.308 / 165 grn Sierra Game Changer at 3,200 FPS on Deer?

[Shumba1]

Worked up a great load in my Sako 85 Finnlight 300 Win Mag with the 165 grain Sierra Game Changer. 4 shots in basically the same hole at 100 yards and chronographed at 3,200 FPS.

Have a deer hunt in Utah next month. Any experience with these bullets on deer at a similar velocity?

 

[Dean2]

Worked up a great load in my Sako 85 Finnlight 300 Win Mag with the 165 grain Sierra Game Changer. 4 shots in basically the same hole at 100 yards and chronographed at 3,200 FPS.

Have a deer hunt in Utah next month. Any experience with these bullets on deer at a similar velocity?

It's a deer, they aren't hard to kill. Pretty sure a 300 WM is adequate. Do you not believe Sierra's information on tthis new bullet?

GameChanger Hunting Bullets
By Sierra Tech Team
The 2019 hunting seasons are in full swing, making them the first full seasons for the latest additions to the Sierra Bullets hunting lineup. In the fall of 2018, we introduced our new GameChanger bullets. These are also seen mentioned as Tipped GameKing (TGK), but are not just a re-do of the GameKing bullets that we have used very successfully for many years.
The GameChanger bullets are actually a new design that incorporates features from other types that Sierra make, resulting in a unique and enhanced bullet style. They do feature a synthetic tip, which serves to maximize the ballistic coefficient (high BC), allowing for greater downrange trajectory and energy performance. The tip also allows us to achieve a very positive expansion over a wide range of velocities and types of game animals. The increase in jacket wall thickness ensures very deep penetration with each shot. This special bullet style gives us a true all-purpose bullet design. Our initial offerings included:

 

[rammac]

Literally the definition of overkill.

 

[Shumba1]

Just wondering if anyone had real world experience on game at higher velocity. Wondering how it would hold together at shorter ranges. I also have the same Sako rifle in .308 and it shoots these same 165 Game Changers into nice groups at just under 2,700 FPS. I know the .308 will be great in 95% of the shot opportunities, but I like the extra range of the 300 WM just in case a longer shot presents itself.

I know this combo (165 grn @ 3,200 FPS) could be overkill in most situations. However, last year I shot a nice deer with my .308 at about 175 yards using a 150 TTSX at 2,800 FPS. Deer was uphill, died quickly, and everything worked out great. The day before, we spotted a even nicer buck across a canyon at 450 yards. I had the crosshairs on him for awhile, but didn't pull the trigger. If the shot didn't anchor him, he could (very likely) have gone down into a very steep canyon and not be recoverable. I would have taken the shot if I had my 300 WM with the 165 Sierra at 3,200 FPS.

You may consider it overkill, I consider it insurance!

 

[Nomosendero]

I hate the term "Overkill"

 

[asd9055]

I hate the term "Overkill"

I prefer "overkill" than the alternative...for years people made fun of my for taking a 300 Mag for Texas deer....but never had to look for mine.

 

[Texanjohn]

They say " use enough gun" This is AMERICA, you are free to decide what's enough gun, as long as the game is " dead enough " then you made the rite choice,I'd say you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[clem81]

Overkill is a silly concept, dead is dead quicker the better. I know the deer doesn't care, why should anyone else. If you can shoot the gun accurately what's the difference.

 

[.300 Dakota]

I have no experience with the Game Changer in game, because I haven't been able to make an accurate load with any of them yet. I WANT to use them on deer, but haven't found the proper technique to get MOA accuracy from them yet. If you have any secrets on loading them accurately, I am interested in learning the technique.

 

[Dean2]

I have never bought in to the idea of too much gun. I have shot deer with a 375 and even 460 Bee because that was what I was hunting with when the deer showed up. It doesn't do as much meat damage as something like a 243. As long as the bullet isn't the highly frangible kind there is no difference in what gun you use.

 

[huntintoo]

If they are anything like my 165 Ballistic tips(very similar B.C) I used them in a .300 Weatherby for 16 Years, One shot stops for the Utah Muley! Then, on a whim, I tried a 168 grn. TTXS (Barnes) and got even a tighter group been shooting that ever since.
.300 WM is excellent on the Mule deer here in Utah!!
When they say "Over Kill" how do you measure degrees of dead?
I shot a doe once with a .375 Ruger. She was as dead as the the one I shot the next day (Double Doe tags) with a .223 rem. Just to show my son it is the bullet placement that counts. He now takes the one that is sighted in most recently.
At 3200 FPS you should be able to tap one out to 500 yards without dial up, and just giving some elevation.
You'll like what you've got out here!!

 

[RCMSTER]

That bullet is going to disintegrate into dust when it impacts on a deer. I tested the .264 130 grain gamechanger on milk jugs at 100 yards. Muzzle velocity of 3050 fps out of my 264 win mag. At 100 yards, it only penetrated to the 3rd jug, no lead present anywhere, except in the form of dust, and the jacket was in several pieces, about like shrapnel from rockets that hit our trucks in Iraq in 2004. Will it kill a deer? Definitely. I gave the 97 I had left in my box away, and wouldn't take a truckload of em' for free, but hey, it's all in what you like.

 

[Mikillium]

I always felt Big calibers are never to much or (overkill) unless your taking head shots. Above a 308 u start taking chances of exploding the antlers upon impact. While you may never recover your rack intact, then again....you still dont lose an oz of meat! So in my book 22-50bmg is always the perfect choice, only determined by how much coffee,sex,or whiskey u previously had just before grabbing the rifle. Have fun Brother, kill um all!

 

[crazyhorse]

No such thing as overkill IMO.

I like to say that I'm in this sport for deer hunting, not deer tracking! Stay off the shoulders and there is very little difference in my 6mm and my 300WM in terms of meat damage. However, a quick opportunity with a difficult angle can make the smaller calibers troublesome. A portion of our farm is river bottom and all of the runs and swampy areas that come with it. A deer that runs just a couple hundred yards in the wrong direction can literally turn it into an all day event getting him out.

The Sierra GC is a pretty tough bullet for its category. If I'm not mistaken Barbour Creek has some testing video where it held up fairly well.