Sierra Bullets

Sig220_Ruger77

A few years ago, I heard many bad stories about Sierra bullets. Most complained of jacket-core seperation. First question is, has Sierra fixed this problem at all? And second, are their bigger game bullets designed with a tougher jacket(I am concentrating on the .375 diameter 300 grain Gameking)? Thanks in advance,

Jon

Sig220_Ruger77

hello
i just went through my gun area and found out i have some serria bullets more than i thought but the only thing i will probably reload for is a 223 in a ruger mark ii 77 or a colt delta ar-15 hbar. what would be the best bullet for that from serria size, weight, type ect for the 2 firearms i would use or reload for. they both shoot really good using factory winchester or pmc 55grain. at 100 yards they both will easily shoot .75moa.
thanks

sandwarrior

jon0322,

Sierra still lags behind other bulletmakers in the tougher jacket category. That doesn't mean they aren't lethal. I've used light varmint/target bullets to kill most of my deer. The gamekings I used performed almost the same way. But the deer all dropped. I've been told the best way to hit a deer is to have the bullet hold together, expand, and punch out the backside. That's the most confusing deer I ever had to help track. He went well over 200 yds. before he even dropped a spot of blood. I prefer a DRT bullet to one that 'helps me track them'. If the bullet fragments it will kill a deer very quickly. In most cases(a solid shot) the bullet will penetrate just because of it's speed.
If you feel that you taking a shoulder shot isn't going to penetrate then don't shoot. I'm pretty sure a Partition won't work any better on a glancing shot than a Sierra. It will however expand and hold together better. And still transfer a lot of energy to body of the game with a direct, well placed shot.

PA Shootist

Sandwarrior has said it very well; "tough" bullets which penetrate clear through can under many circumstances make for difficult tracking. The deer can be dead on his feet, and cover a lot of ground before the blood starts to flow, usually a few drops followed by increasing amounts, then a flood, I presume as the chest cavity fills then overflows. When tracking conditions are tough (no snow, dense undegrowth, high grass, rain, etc.) it can be quite a challenge. The best buck I ever got was this year's, shot at about with a 7 mm Rem Mag at about eighty yards, quartering slightly towards me. It turned and ran at the shot, out of sight almost instantly over the crest of an overgrown field. It took nearly an hour to find it; there was no blood trail visible until I almost stepped on the dead deer. The "autopsy" showed both lungs penetrated, also the liver. Exit wound was about .30 caliber. The deer ran about 150 yards, but was nearly invisible in the high grass. And this is one of many observations over the years, all similar.

That said, if you hit bone, or must shoot at the south end of a north-bound animal, the "tough" bullet can make its way through to vitals where the lightly-constructed bullet may not, causing only a grievous wound that won't stop the animal, but condemn it to a slow, lingerng death, and probably the animal will be wasted.

So bullet construction and performance is always a compromise. The animals don't always present a clear shot, standing still perfectly sideways to you in the real world, allowing ample time for perfect bullet placement. In those cases, the lightly-constructed bullet can kill like lightning.