338 300gr SMK

dakor

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Joined
Mar 4, 2004
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654
Location
North Dakota
I did not find this answer on the site and I am hoping someone can give me it. I am shooting the 300 SMK at 2740fps out of my 338 RUM. I am wondering if someone can tell me what is the lowest impact velocity that this bullet will reliably open up.
 
Dear Dakor,

for 300SMK you need at least 1800fps to open up shooting on flash.
If you go for shooting high shoulder you can use 1400-1600fps.
This is what I used ffor my 338edge with 300smk @ 2873fps.
Everybody have different experience with SMK, some good reviews other not so good reviews on hunting game with them.
Just keep in mind in all bullets used for hunting scenarious soon or later you will have one or two failure. Every game is different built, some will die on spot, other willl run for 50yrs, and some of them will not want to die.
I witnesses one black bear shot through hart, running uphill 100yrds before collapsing. There was nothing wrong with the bullet, bullet placement, or bullet opening up... just this bear haved to much adrenaline pumped up and to much living will. of course hi colapse when his brain run out of blood.
Far now I used just 300smk and never let me down.
 
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Dakor,

they're not designed to open up, so any numbers given here would be purely hypothetical based on personal experiences. It's intended strictly as a target bullet (like all the SMK line), and they generally tend to behave like FMJs. Tjis is one of the reasons they can be legally used in M118LR sniper ammo; they don't violate the Hague accords as expanding bullets.
 
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This one went all the way through an elk length wise. Through the chest and out the hind quarter. I found it under the hide on the hind quarter. Impact velocity was 2055 fps. Looks like it bounced around in there a little but didn't expand.
 
They work.

And I have seen picture on here a couple of years ago from a moose shot at about 900+, as I recall, showing a textbook expansion...so, it can happen.

Personally, my limited experience with seeing how they work on game on 4 big game animals, says they work just fine...all were drt, without so much as a flinch, one 4x4 muley(370yd) , one ~225lb. bear (445yd) and two bull elk. The damage on the elk were tremendous taking out big bones on the way in and breaking big bones on the far side after pummeling the vitals. These 2 elk shots were 380 and 430 yds out running an mv right about at 3k fps.

Likely the most used big game bullet for long range hunting. A long and fairly sucessful career here from what I've seen of over 7 years following it's performance here on lrh.com... Don't be afraid to use it.
 
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