The trend toward heavy-for-caliber, high-ballistic-coefficient bullets has reshaped the precision rifle world over the past several years, and demand has been loud enough that the major component makers have been scrambling to keep up. Sierra Bullets is the latest to answer. Three new rifle bullet offerings are now available through stocking dealers, major sporting goods retailers and the company's own website.
These releases split across two of Sierra’s established families. Two new Tipped MatchKings extend the match line into heavier projectiles, while a single MatchKing X brings the company’s hunting bullet into a popular caliber that has been asking for it.
Andrew Sparks, Sierra’s vice president of marketing and business development, framed the launch as a direct response to what shooters have been telling the company. Over the last two years, as he put it, Sierra listened closely to customers asking for high-BC, heavy-for-caliber offerings built for precision shooting and hunting alike. These three products are what came out the other end.
Let’s start with the Tipped MatchKing additions. This line has long been built around accuracy above all else, and Sierra’s proprietary acetyl resin tips paired with ogive dimension changes push the ballistic coefficient higher for better downrange flight. A new .25 cal. 135-gr. Tipped MatchKing carries a G1 BC of .595 and a G7 BC of .307, available in 100-count (SKU 7334, $64.99) and 500-count (SKU 7334C, $314.99) boxes.
Stepping up in both caliber and weight, the 7 mm 185-gr. Tipped MatchKing pushes the numbers further with a G1 BC of .685 and a G7 BC of .346, also available in 100- and 500-count packs (SKU 7685, $67.99; SKU 7685C, $329.99). Both continue an expansion into the heavy-for-caliber territory that long-range shooters have been demanding.
That third release is a different animal. Sierra engineered the MatchKing X for reliable expansion at long-range velocities, which is to say it is a true hunting bullet that aims to fly like a match bullet right up until it hits something. A high ballistic coefficient lets it mirror the flight of its MatchKing counterpart, while the terminal construction delivers the expansion hunters need. New for this launch, the .22 cal. 77-gr. MatchKing X carries a G1 BC of .372 and a G7 BC of .182, available in 100-count (SKU 9380, $47.99) and 500-count boxes (SKU 9380C, $229.99). For shooters running a .22-cal. rifle who want one bullet capable of both ringing steel and taking game, the MKX fills a gap that has been open for a while.
What connects all three is the same instinct. Sierra is chasing the performance envelope that modern precision shooters and hunters have come to expect, and these offerings are what it looks like when a component maker builds what its customers keep asking for.
Visit sierrabullets.com to learn more.
