anybody using Sierra MK bullets for game

G

Guest

Guest
Just want to get an idea of what they do as far penatration on game and such.
the game would be coyotes with a 22-250 and the 52gr matchkings out to 400yds
 
Darryl-

You sound worn out...
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Gary

I'd need to agree, that is the shortest post I believe I've ever seen from Darryl.

Baby Boy

Yes, MatchKings work fine.

In a society looking for an instant culprit/scapegoat when things go wrong, the MatchKing gets pointed to with some regularity. It's a fine bullet for game and will work well but it can't make up for shooter error, a bad shot is going to cause a problem no matter the bullet.
 
Hello All

As a a matter of fact, I am a bit worn out with a back that is giving me problems and trying to finish our 16 issue Williamsport newsletter before the printing time. Add that to spending the weekend at the range, shooting in two rifle classes in 95 degree heat has worn DC out a bit.

I think the reason I put such a short reply to the question was, the Matchking debate has been running, it seems, forever.

I will say "again", Matchkings work on ANY animal I have ever used them on from 100 yards to 2100 yards. From the size of Woodchucks to elk. Good penitration and exit wounds always on the size animals I have hunted.

Would I use them on extremely heavy Dangerous African animals----NO.

OK---I'm back to form now guy's.

Later
DC
 
Forgive me if I seem to Argue for just a minute Darryl. But if Baby Boy is wanting so save the hides on those coyotes, Matchkings are not much good at all. As you pointed out, they leave fair sized exit wounds. So if you want to save the fur, and don't like sewing, a nice 50-55 grain hollow point works much better at the ranges he is wanting to shoot. I've found the MK to work well at longer ranges on coyotes, but short to midranges, I'd avoid them.
 
Tim

I didn't know he was saving the hides as he never mentioned that. I guess I should have known.

If I were trying to save hides, I wouldn't use a bullet that expanded much at all. I would pick one that just punched a small entrance hole and one that exited the other side about the same size.
A 50 or 55 gr "HP" would surely expand, and exit with a much bigger exit hole then the entrance on a small animal such as a coyote.
"If" it blew up INSIDE and never exited you would be fine. Any I have shot always exited the far side though.

For pure killing power on any game (Not saving hides)I have killed, Match Kings are tops "for me." I compared his 22/250 (to a degree) to my Swift.

Later
DC
 
If I were trying to save the hide of a coyote look at the 50g vmax I have shot a lot of coyotes with the vmax in a 220 swift from 50 to 450 yards most of them had no exit hole.

Crow Mag
 
Crow Mag

You said;
"Most of them had no exit holes"?

What did the holes look like of the ones that did exit with the Vmax?


I think it's impossible to eleminate all exit holes in most small game with ANY bullet especially if they are hit in the rib cage. Head or neck shots are the order of the day if you can make them.
I think I would rather sew up two small holes better then I would one "big" one especially if the bullet blew on contact?

Later
DC
 
I have actually had a problem with losing woodchucks this summer due to match bullets just punching a tiny hole through them. I have used the 6.5, 120 Sierra MK and the 142 MK out of a 6.5-06 and in every case, it just made a pin hole through them. At first I thought I was missing alot because I'd shoot and they'd get back to their hole. Finaly I held one and upon examining him didn't see a hole. Finally, I pulled some hair back and saw the tiny entrance and exit hole. This same thing happenned 3 times after that with both bullets. The Berger 140 does the same thing even though they have the thinner jacket. Maybe the velocities I am shooting are too little or too much to expand but it just isn't happenning. The only bullet that blows them up is the A-Max.
Having said that, I was out with my uncle and we both shot woodchucks from the same hole at 504 yards. We walked out and examined them and found that mine had a pinhole (barely visible) going in and coming out while his had a very nasty hole coming out. I was shooting the 142MK and he was shooting the 30 cal. 200 MK. Why the difference in affect?? I have no idea.
 
One of the coyotes had small rips in the pelt and 2 had holes the size of a softball out of over 100 Coyotes I can deal with the lose of a couple pelts. The guy I hunt with likes the 55g FMJ but he looses some also.

Crow Mag
 
Hello Prime

The 30 Cal he was using--- what caliber?

Heavier mass bullet (200 Gr MK) hitting the animal is one of the reasons and if the velocity was from a magnum, more velocity
then the 6.5 Possibly?

I used a 30 Gibbs and 30/378 to kill woodchucks for years and the 200 gr did the job time and time again. The 6.5 140 Gr MK in my 6.5 Gibbs and the 6.5/300 Weatherby did wonders at any range to the chucks too.

Got chucks out to 1450 Yards with the 30/378 and the 6.5/300 Weatherby and they were VERY dead. With our younger shooters, the 200 gr and 140 gr bullets pulverized them at 300 yards and on out.
Only on occasion and if we had a young shooter with us, would let them shoot at anything under 600 yards. That was our starting point.

Later
DC
 
I would agree with Crow Mag. Go with the Vmax. Or if you hunt where loosing them is hard to do there is always the safe bet of FMJ, I have found the seirra 55gr FMJ to be one of the most accurate bullets out of my swift AI.
 
I only used the Sierra 52gr MK in my 22-250 for many years while hunting chucks. Kills were typically from 200-450yds. It was rare for this bullet to exhibit dramatic terminal performance even thpough it killed instantly.
However, to play it safe with your hides; why not use a 40gr VMAX @ 4,000 ft/sec. I doubt that this bullet could pass through a coyote.
VH
 
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