Federal Premium Gold Medal Sierra MatchKing ammunition is designed for long range and competition shooters. Here's what makes this ammo special.
Though newer lines (like the Hornady Match) have come along in recent years, the Federal Gold Medal Sierra MatchKing line of ammunition has long been one of the premier choices for shooters who need extremely accurate ammo for long range shooting.
Just like the name says, all Gold Medal Sierra MatchKing ammo choices feature the boat tail hollow point (BTHP) Sierra MatchKing bullet. For what it's worth, Federal Ammunition also manufactures a separate line of Gold Medal ammunition featuring Berger bullets.
Many of the world's top competitive shooters and snipers have used the Sierra MatchKing boat tail bullet for many years and it remains one of the most popular rifle bullets used by elite shooters in the civilian, military, and law enforcement communities.
This is for good reason: the MatchKing bullet is exceptionally aerodynamic and has a high ballistic coefficient while at the same time being incredibly accurate in the right hands.
This line of ammo combines the MatchKing bullet with Federal's proprietary delivery system (brass, powder, and primer) for consistent ballistics and muzzle velocities. Federal claims their stringent manufacturing controls ensure their Gold Medal ammo is the most accurate match ammunition produced in a factory. In a bench rest shooting competition where a tiny margin separates the winner from the rest of the pack, this might make all the difference.
Federal Gold Medal Sierra MatchKing ammo is currently manufactured in .223 Remington, .224 Valkyrie, 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, .260 Remington, .308 Winchester, 7.62x51mm NATO, .30-06 Springfield, .300 Winchester Magnum, and .338 Lapua Magnum.
Those offerings are only available in a single bullet weight for each cartridge. The .308 Winchester is the one exception with two SKUs available: the GM308M load features a 168 grain MatchKing bullet at 2,650 fps and the GM308M2 load features a 175 grain Sierra MatchKing bullet at 2,600 fps.
All of this ammunition is also boxer primed and reloadable, which makes it a good choice for world class competitors who want some high end factory ammo, but also handload as well.
Note that, while the Sierra MatchKing BTHP is a hollow point bullet, it's not really built for hunting. Yes, some hunters have used MatchKing bullets with success on game like deer and pronghorn, but it's not the best choice for that sort of work.
Remember: Gold Medal match ammunition is designed for match grade accuracy, not for optimal terminal performance. Luckily, there are lots of good choices using other bullet types from both Federal (the Edge TLR) and Sierra (the GameKing) that also offer exceptional accuracy and are at the same time suitable for hunting big game.
MatchKing bullets also do contain lead though, so Gold Medal Sierra MatchKing line is not permitted for hunting in California. Additionally, this ammo is only available as centerfire rifle ammo, not as handgun or rimfire ammunition.
So, if you're looking for some great ammo for an upcoming match, then consider adding some Federal Gold Medal Sierra MatchKing ammunition to your wish list.
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