NEW Tipped MatchKing (TMK) Bullets from Sierra

Sierra has announced a new line of plastic-tipped MatchKing bullets. “Say What!? — that can’t be right…” you may be thinking. MatchKings have always been jacketed, hollowpoint bullets. Until now, plastic tips have been reserved for other Sierra projectiles, such as BlitzKing varmint bullets. But that is changing with the introduction of Sierra’s line of Tipped MatchKing (TMK) bullets featuring green acetal resin tips.

Plastic Tips Offer Better BC
Sierra says the plastic tips on TMKs enhance the Ballistic Coefficient (BC): “The major advantage of adding a tip to the bullet is the reduction of drag, producing a more favorable ballistic coefficient.” Stated BCs for the new TMK bullets are listed below. These BC numbers look good, and they have been verified with real-world testing: “We shot [all the new TMKs] multiple times (we actually test our BC numbers instead of letting a computer tell us what it is) and those numbers are all proven out!”

There will be six (6) new TMK bullets, two in .224 caliber, and four in .308 caliber. The six new tipped bullet types should be available in “early 2015″. Sorry, Sierra will not be offering 6mm, 6.5mm, or 7mm TMKs for the time being, although Sierra will introduce more TMK varieties in the future. Currently, Sierra is focusing on “the most popular calibers”. Notably, the new 22-Cal 77gr TMK has a 0.420 BC — identical to the BC of Sierra’s 80gr non-tipped HPBT MatchKing. So, you get the BC of a heavier bullet in a lighter projectile that can be pushed faster. That’s big news for .223 Rem and 22-250 shooters.

Bullet Name (Click for ballistic coefficients)		Brand	Item	BC (G1)
	.224 dia. 69 gr. Tipped MatchKing (TMK)	Tipped MatchKing	7169	.375 @ 2700+ fps
	.224 dia. 77 gr. Tipped MatchKing (TMK)	Tipped MatchKing	7177	.420 @ 2400+ fps
	.308 dia. 125 gr. Tipped MatchKing (TMK)	Tipped MatchKing	7725	.343 @ 2580+ fps
	.308 dia. 155 gr. Tipped MatchKing (TMK)	Tipped MatchKing	7755	.519 @ 1900+ fps
	.308 dia. 168 gr. Tipped MatchKing (TMK)	Tipped MatchKing	7768	.535 @ 2050+ fps
	.308 dia. 175 gr. Tipped MatchKing (TMK)	Tipped MatchKing	7775	.545 @ 2400+ fps

New Bullet Shapes Along with Plastic Tips
In addition to the bullet tip, some of these new TMK bullets have slightly modified shapes compared to previous-generation, non-tipped MatchKings (SMKs) of like caliber/weight. Sierra’s technicians reported: “The [plastic] point on the tip is smaller than the meplat on a SMK and if you look, you will also see the ogive on most of these [new TMKs] have been changed as well. Most of the big BC gains are from the reshaped ogives from the legacy SMK product.”