135-Grain .308 Scorpion Open-Tip Flat-Base Bullets for Controlled Expansion and Deep Penetration — 100 Count

Description

A lighter .30-caliber bullet built to keep penetrating

We did not make the 135-grain Gold Country Scorpion simply to offer a lighter alternative to familiar 150-, 165- or 180-grain .30-caliber bullets. We gave it an open tip and flat base for a specific purpose: controlled expansion, strong mass retention and continued penetration toward vital organs instead of expending its effect in a rapid, shallow wound channel.

That makes it a different choice from a lightly constructed bullet intended for quick or explosive disruption. We designed the Scorpion to carry its energy through the penetration path as it expands.

Actual expansion, retained weight and penetration still depend on the completed load, impact velocity and what the bullet encounters. We expect the handloader to develop and verify the complete load for the rifle and intended application rather than assume that any bullet will behave identically under every condition.

Why 135 grains?

At 135 grains, we give the handloader a lighter .308-diameter option without making light construction the objective. It belongs in a load plan that calls for less bullet mass than conventional middleweight .30-caliber choices while retaining a controlled-expansion, deep-penetration design.

We do not assign a cartridge from diameter and weight alone. Cartridge choice, velocity range, seating depth and overall length must account for the rifle, chamber, barrel, throat, twist, magazine and current published load data for the exact cartridge.

A documented competition use

A repeat customer has now ordered this bullet five times for 200-yard CMP marksmanship competition. He loads it in an M1903A3 Springfield chambered in .30-06 and uses a reduced load with iron sights. He selected our 135-grain Scorpion as a replacement for the discontinued Sierra 135-grain MatchKing after finding that neither a 125-grain TNT nor Sierra’s current 135-grain Varminter gave him the same consistency in that rifle. He also reports that the 125-grain bullet performs well in his M1917—a useful reminder that a successful bullet-and-rifle combination does not automatically transfer to another rifle.

That repeated use establishes a real competitive application for this bullet; it does not promise identical results from every rifle. Match fees, travel and preparation cost far more than the difference between an ordinary bullet and one a shooter trusts, so repeatable performance can matter more than the lowest price per shot.

The Scorpion design

• Diameter: .308 inch / .30 caliber
• Weight: 135 grains
• Bullet family: Gold Country Scorpion
• Nose form: Open tip
• Base: Flat base
• Ogive: 6S
• Production: Hand swaged to exacting dimensional standards
• Design intent: Controlled expansion, mass retention and deep penetration
• Documented additional use: Reduced-load, 200-yard CMP marksmanship in an M1903A3 Springfield .30-06
• Quantity: 100 bullets

We use match grade to describe the care and dimensional consistency of our hand-swaged production—not to limit this bullet to target competition. Scorpion identifies our open-tip bullet family and its intended terminal behavior.

We formerly sold this same bullet under the Gold Country Coyote name. Scorpion is its current name.

Current-production jacket note

Our current production uses a 1.000-inch jacket before nose forming; earlier lots used a 0.925-inch jacket. The flat base, 6S ogive, 135-grain finished weight and hand-swaging process remain the same. Returning handloaders should nevertheless treat a new production lot as a new lot: measure the finished bullet, verify base-to-ogive and cartridge dimensions, and recheck seating and firearm function before loading a full quantity.

What we supply

We supply 100 hand-swaged, open-tip, flat-base bullets in each box.

Build and verify the complete load

We recommend using current published data for the exact cartridge and bullet weight. Begin at the published starting load and work up only as the data publisher directs. Confirm bullet length, seating requirements, magazine clearance, feeding and chamber fit in the individual firearm. Do not transfer load data among cartridges or assume that equal-weight bullets are interchangeable.

Continue with our Gold Country Scorpion Bullet System for the maintained explanation of the family, then use our technical library for the cartridge and load-development questions raised by your rifle.

See it in context: This product is included in the .308 Winchester Loading Room, where its role in the complete bench workflow is explained.