.30 calibre Sierra Pro-Hunter 125s

Brutus

Brutus

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West of most places....and in Alberta
I'm strongly considering purchasing the Sierra 125 spire points for handloading into my 30-06. I recently tried out Federal Classic in this factory bullet weight and I'm impressed with the accuracy at 200 yards.

Anyone use this bullet/cartridge combo for deer hunting?

Edit: I should add here, this is going to be used in a semi-auto rifle. So anything approaching Hornday Light Magnum in pressure and or velocity is totally out of the question.

Cheers....................
 
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I am going to start this post out like many of those that I hate to read - I have not used the Sierra 125 grain for deer hunting, but.....
I have used the Hornady 130 grain quite a bit in my .308 Winchester. They have been accurate and worked well on deer without excessive damage (ie they don't seem to blow up). I have had complete pass through on broadside shots on larger mule deer.
If you consider the Sierra 125 grain somewhat equivalent, they should work OK in your .30-06. I get 3000 fps with my .308 and the 130 grain bullets.
 
If Sierra makes these for big game, and also a 130 grain .277 diameter bullet also for big game, I fail to see a significant difference for WT deer, as long as bullet construction is the same. Al-Sway seems to agree with my view.(kind of)
 
The 125 in a 7.62x39 or a 30-30 is a good choice.

In a faster cartridge there is a risk of more meat damage and not enough penetration.

The guys in my camp all decided to switch to longer, heavier bullets because the lighter bullet were doing too much meat damage. In my case (308) I switched from 150 to 180. The bonus was one load for both deer and moose.

It is not a question of the 125 not working. It is just a heavier bullet would be better or more appropriate.
 
There's over a hundred years of experience with classic cup-and-core bullets out there, and the general consensus of history is that longer/heavier bullets are just more reliable. Which is not to say that lighter bullets won't work; just that heavy-for-caliber bullets are more dependable. This may or may not hold true with more modern bullet designs - bonded cores, tapered jackets, partitions, etc.
 
I agree with Ganderite. The 125 Sierra's (#2120) are excellent for low recoil target work with 308 30/06 class rifles. I have used them in my 7.62x39 Rugers (77 and Mini 30, which both have the earlier 308 barrels) with good results- the 77 will shoot 1" at 100 yards when I do my part. I agree that heavier bullets are more appropriate for hunting in 308 30/06 class rifles. I am currently experimenting with 165 Remington Corelockts bulk buy bullets in my 308.
 
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