Hunting & Fishing 175 smk 308 elk

[Jkoehle1]

Curious if anyone has usef the 175 smk out of a 308 on elk and what performance was like.

All ive seen/read is that the tip must remain open but since these bullets are out of vogue not much comes up aboit them.

175 smk loaded ammo can be had cheap and is very accurate out of my rifle - so it would be nice to use one ammo/bullet for everything.

 

[lariat]

There are a couple threads on here about SMK kills. That will give you some insight. Quite a few have fallen to that bullet.

 

[Jkoehle1]

There are a couple threads on here about SMK kills. That will give you some insight. Quite a few have fallen to that bullet.

Im not seeing them ?

 

[TicTacTex]

Im not seeing them ?

Hunting & Fishing - Post your SMK/Match bullet kills

It seems we have a thread for every other kind if bullet, and maybe if we start another one for SMK's as well as other match bullets, we wont have to discuss the subject on a weekly basis for those wanting to know. I figure if everyone puts up their pics and let inquiring mind's decide for...

www.snipershide.com

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Given the results I had with 168 and 175 SMK’s on deer (50% of the time pencil through, 50% fragment) there’s no way I would use it for big game hunting unless there was just no other options besides FMJ.

There’s so many better bullets out there for game, including other match bullets.

 

[powdahound76]

I have had success on whitetails, with the 175 SMK, but will use something different.


ELDMs on the other hand……
Work very good every time.
At least for me

Berger 130 OTMs are really good too.

 

[Jkoehle1]

Given the results I had with 168 and 175 SMK’s on deer (50% of the time pencil through, 50% fragment) there’s no way I would use it for big game hunting unless there was just no other options besides FMJ.

There’s so many better bullets out there for game, including other match bullets.

Curious - were you drilling the tips?

 

[Stevo86]

.30 Cal 175 Gr. HPBT GameKing - Sierra Bullets

The exact duplicate of the renown 175 grain Matchking. The 175 hollowpoing boattail Gameking has the same ogive profile and dimensions of the MatchKing. This allows you to have a true Match bullet and a Hunting bullet that will require no seating die changes. This bullet was designed to give...

www.sierrabullets.com

These r what im gonna try out this year.

 

[Jkoehle1]

.30 Cal 175 Gr. HPBT GameKing - Sierra Bullets

The exact duplicate of the renown 175 grain Matchking. The 175 hollowpoing boattail Gameking has the same ogive profile and dimensions of the MatchKing. This allows you to have a true Match bullet and a Hunting bullet that will require no seating die changes. This bullet was designed to give...

www.sierrabullets.com

These r what im gonna try out this year.

Whats curious to me is there seems to be no difference.

Saw a cross section and all it showed was s slightly more open tip.

 

[wvfarrier]

While I have not tried on elk, the 178 ELD Hunters (handloaded) have been incredible for me. 1/4 moa at 200 yards and really fantastic performance on test medium

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Curious - were you drilling the tips?

No and I don’t believe it would make a difference. Berger match bullets and Lapua Scenars are no more open on the tip and they perform great on game.

.30 Cal 175 Gr. HPBT GameKing - Sierra Bullets

The exact duplicate of the renown 175 grain Matchking. The 175 hollowpoing boattail Gameking has the same ogive profile and dimensions of the MatchKing. This allows you to have a true Match bullet and a Hunting bullet that will require no seating die changes. This bullet was designed to give...

www.sierrabullets.com

These r what im gonna try out this year.

The HPBT game kings perform better phenomenally.

 

[Stevo86]

No and I don’t believe it would make a difference. Berger match bullets and Lapua Scenars are no more open on the tip and they perform great on game.



The HPBT game kings perform better phenomenally.

Good to hear. I just loaded 20 to test

 

[Faronth]

This is a bit off from what you are asking but during my 2020 Arizona bull elk hunt against recommendations one of my cousins was using 190gr FGMM ammo for his 300WM, (Kimber w/26" barrel) . He had great confidence with that round as he used for years only it was on two legged targets in the sandbox, but I digress.

He tagged out on a smallish bull on the last day of the hunt. Don't remember the exact distance of the shot but it was between 400 and 450 yds into a shoulder. We ended up throwing out a good amount of that shoulder as the round grenaded into a million fragments. Perhaps it would not have been so bad had it not gone into a shoulder hard to say.

I would recommend a round built for elk. I prefer 190gr Barnes TTSX LR but that's because it makes very small groups out of my Bergara 300WM HMR. YMMV

HTH

 

[Jkoehle1]

This is a bit off from what you are asking but during my 2020 Arizona bull elk hunt against recommendations one of my cousins was using 190gr FGMM ammo for his 300WM, (Kimber w/26" barrel) . He had great confidence with that round as he used for years only it was on two legged targets in the sandbox, but I digress.

He tagged out on a smallish bull on the last day of the hunt. Don't remember the exact distance of the shot but it was between 400 and 450 yds into a shoulder. We ended up throwing out a good amount of that shoulder as the round grenaded into a million fragments. Perhaps it would not have been so bad had it not gone into a shoulder hard to say.

I would recommend a round built for elk. I prefer 190gr Barnes TTSX LR but that's because it makes very small groups out of my Bergara 300WM HMR. YMMV

HTH

Dead means it worked though right?

 

[Jkoehle1]

No and I don’t believe it would make a difference. Berger match bullets and Lapua Scenars are no more open on the tip and they perform great on game.



The HPBT game kings perform better phenomenally.

This is what made me think that

 

[Faronth]

Dead means it worked though right?

Killed it dead for sure.

 

[Old Soldier]

SMK are very accurate. That is why they are called Match Kings. They are not hunting bullets for big game. Deer are not big game. Elk start what I'd call big game. Moose, bear, elk are big game. What you need on real big animals is penetration, and expansion. Use a bullet that gives you both, guaranteed. You spend real money to travel and hunt elk, spend a little more and use a hunting bullet. I've killed all kinds of big game with Nosler Partitions and have always been happy with the results. Yes, you sacrifice a little accuracy. You do not need 1/4 minute accuracy for elk. The kill zone is large. You do need proper bullet performance. Good luck on your hunt.

 

[coldboremiracle]

Curious if anyone has usef the 175 smk out of a 308 on elk and what performance was like.

One of my favorite bullets for 30 cal for hunting or otherwise. I can think about half a dozen elk and countless other animals we've killed with the 175 SMK. Aside from the thread linked above directly about smk and match bullet kills, I've got a bunch of documented kills with them HERE if you care to browse.

 

[Jkoehle1]

One of my favorite bullets for 30 cal for hunting or otherwise. I can think about half a dozen elk and countless other animals we've killed with the 175 SMK. Aside from the thread linked above directly about smk and match bullet kills, I've got a bunch of documented kills with them HERE if you care to browse.

Are you doing anything to the smk tips? Ever had one open too fast/early? Ever had any pencil through?

Appreciate the link!

 

[coldboremiracle]

Are you doing anything to the smk tips? Ever had one open too fast/early? Ever had any pencil through?

Appreciate the link!

Nope, never done anything to em. Load and shoot. I cant remember ever having one not work, as long as they hit the right spot.