Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles 55 gr Sierra Game King hp

Anyone using these in a 223? I've read some good reviews from the retailers but you don't usually get bad reviews from them.

Very accurate, fairly explosive even at .223 velocity's, schitt B.C.

They are a pretty tough bullet, but you get expansion. I have shot thousands on p. dogs and killed many, many coyotes with them. You will NEVER get a surface explosion with them.

If you like the 55's, don't forget the 55g V max and the 55g Nosler ballistic tip.

its my goto load in my 22-250.works on everything to include deer if needed

Be sure it's not their #1345 bullet. That one is very fragile and won't shoot in my 1:9" twist rifle. Most of the time that bullet disintegrates just a few feet from the muzzle. I called Sierra and they said that their #1345 bullet should only be shot out of 1:14" twist rifles. Hope this helps!

Achadwick, I am shooting the 1345 out of a 1-9 twist 223 and never have any issues. What kind of rifle are you shooting?

My son used the 55 gr Hornady Spire Point with cannelure quite succesfully on his javelina last year. It is a fairly tough bullet...but not a TSX, of course.

The sierra bullet shot great in my 223 with 748 .

This bullet shoots great, but as posted above, it is not as frangile as plastic tipped varmint bullets. It works well on coyotes, but for p-dogs I stick to V-Max's for expansion. A friend of mine used to load Enforcer Brand Ammo (223 Rem) with this bullet and it usually shot lights out in most rifles. Also the BC is not so good, but they will still get out there! T.S.

sorry to hear that these bullets were so explosive. I was going to try using the 55 grain non hollow point bullets in my .222 on deer.

Shooting a Savage Model 12 with a standard 26" 1:9" bull barrel. I called Sierra about the problems I had and they told me that they do not advise using their #1345 in anything faster than about 1:12" to 1:14" twist barrels. See page 56 of Sierra's Reloading Data Manual 5th edition. I've done LOTS of testing on this problem and it's not just a fluke - it's very repeatable in my rifle. Disintegration seems to be a little more frequent in warm weather versus cold. Don't know why. YMMV.

warmer weather equals higher pressure, higher pressure equals more velocity, more velocity equals disintegration - in your rifle anyway.


cooler weather = less pressure, and so on.


drover

By my testing it does not seem to be only pressure related. I got about the same disintegration rate even with 2 grains less powder charge. Ambient temperature seemed to be the most important variable. Regardless, I don't doubt the basic point of your post, that I could find a powder charge that gives low enough pressure to avoid disintegration. However, I believe that I wouldn't have much of a varmint round at that point.

[quote=achadwick]Be sure it's not their #1345 bullet. That one is very fragile and won't shoot in my 1:9" twist rifle. quote]

Gentlemen:

The correct term is "frangible" rather than 'fragile'; thought you would like to know.

looks to me like the definition of either word would fit fine.

Just curious how hot a load for deer?

southtexas:

It's not a question of what fits. but what is.

If folks use there terms ambigassly than th hole languge is missed up and them decimal points yer loads move whereever to......

methinks thou art being too picky..they are synonyms

No, frangible and fragile are not synonyms.

Do you see the word "fragile" on a box of bullet? No!

But the word "frangible" is used in bullet literature...you can drop a bullet and it doesn't break...like an egg does.

Literacy is important....especially when folks are teaching others to apply technical terms in a technical way.

Or should we all dumb-down together?

So, anyway, getting back to the point of this thread:

43Shooter, I prefer 55 grain Sierra BlitzKings. They are a little pricey, but have spectacular terminal performance on prairie dogs.