The 6 MM bullets were tested in a Ruger #1B in 6 MM Remington caliber, a Browning Low Wall in .243 Winchester and both of my TC 6 TCU barrels (one is a Custom Shop 15" and the other a CS 21"). The .30 Caliber bullets were tested in a Remington Model 700 LSS Mountain Rifle. The .45 Caliber bullets were tested in a Freedom Arms Model 83 Premier and a Taurus Raging Bull both in .454 Casull. Rather than repeat the specific groups delivered here I'll just refer you to the reviews of those firearms on the Product Test Page for more specifics. The results of the shooting with the Ruger #1B will not be reported as it was so inaccurate I gave up on it in disgust and got a Browning Low Wall in .243 Winchester to replace it. Nothing tried in the Ruger whether reloads or factory ammo shot accurately enough to bother reporting, the gun and not the ammo or bullets were at fault. Sierra bullets have long held a reputation for accuracy second to none among the factory offerings and often even rival the custom made bullets. I found that to be the case with these also. Each gun or barrel is a law unto itself and proper loads must be worked up to take the best advantage of each combination of bullet and powder. Having only 100 of each of the bullets to work with I wasn't able to work up as many combinations as I would have liked but in the case of each bullet I found loads that would consistently shoot as well as that gun or barrel seemed capable of shooting. I wasn't able to take game with any of them yet but do still have a few of some on hand and will try to do so and report the results. Also plan to see if I can get them to give me some more of the 6 MM bullets especially for more extensive testing in the two 6 TCU barrels and the Browning Low Wall as all are quite accurate and will be an excellent test media for the bullets unlike the Ruger which consumed too many of them before I gave up on it. I will also be hunting with these guns and barrels so will be able to determine their performance on game as well as on paper. I did find the 6 MM Blitz 80 grain to be very explosive which is exactly what it is designed to be as it is a varmint bullet. From the results I got on them in the dirt bank behind my targets and the water filled bottles I shot they will certainly do a fine job of making bad varmints into good ones. As I said I have tried the 100s on game yet but have saved enough to try come deer season again. Should have been able to last season but it was a really poor season for me and the normal opportunities just didn't happen. The .30 calbier 175 grain HPBT is a Match bullet and it proved very accurate as one would expect of a Match bullet. The gun I was shooting didn't do this one justice as it isn't a match type gun but rather a hunting rifle and gave me more than a little trouble getting it dialed in early on. After some glass bedding of the action and first couple inches of barrel and some trigger work it settled down nicely and allowed the ammo and bullets to prove their worth. The .30 caliber hunting bullets in 150, 165 and 180 grain weights proved to be some of the more accurate in this rifle and from previous experience I know they will perform on game as well. The 150s are an excellent choice for antelope and deer size game, the 180s will get the job done on the larger critters like elk and moose or black bear and will still do fine for the lighter animals. The 165 is a fine all round choice for all of these critters as is the 180. It would be a hard choice as to which to use but I'd make it based on what size game is going to be the most often hunted. Of course nothing prevents one from using each of them for the game they are most appropriate for but many like to use only one bullet and load for all game. I feel that today there really are no bad bullets from the major bullet makers. You can use a bullet for an application to which it is not intended and get poor results. For some reason many folks try to use the Sierra Match bullets for game hunting even tho Sierra cautions against this. Match bullets aren't inteded for use on game but rather on paper. For this reason some folks feel that Sierra bullets are a bit fragile for use on big game but nothing could be further from truth, the fact is that Sierra makes an excellent variety of big game bullets and if you'll use the bullets made for big game rather than their super accurate match bullets you will get a combination of excellent accuracy and on game performance. Like everyone I have developed some favorites in the various calibers I shoot and among them are several Sierra bullets. Their combination of acccuracy and performance on game are why I select them in the guns I do. Try them and you'll agree I'll bet. The .45 Caliber 300 JSP is one of the harder bullets for use in the various .45 caliber handguns. Bob Baker of Freedom Arms tells me they are not as hard as his FA 300 JFP and shouldn't be pushed quite as fast in the .454 Casull and perhaps he is right. However my very unscientific observations lead me to believe that they are mighty close if not as hard. I have shot deer with them and saw minimal expansion but their wide meplat still gets the job done quite well. In light game like deer they seem to perform more like a cast bullet than a jacketed bullet and they have a wide meplat to allow them to perform excellently in that manner. I've recovered them from dirt banks behind my target stands and they only show a bit of smearing of the exposed lead nose same as the FA 300 JFPs do and so I feel they are pretty much equal in hardness. I'd not hesitate to use them on elk or moose or bear in the .454 Casull or a heavy loaded .45 Colt. From what I've seen they appear to be up to the task of taking on the shoulder bones for quicker dropping of the animals. I have no doubt they will take out both shoulders on even the largest of deer and still exit. I'm out of these now but hope to get some more for testing on hogs and other game besides the deer I've taken with them. This bullet is a good choice for use in your .454 Casulls and heavy loaded .45 Colts. GB Visit the Sierra Website by clicking their name. Sierra Bullets For Customer Service call:1(800) 223-8799 (660) 827-6300 |
