New Sierra Prairie Enemy 36 grainers

[jmerchant1]

Has anyone tried the new Sierra Prairie Enemy factory ammo that came out this year? I would like to try them out in my CZ 527 Varmint as I don’t reload. Have had decent accuracy from the Hornady and Fiocchi 32gr & 40gr Vmax rounds but nothing overwhelmingly accurate. Wondered if anyone has had good results with the Prairie Enemies which use a 36gr Blitzking? Haven’t seen any reviews online yet.

[Bill K]

I have not tried them, and probably will not, since my state requires lead free. Only way you will know, in your rifle, is buy a box and check them out.

[anwaee2]

I too am curious. I have only found one review I believe at Midway and he really liked it.

[jmerchant1]

I too am curious. I have only found one review I believe at Midway and he really liked it.

Lol that guy is ME! I ended up buying a box to try and they shot better than other factory ammo I had tried. The first 5 shot group was .5” at 100 yards. I will definitely be sticking with them in my CZ until I start reloading!

[anwaee2]

Midway has the Sierra Prairie Enemy 204 Ruger 36gr in stock.

[Rick in Oregon]

A new 204 bullet is a welcome addition to the lineup of what's currently available, as the SBK's are getting expensive and hard to find lately. I did a search to see if Sierra is offering this bullet as a component bullet, but only see loaded ammunition listed.

As many of us never shoot factory ammo, it's my hope that Sierra offers this as a component bullet for handloading. I'm hoping that if the community accepts the loaded ammo with enthusiasm, the factory will offer the bullet as a separate item....guess we'll see. Having another bullet weight in .20 caliber would be a very good thing.

I've got over a thousand 32gr and 39gr SBK's loaded for my various 204 rat rifles, but would welcome another bullet offering from Sierra, as their 32gr BK and 39gr BK are the most accurate bullets in all my .20 caliber rifles; expensive....yes, but worth the price for the elevated level of accuracy I see from them, not to mention the terminal performance on varmints.

[Bill K]

I hope that Sierra does put the new 36 grain bullet out as a component. Would like to see how it works compared to the present 32 and 39 grain ones.
But at the same time I wonder if there will be a noticeable difference in it compared to the present two. Only a load testing/ladder style will tell.

[Rick in Oregon]

One reason I think the new 36gr SBK in .20 caliber would be popular, is that with a listed BC of .255, it should work well at the 400 yard mark, be a bit better in regard to wind deflection and most likely stabilize in most factory 12T barrels, unlike the 40's that have a spotty reputation unless a twist of at least 11:1 is used.

I'm looking forward to seeing those Sierra green tips in my bench block soon if they offer them as a component bullet:



But I'll freely admit that the Nosler BT's and their Varmageddon's are both accurate, and "work as advertised" as far as terminal performance on both PD's and ground squirrels. I also have a stash of V-Max's, but living close to Nosler has benefits, so I don't use them much. The .20 caliber SBK's are the most accurate bullet in all my .20 cal rifles, so hopes are high for their new 36gr Prairie Enemy.

It's also kind of a bummer that the Sierra BK's are the most expensive varmint bullet, and it just figures that they're the most accurate too.

[ponyfarm]

I spoke with tech support at Sierra and the rep said that the 36 grain would be in loaded ammo only. They are doing a run of 32BK's now so they should be back in the stores.

[Bill K]

Did the rep say why they are not putting them out as a component ?

[ponyfarm]

He did not say why, just that it was loaded ammo only, no plans to provide as a component. I had called because I had seen that 32BK's were no longer in production. He said that they were doing a run now. I mentioned that the 32 grain must be a popular bullet and his response was no it was not a big seller. I have switched to Hornadys 32 grain Vmax. Twas glad tidings that 32's will be returning.

[Rick in Oregon]

Sad news from Sierra.
It's a good thing then, that Nosler offers TWO different .20 cal bullets, their Varmageddon with a flat-base, and the Ballistic Tip with a boat-tail design. Both of them shoot very, very well in my 204's and 20VT, and are about the same price here as V-Max's. The great thing about shooting Nosler 32 grainers, is that you can get great deals on factory seconds that shoot just as well as their 'firsts'.

Targets don't lie:



Same goes for their .224" bullets in every rifle I own:



So if you can't find the Sierra BK of choice, or V-Max, there are other options.

[Bill K]

I also have been using the Nosler and Hornady lead free bullets, due to my state banning lead on game of any kind of critter or fowl. But it is working well for me anyway, so it matters not.

By the way, if any of you take the Handloader magazine, the April 24 issue has a nice article regarding Nowler's seconds and how they do shot well in a few cartridges they ran tests on. Good read. And just think they can save you some money and still give you some fine groups and shooting.