[SHOT Show 2020] New Bullets & Ammo from Sierra Bullets

At the 2020 SHOT Show, I was flagged down by Jeff Puckett of Blue Heron Communications to check out the new stuff from Sierra Bullets.

Sierra has been around for ages, and their name has always meant superb quality when it comes to bullets. Last year, they introduced loaded ammo and they have new loads for 2020. Here are some of the highlights of Sierra’s 2020 lineup.

Bullets

Sierra has always been about bullets, so we might as well cover that first. New projectiles for 2020 follow:

Note the GameChanger name on several in the list above. Here’s what they say about that:

Introducing the Sierra GameChanger hunting bullet: the perfect combination of Sierra’s legendary match accuracy coupled with deadly penetration. Sierra re-engineered their legendary MatchKing bullet into a hollow point design for quick expansion and fitted it with a transparent green tip for ballistic uniformity. Inside, the GameChanger features a unique construction that utlilizes a special lead alloy surrounded by a tough copper jacket that delivers excellent penetration and expansion at a variety of ranges. It’s a GameChanger on any hunt!

Loaded Ammo

Sierra has a pretty good selection of loaded ammunition listed on their website (many of which are currently sold out).

New Sierra GameChanger Ammo in 6.5 Creedmoor

For 2020, the have added two loads to their GameChanger hunting loads:

Under the “Prairie Enemy” name marketed for varmints and predators, we see five new loads for 2020:

True Velocity Competition-Grade Composite-Case Ammo

Sierra has teamed up with True Velocity to produce the first-ever line of ammo with composite cases loaded to competition-grade specs.

I will probably never forget the first time I saw composite cartridge cases. 5.56 shells lying at the shooting range, with steel heads and plastic bodies. Our minds were blown!

Things have come a long way since then, and now Sierra is proving that composite cases can be used to load truly great ammunition. True Velocity has spent a lot of time and money coming up with a way to make the cases, and their method employs high standards and produces consistent cases. Sierra has been doing that with bullets forever, so it’s only natural the two companies would mesh well together.

Even better, this sort of plastic-bodied case means the internal geometry of the shell can be different from the outside shape — so the powder area can be shaped to take best advantage of the powder burn, etc.

Here are some highlights from the press release:

Capable of sub-MOA accuracy at extended ranges and single-digit standard deviation in muzzle velocity, this ammunition provides a level of performance and precision unsurpassed by brass-cased match-grade cartridges.
True Velocity has spent many years developing and perfecting … a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing process capable of tolerances and in-process checks and measures unheard of even with the best brass cased ammunition available today.
Starting at the base, the True Velocity case features a precision formed primer pocket and burr-free flash hole in a steel alloy head…
The composite neck and body of the True Velocity case offer exceptional wall thickness uniformity and results in precisely aligned features with minimal runout…
Unlike brass case designs, True Velocity can control the internal geometry of the composite case independent of the external geometry and can fine tune the powder chamber to optimize internal ballistics. Due to the efficiency of the burn, composite-cased ammunition typically requires 10% less propellant for the same muzzle velocity, which helps reduce barrel wear and heating, and reduces felt recoil and muzzle flash.
Sierra® and True Velocity have selected the most uniform primers and propellants available for these new loads, and thoroughly tested these combinations in a broad range of conditions and rifles to ensure uniform, consistent performance.
When the True Velocity composite case is topped off with a precisely aligned and seated Sierra MatchKing or Tipped MatchKing bullet, modern adhesives are used to control the bond between the bullet and the neck, resulting in exceptional neck tension uniformity. Unlike brass cases, there are no mouth burrs, or excessive variation in neck thickness or annealing that will affect bullet release force in the composite-cased ammunition.
The end result is competition-grade ammunition with unparalleled accuracy and velocity uniformity, right out of the box!

Sierra/True Velocity loads slated for release in 2020:

6.5 Creedmoor, 142-grain MatchKing
308 Win, 168-grain MatchKing
308 Win, 168-grain Tipped MatchKing
308 Win, 175-grain MatchKing
308 Win, 175-grain Tipped MatchKing

More loads in this lineup are being planned.

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.