Sierra matchking performance on game

[greenejc]

I like the information on annealing. I wish I could buy the equipment it takes to experiment with it. But I have a wife, and so there you are. I can either have a wife or have the extra work shed and equipment. The information is nice though, and I read a lot of Nathan's stuff. He has both the time and money to experiment, and its a profitable business for him. He's done a lot of research on wound effects with various brands, weights and calibers of bullets which I have found fascinating.

 

[Hugnot]

Nathan's process was simple, vise to hold metal cup filled at some depth with water, submerged nut large enough to hold bullet upright at selected depth & torch, probably propane. Bullet was toasted in all directions for about 2 min at probably 3,000 degrees or so. Submerged portion was protected from heat.

Here is a photo of a 6mm 107 grain Sierra MK bullet:

Note the striations marked in blue. My guess is that they continue thru the bullet jacket. Most likely this would result in fragmentation. The striations indicate stress fractures formed at right angles to forces used to form ogive. Nathan might toast this bullet at the blue marks.

 

[sp6x6]

A friend of mine is playing with 300 berger and cutting a band in it for better expansion.In 2019 he shot a WR three target ag at 2000 yrds.

 

[greenejc]

A friend of mine is playing with 300 berger and cutting a band in it for better expansion.In 2019 he shot a WR three target ag at 2000 yrds.

I'd cut vertical grooves in it. The band will probably cause it to separate. Of course, with its weight, it might just become two projectile in the animal and two exit wounds, and that might be good.

 

[Bravo 4]

But things like hornady sst bullets do not expand either they just blow up and fragment after penetrating a few inches.

They are a rapid expansion bullet, if you drive them too hard they may come apart on you. The key is to load them heavy for caliber. This will do two things, first cut down on velocity. Second is it gives it more shank and more to hold together for penetration & good mushroom.
Example:
I load the 139 SST in a buddy's 7 RemMag. He doesn't shoot distance and thinks that if a bullet goes in and comes apart that it dumps all its energy into the animal. I am the opposite, I want a heavy for caliber for not only better penetration but for "better" long range external ballistics (usually higher BC). I also want something that if I punch a shoulder that it will penetrate, and I prefer an exit wound. I was loading the 162 SST in my 7 RemMag and it would expand fast (as it's the same design), give good penetration (almost always leaving an exit, even if a shoulder was hit) and has higher BC. The difference is night and day between the two bullets, even though the same caliber. Grouping a type of bullet into one category is not a fair analysis. I'd hunt elk with the 162, no way with the 139 (at least out of the RemMag). I've shot deer with a 225 SST out of a .338 Edge, that bullet seems rather tougher, as I'd expect for the larger caliber.

 

[longrangebo]

We have shot many deer and bear , from 800 to 1500 yards with the 300gr. matchking no problem at all DRT

 

[Bravo 4]

We have shot many deer and bear , from 800 to 1500 yards with the 300gr. matchking no problem at all DRT

I have shot several deer and elk with 300 grain Matchkings. It is one of my favorite bullets, and usually the first bullet I try in a .338.

 

[Teri Anne]

Once upon a time, many years ago I was in a gun shop in East Central Wisconsin when a guy came in with the sweetest Remington 700 in 30-06 that I had seen in awhile. It was midweek during the annual Wisconsin deer season. While I was there to buy readily available .308 ammo (My preferred round at the time and still may be so many years later) Anyway he wanted to trade in the 30-06 for a 458 Win Mag stating that the
30-06 was inadequate for hunting White Tail Deer. The owner of the place, who was a friend looked at the guy as if he was crazy and asked how he thought his 30-06 was deficient. He said that he shot a magnificent (so he says) buck three times and the buck did not fall and in fact ran off without leaving a blood trail. He wanted the .458 mag because he heard it would knock down anything. To make a long story short, he did buy a Model 70 in 458 Win Mag, at the end of the season he had still not tagged out and blamed it on those Wisconsin Whitetails who simply refused to die. We all kind of figured that one has to hit the deer before one can kill a deer and a .458 Win Mag was not the cartridge to do it with. I guess the point that I am trying to make here is that, " Bigger isn't necessarily better."

 

[Bravo 4]

I guess the point that I am trying to make here is that, " Bigger isn't necessarily better."

That's what the little guys always say!

The problem is that you can't buy sence (common or otherwise) or the capacity for intelligence. After training hundreds of shooters a year, mostly from scratch, a common theme is to blame the equipment instead of the nut behind the trigger. It's a fool's folly.

 

[Hunt_4life]

That's what the little guys always say!

The problem is that you can't buy sence (common or otherwise) or the capacity for intelligence. After training hundreds of shooters a year, mostly from scratch, a common theme is to blame the equipment instead of the nut behind the trigger. It's a fool's folly.

Agreed. I've always said shoot the biggest cartridge that you can shoot well. If you can't shoot the gun to the best of its capabilities get a different gun.

 

[gyrfalcon]

Once upon a time, many years ago I was in a gun shop in East Central Wisconsin when a guy came in with the sweetest Remington 700 in 30-06 that I had seen in awhile. It was midweek during the annual Wisconsin deer season. While I was there to buy readily available .308 ammo (My preferred round at the time and still may be so many years later) Anyway he wanted to trade in the 30-06 for a 458 Win Mag stating that the
30-06 was inadequate for hunting White Tail Deer. The owner of the place, who was a friend looked at the guy as if he was crazy and asked how he thought his 30-06 was deficient. He said that he shot a magnificent (so he says) buck three times and the buck did not fall and in fact ran off without leaving a blood trail. He wanted the .458 mag because he heard it would knock down anything. To make a long story short, he did buy a Model 70 in 458 Win Mag, at the end of the season he had still not tagged out and blamed it on those Wisconsin Whitetails who simply refused to die. We all kind of figured that one has to hit the deer before one can kill a deer and a .458 Win Mag was not the cartridge to do it with. I guess the point that I am trying to make here is that, " Bigger isn't necessarily better."

Yep………encountered a few of those here in Alberta. Both were absolutely terrified of bears of any sort and decided that a .458 Win, should be there deer rifle of choice. Steeped in misinformation and beset by fear, they be better of to avoid any bear country. Nervous fearful people with loaded guns and vivid imaginations are dangerous to other hunters in the woods.
I have nothing against people who like big bores and who like to play with them for the pure fun of it. I did it for a while with the 45/70 in a Ruger1 and a .375 H&H in a lovely Browning FN. and a custom 35 Whelen in a rebareled 700 classic all for moose/elk. However I don't claim that they are necessary or kill faster then our smaller bores with well chosen bullets. A special study in Yellowstone park comparing the .375H&H and 30-06 in elk killing ability during large scale culls, actually gave the 06 a slight edge. Check it out.
The bottom line is that accurate bullet placement is still the key to killing your game. Massive recoil is not conducive to accurate shooting. today's superb crop of high tech hunting bullets and improved powders, allows us to use smaller bores then in the days of Elmer Keith's big bores in much lighter rifles for the same effect

 

[Charles Keethler]

A few years back I found a more or less brand new Rem 700 in 300 Win un shot ss grey lam stock bought for a song. Story goes gift afraid to shoot because of cal. , it shoots clover leaf at 100 with 200 ELD-x. Love it.

 

[jmaars]

Once upon a time, many years ago I was in a gun shop in East Central Wisconsin when a guy came in with the sweetest Remington 700 in 30-06 that I had seen in awhile. It was midweek during the annual Wisconsin deer season. While I was there to buy readily available .308 ammo (My preferred round at the time and still may be so many years later) Anyway he wanted to trade in the 30-06 for a 458 Win Mag stating that the
30-06 was inadequate for hunting White Tail Deer. The owner of the place, who was a friend looked at the guy as if he was crazy and asked how he thought his 30-06 was deficient. He said that he shot a magnificent (so he says) buck three times and the buck did not fall and in fact ran off without leaving a blood trail. He wanted the .458 mag because he heard it would knock down anything. To make a long story short, he did buy a Model 70 in 458 Win Mag, at the end of the season he had still not tagged out and blamed it on those Wisconsin Whitetails who simply refused to die. We all kind of figured that one has to hit the deer before one can kill a deer and a .458 Win Mag was not the cartridge to do it with. I guess the point that I am trying to make here is that, " Bigger isn't necessarily better."

Did you Buy the .06. If not, you should have! "Hind sight is always 20-20"

 

[xsn10s]

Load it up with EH's and have at it.