Texas Hunting Forum

New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR

Posted By: J.G.

New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 11/29/15 12:45 AM

Recently committed to a 16" AR in .308. Yup, getting back into the .308 business, hogs need killin!

Did a little research today, and was looking at target bullets to hopefully get better penetration anywhere on the hog, instead of expanding hunting bullets. Figured the 16" gas gun needs some help in the velocity department, and this is not a long range rifle (even though I will bag steel to 800 with it). This is a 300 yard and in, lay down some fire very quick into a sounder of hogs rifle. Shockingly, Sierra claims a G1 BC of .519! I was going into the research thinking of 155 Lapua Scenars, but the BC of the tipped Match King is so good, and as usual Sierras are a better price than many others, I have to give them a try. After talking with KRoyal, and learning his MV with 168 A-maxes, I should get these 155's north of 2600 fps MV out of a 16" barrel, with suppressor. That's pretty salty for a gas gun carbine!
Posted By: DStroud

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 11/29/15 01:08 AM

I just finished working 155 Amax for two 16 inch barreled GII DPMS .308 and velocity for both was 2570ish so 2600 is possible for sure.
I used CFE223.
Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 11/29/15 01:09 AM

I was planning on Varget.
Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 11/29/15 01:11 AM

Originally Posted By: jeffbird
Also take a look at Barnes TTSX 130's or 150's.

Shot placement is still paramount, but the TTSX's will penetrate through the chest.


If I get into an incident like I did two weeks ago. Shot placement is kind of second thought. Sounder of 15-ish and I'm trying to hit as many hogs as fast as possible, before they make the tree line. I don't care if I just cripple them, I'll come back when things calm down and put one in the brain stem.
Posted By: jeffbird

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 11/29/15 03:17 AM

Originally Posted By: FiremanJG
Originally Posted By: jeffbird
Also take a look at Barnes TTSX 130's or 150's.

Shot placement is still paramount, but the TTSX's will penetrate through the chest.


If I get into an incident like I did two weeks ago. Shot placement is kind of second thought. Sounder of 15-ish and I'm trying to hit as many hogs as fast as possible, before they make the tree line. I don't care if I just cripple them, I'll come back when things calm down and put one in the brain stem.


I ended up erasing because I forgot you are talking about an AR.

If it will operate correctly, take a look at the Barnes which should produce some nice velocity for you. Varget works fine in those weight ranges, just not sure about if it will operate correctly.
Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 11/29/15 03:22 AM

I ordered 500 Tipped Match Kings 10 minutes before this thread. loco_too
Posted By: jeffbird

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 11/29/15 04:15 PM

They should work fine. 175 SMK's are my go to for hunting with the 308 and work fine on pigs.

Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 11/29/15 06:29 PM

I remembered you've had good success with them. That was part of my lack of reluctance for trying them.
Posted By: bo3

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/01/15 01:43 AM

Originally Posted By: FiremanJG
Recently committed to a 16" AR in .308. Yup, getting back into the .308 business, hogs need killin!

Did a little research today, and was looking at target bullets to hopefully get better penetration anywhere on the hog, instead of expanding hunting bullets. Figured the 16" gas gun needs some help in the velocity department, and this is not a long range rifle (even though I will bag steel to 800 with it). This is a 300 yard and in, lay down some fire very quick into a sounder of hogs rifle. Shockingly, Sierra claims a G1 BC of .519! I was going into the research thinking of 155 Lapua Scenars, but the BC of the tipped Match King is so good, and as usual Sierras are a better price than many others, I have to give them a try. After talking with KRoyal, and learning his MV with 168 A-maxes, I should get these 155's north of 2600 fps MV out of a 16" barrel, with suppressor. That's pretty salty for a gas gun carbine!


I saw where you already ordered but some food for thought. I have been running hornady 168 bthp in mine. I shot a buck the other day at 100 to 50 yards. Out of four hits, none of them expanded. Three of them were in the chest and both shoulders were broke. Lungs had nice little holes in them. Other hit was to the neck. Great penetration but no expansion. I'm going to go to the 178 Amax that I use in my other upper.
Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/01/15 03:05 AM

In the case of hogs, penetration is the key in my opinion. They are a cross between a bulldozer and a cockroach. Hard to kill but they must be destroyed. A man can't have too many bullets lying around, so I sure can order some Hornady BTHP. Hopefully I get to try all of them out on the selected targets.

Thanks for the report.
Posted By: Big Fitz

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/01/15 03:32 AM

JG, what are the specs on the AR you are building? I like the 6.8 for the hog mission...easy follow up shots, but you are more proficient than I.
Posted By: jeffbird

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/01/15 04:03 AM

Posted By: dee

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/01/15 01:28 PM

I'd bet they act a lot like the Amax instead of the old MatchKing. Either way I like the idea though.
Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/01/15 02:16 PM

Originally Posted By: Big Fitz
JG, what are the specs on the AR you are building? I like the 6.8 for the hog mission...easy follow up shots, but you are more proficient than I.


Not building, purchased. 16" DPMS Recon. Light weight stock, free float tube, only needs rings, scope, and ammo. I'm going to perform load development with the suppressor on the end. That adds 10" to the length, but should help with recoil. It's a 10 pound rifle, but the suppressor and scope will add another 2 1/2.

The question is, Tim, will this AR hate me as so many others do?
Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/01/15 02:18 PM

Originally Posted By: dee
I'd bet they act a lot like the Amax instead of the old MatchKing. Either way I like the idea though.


I was afraid of that. Somethng makes me think the ole SMK is a stouter bullet than the A-max.
Posted By: dee

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/01/15 03:08 PM

I don't know if it's a stouter but I bet the top initiates a faster expansion.
Posted By: RiverRider

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/01/15 03:30 PM

You're still thinking BCs when you say your intended purpose is 300 yards and penetration?? Think Accubond or Partition!
Posted By: redchevy

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/01/15 03:36 PM

Originally Posted By: RiverRider
You're still thinking BCs when you say your intended purpose is 300 yards and penetration?? Think Accubond or Partition!


I bet he is thinking price. I love partitions, but it hurts me to throw them at paper.
Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/01/15 03:48 PM

Originally Posted By: redchevy
Originally Posted By: RiverRider
You're still thinking BCs when you say your intended purpose is 300 yards and penetration?? Think Accubond or Partition!


I bet he is thinking price. I love partitions, but it hurts me to throw them at paper.


Price, and there is a field with hogs and coyotes in it, regularly, that is a mile long and 900 yards wide. Farthest hit so far in it is a coyote at 540 yards. That was eating on a hog I had killed the day before from 300 yards. Gotta still consider BC.
Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/01/15 03:50 PM

I always love that video, Jeff!

Lights out, stiff leg, flop. up
Posted By: jeffbird

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/01/15 04:28 PM

Originally Posted By: FiremanJG
Originally Posted By: dee
I'd bet they act a lot like the Amax instead of the old MatchKing. Either way I like the idea though.


I was afraid of that. Somethng makes me think the ole SMK is a stouter bullet than the A-max.


I have used both on deer. The Amax is much more frangible and rarely exits on large deer. The SMK's always exit, usually tumbling through.

The Amax is good for those who prefer heart/lung placement. For placement to the shoulder, the SMK (old version 175 at least) works better, heart/lung, not as well.

I would not use an Amax on a pig. Would it work? Most of the time it will, but it does not penetrate well, and for pigs that is the key.

SMK's are what I've used the most, but Barnes are growing on me the more I work with them. The key to Barnes is use very light ones and push them fast. They need at 2000 fps of impact velocity so they are not for long shots, and more velocity is better.

If you feel like tinkering some, try the 150 Barnes with Varget.

Glad you like that video.

I need to make another one of these days.

Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/01/15 05:01 PM

Yesterday Chad steered me to 8208. Guess I'll try to keep these tipped SMKs in the head/ neck area.
Posted By: jeffbird

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/01/15 05:03 PM

Base of the ear. This is the time for the precision aiming. DRT.

I know you know, but sharing for others. Don't just blast at the herd, as there will be poor results with lots of wounding and an ugly mess afterwards. No animal deserves to suffer a slow painful death.

I've shot up to 8 with a bolt gun, all dropping where they stood. Make sure to keep breathing, aiming, and practicing the basics, wait until there will be a good shot, breathe, and squeeze - no yanking the trigger.


Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/01/15 06:58 PM

Gospel. Also, it is so good for every hunter to practice shooting from the kneeling position. Off hand is a needed skill, because sometimes that's all you have time for. But kneeling is way more stable to make those smaller shots, and you can still pan left to right fairly effeciently. I get guys that go through the class to shoot kneeling both supported and unsupported. They are shocked when they hit a 12" wide plate at 300 and 400 yards. Dry fire practice will build in the muscle memory so you can get into position quickly.

And the suppressor has twice now made the sounder think I was behind them, so they headed toward me.
Posted By: Big Fitz

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/01/15 10:18 PM

Originally Posted By: FiremanJG
The question is, Tim, will this AR hate me as so many others do?


Well, you are 0 for 2 and I'm still trying to fix the SASS! cheers
Posted By: BigPig

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/02/15 04:13 AM

Why the 155? Higher BC from the shorter barrel than 168 or 175's? I know the 168SMK does good on pigs in the shoulder and head, haven't tried a neck shot yet bc I think it offers a very small target for a bully that won't expand.
Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/02/15 12:14 PM

155 to regain some velocity loss due to 16" and being a gas gun.

168 gr SMK, BC .462
175 gr SMK, BC .500
155 gr tipped MK, BC .519

Lighter than the old SMKs so it'll go faster, but has a higher BC. Win, win.
Posted By: dee

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/04/15 07:21 PM

Originally Posted By: jeffbird
Originally Posted By: FiremanJG
Originally Posted By: dee
I'd bet they act a lot like the Amax instead of the old MatchKing. Either way I like the idea though.


I was afraid of that. Somethng makes me think the ole SMK is a stouter bullet than the A-max.


I have used both on deer. The Amax is much more frangible and rarely exits on large deer. The SMK's always exit, usually tumbling through.

The Amax is good for those who prefer heart/lung placement. For placement to the shoulder, the SMK (old version 175 at least) works better, heart/lung, not as well.

I would not use an Amax on a pig. Would it work? Most of the time it will, but it does not penetrate well, and for pigs that is the key.

SMK's are what I've used the most, but Barnes are growing on me the more I work with them. The key to Barnes is use very light ones and push them fast. They need at 2000 fps of impact velocity so they are not for long shots, and more velocity is better.

If you feel like tinkering some, try the 150 Barnes with Varget.

Glad you like that video.

I need to make another one of these days.



I have only caught 1 Amax and it was a very large pig in the 200+ range and it broke the off shoulder. This was with the 7mm 162gr Amax which I'm pretty sure has a higher sd and that might be a factor.
Posted By: scottfromdallas

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/05/15 02:05 PM

My thoughts are 155 TMKs will kill hogs fine. They will expand violently because of the tip and at 308 speeds will penetrate fine. Hard to gauge what their performance will be based on a normal Matching with a small HP. The tip and massive HP makes a big difference. I would expect it would behave a lot like an AMAX.
Posted By: ASIC777

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/12/15 03:36 PM

Jason, any update? Wondering where you are at on this. I was thinking Varget and a suppressor might be a bit hard on the gas system. I am going play with the 155 TSMK and some 3031 in a couple weeks in an M1A.
Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/14/15 12:42 AM

This evening,

Loaded a ladder test of 8208 43.2 gr - 45.2 gr.
O.A.L. 2.825" to give .015" mag clearance
Win LR primer loaded in Remington brass

I'll probably shoot it on Tuesday.
Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/31/15 05:00 PM

I ladder tested the loads at 300 yards yesterday. DPMS Recon 16", with free float tube. Atlas bipod, SS 5-20X Mil/ Mil FFP. Tiger Shark suppressor.

50* F
DA -50' (600' A.S.L)
Wind 8 o'clock 4-8 mph
Medium mirage

155 gr. Sierra TMK
IMR 8208 XBR 42.3gr to 44.7 gr
Rem second fired brass (not in this rifle)
Trim length 2.007"
O.A.L. .0015" less than mag length
Win LR primer

I put ten rounds down this clean barrel prior to load development. The first 7 were at 100 yards and I was concerned as it shot about .5 Mil at 100 yards. I fired two at 300 to get on steel, then proceded with the ladder test on paper. The results got better as I went along. 43.5 gr. and 43.8 gr are almost touching, 43.8 gr chronoed at 2605 fps MV, as I had hoped I would reach.

44.1, 44.4, and 44.7 vertically (all that really matters) are 1", but 44.4, and 44.7 had extractor marks. I had 45.0, and 45.3 gr also ready to shoot, but decided to not shoot them since I got an early sign of pressure in very mild environtmental conditions. Running with that node in hot weather or wet weather may significantly overpressure, so I'd rather be safe than sorry.

I plan to group shoot 43.5, 43.8, and 44.1.

Posted By: Big Fitz

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/31/15 07:36 PM

Looks good, especially for a 16" barrel. What trigger are you using?
Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/31/15 08:15 PM

Dangit Tim! I meant to text you and Kyle to tell yall I had zero malfunctions during this session with the AR. Maybe the gremlins have fallen off me.

The factory trigger and it is awfull!!! I need recommendations on a good three pound replacement trigger, that doesn't feel like it has an eighth inch of creep.
Posted By: Big Fitz

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 12/31/15 11:34 PM

Good you got rid of the bad mojo! I've got spare Timney and CMC triggers you can try, I like them both. For precision, I like 2 stage triggers.

Note, you can polish the stock trigger and run an allen screw up through the grip thread to reduce the over travel...will likely require some filing on the safety though. I've done this with good success. Youtube has many examples.
Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 01/01/16 01:01 AM

I'm a DIYer from way back. I may try some tuning on the factory trigger. If it doesn't end up satisfactory I may take you up on the loan.
Posted By: bo3

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 01/01/16 05:44 PM

Just get a geisel and be done.
Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 01/02/16 11:48 PM

300 yards. 5 shots, 1is partially covered by the tape measure.

Evidently this is as good as the load and rifle can do. I hoped for half this, but I'm used to precision bolt actions. It'll kill a hog.

Posted By: Cleric

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 01/03/16 12:50 AM

What barrel? what type of ar?
Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 01/03/16 11:24 AM

DPMS Recon, factory stainless barrel.
Posted By: BigPig

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 01/05/16 04:28 AM

Jason, look at Velocity triggers, just put one in my budget AR and it's phenomenal. I got a 3lb single stage, but they have 2 stage of you prefer.

Glad to hear the Recon is working out, looking for an AR10 myself. Have you considered an adjustable gas block? My dad is running one on his PSA-10 and it really helped with ejection issues.
Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 01/05/16 12:57 PM

No two stage triggers for me. I'll look into the Velocity triggers. I'm gonna try to tune my trigger, if that doesn't work I'll swap it out. It is ejecting at 2 o'clock so an adjustable block is on the list as well.
Posted By: Buzzsaw

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 01/05/16 09:26 PM

You need to shoot this at The Challenge
Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 01/06/16 01:16 AM

I'm not shooting that match.
Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 02/05/16 01:28 PM



Small pig, less than 50 yards, destroyed the heart immediately. Exit is about grapefruit sized.

Need a bigger hog to test on now.
Posted By: Big Fitz

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 02/05/16 02:19 PM

Did you get the Timney installed? Like it?
Posted By: J.G.

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 02/05/16 03:09 PM

Heck no. Still have the junk factory trigger in it. I will make the swap today.
Posted By: Buzzsaw

Re: New project. 155 gr Tipped Match Kings in a 16" AR - 02/05/16 10:12 PM

looks like a big rat clap
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