Match bullets as varmint rounds

B

Bob Thompson

New member
In trying and succeeding at finding some good accuracy in my new Ruger American in 7mm-08 I have been using a Sierra 130g. Match bullet #1903. Tried many different velocities but it seems it likes higher end loads. 40.4g. H4895 was one of the best. Trying to find some Varget to try but no luck. I'm seeing sub MOA from all loads but my best so far was a nice 3/8" 5 shot group at 100m. Barrel break in was trying, to say the least, with groups approaching 1 1/2" but it settled in nicely after about 60 rounds using a clean after every round and then after every 5 rounds format.

Now to my title above; Yesterday after load development work I put a shook up can of Coke at the 100m range and it exploded the can apart like a varmint round. Has anybody used similar h.p bullets for accuracy on varmints? Just wondering, as it seems to be a good combination of great accuracy and performance if your not pelt hunting.
 
A shook up can of coke is going to blow up regardless of what hits it, it is under pressure.

That being said, Hornady AMAX are match bullets that work quite well on varmints. I have used the .224 75 grain, and 6.5mm 140gr on P-dogs and they both do just fine.
 
Match bullets will work fine on varmints. The thin jackets don't hold together very well on big game, but normally you aren't worried about spectacular bullet failure on varmints.

Jimro
 
I use Sierra MK 52gr HPBT's in my .22-250 with no issues other than they cause massive wounds in varmints. If you don't want the fur, go for it.
 
A lot of the Berger projectiles are sold as both target and hunting bullets. Plenty of them get used on large game. Plenty of folks also use Amaxs on game, but they are not advertised as suitable.
 
Target bullets are for match shooting. For hunting of any kind there is a ricochet concern. I loaded frangible bullets for safety, such as the 'blitz' type.
 
Match bullets vary wildly in terminal performance.
A-Max expand/explode rapidly at high speed impacts, much like a high BC/SC varmint bullet. This is the most reliable performer if rapid expansion is the desired result.
Berger VLD Hunting bullets expand violently but with a build in delay so they would not have explosive expansion on small bodied targets like prairie dogs, but they should make a mess of yotes on lengthwise shots. Expect 2-4" delay depending on impact speed and target resistance.
Sierra Match King bullets do not expand in the classic sense of the word despite being hollow points, they can however yaw violently, the sheer force will often tear the bullet apart making for nasty wounding however it does not do any of this reliably, they might not yaw until they have passed through the animal or they might do it on contact, that unpredictable performance is the reason hunters are advised to avoid Match Kings despite their impressive accuracy.
I hope this helps.
 
Those bullets seem to me to be one of those deals where, if I had them I'd use them, maybe, but I sure wouldn't buy them with the intent of hunting.

I dunno. I get sub-MOA in my 7mm08 with CoreLoks and Speers--and almost the same POI with either.

Seems to me that the whole deal with preferring hunting bullets is that on average for millions of shots, expansion by design beats expansion by accident and anecdote.
 
I shoot Nosler 155 HPBT in my old .308 target rifle to pick off coyotes from the bait pile. Very little expansion-usually a pencil sized hole on both sides but a hit in the vitals kills quickly w/o ruining the fur. On the other hand , a medium sized deer hit with the same bullet/rifle showed radical , explosive expansion.
I used to hunt coyotes with a 22/250 using Hornady 55 FBHP match bullets which resulted in consistent violent expansion and few exit holes.
 
Sierra's .22 MKHP

I've got a Ruger 77V/ 22-250 that has a penchant for 52 gr Sierra Match Kings.

Back when I used to do a lot of groundhog hunting, that slug worked very well on pasture pigs, showing some expansion always and occasionally, up close, very dramatic results. I suspect they do not expand as well as a SP or hunting HP, but the result was very dead hogs, irregardless.

That rifle and load has always been spooky accurate. It shoots the MK's so well that I have never really ran anything else through it.
 
The way I see it if you are going to shoot living things, you want their end to be swift and "humane." To use anything less than the best possible, rapidly expanding, bullet available to you at the time is unethical.

I found in years of shooting prairie dogs that the Hornady Vmax was plenty accurate and gave explosive terminal performance.

That was maybe 10 years ago now, so I cannot say what the best bullet is today, but unless a bullet outperforms the Vmax, I would not consider it.
 
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