Sierra Matchking bullets

[acearch72]

I just found out that as of 2003 that the bullets that I normally use, the 180gr Sierra ProHunter, have been replaced by the Sierra 168gr Matchking bullet.

The company that loads the bullets swear that this bullet works great for hunting and cite lots of personal experience, however the Sierra web site notes in 2 places that this is a target bullet designed for maximum accuracy and is not recommended for hunting.

Has anyone had any experience with this bullet in a hunting situation?  

Any comments are appreciated.

[Steve L]

I have never personaly used Match King bullets for hunting but everyone that I know of that have swear by them, the ones that have said they are not a hunting bullet have never used them. It is true that Sierra recomends NOT to use them for hunting but judging from recovered Match King bullets I have seen I would not hesitate to use them on deer, they did not fragment and they did open up to a perfect mushroom. They are extremely accurate and from my personal experements with 7mm bullets they hold together better than the famous deer slaying Nosler Ballistic Tip.

BTW, what company is offering the Match King bullet for hunting?

[Big Tom]

I used 168 gr match Xbullets from Barnes this Fall and shot right through both front shoulders of a large(173#dress wt) Buck with a .308 from 70 yds. Worked to the max!  :-)

[jvbigo]

I have taken 2 deer with the match king. I had loaded them just for target, but after shooting the fist deer with them I decided to continue using them for hunting.

[acearch72]

Thanks for the replies.

SteveL,

I have a Lazzeroni 308 Patriot that I purchased this year.   The loads are custom by Lazzeroni for his custom calibers.  You can't buy them off the shelf.

I just felt that they were trying to get the maximum accuracy possible so that they could use as a sales gimmick, without any real consideration for bullet performance. (Business is business).  I don't know, maybe I was wrong.  Lazzeroni told me that they had done extensive testing in hunting situtations with this load and it worked great without any failures.  I just hate to think that I could wound and lose an animal because I went hunting with less than the best bullet.

So who do I believe, the bullet maker or the bullet seller??

[Jose Grande]

In this case I think it's safe to beleive Lazzeroni. I've read reveiws of matchkings as hunting bullets & it is claimed they work well.

[Zachary]

From what I have seen from a field dressed whitetail, the MatchKing is somewhat of a "beefed up" Nosler Ballistic Tip in that the MK expands quickly, but does not "disintegrate" (for lack of a better term) like the Ballistic tips.  The deer that I saw that was shot with the MK was shot behind the shoulder quartering away.  The bullet was recovered with the mushroom being a bit  awkward, but more intact than a Ballistic Tip.

Zachary

[redial]

Steve? Ya out there?

Post some pitchers, wouldja?

For those just tuning in, Steve has some compelling photos to bolster one side of the argument....

Redial

[264 WIN MAG]

I can hit a deer perfect with any kind of bullet and he is not going to run. The question is if you don't hit the deer like you plan too is it going to do it's job and put it down. I have looked at the MK bullets and I just don't see them expanding on say a gut shot or a neck shot where as you will get full expansion out of the nosler ballistic tip. I recently shot a deer at about 100 yards with the nosler 120 grain ballistic tips. I shot it right into the front shoulder and it passed through both shoulders rib cage and just about everything else. The deer dropped on impact and I recovered the bullet from right under the skin on the far side, it was a perfect mushroom. I have not had any problems with the noslers breaking apart when they hit, all the other deer I shot was one hole going in and another hole about 4 times the size coming out.

The only reason I argue this point is because I used to use core-lokt bullets in my 264 mag and it did not matter where you hit them they were going to run because the bullet expanded so slowly that it would pass in and out and the deer would not even know it was hit. I just have to argue that a fast expanding bullet is a much better choice for light skinned game like whitetail deer.

[Rusty]

I have read in several hunting magazines about sports writers (Larry Weishuhn for one) that use these bullets on deer.  I have heard of hunters using these bullets on elk also (with no real problems).  If I knew they were adequate, I would use them too (they are accurate, however they may be too acurate, it doesn't give me an excuse for  missing!) :oops:

[264 WIN MAG]

I recently spoke with Sierra and asked them about the MK bullets and using them for hunting. They laughed at me..........For one they told me that the MK has a thinner jacket wall than hunting bullets which would make it want to explode on contact. On the other side though they have the thick tip on them which would make them want to pass straight through on game like whitetail with minimal damage. I just can't trust a bullet for hunting if the people that make it don't trust it.

[sebastian]

Hi! I've shot tens of wildboar (in different sizes and different shot placement) with the Sierra MK168gr. Also for deers in my country. The result...all of them was dead with ONE shot clean kill!
I like headshot and the "worst scenario" was butt-shot. :eek:
Yes i knew that MK supposed to be not for a hunting bullet, but after i've tried it to several games, i know it "works".
They expand well, too.

[jamie]

You know Col  (General) Craig Boddington tested some Lazzeroni with John Lazzeroni and he said that he shot the best group ever in his life with the Savage 16LZ.  Group measured .032 I think, I know it was .03 something.  And that was with 220 grn round nose bullets.

[dbuck]

I have used the Sierra 168 gr. MatchKing for years in match shooting along with hundereds of other shooters.  This bullet has won more match titles then you can shake a stick at.  Almost everyone used this in the M1A or a match M1 that was converted to 308 or used it in the 30-06.  Hunting I have no experience with, but match shooting at Camp Perry I have out to the thousand yard line and it is very accurate.

DBUCK

[gunnut69]

I have not used the 168 but tried some 6mm 85 gr. match bullets many years ago.  They were fired from a 243 and used on chucks.  The results were less than satisfactory.  If they expanded they killed just fine but every once in a while they didn't expand at all.  The tiny little hollow point would simply allow then to behave as a FMJ.  The result a woodchuck that got back to his den....  I would never use them on game again.  There are far too many excellant hunting bullets to risk wounding and loosing even one animal..

[renegade]

I've used the 150 gr spitzer (older) and found they fragmented alot on heavy game. Moose. Got two bulls last year with them but I won't use them again. Lucky to have time for followup shot on 350 yd Bull. However, for deer my only experinces was a complete entry and exit through the boiler room. I think these ones are for better for thin skinned game. I have some 150 GameKings for the 30-06 and 165 hornady SST's for the 300 WSM. Will be hunting antelope, deer(3), and moose.

Rene