Sierra match kings worked for me

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That's right. It was the result of using too light a bullet. It was a 165 gr Sierra BTHP. A bad choice to be sure, but at least it was a bullet designed for hunting.
I've since learned how to do it the right way.

I've never needed more than one shot to put a deer down either.
Maybe it's the bullets I use?

By the way, speaking of elk, how many elk have you shot?
 
I think we could probably discuss the pros and cons of the MK as a hunting bullet without getting so personal.

On the one hand, the MK provides awesome accuracy potential because it’s concentricity is almost perfect. There’s also no lead point to get mashed and throw off the shot when you’re shooting for minute-of-gnat’s-tuckas. If you know you’re going to place your shot right through the deer’s heart or spine, I imagine the MK will work wonders, whether it expands or not. If you hit a rib, it’ll probably expand.

On the other hand…

Sierra knows that lots of hunters concerned with the highest accuracy use the MKs regardless of the warnings, and that’s why they make the GameKings to almost the same degree of perfection as the MK, to encourage the shooters to switch. They’re accurate enough that the GK has been used to win high-power matches. Plus the GK is designed to be used on game. Chances are, if you’re talking meaningful measurements, you’re not going to have more accurate MK loads than the best loads you can work up with GKs. Now I’m talking MEANINGFUL differences for hunting, not eighth-inch differences, which is an entire world of difference in benchrest, but no big stinking deal in hunting (I'm talking “big” game hunting, not prairie dog shooting).

A deer, elk or whatever is going to be no less dead if you hit him one eighth of an inch from the dead center of his heart. I’d venture to say that as much as a half-MOA is basically irrelevant in most hunting scenarios; if you’re hunting at distances that are far enough that a half-MOA difference means a shot outside the kill zone, I think you’re probably hunting at too far a distance to ensure a humane kill.

Semper fi,
Bruegger out.
 
Ruda, You don't really know those bullets expanded properly or expanded at all since you did not recover them. You would have secondary fragments causing damage from the shoulder wound. And if the bullet did not expand the shape alone would cause it to be unstable point-on in flesh. This leads to yawing at a minimum and possibly tumbling while it is still in the animal. When that happens at high velocity, there is considerable tissue damage.

From what I have read even ball ammo in larger calibers like .308 and .30-06 can make nasty wounds. The only problem is it can be anyone's guess which way the bullet will go once it destabilizes. Just something to consider.
 
"Do you mean one that shoots well, has complete penetration, near perfect expansion, and performs consistently"
Click to expand...

I think the key word here is "consistently." It's already been pointed out that the SMK's are only designed for precise concentricity, and not things like copper/lead hardness. This will lead to inconsistent performance once the bullet enters the game.

The big question I have for Ruda is, why? Why use SMK's when you can use Game Kings? Why use "good enough" when you can use better? Do you think that Sierra's testing is not as thorough as yours? Have you had bad experiences with Game Kings? If not, why not use the bullets designed specifically for best hunting performance? That is what you are doing (hunting) so why not use something that will perform the task better?
 
Ruda,

Your last few posts only confirm what I suspected all along. Your only doing this to make a point. Now you're so set on your bad decision that you will never change your mind. That'll show us! Your attitude went from looking for opinions to being flippant and obstinate.

You might be the greatest shot in the world but you definitely have lost my respect. (I know, you don't give a hoot!) The point is that you originally had my respect because you were seeking opinions and seemed eager to listen but when the answers weren't what you wanted to hear you got belligerent and testy.

Go ahead, use your precious Match Kings! You obviously know more about them than the people who created them, after all, you've done your own scientific testing with stringent methodology in a controlled environment-not!
 
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I'll second inGobwetrust. I thought this started out as a search for the best thing to use, and has rapidly turned into "I'm right and the world is wrong" contest, please close the thread.
 
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