Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game 225-gn Sierra Game King at a MV of 2450 fps... your opinion of terminal performance?

... and THAT, dear readers, is exactly what scares me about those bullets. Erratic by definition.

I apologize for posting this again, but it's for a reason... this is an exit from a 200-gn Hornady at a MV of 2625 fps from my .358. This is more what I am used to from this rifle, though I should add that this exit is more dramatic than the other 5 or 6 deer I've .358'd. But to say there was a blood trail, is an understatement (yeah, this crazy little dude RAN a ways with this hole!):



The deer I killed with a 225-Partition didn't have an exit like that, but on the other hand he did just lay down right there and die muy pronto, too.

That 200-gn Hornady is an awesome .358 deer bullet, IMHO, and I feel stupid for messing with anything else... it's just 'cause I'm trying to stretch my rifle's legs a little.

A small exit hole in the hide may not be a good indicator of the internal damage. After all the Deer shot with the Partition had a smller exit yet went down faster.

Good point, John.

Jeff O,

I failed to mention my friend shot a second deer at around 170 yds - a doe w/Sierra/350 RMag and it exited, the HOLE in the hide offside was about the size of a nickel if not quarter, like you punched it, just a clean cut hole, would be great to leak blood should a blood trail be needed, but I doubt it would be very long!

As to the 338F vs 358, I view them as nigh identical - 2 peas in a pod re: performance, a 33 cal 185 barnes/210 partition for anything, the 200 Hornady for deer, and the 358, pick a good 225 and if you want to stop something REAL nasty and ranges are short, sling a 250 ie. Speer. Those 250s have a solid reputation on big stuff.

Ok boys let's keep this thread going. One reason I built my .358 on a Mauser action was to be able to seat bullets 2.780-2.790 and use all of my 22in. Douglas air gauged barrel.I think I'm going to do what AZSHOOTER and his friend are doing and just load the 225 PT at about 2500-2550 for large s.Texas whitetails and be done with it!Man w/that 430 B.C.it will be hard to beat cause it will open at 15yds. or 415yds. I have some 200gr.Honadys-200gr.silvertips and 250gr.older Norma bullets... but everybody knows hogs have to be killed in Texas too. powdr

powdr, the first 358 I think I ever saw, was a local gun show, done on a Mex Mauser, w/good logic, they work well taking advantage of a tad longer mag box.

Jeff,

Just got back to 24 hr...been busy...the barrel is 20". I'll see if I can post a pic of it tomorrow. Have to take the pic in daylight.

After reading all the posts again, I am going to encourage Don to shoot the 225 Partition as well. He can shoot those sierras for practice.

As a general-purpose .358 load, the 225 NP is hard to argue against. A 200 TSX would be another contender I guess.

Here's how this thread has helped me to clarity. I was thinking I'd use the Sierra since my .358 is primarily my blacktail rifle. In all honesty, shed cores and lack of expansion aside, I'm sure the Sierra would kill little blacktails just fine. But, now that I'm all set with the 225-NP (again), suddenly I'm thinking of taking this rifle to Colorado and eastern Oregon for my elk/mule deer hunts! What the heck... this M7 is a friggin' killing machine; it's the rifle that when I am hunting with it, I get that tickle in the pit of my stomach that says, "you are gonna kill something today!".

That 225 Partition at 2500 fps is a bona-fide, first-class elk load, in my opinion. Not saying it's the ideal elk rifle, but it might just be perfect for some days.

The really absurd part of this is that I have KILLED with the 225-NP before. I have even carried it elk hunting a couple days, several years ago. I've gone in a big circle here. Oh well, all bullet questions lead to the Partition, isn't that what the wise man say?

Here is that 358:



It was painted by Rick. Recieved permission from ASAT to copy their pattern.

Lightweight, discontinued, S and K rings, 2.5 ultralight Leupold, Ruger M77 tang safety and a discontinued Mickey Ruger Ultralight stock. Weight 6.5 lbs

Jeff, had decided early not to post further on this subject, but saw some interesting comments that differed enough from my experience I thought I'd take a chance. My Whelen (built on a Rem 700 LA in a Pacific Research stock) shot the 225 Sierras and NPTs with the same loads within 6-26 fps (avg) MV and within 1" of each other at 100 yds. I didn't notice significant POI differences in the 2 bullets, esp vertically, so wonder whether some rifle-specific variables may be at work. As to the performance on game, the photo you posted of the exit wound on your deer with the 200 gn Sierra is very similar to the exits of my 225 Sierras from the Whelen. Given the attainable velocities in the 358 Win (2450 fps) vs the 35 Whelen (2700 fps), IMO we might be seeing a better matched bullet to the 358 in the 200 gn, than the 225 gn designed for the Whelen MV. Sierra GKs, despite all the comments we hear, are jacketed in the larger calibers for impact on tougher game. I'd remind us of Boddington's comments on use of Sierra 300 gn .375 bullets on Cape buffalo, "At standard ... velocity (2350 fps) I simply don't know of any 300-grain 375 bullet that isn't adequate for (Cape) buffalo... I have used 'plain old bullets' like Sierra boattails ... with perfect results." The point I'm trying to make is that matching conventional bullet construction to expected impact velocity and game animal construction are probably very important determinants of terminal performance. Just my $.02 FWIW.

Here is my .358 MRC. 21-inch barrel in a MacMillan Edge stock, olive green with black webbing by Rick Bin. The MRC has a longer mag box in the SA, but the throat seems short on my rifle. I have shot a 1/4-inch group with 250 gr Hornady spire points, and the 225 gr Partition shots under an inch consistently. I got some good groups with the 225 TSX, but I haven't tried the 200 gr version. The guy at Barnes told me to stick with the 225 gr TSX for Africa, but I ended up using the Partition as it grouped better.

Calif. Hunter, how did the 225 Partition do for you in Africa?? My .358 also has a very short throat, but then my mag box is short too so it doesn't hurt me.

Wildcatter, thanks for the post. Just a clarification. The 200-gn bullet I'm using, the one that made that exit, is a Hornady SP. I'm not aware of a 200-gn Sierra spitzer...

I agree with you on all points. I sure WISH those 225 Sierras would hit to the same POI and the 225 Partitions! It's unbelievable how far away they hit. Oh well.

I'm thinking that the Partition, which is notably "soft" up front, will be a more reliable expander than the Sierra. Thoughts?

They expand about the same in my Whelen, but I like the Noslers better so I mainly shoot those. However never shot anything really big, like an elk or moose with it, only deer and hogs and only recovered those shot N to S, never E to W...

Jeff - the Partition worked well on the kudu and waterbuck I shot with it. I stopped shooting that rifle, though, as the W-748 load I was using was very compressed and it actually filtered through the primer flashole and backed the primers out far enough to soften the firing pin strike. I got tired of a "click" instead of a "bang." I had not experienced that here since I did not have the rounds sitting around for a while. The loads I took to Africa had been loaded a month or so prior. It seemed like it took some time for it to happen.

I had them loaded to a bit over 2500 FPS.

I used the 225 GK out of a .35 Whelen on a Texas doe and a feral hog. In both cases, the bullet apparently didn't expand much, though each animal died and was recovered. I sold the rifle to my brother in Missouri and he uses 200 gr. Hornady's. They absolutely flatten deer with exits like the one shown in Jeff_O's picture. Therefore, for deer I'd go with the Hornady.

Very nice!! Do you happen to remember what the stock weighed? I'm thinking I could like a long action version of that to compliment my MKII 338.

Those stocks only work on .35's!

Jeff - with that scope, I'd put some lower rings on that rifle! It's a nice rig, as is - just my preference.

That's not my .358. This is my .358:



Scope is as low as it can go <G>.

I use the 225 Sierra almost exclusively in my 358 for deer and black bear (1 coyote) with great success. Most shots at deer were under 200 yards and all but two passed clean through, and those that didn't expanded nicely retaining their jacket. I will continue to use them in my 358. I tried the 358 NBT/Accubond but they're too long for my rifle's magazine. I do use them in my Whelen, however. Lou