Thread: Projectile questions for the experts

My experience is that the Sierra Match Kings are inconsistent on game animals with some expanding and others penciling through. The cause of their inconsistent terminal ballistic behavior appears to be associated with the diameter of the hollow point.
Match Kings produced in the 1980’s had tip diameters of 0.028” to 0.038”, while recent Match King tip diameters appear to range from 0.012” to 0.024”.

However the smaller the tip diameter of the hollow point, the more the Match King tends to behave like a FMJ bullet. Conversely, increasing the tip diameter enhances bullet expansion in tissue. When the SMK open tip is enlarged to at least 0.055”, it offers consistent expansion and fragmentation with virtually no change in accuracy.

So what I would advise is to get a meplat trimmer and enlarged the tip to 0.055". If I didn't open up the tip of the SMK, I would use a different bullet which offers both acceptable accuracy and more reliable terminal performance (ie the Gameking range).