Match King vs Game King

Sierra match kings are designed for shooting paper. Due to bullet design they probably will not give consistant performance on game. Expansion may be iffy and fragmenting could also occur. For what it is worth I talked to a gentleman that used them for culling rather small deer on farm down south. He stated that if no ribs were hit the bullet tended to bore right thru. If bone was hit often the bullet fragmented and sometimes tumbled. Call Sierra. Their customer support techs are great.

As far as getting 1/2 minute of angle groups I just don't think that is possible with a Garand and it's sights. That would be .52 inch at one hundred yards. Some are pretty decent shooters, but, that seems unlikely. More likely would less than one moa out of the bolt and 1 or 2 (or more) from the Garand.

Sierra fan here! Match Kings are not designed to expand while Game Kings are. Game Kings are not match bullets but I have found them to be very consistent. I have shot deer with the 165HPBT with the 308 and 30-06 with good results and found it to be accurate. This might be the bullet that you are looking for. I think the Sierra number is 2145. What I like was being able to use the same load that I worked up using the 168 Match King.

Sierra's match bullets are more uniform weight and dimensionally; they shoot more accurate than their hunting bullets.

That said, most folks can't tell the difference. Back in the 1950's before Sierra 30 caliber hollow point match bullets were made, lots of competitors used their 150, 165 and 180-gr. SBT hunting bullets in Garands and bolt guns getting better accuracy than the military 173-gr. match bullet.

"...I wonder why that is..." Match grade bullets are not designed to expand.
Any 165 grain hunting bullet will do nicely. You will find IMR4064 is more consistently accurate than IMR4895 too.
"...half MOA would suffice..." Maybe, but you won't get that out of an M1 Rifle.

One single sentence shows up over and over again in the Sierra Reloading Manual (50th Edition) and I am sure all of their reloading data:

Sierra does not recommend Match King bullets for hunting applications.

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Sierra Match Kings are a poor choice if you plan to take game using the bullet. Giving them a call will as mentioned get you a good education, or a visit to their website will help you choose a bullet for your intended application.

Ron

Hornady

Hornady AMax will do what you are wanting to do. Accurate and lethal.

At least at some point, maybe the government still uses them, but the Sierra Matchkings were used in one iteration the M262 round. This is the ammunition developed for the Squad Designated Rifle.

I read that the Sierra OTM bullets were deemed acceptable because they did not expand and cause undue suffering in a military application. See the attached article for some information.

http://www.shootingtimes.com/ammo/special-forces-to-civilians-black-hills-mk-262-mod-1-review/

Anyway, a pretty good indication that the Sierra OTM (aka Matchkings) bullets would not make good hunting bullets.

For the original question, the poster will find that the Sierra 165 gr GameKing HPBT is the bullet he's looking for.It has all the accuracy of the MatchKing, IT IS a hunting bullet, but is also a boattail hollow point. The difference is the diameter of the hollow point, the core alloy, and jacket thickness. However, it is a bit soft for moose at close range. Ditto the Hornady 178grn A-max. I wouldn't relish the thought of plugging a large bear (not a black!) with one, either.

I would use one powder (I concur with H4895! It gives me better accuracy from 3 '06's I own than IMR4064). In Alaska, I would use a Nosler or Swift A-frame for hunting, MatchKings for target.

In my M1's, I'm using Hornady 150gr bulk FMJ (.19 each) they shoot just as good for me as the MatchKings from M1's- ~1.5moa or perhaps a little better from the match gun. MatchKings don't give me any more 10's or X's at 600yds, so why pay 2x for them?
Shot my best score to date with them last week in Garand match at CMP Talladega. Finished in the top 40. Can't bring myself to " waste" the 200rds of Lapua/creedmoor '06 I got at a clinic! It shoots one- hole groups from my b/a '06...

I hunted with a fellow this year that was using a .308 with it turns out match 168 hp ammo. I helped him clean a doe and found the jacket intact laying inside the chest cavity. I didn't think one would shed it's jacket that way, but no lead, just a nicely opened up jacket laying all by itself. Strange behavior for a premium bullet, but I guess Sierra knows what they are talking about saying not to hunt with one.

I found the ogive was slightly different and in my M1A's the matchking works well but the gameking is kind of so so.

Try them both and see. $50 investment will let you know how well it works for your guns.

Maybe you could get gamekings and sort out the ones with the most consistent shape/ weight for matches, and use the rest for hunting.

If you want a "one bullet and done" I suggest that you try Nosler 165 gr or 168 gr Ballistic Tip or Accubond Bullets. Depending on the game you want to hunt. Accubond is tougher but the current 165 gr BT is a fairley tough bullet They are both great hunting bullets with Match Grade Accuracy.

I use them interchangeably depending on use.
I use the GK's for general use since it's still a very accurate bullet, the MK's being more expensive only come out when I need an "edge"

I use the same brass, primers and powder charge just interchange the bullet depending on use. I use more GK's than MK's. When just ringing steel at <500yrds they're more than accurate enough.

In my 308 the 168gr SMKand the 165gr GK SPBT shoot the same. So i just keep it easy and use the GK. In my 300WM i am using the 180gr GK SPBT and couldn't be happier with the performance it had on this year's buck and doe.

Sunray said:

"...I wonder why that is..." Match grade bullets are not designed to expand.
Any 165 grain hunting bullet will do nicely. You will find IMR4064 is more consistently accurate than IMR4895 too.
"...half MOA would suffice..." Maybe, but you won't get that out of an M1 Rifle.

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They will shatter they have a very thin jacket. The GK has a thicker jacket so they will go deeper in the game that you are hunting it is best to get one in deep so it kills beter.

Typical match bullets like SMK typically have very thin jackets all the way to the base at the bottom, so they conform more easily to the die when the lead core is swaged into the jacket at high pressure. This gives much better bullet-to-bullet consistency for target performance. The thin jacket does nothing to control expansion upon impact on game. It is not designed for terminal performance on game, even if it usually kills.

Typical hunting bullets have a jacket specifically designed for maximum terminal performance, including tapered thickness from nose to base and a heavier base as a 'platform' for the mushroom. Jacket design is absolutely paramount for proper terminal performance.


Ants advice: Just buy the right bullet for the right application. SMK for match. GK for deer. SMK are available in bulk, because you shoot a LOT more of them. GK in 100 pack because you shoot a lot less of them.


If Ants was forced to buy just one bullet for both: Nosler Accubond Long Range. Not available in all calibers and weights, but it gives almost SMK type accuracy and excellent terminal performance on game at its design velocity. But boy, you're gonna pay out the nose for it. Ooo wee! That's why you buy separate bullets for each application. Cheaper and better.

And...

In addition to Nosler, both Berger and Swift also have bullets that do accuracy and game kill particularly well. And Barnes for no-lead solids. But boy oh boy you really pay for those as well.

Just thought to add...

Hunting bullets often use a method of bonding the core to the jacket for best weight retention. Whether mechanical, or partition, or fluxing.

Target bullets never do that because weight retention is meaningless on paper.

I agree with the 165 game King filling the bill.

You will find IMR4064 is more consistently accurate than IMR4895 too.

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I have to agree in my M1's anyways. To get 1 MOA out of a M1 it would have to be exceptional. This doesn't mean it can't be done but you won't know till you try it.

For my 06 bolt guns IMR 4350 is hard to beat with that 165.

I have a M1 load with a 155 gr Palma bullet with IMR 4064 that will hold the 10 ring on a NRA 600 yard target fired at 600 yards. And will do this with a couple of my service grade M1's.

I understand the want for using the same powder in both types of rifles. I just never have been too bright that way.

I love my Gameking 130 BTHP in 6.5. Super accurate and deadly. Then again, I love my Nosler Accubond .308 165 gr. Just as accurate and just as deadly. Both shoot in the .4's at 100. I'm sure you'd do well with the Accubond if the Sierra doesn't work for you. Its not your old Nosler Ballistic Tip by any stretch. Oh...I don't shoot an M1 either.

I should specify that I use 165 .308 GK's and 168 MK's over RL-15. Although I do have both IMR3031 and IMR4064 to try out in my supply