On Test: Sako Gamehead Pro

What are the best bullets for roebuck? Paul Childerley tries out Gamehead Pro cartridges from ammunition manufacturer Sako after a roebuck in the south-east of England, plus he visits the Sako factory in Finland to see how they are made. It is the latest in his Stalking Success series.
▶ For more about Sako, visit www.sako.fi
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Why shoot deer?
There are more than two million red, roe, fallow, sika, muntjac and Chinese water deer in Britain’s countryside and semi-urban areas, the highest level for 1,000 years. Numbers have doubled since 1999, according to the Deer Initiative, the UK government’s deer agency.
Deer are an attractive and an important part of our wildlife. However, they have no natural predator in the UK so numbers must be sensibly and strategically managed to keep them in balance with their habitat and to prevent damage to crops, trees, woodland flora, gardens and other wildlife.
Deer cause £4.5 million-worth (Forestry Commission Scotland) of damage to plantations and other commercial woodlands in Scotland. Crop damage is estimated at £4.3m a year according to DEFRA, with the greatest damage on cereal crops in east and south-west England.
More than 8,000 hectares (Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology) of woodland with SSI status is currently in ‘unfavourable’ or ‘recovering’ condition due to deer impacts such as browsing and fraying. Deer can also influence the variety of wildlife in woodlands and other habitats by altering structural and plant species diversity. According to the University of East Anglia’s Dr Paul Dolman, that has resulted in a 50% decline in woodland bird numbers where deer are present, impacting particularly on nightingales, blackcaps, chiffchaffs and warblers.
Deer are susceptible to Bovine TB and may be responsible for the transmission of TB to cattle. They are also the likely driver behind the UK’s increasing tick population (Scharlemann et al 2008).
Happily, venison is a delicious meat. It is wild, natural and free range, and - almost fat-free - it is one of the healthiest meats available today. Results from research commissioned by the Game-to-Eat campaign (Leatherhead Food International Research 2006) suggest that there are real health benefits to eating game. Venison is high in protein, low in saturated fatty acids and contains higher levels of iron than any other red meat.
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[@therickpound]

I have used the 90s in 243, had clean kills for years on Roe, normally it’s a pass through with good wound channel, 2 days ago, was the first time I experienced complete break up before exit, with fragments found in shoulders, back straps and both haunches when butchered, she was quartering away a touch at about 80 yds, hit a rib and had split the heart, 3 exits the size of a 5p spread over about 6 inches, I still can’t believe fragments traveled backwards in the beast.

[@simonsmith9363]

Beautiful filming!!

[@kingduckford]

Bullet selection is always important. Beyond the caliber, construction is very important, weight and sectional density is surprisingly not well understood by some hunters. I've seen .224 centerfire hunting bullets fragment and fail to penetrate against heavy shoulder bone in white tail deer, showing the failures of poor construction. I ethically took a white tail with bullets I cast myself with lead alloy with a good lung shot in 375 H&H, but was surprised how little damage it did even though the bullet expanded relatively well (but very slowly, too slow for hydrostatic shock). This year my project is using a proper factory jacketed bullet with more energy in my 375 safari rifle for a white tail, taking time to research the lower power loads and the correct bullet with suitable weight and construction that will neither fail to expand and kill, nor tear the poor deer to bits and pieces.

[@jaketodd52]

Wasn't what I'd term a "test" of the Sako Gamehead Pro round. Would have been more informative to show the bullet's effect on the vitals and any possible damage visable on the skinned carcass.

[@deadeye6666]

Echos my own experience with 6.5CM, perfect shot placement followed by a search! Tried one for half a season and went back to .308win. Far better killing round with either Sako 129a or Barnes 130TTSX.

[@kanekesterton672]

Great vid

[@thegodfather_8455]

You should do a video on the best African hunting rifles/calibers

[@TOECUTTER876]

The creedmore certainly is trendy at moment but in Australia theres not alot of bullet selection and the ones available are suited more to target shooting .I,ll stick to tried and true 243 ,plenty of powders and projectiles available for self loaders.

[@TOECUTTER876]

Projectiles can be too frangable some of cores turn to dust ,Ive found nosler partitions do a better job .

[@nemanjarasula1599]

Hornady eldx do a factory load ,sako , norma and now RWS

[@nemanjarasula1599]

Norma and sako do one each for target shooting all others hunting ammo

[@DouglasShoemaker]

What supressor is Paul using on the Finlight?

[@willhughes4299]

Stalon

[@glynnrigby5512]

Jesus, England's a depressing country. Hunting around fences and power pylons, it's not the nicest ambience.