224 53 gr. Sierra MatchKing for hogs?

[Jerry45]

Anyone ever use MatchKings on hogs? I may going hog hunting in a couple of weeks and was thinking about trying my 223 bolt gun with 53 gr. MatcKings. Yah or nay?

[schmellba99]

MatchKings are not suited for grame. The bullet is not designed for penetration or expansion in flesh - it is designed to punch holes in paper.

Granted, they are just pigs, but I would not use them. Go with a projectile designed for performance on game.

[jepp2]

From the Sierra website "Although they are recognized around the world for record-setting accuracy, MatchKing bullets are not recommended for hunting. Widely favored for their extreme accuracy, these bullets have been used for short-range varminting. Having heavier jackets, they will not provide the explosive expansion of the lightly jacketed Hornet or Blitz bullets at equivalent velocities in small varmints. If used for varmint shooting, ranges should be kept short to ensure precise shot placement."

They aren't the bullet I would choose. And Sierra recommends against it. I have killed deer with the 50 gr. Spitzer, but velocity and shot placement were critical. Hogs are going to be a lot tougher, and you are planning to use a bullet known for lacking penetration.

A guy I hunted with decided to use Sierra 75 gr. HP in 6mm during doe season. That was his first mistake. His second mistake was not backing the first round with a known performance bullet. Three hits on the vitals of a nice doe resulted in none of the bullets penetrating the rib cage. And some of the bullets did not hit the shoulder blade. Made a believer out of me on how badly the wrong bullet can perform.

[mehavey]

For hog purposes, 175 SMKs are no less effective than they are on humans in Afghanistan.
But I'd regard the 53gr SMK's as a bit light/less predictable.
`Recommend the 65gr Sierra Gameking

[boondocker385]

Must be some small hogs?????

[Jerry45]

Last one dressed out at 230 lbs.

The reason I was wodering about the 53 gr. SMKs is they shoot 1/4" groups at 100 yds. The only other bullits I have on hand or 69 gr. SMKs and 55 gr. Hornady V-Max. I was looking for some sport with the little 223 but I guess I'll just knock the hell ou of another one with the 06.

Thanks for the input guys.

[jason75979]

I kill pigs a day long with 55 grain hornady fmj bts at upwards of 200 yards.
A 55 grain MK placed right will do the deed just as efficiently as a larger bullet.
Don't over think it. Breath, exhale, squeeze. Done.
Edit:I do, however, they to keep it within 300 yards. Any farther and I have to worry more about bullet trajectory and environmental effects as well.

[mehavey]

Since you [the OP] got`em, use the 69SMKs. Even if not the ultimate ¼-moa from the bench,
they'll outshoot your field hold all day long. **

And the hogs will (sorta) thank you for it.




**
"Field accuracy" is a root-mean squared problem of both gun & shooter.

¼ moa bench + 1½ moa shooter = 1.52 moa at the pig
1 moa bench + 1½" moa shooter = 1.80 moa at the pig

This is one case where 1.5 truly does equal 1.8 ( = Dead)

[603Country]

If I had a sack of the 53 gr Matchkings and nothing more suitable for varmints, I'd try them out on pigs. However, if you can get your hands on some 55 gr Sierra GK's, give them a try. My go-to bullet in my 220 Swift has always been the Nosler 55 gr Ballistic Tip, but just recently I decided to search for a little tougher bullet (the Nosler's weren't working that well on large pigs). I bought some of the Sierra 55 gr GK bullets, and though I have not used them on pigs or coyotes, their accuracy is very impressive. And I use the exact same powder load that makes my Noslers shoot so very well. You might find that the same powder load works for the Gamekings that works for your Matchkings.

[Jerry45]

603, 55 gr. GK were out of stock everywhere I looked. I remembered I have some MidwayUSA Dogtown 55 gr. soft point, but I found some 65 Grain Spitzer Boat Tail GK on line which I believe would be even better for the pig. Hopefully I'll get a chance to load some up and see how they shoot before the hunt. Both the Midway 55 gr. and 69 gr. MKs shoot MOA so I'd expect the 65 gr. GK to shoot that or better. Worse come to worse I'll use the 06 or the 45/70 or the 308. Decisions decisions decisions!

And again thanks to everyone for your input. It's always appreciated.

[Jerry45]

Loaded up some 65 gr. Sierra GK and went to the range today. They shoot GREAT!!!!!

[schmellba99]

Sierra makes some of the best projectiles you can find, especially for accuracy.

GameKings will do a fine job on pigs. Put one right behind the ear and they are DRT.

[Jerry45]

Yep! That's the spot I'm looking for.

I had tried some 180 gr. GK in my 06. It didn't like them. Picky rifle. The 223 CZ LOVES these 65 gr. MKs.

[603Country]

Dang, Jerry, don't tell everybody about that 65 gr GK, they are hard enough to get already. It is a real good bullet. The only problem with it is that it won't stabilize in my 220 Swift. But it shoots like a champ out of my 223.

[Jerry45]

It's ok becaues there's no loading data for them so no one will buy them.

Only found them in stock at one outlet so it looks like the cat is already out of the bag.

What twist is your 220? My 223 is 1 in 9. According to Sierrs they will work in twists from 1 in 7 to 1 in 10. I'm guesing your 220 is 1 in 12?

[603Country]

My 223 has a 1 in 9 twist. The 220 has a 1 in 14 twist. I can stabilize the 63 gr Sierra SMP in my 220, but it won't shoot the 65 grainers. So in the 220 I use the 55 gr Sierra GK now. I won't say they'll shoot as well as the Nosler 55 gr Ballistic Tip, but very close, and certainly close enough for pig work.

[flashhole]

If we are letting secrets be known you might also look at the 63 grain Sierra Semi Spitzer. Wonderfully accurate and holds together well on critters.

Speer makes a 70 grain round nose bullet that will work nicely too.

[Jerry45]

Twist and bullet weight is a strange thing. My 30-06 is 1 in 10 and it shoots 150 gr. best. One of my 308s is 1 in 10 but it shoots 175 MK better than 150s or 168. My 1 in 11 twist 308 loves the 168 MKs. The cz shoots 53 gr. and 65 gr. better than 55 or 69gr. I admit it's fun finding out what a rifle likes but you sure end up with boat load of bullets.

Flashole, I'll have to take a look at those.

[flashhole]

It is, my Kimber Longmaster Classic 223 is a 1:9 twist. It loves the 63 grain bullet and anything heavier. Conventional wisdom leads people to mid weight bullets for the 223 but my gun hates them. It also does well with the 40 grain ballistic tips.

[603Country]

My Ruger Hawkeye seems to have the same bullet appetite as flashhole's Kimber. These days I mostly use the 40 gr Nosler BT's for critter control in the pastures around the house, but the rifle also loves the 63 and 65 gr Sierras. Oddly enough though, I just couldn't make it shoot the 69 gr Matchkings. Maybe I had the wrong powder, but I tried several that should have worked.

[Jerry45]

My CZ will shoot 1" at 100 with 55 gr. and 69 gr. I presume for most that's good shooting bullets. The 53s and the 65s shoot 1/2" most of the time and 1/4" when I'm doing my part. It likes the bullet, measured to the ogive, either 0.002 or 0.040 off the lands. Seems to shoot the same set to either length. It likes Varget.

[cdbeagle]

Anyone have experience with Winchester 64 gr PP's on hogs? Bought 500 a couple of months ago because they were the only bullets to be found for .223. They are very accurate out of my DPMS A3 Classic with 20" barrel.

[allaroundhunter]

Originally Posted by cdbeagle

Anyone have experience with Winchester 64 gr PP's on hogs? Bought 500 a couple of months ago because they were the only bullets to be found for .223. They are very accurate out of my DPMS A3 Classic with 20" barrel.

They will do just fine if you do your part.