Are Sierra HPBT good for deer season

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windy

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Hope I'm in the right thread. I've just developed an accurate load for my .303 sporter and I was wondering if anyone has shot a deer with a Sierra 174 gr HPBT match bullet? Did the bullet expand properly? Did the deer go down quickly? This will be my first hunting season this fall and I just wanna be sure I'm using proper ammo.
Thanks
 
Too fragile for deer sized game, they will disintegrate upon impact and penetration will not happen, as stated above any soft point or tipped hunting type bullet will work, I'd stay away from target bullet for game.
 
Hi. No match bullets for hunting anything but varmints. They're not made to expand.
You need to check the headspace and slug the barrel first. Hammer a cast .30 cal bullet or suitably sized lead fishing sinker through the barrel with a 1/4" brass or Al rod and a plastic mallet, then measure the bullet/sinker with a micrometer. Lee-Enfield barrels can measure from .311" to .315" and still be considered ok.
Sierra makes .311" bullets. They won't shoot well out of a .313" plus barrel. Sierra doesn't make a .311" Gameking, but they do make a 150 and 180 grain ProHunter. A 150 will do nicely for deer, depending on the barrel diameter.
 
No problems with it. you will find they penetrate and expand wonderfully with the heavy bullet on deer sized game.:D

Hollow points work great on animals, thats why they were developed.

Target shooters embraced hollow points because they dont have deformed lead tips, and are more accurate for it.:p
 
"...deformed lead tips..." That has nothing to do with it. The point doesn't matter on any bullet. Only the base matters.
Match bullets are not designed to expand. Has nothing to do with being HP's. The jackets aren't made for expansion.
 
Sierra Match Kings are designed for target shooting and performance on game is erratic, so use some thing else.

I wouldn't bother slugging the bore if you are getting accurate results.
 
As others have said, the MK is a miserable game bullet. In my experience they either go to pieces causing a shallow wound or they don't expand at all, and pencil through without expanding at all. Find a good 150 gr game bullet of appropriate caliber and go hunting.
 
The sierra 180 grain .311 softpoint is an excellent bullet in 303 rifles.
Sunray made a comment about it not shooting in .313+ groove diameter barrels, but this has NOT been my experience.
I have two 303 rifles at home, both are .313 or slightly over, and that Sierra is very close to the most accurate bullet in both of them, shooting moa or so.
Interestingly, both my rifles shoot their smallest groups with the Honady 150 grain Spire point Interlock bullet.
Do not use the Matchking for big game...expansion is not predictable.
Regards, Eagleye.
 
Lets see if I have this straight. When a Berger VLD blows up it's a success but if a Ballistic-tip loses some weight its a failure. If a SMK doesn't open up much it's a failure, but if a TSX makes a narrow wound channel it's a roaring success. If a SMK acts like a Berger its a failure, and if it does something in between its a failure too. If a Hornady loses 40% of its weight, and a Partition does the same the Hornady failed and the Partition worked as designed.

Somewhere along the line I've killed animals with match bullets, conventional bullets, premium bullets, roundballs, square balls (OK I made that up;)), cast slugs, swaged slugs, shotguns, solids, and monolithic expanding solids, varmint bullets, buffalo bullets and more than a few with what most people would call elephant guns.Some with arrows too. For the most part, schitt just died in the prescribed manner, but it doesn't hurt to avoid the extremes. Ordinary bullets are ordinary for a reason, they make most of the people happy most of the time. Plastering a moose or deer with a .303 is fairly ordinary.
 
Swift Sciroccos are worth looking at, high BC with a bonded core to jacket.

They shoot very well for me , carry fairly flat , and perform well on game.

The thing is these are a premium, bullet the cost is not exactly from the bargain bin.
 
Go to the .223 for deer thread and look at what some of the whackjobs who posted in that thread are telling you in this one.

Your bullet will do fine.
 
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