Does anyone have experience using the 225-grain Sierra spitzer in a 335 Whelen on black bears? Thinking I may that combo this year...

thanks,


Okie John

I find them pretty soft. They are very accurate. Deer for sure but not bear.

I use Bear Claws for game.

I'd swap that Sierra for an NP, Interlok or something equally tough.

225gr Nosler Partition would be my pick.

The .358, 225 Sierra is an interesting bullet. When everything is just so they make a very nice and big mushroom. Given a bit more stress and they shed the core. Impacting at 2000fps or less leads to slow or limited expansion. I consider this a deer or practice bullet. I use the 225 Partition for serious hunting in my 350 Rem Magnum.

They are peretty accurate and have experimented with putting a doouble cannelure just North of the boat-tail with my Corbin Cannelure tool.. This seems to lock the core somewhat.

Since writing the following article I have lots of correspondence with 358 shooters. The Sierra has fans and haters. I think this indicates it's inconsistent nature.

http://35cal.com/35bullet_study/35bullet_study1.html

225 TSX would be my choice. I've used them successfully on moose, it will work on any bear.

I was able to drop big black bears in their tracks with 150 grain Silvertips in a 30/40 Krag. This being the case, I wouldn't have too much trouble with the idea of using 225 Sierras in my 35 Whelen. I don't use them in my Whelen; but only because they don't shoot particularly well. GD

Try a TSX...200gr at 2900fps(my choice) or the 225 at 2700+ fps.

Scroll down the page to view all loads.

http://www.starsandstripesammo.com/index2.html

Thanks--exactly the information I was looking for.


John

Bears give a guy a reason to fling big expensive bullets at game, and feel somewhat justified about doing it.. I like X's for bears. Not always needed, but I'm still holding onto hope that I'll stumble on that 22", 8' black bear, and I want to make sure I'm ready for him.

No good reason to save ten cents a bullet to shoot Sierra's or anything equally soft. I like TSX's and Hornady Interlocks; a bear of any description being deliberately hunted would end up with a TSX, more than likely. Though 250 gr .358 Round Nose Hornady bullets seem to work really well on "stuff", and shoots tight little groups in my Whelen, so it might be my choice anyway.

But I like Sierra bullets, for hunting game, only slightly less than Nosler Partitions -- so they have zero chance of going hunting with me... .

Dennis

I see no reason not to use the 225 GameKing if the common 220-250s from Hornady or Speer are acceptable. The Sierra bullet may be a bit slower to open than the 250s. The alloy does tend, based on what I have seen in testing and killing, to open to a flatter-faced mushroom, however, than the alloys used by Speer or Hornady so penetration may be somewhat less.



A test of various 35 fired from a 358 Winchester at less than 5 yards into previously frozen, (reject) drywall topping compound. (It had just a few lumps in it.)

I am highly certain that your failure to humanely take any black bear with the GameKing could be traced to a failure on your part at some point after the round is chambered. However, a bullet like the 250 Partition (why use the 225 when there is the 250), Grand Slam, or A-Frame is sometimes welcome insurance against our human foibles.

Based upon my experience with them on deer with the Whelen, I don't use them anymore. Very accurate though.

They seem to perform better in the .358Win but I still wouldn't use them for bear with so many better bullets
available.

Just my $.02 worth.

WN

Curious as to your experience WN...how did the bullets behave?

North61

I have found the Sierra's to be soft and not much for penetration.

They are very accurate though and, yes, every deer I've shot at with them died. However, the last buck took two directly behind the shoulder @ 40yds and traveled 50yds before piling up. No exit or blood trail and there was lots of snow on the ground. Just don't have that problem with Hornady, Speer, Nosler AB/Partition, Remington CL, or TBBC in the Whelen.

My backstop is full of empty Sierra and Nosler Ballistic Tip jackets. Perhaps their boat-tail designs contribute to core-jacket separation.

For bear, I just prefer a tougher bullet.

Hope this helps.

WN

One of the guys I work with just did a DLP kill on a young brown bear this past weekend using a .35 Whelen stuffed with 225 gr. Sierra Gamekings. He was bigger than any black bear you're ever going to run across.
The results were impressive. The first shot put him down in the dirt like he'd been smacked with a big hammer and he didn't travel anymore than 20 ft before being hit with two more follow-up shots.

In the .35-Whelen I like the 250 grain bullet for bear! Those bullets I recommend would be Nosler Partition, TBBC, Swift A Frames or Woodleigh.

Klikitarik,
Thanks for posting the picture!
I just acquired a few boxes of 225 gr Accubond bullets and was curious about how they will hold together.
They are very accurate at 200 yds in my 700 Classic.
They should work on deer and black bear if others are preaching the use of .223's?
whelennut

I've run those Accubonds alongside some of the others, like those above as well as the better bullets. They definitely fit in the "better than standard" category. They certainly are one of those bullets which put responsibility for any error, if one is made, squarely on the shoulders of the shooter.

That bullet is tougher I am told by Rich at Sierra, uses in his 358 Win, no doubt it will more than likely do fine, but as above, personally I would use a tougher bullet yet.

When I had a 350RM, I used 225 Sierras for deer and stuffed Noslers for Elk load. 158 pistol bullets make cheaper yet plinking bullets but they nose dive around 250 yds, won't group tight at say 200 like a spitzer, but they give water filled milk jugs hell!

I'd keep it simple, using Noz (or Barnes) 225 on larger game than deer, and if deer only, be happy with Sierras - they mushroomed very well on a couple of deer my partner killed w/my rifle, one exit, one just under hide after busting 2nd shoulder, ironically weighed 158 of the original 225 IIRC, very nice 'SHROOM'. The one exit was a large hole thru hide, allowing blood out and air in, but BOTH deer dropped where they stood!

I've really gotten to like the 225gr TSX with a healthy load of Varget, usually a straight through and through on everything I've shot with it. I've also gotten very good results with 250gr Speer Hot-Cor and RL-15. Too many blow ups and shed cores with Sierra to use it on anything other than paper and varmits.

We've had them not expand out of a .358 Win and completely come apart out of a .35 Whelen, all on medium'ish whitetails. In between they were great and super accurate.

I had one Sierra 225 not expand at all when I shot a whitetail with my whelen at about 10 yds. The buck ran well over 100 yds leaving no blood trail from a double lung shot. Bullet path was bullet diameter all the way. My one experience, never to be repeated. I use more reliable bullets now.

I don't understand the comments about these bullets being too "soft". Sierra's reloading guide says the the .358" 225 Gamekings have a thicker jacket and more anitmony in their core that some of their other bullets. They are designed for big game.

I shot a cow elk with a Gameking from my Whelen last fall. It passed right through. Actually, I would have liked to have seen a bigger exit wound, but she didn't go too far.

I have used a few boxes with no complaints. One shot will take down a caribou or whitetail with no problem, maybe I just don't know what to look for? Very accurate in my rifle!
whelennut

McInnis,
My experience with this bullet, although quite limited, mirrors your thoughts. I found it too tough for deer/hogs as it didn't expand much at all. My feelings at the time were that the bullet would be much better suited for larger animals.

I used the Nosler 225 gr PT in my 35 Whelen to take a 250 lb Black Bear. I would use a stouter bullet and not look back.

JD338

I read that, but I'm skeptical when manufacturers make blanket statements about things that have as many variables as terminal ballistics. That's why I posted here, in front of people who have used Sierra 225-grain Game Kings on bears. And I ended up buying 250-grain Hornadys based on what I've read.


Okie John

My 35 Whelen bear load is .225 TSX, the 168 gr TSX work great on elk out of my 300 should ber great in the Whelen!