Sierra MK 250gr for Hunting?

[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 ???

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.

I agree and the same can be said for many models of SMK's, been using both for a long time, and have culled a considerable amount of deer to base my opinions on. You have to hunt with what you are confident with.

 

[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.

I agree and the same can be said for many models of SMK's, been using both for a long time, and have culled a considerable amount of deer to base my opinions on. You have to hunt with what you are confident with.

Very true. I had heard great things about 30 cal SMK's and the 300gr 338 SMK. But the reviews were all over the board for the 250gr 338 SMK. I went into detail about that earlier on this thread. Inconsistency cannot be trusted. Perhaps other caliber and weight SMK's are very consistent and effective, but everywhere I looked, I could never find that with the 250gr 338 SMK. So like you said I will hunt with what I know works. And that is the Berger VLD.

I have already completed a lot of load testing with the Berger 250gr Elite Hunter bullet in my Rem 700 338-375 Ruger rifle. Accuracy is excellent and speed is very adequate. I still have a couple more loads to try, then onto long range practice. It will no doubt be a devastating recipe for any big game on this continent

 

[people]

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.

Some of them are very hard like the 6.5 but others like the 220gr MK and the 300gr MK are great hunting bullets.