Big-game hunters who focus only on “long-range” pursuit-and thus demand a bullet with a high ballistic coefficient (BC)-will assuredly look past the topic of this post, as its BC is a modest .363. Factory ammunition that features the projectile is nearly non-existent, too; in fact, during a quick search I could only locate two loads-one each in .308 Win. and 30-’06 Sprg.-in Fiocchi’s Extrema line. That being said, Sierra’s 0.308”-diameter, 165-gr. hollow-point boattail (HPBT) GameKing is one of the finest big-game bullets available. Not glitzy in appearance, this variant of the GameKing design is, according to Sierra Bullets (sierrabullets.com), “patterned after the world famous 168-gr. MatchKing bullet”-hence the reason it’s incredibly accurate. I’ve confirmed this in a variety of rifles chambered for cartridges ranging from .300 Whisper to .300 Wby. Mag. Sub-m.o.a. performance is typical, not extraordinary. Despite its “standard” cup-and-core construction, the thickness of the jacket, 3-percent antimony core, and constricted tip combine for deep penetration, even though it is a hollow point. Sierra reports that it will attain depths greater than those of the comparable-weight spitzer boattail GameKing. Coalese these characteristics with reliable, wide expansion diameters and multiple wound channels from "washed-off" material, and the results are dramatic. Its impressive terminal ballistics was, once again, illustrated when hunting whitetail deer in south-central Kansas with Tall Tine Outfitters (talltine.com) in December 2013.
After enduring two consecutive, 8-hour days with minus 10º F (or colder) wind chill factors, on the evening of day three a heavy, mature whitetail buck emerged from the wood line, offering a shot. Quartering toward me at 227 yds., the bullet-delivered from the 16 1/4" barrel of the new Mossberg MVP Patrol in 7.62x51 mm NATO (.308 Win.) topped with a Swarovski V6(i) 1.7-10X 42 mm-entered at the front of the deer’s shoulder and exited in front of the opposite hind quarter. The buck collapsed within 10 yds. One cannot ask for better performance-at any price. As for cost, Cabela’s sells 100-count boxes for $33, which enables extensive time at the range to practice without excessive expense. Perhaps the only downside to the projectile is the aforementioned low BC; however, if you know your cartridge/gun’s external ballistics, learn to read the wind, and practice, there’s no reason not to utilize the bullets for hunting at most distances. I’ve discovered this through nearly a decade and a half of constant use. Have you tried the Sierra .30-cal., 165-gr. BTHP GameKing? If so, what are your impressions?
