Sierra GameChanger - New tipped hunting bullets

[Gtscotty]

For those interested, Sierra just rolled out a new series of tipped hunting bullets called the Sierra GameChanger:

https://sierrabulletsblog.com/2018/08/01/sierras-newest-innovation-the-gamechangers/

The name seems a bit dramatic given that it looks a lot like an SST or Hunting Ballistic Tip only a decade or so late to the party. I guess they are rolling out with limited options at first, but Midway is showing them as available.

https://www.midwayusa.com/s?userSearchQuery=Sierra+GameChanger&userItemsPerPage=24

The currently offered weights seem to be mid-range on all of the options except the 7mm which is relatively heavy. The BCs look pretty good for the weights though.

6mm - 90gr - G1 BC: 0.49
.277 - 140gr - G1 BC: 0.508
6.5mm - 130gr - G1 BC: 0.51
7mm - 165gr - G1 BC: 0.61
.308 - 165gr - G1 BC: 0.53

The terminal performance and penetration looks pretty good from Sierra's video, if the real world reports are favorable, I might be interested in giving the 6.5mm and .308 a try on deer or antelope.

Hopefully they shoot as well and as easily as most of Sierra's other offerings.

 

[LoonWulf]

They look pretty nice. The only one that doesn't have a fairly high for weight bc is the 7mm....it's about average for the other tipped bullets in it's category.

I'm tempted to try the 6.5 and .308 personally, I'm almost out of both. The 7s tho I THINK I'll stick with Hornady or nosler.

 

[jmr40]

They are about $10/box more expensive than Hornady ELD-X bullets. And just at a glance the BC's on at least some seems optimistic to me. I can get the ELD's for $33/box in 6.5 and .308 vs $43 or $45 for the Sierra's.

https://www.midwayusa.com/s?userSearchQuery=Hornady+ELD-X&uac=true&userItemsPerPage=48

The 165 gr .308 is showing a significantly higher BC than a 180 gr Nosler Accubond. And Noslers get a bad rap for inflating BC numbers.

 

[LoonWulf]

Eld-x pricing is usually in the mid to high 30s, so the Sierra's aren't THAT much more expensive. About the same as comparing regular Hornady to regular SGKs. They are about the same as Berger's, and cheaper than list price on the ABLRs.
(Eld-Xs start at 45 bucks a box on the shelves here which is why I order all my bullets).

I'm curious as to the actual bc as well, Sierra isn't known for overstating bc significantly so hopefully they are in line with what they actually produce.

 

[sparkyv]

I'm so pleased with ELD-X that I will wait until y'all try the Game changer out and kindly report back.

 

[Nature Boy]

I ordered a box of the .308

 

[WestKentucky]

I just hope it does in fact change game...from mobile to immobile. I don’t like it when the only change is from running dry to running while leaking. That’s a bad day.

 

[Gtscotty]

The 165 gr .308 is showing a significantly higher BC than a 180 gr Nosler Accubond. And Noslers get a bad rap for inflating BC numbers.

The BCs are pretty good, but not out of line, the Accubond is not a particularly high BC bullet to be comparing new designs to.

The 168gr ELD has a G1 of 0.523 and the 168gr ABLR has a published G1 of 0.598. The GameChanger is right in the middle, we'll have to see the banded BCs Sierra puts out, but I'd be surprised if the BCs are off by much.

If they turn out to be good game bullets, with a balance of expansion and deep penetration, the 165gr .308 might make a nice deer bullet for shorter barreled rifles.

Also, like LoonWulf said, they're only $6 -$7 more than ELDXs, if they are a bit tougher they might be worth it.

 

[farmerboy78]

they look just like tmk bullets

 

[dh1633pm]

I think I will order a box.

 

[z7]

168gr ABLR has a published G1 of 0.598.

Nosler revised the BC using a doppler this year and reduced that to a G1 of 0.525, G7 of .267. . .https://www.nosler.com/accubond-long-range-bullet/

I am interested in the nosler and the sierra "LR" offerings, but I don't get to hunt enough so I will keep shooting target bullets. If I ever get that KY elk tag i will need to do some comparisons though

for the long range crowd the ABLR 210g with its .661 G1 BC looks to be a great option, stays at 1600+ FPS to 1000 yds out of a 300 WM

 

[Arkansas Paul]

The regular BTHP Gamekings have never let me down.
It aint broke, so I don't reckon I'll try and fix it.

 

[Gtscotty]

Nosler revised the BC using a doppler this year and reduced that to a G1 of 0.525, G7 of .267. .

Yep, they reduced all of the BCs on the ABLRs, which initially came out highly inflated. I pulled the 0.598 from Midway, not knowing whether it was the new or original number.

Either way, a G1 of 0.53 for the 165gr is high but certainly possible, if they perform well on game they might be good option for deer and the like. They show a Doppler setup in their commercial that can track 5.56 to 1,000 m (Infinition BR-29015), there's a pretty low probability that they don't know what the BCs for the bullets are. With as many lab radars and the like that are running around, I'm going to bet they aren't dumb enough to fabricate and publish BS BC numbers in 2018.

A poster on another site stated that he had called Sierra and they told him that the terminal test videos were from the 165gr 7mm shot out of a .284 Win at 100 yds. Not exactly proof of performance across the velocity band, impact would have been 2,550 fps or so. At any rate, it's a new option we didn't have a few days ago, for those that are interested or curious.

Personally, I use mostly Accubonds as my loads are likely to be used on game ranging from antelope to elk, and I think they provide the best mix of expansion, penetration and reliability. For deer and smaller loads though, these might be good options for some folks.

 

[10gaugemag]

I ordered a box of the .243 90 grainers to try in my 6mm. If I can keep them at 1" or better I will kill some deer with them this fall.

This particular rifle seems to prefer a flat base but hopefully I can get these to shoot halfway decent.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I'm a fan of Sierra .308" 165gr GameKing bullets for deer size game and their 168gr MatchKing bullets for target work so I guess I will give the tipped GameChanger bullets a try when I find a sale.

For tougher game I have always been a Nosler Partition fan and with the rise in their price i have been trying their AccuBond bullets but have yet to use them in game.

While posting I did some reading and it seems Sierra has given Midway USA exclusive rights to the new bullets but only until Sept 1st. I'm guessing once they are for sale everywhere the prices will come down.

 

[Nature Boy]

I got my box of .308 in yesterday from Midway.

I could try some loads in my .308 target rifle but I think that would be a waste since it will be unlikely that I hunt with it.

My FN SPR action is currently undergoing a makeover at the gunsmith. That will be what I hunt with this year if McMillan cooperates and gets my stock done in time.

 

[LoonWulf]

I got my box of .308 in yesterday from Midway.

I could try some loads in my .308 target rifle but I think that would be a waste since it will be unlikely that I hunt with it.

My FN SPR action is currently undergoing a makeover at the gunsmith. That will be what I hunt with this year if McMillan cooperates and gets my stock done in time.

Looking forward to hear how they work out for you, im STILL looking for a bullet for my 06.

 

[Nature Boy]

Looking forward to hear how they work out for you, im STILL looking for a bullet for my 06.

You know, I could try them in my -06 too.

57-ish grains of IMR 4350 would probably be a good place to find some accuracy

 

[Gtscotty]

Do you have any other bullets you might be able to post a comparison pic of the GameChangers with? I saw a picture of the 165gr next to 168gr Ballistic Tips and they appeared to be quite a bit longer.

 

[Nature Boy]

Do you have any other bullets you might be able to post a comparison pic of the GameChangers with? I saw a picture of the 165gr next to 168gr Ballistic Tips and they appeared to be quite a bit longer.

165 Sierra / 165 Nosler / 168 Berger

 

[LoonWulf]

looks about as long as your average, pointy, 180

 

[ArchAngelCD]

You know, I could try them in my -06 too.

57-ish grains of IMR 4350 would probably be a good place to find some accuracy

You are right there IMO. With a 165/168gr bullet for my 30-06 I charge 57.0gr IMR4350 or 58.0gr H4350. Those two loads have produced the best accuracy in every '06 rifle I have shot them from with almost any 165/168gr bullet.

 

[Nature Boy]

looks about as long as your average, pointy, 180

Might make it hard to fit a magazine. We will see

 

[LoonWulf]

Might make it hard to fit a magazine. We will see

Mmmm, that's a good point. I'm fine with my b-14, but a shorter mag box might complicate the issue.
Hopefully they will be jump tolerant, otherwise it might be an issue getting accuracy for regular mag box rifles.

 

[jmorris]

The name seems a bit dramatic

Following Hornady’s lead, from their drama Infused rollout awhile back.

Millennial marketing personnel, everything is dramatic. Someone hurt your feelings, go to your safe place and play with crayons for an hour or so...