me.. But If I had 200's I would use them.. One thing to keep in mind, elk are big.. 1/4 minute accuracy is not necessary..

TRUTH

On a bet Id shoot a Sierra through the lungs...I'd shoot a Partition anywhere I wanted it to land. And Yeah, elk are big...if your rifle is shooting a 4 MOA 'pattern' it'll still kill elk out to 400+ yards.

I've shot some Game Kings and had good accuracy but I've never killed anything with one. On down the shelf a ways you might find some Speer Hot Cores. I've used those a lot and for a standard bullet, they've done an excellent job. I used them mainly in a 270.

I load the 200 gr Gamekings in my 300 WBY. Right at 3000 fps. Work well on elk, mule deer, and whitetail.

Shoot them with confidence

I have a 300WM that dislikes X bullets for some reason. I have shot a bunch of 180gr ProHunters through deer, moose, an oryx, caribou, wolves, hogs, and more. I stuck with it for a while in my transition from C&C and such bullets. They are very accurate in the one rifle I use them in but they waste a LOT of meat compared to the average X bullet.

As someone said, elk are big. I guess by definition, all big game is big...

I once read of some Canadian Guides who used the Sierra GK 200 SBT exclusively, in their 30-06s. I bet you will be just fine at the speeds you are using...2800+. I just finished a load workup for my own 300WM, but with the 200 Partition as a Heavy. But I am one that has used Barnes for over 30yrs in everything. I tend to aim for "the other end" of the animal. I like penetration/bone breaking bullets. Now, I think the "best way" is for you to go shoot some heavy animals with it and check out the results, with a sharp knife! Big hogs are really good bullet Tests! Have a ball though, and report back to us!

It is a scary accurate bullet though! One which allow you to "pinpoint" your shot.

I have used 180 gr. Sierra GKs for years in 30-06 and 300 h&h and the dead elk keep piling up. Years ago I bought 1000 bullets and am down to about 300. So, I am guessing the 200 gr will do the same. Jesus, You guys way over think things.. If the 200's shoot good , go hunting . I guarantee they will kill elk.

Sierra bullets are very accurate, I’d go Partition if they shoot well in your rifle.

Just curious as to how many elk you have killed with your Nosler Partitions lately? Or how many elk you have seen die in your life time?

I guess I would just ask why the 200 Sierra instead of the 200 Nosler Partition; it will do everything better with 100% reliable terminal performance.

Or the 200 Nosler AccuBond; almost the equal of the Partition with a slightly better BC.

MM

I've seen exceptional accuracy with the 200 GK in my Remington .300 Winchester Magnum and I was curious about the experiences of any who have used this bullet for elk. I don't hunt a great deal as many here do. I suppose I've taken a dozen bulls in the last thirty years.

With the exception of my first bull taken in Colorado with a .338-06 and a 225 grain Hornady bullet, I've used mostly Barnes bullets in .270 (130 grain), 7x61 (150 grain), and .308 (150 grain and 168 grain). I've used 160 Partitions in the 7x61 only on two or three elk. In response to your question, I haven't used the 160 Partition in several years, but I don't think the bullet has changed in that time. All bullets have worked well; no complaints, no animals lost and none had to be tracked.

As I mentioned previously, I enjoy developing loads for a variety of bullets in rifles.





As

I had a family friend that lived in Washington state. He and his family all hunted elk and used
only the Federal 30-06 load that had the Sierra 200 gr SBT Gameking. Mostly 1 shot kills, 50-250 yards. They use to buy it by the case. Last time I spoke with the family in ‘98 my friend had passed away. They asked if I had any of that load on the east coast as they were almost out.
I guess that would be a hearty endorsement.
Good luck and have fun! Tom

exact performance I got last season on using one in 6mm... the one I got flamed to no end on .....by all of our "resident experts"..
and whatever ya do, don't call Sierra's Customer Service to inquire about the bullet after their recommendation didn't work out...

Used the same rifle this year, and but this time loaded a Nosler 90 Ballistic Tip instead of a 90 grain GameChanger...
Quartering away at a 60 degree angle, using a rest, put the Ballistic tip right behind the last rib, went straight thru the lung and was mushroomed under the hide right at the front left shoulder...the 4 pt blacktail with eye guards, dropped at the shot, as I walked toward him, he was huffing and puffing his last breathes....laser ranged the shot at 468 yds.. that mil dot scope helped a lot on that....

and no, didn't need a winch, or jeep to get him to the road, so I could thrown him in the back of my trailer...butcher figured 180 lbs on the hoof......

200 gr Game King, Federal factory load, 300 Win Mag, back in MN, last day of the season, as the sun was going down, and a really huge white tail, crossed a spot 100 yds from me....shot hit the chest at a 90 degree angle...deer went down on his nose, as I was running toward him, he jumped up and dived into the swamp he was heading for... it was about 10 degrees outside at the time...where he hit the ground there was hair in a 2 ft radius all over the place along with blood in the same two foot circle in the snow....tried to track him in the swamp, no luck finding him as it got dark real quick... spent the night in the field in my 4 Runner..
was out there at the crack of dawn... still to no avail finding the deer... it was easily over a 300Lb Northern MN buck...

talked to Sierra tech on Monday... told the situation... they told me that that particular bullet in a magnum was too hard to open up on deer at that distance, it would be better suited for elk at that short of distance... they told me it probably passed thru the deer before it had the chance to open up..... at 250 yds it would have opened up.... that next time using that bullet, in Federal Premium Ammo, it would be better suited loaded in an 06 for deer... still have that box of ammo... but never used it after that...

couple of seasons later a friend used the same factory load in his 300 Win and it dropped a good sized buck at 300 yds with no problems....on the spot, DRT....

So up close, deer NO... elk yup... at least according to Sierra back then....

Gee, last season, I got flamed big time, for essentially giving the same report on the Game Changer in 6mm. on a blacktail.......

Guess all those guys didn't find this report....

I wouldn't choose a Sierra for elk, I think the Nosler Accubond or Partition is far superior. And with elk being as tough as they are, the time, effort, money it takes to get yourself in position to take one, it's not even a consideration for me...Nosler.

I've never hunted elk but what I read here tells me the Nosler Partition is your friend. I use SGK 200s in my .30-06 for deer and hogs. I shot one hog just below the tail and it came out pretty much in tact just under the skin at the brisket. So if that's all I had I wouldn't feel under gunned.

The only regular hunting bullets I ever had blow up were the old Nosler Ballistic Tips. But those were the old ones and they've improved them big time now.

Geez, not that BS.

Boy, I personally wouldn't be hesitant. Saw a muley, not an elk, shot with one out of a 300 Winny. I lost sight of it (steeply quartered shot from the rear at about 160 yards). I asked my buddy "Where'd it go?" He says "Straight down." Ran the length of the muley from in front of right rear leg through behind left leg and kept going. Hit spine and it was nothing but chicken bones.

Wouldn’t that be similar to asking the Fox if he’s seen any predators near the hen house! memtb

I've seen 200gr GK up close on a both deer and elk, but at 30-06 speed (2630 mv). Deer was a forkhorn. Shot through the heart broadside at about 30 yds. It looked hit with a sledge hammer--dropped on its side and never even flinched. Elk at about 65 yds. We thought she was not as quartered away as she was. My brother shot for the offside shoulder, and thought he hit her in the onside ribs. We were so elk-fevered and rattled by the way things went down (I had just done a lot of running and gunning to connect on what we thought was a solo elk, and then this cow wandered out of the timber from another direction) that we both just sat down and waited, as she was obviously hit well. She walked to a tree and laid down under it, with her head hanging low, so we walked up and finished her. She was a huge cow. Turned out the SGK had hit her square in the hind quarter muscle on the near side, punched through her guts, poked through a lung, and was embedded in the chest cavity, just under the front of the opposite shoulder. Given that he shot her in the ass, with a "soft" bullet, the wound channel through the rear quarter was surprisingly not torn up badly. The bullet traveled through that muscle, the guts, the chest cavity. It was perfectly but not widely mushroomed and weighed 151 gr. In my opinion, that IS a 200gr Partition. Sierra uses a very hardened lead core in those. Not sure what they would do a higher speed, but from the performance on that elk, I'd not be concerned to do it again. I also wouldn't push them to 3200fps.

Eggzackly how I feel. I watched my elk hunting partner shoot elk every year with the Sierra 200 GK’s out of his 300 Mag. Each occasion required one or more follow up shots. In conversation I would politely suggest that he at least try Partitions and see if they “clicked” for him. He was very hesitant to do so as he had been a Sierra guy forever. In 2005 I got my bull the second day of my hunt, and afterwards videoed his hunt. We had a nice 6x6 show up at about 175 yards broadside and the shooting commenced. Seven shots later, he was right at 335 yards before he collapsed. The GK’s had exploded on the hide on each shot (from 175-335 yds), with one miracle shot finally penetrating the vitals. I got it all on video.

After we got the elk worked up he turned and asked me if I thought he ought to try Partitions now, what my suggestions for loads were, etc. I let it be his choice to smooth the transition. Our next hunt was in 2007 and he was shooting Partitions. We’ve shot bunches of elk in that time and he’s stuck with his boring Partitions. Dead elk with one shot....ranges from about 75 yards out to 350...the biggest being a 376” monster.

Horseshit. 200gr bullets don't "explode on the hide". Stop peddling this trash. WTF is wrong with you?

This bull was killed with a 180 gr GK out of an .06 at about 60 yards.One shot DRT Unit 201,CO after 21 pref points. He doesn't look it,but green scored 343 nontypical. I usually have 220gr stuffed in it,but I was expecting longer shots and this one popped up close. I shot him at the base of the neck where I could get into his spine fairly quick



This is an enlargement of the same photo to see the empty case an loaded 180 gr GK


A lot of guys see c& c blow up without penetration when used at magnum velocities, The Game King is no exception

My father in law uses 200 gr Game Kings for moose and caribou In his 30-06 and 300 Win Mag. Has for years. He’s very particular, and obsessed about accuracy. I don’t think he’s killed all that many though, and I don’t have any kinds of stories about losing wounded game from him.
He’s now In Colorado with us and I suspect that’s the bullet he will go with for his deer hunt this year. He’s opted to not bother with elk hunting after packing out a cow with my wife a few years ago.

“Exploding on the hide” may have been a bit of an exaggeration, but, I had three (3) extremely disappointing results on game ( deer, elk, bear) with a Sierra Gameking 300 grain from a .375 H&H.....launched at less velocity than from this gentleman’s 300 WM. After having those failures, until I used up my inventory, they were only used on prairie dogs and jack rabbits! They appeared adequate for that purpose.....barely! memtb

Not one damn thing is wrong with me. So you, not being there, accuse me of peddling trash? There’s your horseshit! Me, my friend, and our guide saw what the hell happened and I filmed it. As stated before, it wasn’t his first rodeo with him taking multiple shots with the 300WM and 200 grain Sierra Game Kings. Because not one single elk went down from a single Shot during our annual hunts, I initially asked him if he was pleased with his bullet’s performance. That led to him trying Partitions exactly as I stated.

200gr Game Kings will e be an excellent choice for elk. Use the combination that gives you the best accuracy and put the bullet where it needs to go to kill it. Good luck out there. If you're hunting the Northwest bring some wolf killing rounds and take some of those buggers too.

Mighty fine bull man! Good to see an old Winchester getting it done.

Should be plenty stout but I do not trust Gamekings wholeheartedly. I would rather do a 200 NP or AB

Great picture and cool old Winchester!

If you were standing right in front of me, I'd call you a liar to your face. Again, that bullet isn't going to "blow up on the hide". You are making schitt up. There is obviously something wonky in you if you think that the rest of us are going to believe that a 200gr chunk of lead and copper at a high speed is going to disintegrate on an elk hide.

There was a moron in Sportsman's Warehouse who saw me purchasing some Barnes TTSX bullets. Without an invite to chat this gent comes up to me and said, "Whatever you do make sure you are not pushing these bullets too fast! If you do they will never spend enough time in the animal to open up!". It was so hard to maintain my composure, but I did!

That just makes it hard to focus...

I trust Game Kings on deer and hogs. I have seen at least one stitch a hog from stem to stern and was still intact. But would using a SGK on a large animal like an elk give me the warm and fuzzy? Not really. As I keep saying here, I've never shot at an animal the size of an elk. But due to reading the expertise on here I know if I ever go on an elk hunt I will have my rifle stoked with Nosler Partitions.

There are a lot of idiots in the world.......sadly, many of them work in gun/sporting goods stores! memtb

200 gr NPt's seconds at SPS right now for 20.45/50 what are the Sierras? $45/100? MB

I find this a very interesting reply from Sierra. What makes it interesting is, if he said what the post states, it makes no sense. The tech states at 100 yards the bullet didn't have time to expand, but it would have expanded at 250 yds on the same deer. Velocity is what causes bullet upset, or expansion. The bullet has lost velocity from 100-250 yards. How in the world could it expand at 250yds, but not at 100yds where it is going probably 200fps faster? Apparently, Sierra has developed a bullet that defies the realities of terminal ballistics. And he also suggest using it in a 30-06 would cause expansion, again, probably 250fps slower than what a 300 Win Mag would fire the same bullet. Sorry, it doesn't work that way. If you were experiencing over-expansion, or even bullet break up or core separation, THEN it would make sense to go to a slower muzzle velocity, like a 30-06, or would be better to take the 250yd shot over a 100yd for the same reason. That bullet is not going to expand better at farther distance than shorter. When we don't find the game, there are many variable left unkown. Too many to make any accurate assessment of what wen wrong. Perhaps the bullet failed to expand. But if so, longer range would only exaggerate this problem, not fix it.

Amen... It is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard...

Yep....just as ridiculous as the response I got from Sierra back in the late ‘80’s, when I complained about repeated bullet failures ( complete disintegration) with their 300 grain SPBT fired from a .375 H&H. Their response, I was pushing them too fast .....from a standard H&H? I was using the wrong powder.....give me a break! Perhaps my rifling was too sharp or pronounced, causing jacket damage....🤪. The one thing they never said was....their bullet was crap! 🤬 memtb

Had a couple of Sierra .429 bullets bullets blow up on deer leg bones myself. I don't dislike them, but I won't trust them for much beyond deer sized critters. Although the newer TMK's seem a bit better from buddies who've ran them in Mashburns and 7 Mags.

After my fiasco with the 6mm Gamechanger on a deer a couple of seasons ago.. which made the campfire Legend book on how much I was flamed....your post analysis about the long ago incident on a MN whitetail with a 200 grain Game King out of Factory Federal Ammo.. and being told that by Sierra, that it was going too fast to open up at 100 yds, but would at 300 yds.. and then the conflicting info I was told by two different Sierra techs on the GameChanger.... I draw the conclusion that Sierra Techs don't know their products very well, or that what they are being told to tell customers, is the higher ups don't know their products so darn well...

on that old 200 grain 300 Win Mag experience, I quit using the bullet.. I still have the rest of that box of bullets around here some place...I haven't cared to use any more of those GameChanger bullets either....but the following season used a 90 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip instead, and that lead to a DRT deer..

the GameChanger was very accurate, but so is the 90 grain Ballistic Tip, and I've never had an issue with a Ballistic Tip...I have had issues with Sierra bullets on game...

dropped a buck with a 140 grain Game King, out of a 6.5 x 55, Blacktail at 75 yds or so... bullet left the muzzle at 2950 fps..
dropped the buck on the spot.. right behind the shoulder... the entrance hole to the exit hole, you could have passed a Campbell's soup can right thru it...lotta blood shot meat .... only Sierra bullets I'd buy are their varmint bullets... and then I quit doing that as their prices have gone thru the roof, in comparison to good old V Maxes...and other Speer and Hornady varmint bullets...

I've got a good stock of old Sierra 100 grain SMP bullets in 6mm.... those bullets were reliable as hell....

beretz, I failed to get an exit from a broadside shot on a Mule Deer spike! One of several failures on game!

I considered them for target use.....but, excessive expansion on the paper, made measuring the groups impossible!!! memtb

I was the one working there. He was a customer. LOL

Yeah. Simply put, "too fast to open up" is bullshit.

I've used Sierra Game King 130 grain .277s out of my .270 for over 40 years and never had a failure. But that's shooting Texas White Tail and hogs. They will always be my deer-hog bullet. And that's regular Game Kings, not this new tougher version. I want a bullet to expand on deer and hogs.


However, for larger animals I'm not taking a chance. I would love to go elk hunting. I don't know if it will ever happen because I'm already 72 years old. But if I do I'm not going to spend that kind of money and take a chance on bullet failure ruining my trip so I won't be using a Sierra Game King or Game Changer.

I have an old baby food jar filled with 180 gr Game Kings, 30 caliber and 175 gr, 7mm caliber that the core was loose in the jacket or close by when retrieved. All these bullet failures were found in dead elk.There are a few 140gr, 6.5 caliber that suffered the same fate, found in dead antelope.Go figure.

I could fill a semi truck with the elk and deer killed with Sierra bullets since I started to hunt. Never had a failure to kill , often one shot enough. Bullets worked, If I did my part in all calibers used. Mostly 30-06 , 270, 6 mm, and 7mm.

No experience with the 30 cal 200, but I made the mistake of hunting with 250g GK in a 338. At 2750fps, these things ice picked 3 elk and a deer until I moved back to tried and true partitions. 3 large cows averaged 200yds before collapsing from center of the lung shots. Fortunately, snow on the ground facilitated very light blood trails. I called Sierra and was told 300yds was too far to be shooting given the harder lead used to construct these bullets. I reminded him they specifically market them as ideal for long range hunting....which this was not. If they’re marketing this bullet as having harder lead to control expansion, I’d be wary and just used partitions. FWIW, I love the performance of 225g GK in 35whelen. They’ve become my go to bullet for hunting whitetails in the woods. Some might claim they’re actually a bit soft.....

Agreed about that 225 SGK in the Whelen. It straight pounds WTs from the Whelen.