Sierra's 180 grain Match King

[Desert Fox]

After experiencing failure of the 180 grain Berger Match VLD from my 1K shoot last month, I went ahead and look for an alternative bullet. Sierra just came out with their 180 grain Match bullet with a listed BC of .660 so I went ahead and order 500 bullet to give it a try. I compared Sierra's dimensions with that of the Berger and came out with the following average measurement.

180 grain Berger Match VLD
Length: 1.518"
Diameter: .284"
Bearing Surface: .564"

180 grain Sierra Match King
Length: 1.449"
Diameter: .284"
Bearing Surface: .570"

I loaded several rounds using Virgin Brass just to get a feel of how this bullet will perform in my rifle. Since Sierra has a bit more bearing surface than the Berger, I reduced my starting load to about a grain less from my Berger load.

Here's the result from this morning shoot. This was a 5 shot group at 110 yards. Average velocity around 3,000 fps. No need to tweak the scope since Berger and Sierra's point of impact were the same. The first shot from clean barrel went slightly to the left. Shot 2 to 5 all clustered together.

 

[SJB358]

Wow that is some awesome performance DF! That 7 is just really impressive. You are really making me like this 7WSM more and more. Scotty

 

[Desert Fox]

Wow that is some awesome performance DF! That 7 is just really impressive. You are really making me like this 7WSM more and more. Scotty

Same here Scotty. The 7WSM is becoming to be my all time favorite cartridge, ahead my 338 Lapua Ackley and my 6.5-284. I like it so much that I ordered another 7MM barrel for another build. Must be something to do with those long slender bullet atop a short and fat case

 

[SJB358]

Wow, those look SHARP! I load the 160's to just a hair over 3100 and man, they are accurate and truly a great load. Love them. Nice thing is I can load them to almost 3 inches in my Winchester which really helps too. Yeah, it isn't quite my favorite yet, but it is working on it. Scotty

 

[DrMike]

Pretty impressive results, DF. I may have to try the Match Kings for some target work.

 

[filmjunkie4ever]

Rommel, thats a great group no matter what you're shooting! Those 180 grain .284 bullets have to be a wind bucking fiend. Sierra bullets have always been good shooters in my rifles!

 

[Desert Fox]

Pretty impressive results, DF. I may have to try the Match Kings for some target work.

DrMike, the 180 just came out this year. This was Sierra's response to the request of top level F-Class shooters who had been longing for a heavier bullet in the 7MM caliber. The Sierra has a tad higher BC than Berger which is a surprise considering it is a bit shorter. If I get a chance, I will shoot both of this bullet at 500 yards and do a side by side comparison.

 

[Desert Fox]

Rommel, thats a great group no matter what you're shooting! Those 180 grain .284 bullets have to be a wind bucking fiend. Sierra bullets have always been good shooters in my rifles!

Sierra is still the king in accuracy department although Berger is nipping on their heel.

 

[JD338]

DF,

Looking good there buddy. Nice shooting!

JD338

 

[DrMike]

Rommel,

I'll be quite interested to see your results. I was aware of the Sierra release of the 180 grain, though I haven't actually loaded any at this point.