Sierra TGK

[Corjack]

Sierra introduced these this year. Was in a store yesterday and they had one lonely box of 130 grain 6.5 Gamechangers. I adopted them. Best I can tell they are not marketing these as a long range bullet. Just standard ranges. I have been told these are designed with an explosive tip, but a tough rear jacket so the bullet shank punches through. Only has a G1 of .510, but this is plenty in my mind for standard ranges of a max of say 400 yards on edible game. I will test these in my short barreled 6.5 Creedmoor, and my Blaser 6.5x55. Always had good luck with Sierra bullets as they are not very picky about seating depth. Last year shot all my deer with 140 grain Game Kings and stuff died nicely, with out excessively messsy results. I will guess judging at the healthy long shank, and the ogive of the bullet being able to reach the lands without a huge jump, when seated to magazine length. These should be a short load development bullet.

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[Gun Barrel Ecologist]

Any chance you have a cutting wheel fitted to a dremel and want to cross section one?

The big polymer tip looks like the Winchester extreme deer bullet, but the write up would indicate Sierra have copied the TUG and used 2 melts of lead in the core

[Corjack]

Any chance you have a cutting wheel fitted to a dremel and want to cross section one?

The big polymer tip looks like the Winchester extreme deer bullet, but the write up would indicate Sierra have copied the TUG and used 2 melts of lead in the core

I will see what I can do.

[Gun Barrel Ecologist]

Be keen to see how you go. I’m finding the key with these polymer tipped new technologies is they are just as bad as the old TUG - highly dependant on the weight of the target. If you only shoot a trophy buck once a year they’ll behave one way, take them on a doe cull and you’ll see them perform differently

[stokesrj]

I wold be interested in seeing a sectioned bullet as well. The Game King and Match King, both the tipped and OTM have a non tapered jacket. I wouldn’t think Sierra would depart from this concept but would like to know for sure.

[ebrownw2]

I like the dark green tips. Very Sierra of them!

[Corjack]

I wold be interested in seeing a sectioned bullet as well. The Game King and Match King, both the tipped and OTM have a non tapered jacket. I wouldn’t think Sierra would depart from this concept but would like to know for sure.

My buddy at Sierra has only told me that the jacket is sturdy.

[Corjack]

Any chance you have a cutting wheel fitted to a dremel and want to cross section one?

The big polymer tip looks like the Winchester extreme deer bullet, but the write up would indicate Sierra have copied the TUG and used 2 melts of lead in the core

This was a pita to do. You owe me a big beer and a pork knuckle.

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[Gun Barrel Ecologist]

Thanks

Doesn’t show anything remarkable in terms of alternating jacket thickness or lead structure at all does it?

[Corjack]

Got home today. Loaded up seven test rounds. The bullets are long for a 130. Even longer than a Nosler Accubonds. Not sure if it is the longer boat tail, or the heavy jacket. Glad Stokes was not there to watch the cross sectioning . He would have throwed a fit. It was quite the unsafe hatchet job. The jacket seems really thick all the way to the point, and is pretty tough to cut. No perceptible taper to the jacket. I hope they shoot decent enough to hunt with. And do not blow up too much .

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[Corjack]

Thanks

Doesn’t show anything remarkable in terms of alternating jacket thickness or lead structure at all does it?

Nope, but if it is a tough bullet with a blow uppy point it may work nicely . Notice how strait the main body of the bullet is. That long shank should really punch through .

[Gun Barrel Ecologist]

This was a pita to do. You owe me a big beer and a pork knuckle.


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I’m sure more than one stein of beer and plate of pork will be consumed if you ever make it to the Brisbane German Club

[SPEEDY]

I'm curious to see a recovered one, I think they will do quite well.

[stokesrj]

If looks to be the jacket of the ProHunter, and if so, then it will work really well at conventional ranges down to the 2200 fps range and then will be too hard below that velocity. Depending upon caliber that may limit useful range to 300 yards or less, which we all know covers 95% of all big game hunting. But we can't bring ourselves to accept this and optimize around the remaining 5%.

[SPEEDY]

If looks to be the jacket of the ProHunter, and if so, then it will work really well at conventional ranges down to the 2200 fps range and then will be too hard below that velocity. Depending upon caliber that may limit useful range to 300 yards or less, which we all know covers 95% of all big game hunting. But we can't bring ourselves to accept this and optimize around the remaining 5%.

Sounds pretty good then, they might become my next bullet, I was going to go back to the Nosler BT but the jacket difference is interesting.
The BT tapers where this is consistent and looks liked The nose is designed to burst on impact leaving a big frontal area and long shank, and the BT peels right back for a bigger mushroom and a shorter shank.
I think the TGK will be the better penetrating bullet.

Good thing I ignore that 5% these days, my arm finds 300m a big enough problem so anything past that is a waste of bullets.
Then again, I was never much concerned with that 5% if I was shooting at that range then it was more the other way round with that rifle, 95% past 300m and 5% under, I do kind of miss those days but it is what it is.