Sierra MK 250gr for Hunting?

[BigDMT]

I plan on taking my new 338-375 Ruger this fall for trophy mule deer and elk. The 250gr Berger VLDs were hard to come by and I don't want to wait for them to show up so I bought a bunch of the 250gr Sierra MK's because they are much easier to find.

I know they will work well on long range deer and elk when coming out of the barrel at 2900-3000 fps. But I was just wondering if any of you have personally used that bullet on game from a 338 cal round and how it performed for you?

Thanks.
BigDMT.

 

[wboggs]

BigDMT I tried that bullet in my custom .338-.378 with a 3150 mv and found it would not
stand those high velocities when used at less than 300yds. Most of the time it would
shed the core and fail to penetrate. It was miserable performance on elk, to say the
least. On anything but a broadside shot, it was inadequate. There was no blood trail
if the shot was taken near dark. After seeing it on elk, I switched to Nosler Part. and
then used the Sierras for fireforming loads.
It will work, but in my opinion, not well. Heaven help you if you ever try to use it on a
big bear or dangerous African game.
One man's opinion. You have a superb hunting caliber that deserves a good bullet.
PM me if you need further details.
Bill

 

[Glenn Powell]

I don't think I would do field testing on a hard to draw trophy hunt. Serria MK might work, but he manufacturer clearly says not to use MK's on game. Hunt down some Accubonds, TSX, Hornady Interlocks, SST, or what ever. I have had real good success with interlocks out of my 300 WinMag, the poor mans partition. They are actually quite accurate, though BC is not where Long Rangers would like it.

 

[BigDMT]

I bought the MK's because I know they are always very accurate. Maybe I should try to track down some Bergers again, or maybe some 250gr Accubonds since their BC is pretty respectable at 0.575.

I have been reading mixed reviews about the MK's on the other sites as well. Seems that the folks with better luck using them were shooting them much slower in a 338 win mag. Thanks for the input so far.

Anyone else with experience?

 

[wboggs]

Myself and my hunting buddy have tried them in .338 Win, .340 Wby, .338 RUM, and .338-378 and have not been happy with them in anything. Shot a deer at 200yds with one loaded to a mv of 2700. It was a quartering shot with the deer facing me. Bullet hit shoulder, angled rearward and was under the skin in front of hind quarter so I recovered it. It was in several pieces with the jacket and core separated. Deer dropped on the spot but I feel that type of bullet performance is poor. That deer would have also dropped on the spot from a bullet that penetrated completely from a good .243. I only relate the story to show that slowing them down is no solution. You have a superb caliber, why slow the velocity to use a subpar hunting bullet?
Bill

 

[pmarauder]

I have a bunch of the 250 Hybrid Match I can sell if you are around.

 

[BigDMT]

H

I have a bunch of the 250 Hybrid Match I can sell if you are around.

That would be awesome. I'll be home next Wednesday. I think I still have your card. Maybe PM me your cell number just in case and I'll get ahold of you when I get back.

Back to the subject now. I greatly appreciate all the info so far. I had heard reports of that MK blowing up, performing perfectly, AND passing completely thru with no wound channel so I didn't know what to think.
The youtube video I posted below is the reason I decided to ask you fellas about the 250gr MK before I tried it afield. The video shows an impact of the 250gr MK and a 250gr Nosler Partition on jugs of water from a 338 Lapua. Huge difference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU-Y15qi0JE

 

[people]

Here is a coyote shot with a 220gr smk.



That is the type of damage I have seen in deer also.

 

[wapiti25]

I used a sierra 250 SPBT on a cow elk, 125 yds not much expansion. About 2600 ft/sec she ran off, I did find her about 600yds away standing and finnished her off.

 

[BigDMT]

Well fellas, I sold all my 250gr 338 MKs. Just too many mixed reviews which made me wary of reliable expansion with that bullet.

I found a very interesting article in a magazine where the author studied the MatchKing terminal performance in over 20 deer and 7 or 8 hogs shot with them. His results clarified exactly why I was seeing so many mixed reviews. He said that the expansion was completely unpredictable. Some animals had perfect pass thrus with excellent wound channels, some were pin holed with little terminal damage and barely a blood trail making recovery difficult, and a couple of times the bullet exploded completely on impact before reaching the first lung thus requiring a follow up shot. So unreliable expansion is not what I want because it isn't dependable.

As I was traveling back to work, I stopped in a sporting goods store in a smaller Montana town. To my complete surprise, I STUMBLED UPON THE BERGER BULLET MECA!!!
They had every type of Berger bullet currently in production for every single caliber!!! So I bought 200 of the Berger 338 250gr Elite Hunter bullets. I know I can't go wrong with Berger so I feel very confident now. Now looking back, I think I will stop in on my return trip and buy a couple hundred more so I am set for life

 

[wboggs]

BigDMT I commend you on the research you have done vs. just going out and field testing the bullets you already have. That is what ethical hunting is about.

Bill

 

[BigDMT]

Thank you sir. I always try to be as ethical as possible when hunting anything because it helps preserve the hunting traditions for future generations.

Those who choose to disregard good ethics when hunting only give more reason and evidence for animal rights activists to use against us all in their attempts to dislodge our hunting privileges.

Using a good bullet is only a small portion of ethical hunting, but a very important one nonetheless. I have a lot of experience and tremendous success using Berger bullets, so that's what I'll stick with. No need to reinvent the wheel when something already works perfectly

I thank you all very much for your valuable information on this topic.

 

[people]

hunting privileges? Who said they were privileges?

 

[BigDMT]

hunting privileges? Who said they were privileges?

Correction..."Rights" But lets not start in on "political correctness". You know what I meant.

 

[people]

I did but others may not. It falls into the same category as driving it is a right but the gov has brainwashed many into thinking it is a privilege. You call it by some other name long enough it will become the way.

 

[BigDMT]

I did but others may not. It falls into the same category as driving it is a right but the gov has brainwashed many into thinking it is a privilege. You call it by some other name long enough it will become the way.

Good point

 

[Webster]

On the Sierra website they state that MK bullets are not recommended for hunting. I believe VLDs are also match bullets. Check the website for details. Many shooting supply stores only carry bullets that sell in volume to the average shooter. You should be able to order directly from Sierra. Call them and ask what they recommend. They can go over the characteristics of the different hunting bullets.

 

[BigDMT]

On the Sierra website they state that MK bullets are not recommended for hunting. I believe VLDs are also match bullets. Check the website for details. Many shooting supply stores only carry bullets that sell in volume to the average shooter. You should be able to order directly from Sierra. Call them and ask what they recommend. They can go over the characteristics of the different hunting bullets.

You didn't completely read the rest of the thread did you?

Berger VLD's make some of the best hunting bullets available. This I have proven to myself time and time again, as have thousands of other hunters. The Sierra MK's are out of the picture, gone, sold, never buying for hunting again so will never know, done. Onward with the proven Berger VLD

 

[Drop Port]

Some SMK’s have different terminal characteristics depending on caliber and weight. No magic about the way they are made. You will NOT see them listed as a hunting bullet due to the military contract. Kind of funny to see how many people use the new Berger “Hunting” bullets now even though they are just the same old bullet they listed as Target vld's just a few years ago. Many bashed them a few years ago but love them now ???

 

[BigDMT]

Some SMK’s have different terminal characteristics depending on caliber and weight. No magic about the way they are made. You will NOT see them listed as a hunting bullet due to the military contract. Kind of funny to see how many people use the new Berger “Hunting” bullets now even though they are just the same old bullet they listed as Target vld's just a few years ago. Many bashed them a few years ago but love them now ???

The only people who bashed them for hunting were the folks who hadn't used them or couldn't shoot for crap and kept wounding animals. Every hunter that used Berger VLD's knows how amazing they are.

And yes you are right. The "hunting" vld's are the original Berger bullets with the thinner jackets. After competition shooters complained about occasional jacket separation at high speeds, they made the "target" vld's with slightly thicker jackets. BOTH work very well for hunting though.