Thread: 64gr Sierra Gamechanger in 223 on Goats

Hi Team,

Today I went for a quick goat hunt, with the intention of testing the 64gr Sierra Gamechanger that is relatively new to the market.
From reading on the internet, the common theory appears to be that it is a harder bullet than the likes of Prohunter, Interlock and Hot-cor. Its ability to open up was often questioned.

The first and only load I developed was using 23.5gr of AR2206H. Range work for this load resulted in consistently 0.5~0.7 inch groups with my Tikka T3X 1:8 223. It was more than enough accuracy for hunting so I didn't bother trying different powder charges.

5 minutes from the car and there was a mob of 5 goats grazing 200m away. The wind was behind me, I thought goats were dumb, so took a chance and carried on stalking them anyway. They must have picked up my scent and bolted before I could get within 100m.

Few minutes later there was the cry of a goat nearby, I sat down with rifle across my lap, loaded and ready to fire. A young goat soon emerged from the bush. It must have been left behind by the main group that I spooked earlier, and was desperately screaming and searching for them. It clearly saw me, but for some reason decided to sprint towards me.

Once it got within 20m I gently squeezed the trigger, the 64gr Sierra Gamechanger dropped it on the spot. There was zero movement of the goat after it was hit.

So here are some photos. From my experience, the Gamechanger opened up noticeably more compared my regular pill of the cheap 55gr Hornady SP.
Sure, one young tender goat at 20m is not a representative sample, but based on what I saw today, I wouldn't hesitate to try it on large billies at longer ranges.

Curious to know other people's experience using the Gamechanger on game, especially in 223. If further experimenting on goats yields positive results, then I plan on using it for Sika this summer.