Sierra GameChanger Bullets

[EastTNHunter]

The reason that I’m even considering the TGK is that my brother has given me a few to try. They have a high BC, and are fairly inexpensive. I’ve loaded up some test rounds that I plan to try out on Friday morning.

The plan is to use these (or NBTs) in my 308 at moderate speeds (probably 2600ish FPS) for use mainly as a lower recoiling load for target shooting and on deer, and then to take it with me to WY as a backup gun for antelope and/or cow elk that I or my daughter could use. We will both be using primary rifles equipped with NABs at higher velocities.

I’m a huge fan of NABs for 30-06 and 270 speeds, but don’t need a bonded bullet for this application, and feel like they may not open up as reliably at the lower speeds. I want something with a high BC that will hopefully help to minimize wind drift on a longer shot (for us a longer shot is 300 yards).

It sounds like the 308 165 TGK with a BC over 5 holds together pretty well, yet opens up well even at lower velocities, so it sounds like they will be a good option to consider alongside the NBT depending on accuracy. And if I can find them locally, they seem to be cheaper than NBTs.

Thank you for the responses about how they perform on game. Keep them coming...

 

[antelopedundee]

When will they offer them in .25 caliber? 120 grainers.

 

[Bater]

When will they offer them in .25 caliber? 120 grainers.

I’m curious if 120’s of the TGC design would stabilize in a 10 twist, would be fun out of my 257Roy. Most likely see a 110-115 if they produce a 25cal

 

[EastTNHunter]

I wanted to provide a quick update on load development for the 308 165 TGK in 308 Win out of my Savage 116 with a 24” barrel. I used RL15, Win brass, CCI200 primer, and used the Sierra “accuracy load,” which is also the starting load for Nosler, and then worked up. Best accuracy was with 42.5gr of powder, but 42gr shot well, also. I’m gonna load up a few more when I can lay my hands on some more bullets, and hopefully they will duplicate the accuracy.
I’m going to shoot it over the chrony next time out, but according to the book it should be right in the velocity range that I was looking for. Fun to shoot from the bench, but plenty of power to cleanly kill a deer, antelope, or cow elk to 300yd

 

[Walkathon]

I bought 2 boxes of factory loaded 140 GR .270 win. I'll be using for deer and hopefully antelope this year if they group like the 130 grain game kings. The 130 grain standard game kings are probably the most accurate factory load I've shot out of my .270 win.

 

[Bater]

As promised, 130SGC via 260Rem. Impact speed around 2700fps, broke left shoulder on entry, scrambled lungs and left a quarter sized exit tight behind the right shoulder. Can’t ask for more.

 

[1_pointer]

No one cannot!! Well done! I'm thinking there's not a whole lot I won't use my 260 Rem for.

 

[EastTNHunter]

View attachment 141739
As promised, 130SGC via 260Rem. Impact speed around 2700fps, broke left shoulder on entry, scrambled lungs and left a quarter sized exit tight behind the right shoulder. Can’t ask for more.

Beautiful Bruin, and thank you for the report. I like good expansion but also a decent sized exit wound. Your load was moving a little faster than mine will be, but mine will also have some more weight and frontal area to start out with. Looks like excellent performance

 

[Losing_Sanity]

View attachment 141739
As promised, 130SGC via 260Rem. Impact speed around 2700fps, broke left shoulder on entry, scrambled lungs and left a quarter sized exit tight behind the right shoulder. Can’t ask for more.

Wow! That's awesome results. Great bear! Thanks for sharing.

 

[2506gunslinger]

I used it last year in my 6.5 Creedmoor and had great results on deer and antelope. I filled 5 tags in two states with them and never had to shoot an animal twice. They do quite a bit of internal damage and almost all animals went less than 5 yards. One had a complete pass through. I recovered 2 bullets and they were about 40%-50% of their original weight. After what I saw in their use last year, I will stay with my 129 Barnes for elk in the 6.5 just to be sure that I get enough penetration on a large bull. I sure loved them for 100-300 pound animals though.

 

[EastTNHunter]

As a follow up, I got to use the 308 Win using 165 TGKs last weekend to shoot two does at around 80 yards. I was hoping to get good expansion and penetration from them, without the higher velocities (see above about my daughter possibly using this). I’m not ready to write them off yet, but blood trail was not what I had hoped for in my reduced velocity window.

Hunting in a new area, mainly planning for just recon for future hunts, the first (small) doe picked me off by coming up to my right from an unexpected direction. I wasn’t expecting them to come from that way, darn it!!! I had two doe tags, wanted to test these bullets, and dead deer tell no tales, so I took a hard quartering-to shot at her shoulder. She reared back on her back legs like a Hollywood stallion, ran, and I heard her crash.

Racked another round in, looked away, looked back, and a big doe was standing in the same exact spot as the first, but she was broadside. I couldn’t shoot a small doe only to let a big one pass, plus I was wanting to test this load out. Put it right behind the shoulder, and her reaction and general path seemed identical to the first: reared up on back legs, and ran in the same general direction as the first, but I did not hear her crash.

I gave them a few minutes before walking that direction, and due to shot angles I fully expected no blood trail from the first, but a great blood trail from the second. At the impact location(s) I found no blood or hair, although I could see the first one down where I had heard her crash. Very surprisingly, there was no obvious blood trail for the second. I walked around a bit, finally finding the second deer laying about 60-70 yards away from impact location after running at a different than expected angle. I back trailed her tracks, finding a few small drops of blood, and a couple of small pieces of lung tissue. It would have been enough to track her had I not made improper assumptions about her death run path, but not the massive blood trail that I have come to expect from NABs at higher velocities. It appears that lung tissue clogged the exit wound, and the lungs were not jelled quite the way that I was expecting, either.

The first deer had no blood trail, as expected due to the angle, and I hit her just a little further back than intended, leading to a more raking shot than anticipated. The bullet did fragment some, leading to a small piece of bullet lodged just under the skin in front of the ham. I cannot complain at all with the apparent penetration on this shot.

I’ll probably try them on a few more deer next year (I’m out of tags), but I will likely switch back to NABs or even NBTs for this velocity range(2650fps). I may even drop down to 150s to get my velocity up while keeping the recoil in the same range.

 

[Losing_Sanity]

As a follow up, I got to use the 308 Win using 165 TGKs last weekend to shoot two does at around 80 yards. I was hoping to get good expansion and penetration from them, without the higher velocities (see above about my daughter possibly using this). I’m not ready to write them off yet, but blood trail was not what I had hoped for in my reduced velocity window.

Hunting in a new area, mainly planning for just recon for future hunts, the first (small) doe picked me off by coming up to my right from an unexpected direction. I wasn’t expecting them to come from that way, darn it!!! I had two doe tags, wanted to test these bullets, and dead deer tell no tales, so I took a hard quartering-to shot at her shoulder. She reared back on her back legs like a Hollywood stallion, ran, and I heard her crash.

Racked another round in, looked away, looked back, and a big doe was standing in the same exact spot as the first, but she was broadside. I couldn’t shoot a small doe only to let a big one pass, plus I was wanting to test this load out. Put it right behind the shoulder, and her reaction and general path seemed identical to the first: reared up on back legs, and ran in the same general direction as the first, but I did not hear her crash.

I gave them a few minutes before walking that direction, and due to shot angles I fully expected no blood trail from the first, but a great blood trail from the second. At the impact location(s) I found no blood or hair, although I could see the first one down where I had heard her crash. Very surprisingly, there was no obvious blood trail for the second. I walked around a bit, finally finding the second deer laying about 60-70 yards away from impact location after running at a different than expected angle. I back trailed her tracks, finding a few small drops of blood, and a couple of small pieces of lung tissue. It would have been enough to track her had I not made improper assumptions about her death run path, but not the massive blood trail that I have come to expect from NABs at higher velocities. It appears that lung tissue clogged the exit wound, and the lungs were not jelled quite the way that I was expecting, either.

The first deer had no blood trail, as expected due to the angle, and I hit her just a little further back than intended, leading to a more raking shot than anticipated. The bullet did fragment some, leading to a small piece of bullet lodged just under the skin in front of the ham. I cannot complain at all with the apparent penetration on this shot.

I’ll probably try them on a few more deer next year (I’m out of tags), but I will likely switch back to NABs or even NBTs for this velocity range(2650fps). I may even drop down to 150s to get my velocity up while keeping the recoil in the same range.

Looks like they did the job all things considered. Not a bang flop, but just as dead. Seems with most of these types of bullets there is a happy balance of velocity effecting expansion and penetration. Either better at long or short range, but not both. Also looks like they did not destroy a bunch of meat, and that's a plus. Thanks for you input.

I have tried a few test loads for grouping, but haven't settled on a load yet. Mostly due to time to get out and shoot. I hope to use them next season.

 

[EastTNHunter]

Looks like they did the job all things considered. Not a bang flop, but just as dead. Seems with most of these types of bullets there is a happy balance of velocity effecting expansion and penetration. Either better at long or short range, but not both. Also looks like they did not destroy a bunch of meat, and that's a plus. Thanks for you input.

I have tried a few test loads for grouping, but haven't settled on a load yet. Mostly due to time to get out and shoot. I hope to use them next season.

Oh, I definitely wouldn’t call either of them poor performance, just not the performance that I was hoping for in that velocity window. I’ll still try these loads again, trying to hit shoulder. I’m also likely going to try pushing the TGKs a little harder to see how they perform in a full power 308 or 30-06 load.

I want shock AND a blood trail from an exit wound. I’ve always gotten just that from full power NAB loads from my 30-06 and 270. I guess I’m a tinkerer at heart, and I’m really hoping to find that kind of performance with a lighter recoiling load that will be used at closer ranges for my kids. Maybe I’m chasing a unicorn, though.

 

[Losing_Sanity]

Oh, I definitely wouldn’t call either of them poor performance, just not the performance that I was hoping for in that velocity window. I’ll still try these loads again, trying to hit shoulder. I’m also likely going to try pushing the TGKs a little harder to see how they perform in a full power 308 or 30-06 load.

I want shock AND a blood trail from an exit wound. I’ve always gotten just that from full power NAB loads from my 30-06 and 270. I guess I’m a tinkerer at heart, and I’m really hoping to find that kind of performance with a lighter recoiling load that will be used at closer ranges for my kids. Maybe I’m chasing a unicorn, though.

One would think that, if a bullet performs well at say 500 yards traveling at say 2400 fps (at that yardage), theoretically, it should perform as well at say 70 yards starting at around the same velocities. Some more knowledgeable people than I can probably shed more light on that for us. But of course with reduced velocities for less recoil, we are limiting ourselves to say 100 or 150 yard shots as a maximum.

 

[BWALKER77]

The Gamechangers are a completely different bullet than the Game Kings, they have a thicker jacket and are “harder” than a ballistic tip. I was planning on using them out west, but ran out of time working up a load. I will give them a try on local whitetails once I have it worked out.

I find this very hard to believe. Many ballistic tips have the thickest jackets of any cup and core bullet made in their respective weights. The 168 and 180 30 cals are ridiculously stout. The 120 and 150 7mm's are no slouches either.

 

[FLS]

I find this very hard to believe. Many ballistic tips have the thickest jackets of any cup and core bullet made in their respective weights. The 168 and 180 30 cals are ridiculously stout. The 120 and 150 7mm's are no slouches either.

Have you actually used the Game Changers?
I’ve shot a lot of game with NBTs, probably 100-150 whitetails between regular season and depredation work. 6mm, .25, 7mm, 270, and 30 cal. They all expanded very rapidly, just like they’re designed to. I loaded 120 NBTs is a 7-30 Waters carbine and pistol for that very reason. They expanded reliable at modest velocity.
IME the Gamechangers are a harder bullet. I’ve used the 130 6.5s and 165 .30s and judging by the wound channels and lack of fragmentation, in similar weights, they are a stouter bullet.

 

[BWALKER77]

Have you actually used the Game Changers?
I’ve shot a lot of game with NBTs, probably 100-150 whitetails between regular season and depredation work. 6mm, .25, 7mm, 270, and 30 cal. They all expanded very rapidly, just like they’re designed to. I loaded 120 NBTs is a 7-30 Waters carbine and pistol for that very reason. They expanded reliable at modest velocity.
IME the Gamechangers are a harder bullet. I’ve used the 130 6.5s and 165 .30s and judging by the wound channels and lack of fragmentation, in similar weights, they are a stouter bullet.

I have shot them during load development and nothing else. I did section one and the jacket wasnt no where near as thick as a BT.

 

[Bater]

I will say the 130/6.5’s don’t seem as tough as the 120NBTs. But I’m sure FLS is talking about the average NBT and he’s right, on average they act a little tougher. The 284/120 & 30/180 are anomalies and not exactly representative of the NBT line.

 

[Bater]

Added these with the 130SGC’s this fall. Just over 200yds on the muley and 527yds on the bull. Both pass throughs with shredded lungs.

 

[Mike lasko]

While i've been hearing good things about their accuracy, i haven't gotten any yet.
For me Sierra hasn't made them in weight for calibers that i shoot.
Only a 165gr offering in 7mm.
No 25 caliber offering at all.

I loaded 168 gr. Sierra boatails for my buddy when he went mule deer hunting he said at 700 and something yds. It hit the ground and the guide told him if he didn’t see it he would’ve never believed it I’ll look the load up for ya it should good out of your 7mm