180 grain .308 Sierra Game King

[Elwood]

My son shot a medium/small Mule deer last weekend with a 300 Winchester Magnum at around 225 yards. He was using a 180 grain .308 Sierra Game King. It should have been traveling at least 2600fps at this range. The bullet struck two ribs going in then shot the bottom out of two vertabrae, went through the shoulder blade and stopped. We are going elk hunting in a few weeks and he was planning on using the same bullet. Now he is not so sure. Can we trust a bullet that only traveled maybe 14 inches in a much smaller animal? I am less than impressed.
Elwood

[bulletstuffer]

This must be the way this bullet works.  I shot a button buck with a 338 win mag 250 grain sierra game king at 40-50 yards with a full power load and the bullet did almost the same thing.  Hit towards one of the back ribs went through the cavity, hit the far shoulder and busted up under the skin on the far side.  Very accurate bullet.
 
No blood trail but the buck made it about 30-40 yards and piled up.  I have had nosler partitions do about the same thing but the back half of the bullet remained as a perfect mushroom.
 
Good luck,
 
Bulletstuffer

[yooper77]

Perfect performance from a standard cup and core bullet in my eyes.
 
I suggest a Nosler Partition for Elk.
 
yooper77

[BBF]

I'm thinking you would have had full penetraton with a slower MV or a more distant target.
 
BTW If you got time to try out a new load and want to stay with cup and core bullets give Speer's 200 gr Spitzer a try or Hdy 190 grainer BT

[necchi]

You should watch this video.
Federal premium ammo,,all 4 kinds in Gel, hide and gel and bone,, http://www.youtube.com/user/federalpremiumammo#p/u/2/nMKvetaMqhE

[huntswithdogs]

I've loaded GameKings in a number of different calibers. From my experiences, if you hit a bone going in, it may come out or it may not. The destruction inside is terrible though and whatever was shot ain't going far.
 
HWD

[oneoldsap]

           Sierra's hunting bullets don't perform very well when launched at 3,000 FPS +  . Cup & Core bullets in a Magnum isn't a good idea ! IMHO . Now if you load that puppy with any bonded or monolithic bullet , it'll shoot through critters length ways .

[necchi]

The bullet struck two ribs going in then shot the bottom out of two vertabrae, went through the shoulder blade and stopped.Elwood

2 - ribs
2 - vertabrae
1 - shouder blade
5   - bones
 
Ain't that like a darn Game King, kill an animal and not do it right.
 
Two weeks before a hunt isn't the right time to be changing bullets or second guessing yourself.
 If it fly's right, and you can hit what your aiming at with 180grns of anything, If you hit an animal in the boiler room it'll die.
Dead is dead, and I don't think anything will challange you that it's dead the wrong way.

[Elwood]

Thanks guys,
for all the replies (so far). I hope that you didnt take me wrong I LOVE the Sierra Game King bullets. I have used them to kill 11 mulie bucks with one shot each with my 270win only ONE failed to exit. The 130 grain  .270 bullet is concidered a deer bullet. The 180 grain .308 bullet is concidered a elk/moose bullet (according to Sierra).
 The sectional density of the .308 180grain bullet is superior to the .277 130 grain bullet. 
I expected the 180grain .308 bullet to excell on deer or elk. I was shocked to see the bullet remain in a medium sized deer, at 200 yards not 50 yards. I know that each bullet is a individual and the results are seldom repeatable yet, what the heck 180 grains . I didnt expect this. I know that this bullet will work fine for double lung shots. I gave my son half of a box of the original Barnes X-bullets today in 165grain I used to kill a bull elk 9 years ago with a 300 H&H mag. He is going to load these.
A sincere thank you all for your observations and help.
Elwood