Sierra GameChanger 165-grain TGK 30-06 Sprg Hunting Ammo (Photo © Russ Chastain)
Last month, I posted about sighting in my late father’s old custom Mauser-Springfield hybrid rifle, which he named “SpringMaus,” with some Sierra GameChanger ammunition which provided some seriously great accuracy. I also wrote about my first deer hunt of the 2020-21 season, which became magnificent but required me to use my old Savage 308 on the deer I took. (You can read about that hunt here and you can read my review of Sierra GameChanger 165-grain 308 ammo here.)
Manufacturer Specs
- Sierra Catalog no. A4669-06
- 30-06 Springfield cartridge
- 165-grain Tipped GameKing bullets
- Boattail bullet design with polymer tip seated in a hollow point for fast expansion
- G1 Ballistic Coefficient: .517
- Muzzle velocity: 2800 fps
- 20 cartridges per box
- Sierra price: $41.99
“Each GameChanger round utilizes a Sierra Tipped GameKing bullet with an extremely accurate boat tail profile and a polymer tip seated in a hollow point design for fast expansion upon impact. A lead core encased in a thick, tough copper jacket delivers outstanding penetration and controlled expansion at any range.”
(Image: Screenshot from Sierra’s website)
This hunting ammo had proven shockingly accurate in the old rifle, and after swapping the scope I hit the range to zero it. Once I got it on paper, I fired two 2-shot groups at 200 yards, allowing the barrel to cool in between groups. The groups were 1″ and 1-1/8″ or just a tad more than 1/2 MOA, which is superb for 1) me and 2) a deer rifle.
Due to my wonderful first hunt, I only had two deer left on my club quota when I returned for a hunt with my nephew Ox, so I spent most of that hunt sitting on stands hoping a coyote would show up (it didn’t), waiting on him to slay a deer or two. He shot a nice doe under odd circumstances and didn’t catch up with a shooter buck before he had to head home, so with one deer left on my tally I set out on the last evening of my trip to test the Sierra ’06 Ammo on some live game by trying to lay down a nice doe.
I hunted first at the tripod stand Ox and I had put up a couple months earlier, but when 4:00 rolled around I decided to play the odds by relocating to a stand where a friend had been seeing does every evening. By 4:24 I was settled on the stand, and at 5:18 two deer stepped out of the woods downrange.
![Ammo Review: Sierra GameChanger 165-grain TGK 30-06 Sprg Hunting Ammo 3 (Photo © Russ Chastain)](https://www.alloutdoor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/sierra-gamechanger-ammo-30-06-165-tgk-08.jpg)
Waiting for some game.
Sierra GameChanger Hunting Ammo Goes to Work
I settled in behind my old rifle, which sat securely on a wooden wall in my Crosstac Jester shooting bag. I identified the pair of deer as a doe and fawn, confirmed the doe was mature, and settled the crosshairs on its shoulder. I squeezed the Timney trigger, the old rifle barked, and my hunt was over.
![Ammo Review: Sierra GameChanger 165-grain TGK 30-06 Sprg Hunting Ammo 4 (Photo © Russ Chastain)](https://www.alloutdoor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/sierra-gamechanger-ammo-30-06-165-tgk-09.jpg)
After the deed was done.
As with the three deer I took with the Sierra 308 ammo, the doe collapsed and didn’t move again. The range was 155 yards and the 140-pound doe was broadside to me when I fired into her right shoulder.
![Ammo Review: Sierra GameChanger 165-grain TGK 30-06 Sprg Hunting Ammo 5 (Photo © Russ Chastain)](https://www.alloutdoor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/sierra-gamechanger-ammo-30-06-165-tgk-10.jpg)
Exit wound.
The bullet passed through the deer, and I found a small bit of the green plastic tip in the entry wound during the post-mortem. Near the exit wound I recovered a couple scraps of copper jacket and a bit of lead.
In between those wounds was an impressive amount of devastation.
![Ammo Review: Sierra GameChanger 165-grain TGK 30-06 Sprg Hunting Ammo 6 (Photo © Russ Chastain)](https://www.alloutdoor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/sierra-gamechanger-ammo-30-06-165-tgk-11.jpg)
The bullet passed through this ribcage from right to left. (Photo © Russ Chastain)
After laying down a total of 4 big whitetails with Sierra ammo in 308 and 30-06 — using the same 165-grain TGK (Tipped GameKing) bullet — and not having to track a single one, you can bet yer bippy I am a fan of Sierra GameChanger ammunition and this bullet in particular.
![Ammo Review: Sierra GameChanger 165-grain TGK 30-06 Sprg Hunting Ammo 7 Sierra GameChanger 30-06 Sprg hunting ammo with 165-grain TGK bullets. (Photo © Russ Chastain)](https://www.alloutdoor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/sierra-gamechanger-ammo-30-06-165-tgk-01.jpg)
When this rifle was built, the chamber was purposely left with generous headspace so it would happily digest any and all surplus 30-06 military ammo. Any factory ammo that can provide sub-MOA accuracy in this gun along with deadly terminal performance on whitetails has gotten my attention and earned my admiration.
Do I recommend Sierra GameChanger 165-grain TGK ammo in 30-06 Springfield hunting ammo? Yes — absolutely and without reservation.