SMK - "The Question"

J

jab22

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SMK - \"The Question\"

I am sure you guys have beat this one to death, but I havn't found this discussion yet. What is it that makes the SMK a good choice on game and why does Seirra not recommend it? If you like just point me to a previous discussion.

Thanks in advance, Red Dog
 
Re: SMK - \"The Question\"

There are other posts on this. From what I have read some SMK's tend to do better on deer and elk than others.
I think the 142 SMK does not have a good as a reputation as some of the larger caliber bullets.
I have used the 140 A-Max on "only one deer" with good results.

My question is:
Has anyone used the 115 DTAC (basically a 115 SMK) on deer?
MV's are 2725-2850.
 
Re: SMK - \"The Question\"

I have used them before, but will likely not use them anytime soon for my kind of hunting. They are used because they are very accurate. No matter what the range is, if you can't hit it you can't harvest it. I will be using 175 SMK in my 300 SAUM in a couple weeks, but shots will be taken from 350-400 yards. I will not shoot smk at high velocity/close range. I have had several bad experiences with them and NBT loaded in excess of manufacturers recommendations, >3000 fps impact velocity. In "standard" rounds like .243, .257 Roberts, 708, 308, 3006 . . . I think NBT may be the best bullet for East TX whitetails. This is just my opinion derived from what my eyes have seen. I use Barnes X, Nosler Partitions/Accubonds and Hornady Interbonds for 99% of my hunting. I want a bullet to break a buck's front shoulders every time and anchor him on the spot. For the skinhead variety, I want double lungs and an exit hole. None of these bullets have failed me yet out to 500 yards. Beyond that range, match bullets have the advantage of higher bc and usually greater accuracy. My intended hunt next weekend is for hogs. Like I said, I will be shooting 175 smk to see how they perform on pigs. Shots will be across a deep ravine @400 yards or so. I will be sitting on a tripod with my rifle dialed in for 375 yards, and I will shoot at every pig that walks across the pipeline. Last week a 5xxlb boar was seen about 150 yards farther up the same pipeline. I can't think of a better test subject than that! I'll let you all know how I fare. I am giving up my bow hunts to kill "long" range pigs.
 
Re: SMK - \"The Question\"

sewwhat,
So you have tried the 115DTAC on deer?
If so, what MV, distance and animal?
Thanks
 
Re: SMK - \"The Question\"

Nope. Some folks were asking about the same thing on 6mmBR forums. I dont recall anyone every answering. It seems intuitive that they would be dynamite on deer and smaller. Several other members on this forum hunt with 25-06 shooting 100 gr smk and have had excellent results on whitetails. jm2c
 
Re: SMK - \"The Question\"

Well, I guess I will try it this year on deer & see what happens.
I also need to see what bullets Richard has for a true 8T for deer.
 
Re: SMK - \"The Question\"

Well I've killed hundreds of deer, several "other" 150lb 'mammals", and have seen several hundred more deer shot with SMK's. 30cal 168gr, 175gr, 190gr, 220gr, and 240gr. A few smaller cal and a couple with the 300gr .338. I have never seen one "fail". Between Dave King(I'm sure there are others) and myself were well into the thousands of animals killed with SMK's. Thats a lot of data. I've shot deer from 35yds to 930yds with MK's and they consistantly produce massive damage. I think your going to find three "opinions" on matchkings for game. One is from the people that have never used them, and hate them. The second is from the people that have shot only a couple of animals with them, and are so, so, about it. Now the third is from people like Dave, Ric, Ian, Boyd, Darrel, myself, etc., that have shot alot of animals, from alot of different ranges, with alot of different impacts. From this group its pretty much a moot point. They work.
 
Re: SMK - \"The Question\"

I use them (SMKs) because they are what I shoot for precision and the resultant accuracy. I image that if I hadn't gotten into precision shooting (NRA HighPower and other type long range match shooting) I'd have never had the need/desire to shoot matchkings and would be perfectly happy to use whatever 'hunting' bullet shot well from my rifle but that's not the case. I DID get into precision shooting and found that the bullets I feel most comfortable shooting (the ones I shoot the best scores with) also work very well on game animals... I guess it's just approaching the hunting situation from the precision shooting side of the pond, not unlike using the trusty old 243 Win for deer... it's what I had and felt comfortable with when I started, it/they work fine so why change?

To date I have not had any significant doubts about using the .30 SMK 175's on game. I've also use the .338 300 SMK, .223 69 SMK, .243 107 SMK to take critters from the size of moose (3 of them) to groundhogs (TNTC). I've killed well over 500 deer with various SMKs and non-premium (reported to blow up on impact type) bullets.

I believe Sierra opts to 'not recommend' them for hunting because they are not manufactured for hunting and the wide range of conditions the hunting bullets are subjected to on impact. I would NOT try a bone crushing shot onto a large critter with a smallish caliber SMK at short range... they are not a good thick-skinned and/or dangerous game bullet. I believe they (Sierra) may have found a better/different way of saying "Don't try this at home." or "Professional shooter on a closed course." or "Your results may vary."

I also believe that a number of folks that state the SMK's won't work no matter the circumstance... "I had a buddy once that had a MatchKing blow up on the skin of a nutria and did nothing more than make a large bruise...." could wear a sign on their forehead that reads "Some settling of contents has occurred during shipment!" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

...

Always a good discussion on the SMKs.


TNTC = Too Numerous To Count
 
Re: SMK - \"The Question\"

After reading of others results when using the SMK's, I was all ready to use them this hunting season. I let my dad use my rifle to kill his antelope. He shot the antelope in the neck from about 200 yards with my 308 Tikka Sporter, using the 168gr SMK. The bullet absolutely exploded when it hit. It knocked the antelope down and made about a 3 inch diameter hole, but only penetrated about 2 inches. The antelope got up and staggered around for a while until the old man was able to get steady enough to finish it with a shot behind the shoulder. The bullet performed adequately on the second shot.

I will use boxed ammo for the rest of this season. The Black Hills 165gr soft points shoot very well out of my rifle and recently worked very well on my deer.
 
Re: SMK - \"The Question\"

[ QUOTE ]
Charles

Hilarious, but not very tactful.

[/ QUOTE ]


NOTHING gets my "mood" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif going like people giving bad info. If you dont like, or want to use something, then dont. But dont lie about it when you dont know. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif Hell I even said if it wasnt for LR hunting I wouldnt use them. Like I said, oh well. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
Re: SMK - \"The Question\"

For what it's worth, I have been fireforming for a 300 RUM with 220gr SMKs. I've been shooting paper and steel at 400+ yards. The steel is A-514 3/8 inch T type. The SMK almost goes thru the plate. Other mags like the 338 RUM and 7mm RUMs just dent it. If you're concerned about penetration or bullet fragmentation, I wouldn't be.
db
 
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