165gr Sierra Gamekings in a 308

rickdavis81

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Joined
Jul 30, 2009
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227
Location
SW Missouri
What's the Max distance you would use a 165 gr Sierra SBT Gameking on for deer. I'm using near max loads of Varget. I'd have to go downstairs to see what load I had worked up. I'm shooting a Remmy SPS tac., 20in barrel with a MUeller Tac II 3-10x44. I've been shooting steel out to 400 for a while now. But I'm really just wanting to know the max effective range of this bullet with good shot placement.
 
Hi Rick, I find the 165gr GK to be a very slow killer out past a couple of hundred yards. It might be ok if you are in open country but is a no go if your animal can escape into cover. Wounding is good but not as vivid as you would get using either the 155gr Amax or Berger VLD bullets at extended ranges. The heavy GK's (including the HP), bore a deep but narrow wound which is about .75" wide through the lungs. The above target bullets give a widely diffused, much faster bleeding wound. Nothing else comes remotely close at lower velocities.

If you need controlled expansion, the 165 grain Hornady Interlock is pretty good/ softer than the GK at this weight. Also, weird as it may seem, the 150gr SST is pretty good out to about 500 yards.

Varget is too slow for the 20" barreled Tactical. If you are using a max listed manual load, velocity will be about 2500fps. You really need to switch to (from fast to slowest) BLC2 or H4895. Approximately 45gr of H4895 will give you 2650fps. Just bear in mind that to achieve good velocities in the tactical, you will have to run higher pressures than in a 24+" tube. I am using either Hornady Frontier of Win brass and case life is fine. I am finding through our accurizing services (and my own M700 Tactical) that 46.5gr of H4895 drives 150 grain bullets at 2860fps and 155gr bullets at 2820fps. I tried lowering the charge for the 155gr bullets by .5gr but accuracy fell off. My particular rifle has three sweet spots when running 150-155gr bullets. The first is at 2500fps followed by 2650fps, and finally 2820-2860fps. Average group size is .4" but if I load to say 2700fps, groups open right up to between .75 and 1".

Hope that helps.
 
Hi Rick, I find the 165gr GK to be a very slow killer out past a couple of hundred yards. It might be ok if you are in open country but is a no go if your animal can escape into cover. Wounding is good but not as vivid as you would get using either the 155gr Amax or Berger VLD bullets at extended ranges. The heavy GK's (including the HP), bore a deep but narrow wound which is about .75" wide through the lungs. The above target bullets give a widely diffused, much faster bleeding wound. Nothing else comes remotely close at lower velocities.

If you need controlled expansion, the 165 grain Hornady Interlock is pretty good/ softer than the GK at this weight. Also, weird as it may seem, the 150gr SST is pretty good out to about 500 yards.

Varget is too slow for the 20" barreled Tactical. If you are using a max listed manual load, velocity will be about 2500fps. You really need to switch to (from fast to slowest) BLC2 or H4895. Approximately 45gr of H4895 will give you 2650fps. Just bear in mind that to achieve good velocities in the tactical, you will have to run higher pressures than in a 24+" tube. I am using either Hornady Frontier of Win brass and case life is fine. I am finding through our accurizing services (and my own M700 Tactical) that 46.5gr of H4895 drives 150 grain bullets at 2860fps and 155gr bullets at 2820fps. I tried lowering the charge for the 155gr bullets by .5gr but accuracy fell off. My particular rifle has three sweet spots when running 150-155gr bullets. The first is at 2500fps followed by 2650fps, and finally 2820-2860fps. Average group size is .4" but if I load to say 2700fps, groups open right up to between .75 and 1".

Hope that helps.

I'm reading a lot on LRH forum today and finding Kiwi Nate's tracks all over the place. His comments/recommendations are spot-on!
 
Have a youth 308 shooting the 165gr Speer with a BC of .477 with RL-15 44gr
fed and win brass 210M primers.... shoots just about 3/4 in and also in a
model 99 20 in barrels in both rifles and have taken deer and elk not a bad load...
 
Yeah, the Speer BTSP is really soft- much like the VLD and Amax. It looks just like the GK but it really is worlds apart. The two projectiles couldn't be any different. The Speer always swages to different styles of bore in a manner that makes accuracy that much easier to obtain than something like the SST I mentioned. That said, the bearing surface of the lighter 150 grain Speer BTSP is a little too short for the Rem M700 and its long bullet jump. Accuracy suffers quite dramatically.
 
I shot 2 deer last year with the 165 GK in a 30-06 load to one grain less than max of RL 19 ( don't remeber the charge). Anyways I shot the first on at 33yards. Bullet blow up and found the copper shell in the other shoulder. Next one was shot at 50 yards. Same thing. Blew up. To me they are not that hard of a bullet. Kinda in the same catgory as a Cor-Lok to me. Maybe hardness isn't the the word I'm looking for maybe bonded would be a better word. Its not well bonded. JMO
 
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