Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Hornady Superformance Ammo

Are there any solid reviews on this site or others on the current Hornady Superformance Ammo? Specifically .270 loadings. I noticed on their ammo they claim 3200FPS with a 130 gmx from a 24" barrel - that is flat out humming. That bullet at that speed would be a flat hammer.

My current Nosler Partition loads are maxed out with a 130 at around 3150 behind w760.

I am mainly curious if the advertised speeds are actual and what is the "typical" accuracy expectations as well as velocity spreads?

Thanks

The few boxes I shot out of a 24" 30-06 made the advertised the velocity, the accuracy was ho-hum.

Will 50fps make that much difference?

I haven't bought any in a while. I bought a couple of boxes of 308/150's and 30-06/165's right after they were introduced. Neither matched speed claims, but the 308 was close and faster than I could duplicate with hand loads. Accuracy was acceptable, I'd hunt with it. My hand loads are a little more accurate, but probably not enough to matter.

I was able to match the speeds I got with their 30-06 loads with my hand loads, and with much better accuracy. I've noted that they have since modified the speed claims on their 30-06 ammo. And I did get a notice that the 30-06 ammo I bought had been recalled. I'd already shot it by the time I got the recall notice. Don't know if that was the reason for poor performance or not.



That is 50 fps at the muzzle with a different bullet. At 200 yards a GMX with a 50 fps head start will be closer to 200 fps faster than a Partition.

I know you are looking for 270 experience, but I tried some in my heavy barreled 22-250. The accuracy was roughly 1.5" groups at 100 yards. Not very good.

Its good stuff in their 6.5 creedmoor ammo. Their velocity claims are pretty accurate.

I have tried 270, 7 mag, 25-06, 30-06 and all shot very poorly overall. I tried one other caliber which escapes me right now. It shot about normal for factory ammo in that rifle. I mostly see it when someone buys a bunch and wants me to help them sight in their rifle. I would never recommend it based on what I have seen accuracy wise. I have never run a single round of it over a chronograph since it was never for my rifles.

One of the guys I load for brought a box of it to me for a 270. If I remember right it was very close on the speed. Accuracy not so good but usable. I much prefer a Barnes 110 TTSX for my 270. Much faster, very accurate. Outstanding performance on 8 deer a couple at 25 feet on out to almost 300 yards.

The 225 Gr Hornady load in my 338 RCM 20" is right at 2700 FPS and accurate.
Cant match it with handloads for speed.

Don't know where you got that. According to my Oehler software, plugging in the stated velocities and the published BCs, at 200 yards the GMX would be running 2778 fps, while the Partition would be 2691fps. A difference of 87 fps, not 200!

Moreover, at 300 yds, the difference in trajectory would be less than 3/4". Why bother??

The 130 grain GMX wasn't super accurate in my .270 but the velocity was within about 20 fps of advertised (24" tube). The 140 grain SST is scary accurate in my rifle and consistently produces 1/2" groups, with velocity almost exactly as advertised. I don't think I ever did an actual average for velocities with the 140 grain SST because I was so impressed with the accuracy that I really didn't care. I do know that a few shots registered higher velocity than advertised with the 140s.

A friend of mine is an outdoor editor. They are sponsored by Hornady. They had 6 Creed ammo that was hitting the target in five pieces at less than 50 yards. It was spinning apart.

SST bullets are crap at normal velocity and they sped them up!! WTF.

Never used them myself but why are the SST's crap?

When those were introduced I bought one box of ammo for 270, 30-06, 300 Win Mag, and 35 Whelen. The accuracy results were very poor in each and every caliber so I never bought any more of Super Performance.

I have only used the 25-06 117 gr SST load and they shoot sub MOA in my Ruger #1. I don't have a chrony but they produce noticeably more recoil than my 115 gr Partion loads so they must be getting a few extra fps.

Some of the people who work at Hornady are a bit of an azzhole (IMHO); but apart from that, the performance in my .270 Win is near 3175 fps -ish and 3/4" to 1.2" depending on lot number in my 24" Model 70.

I also agree on this.

Sounds a little too inconsistent on the accuracy side to really start pushing them...I'll stay content with my 130 partitions at 3150...maybe play around with a 130 accubond this spring.

Good choice 👍

Not a writer. I bought a large supply of the forerunner " Light Magnum" for my favorite mule deer gun, a custom stocked FN Mauser 24", made around '58-9. The LM 180 interlock, were rated @ 2880, chronograph a little over 2900 and shot multiple groups of three a bit over 1" at mostly 1 1/8.

I don't ever recall missing a deer or coyote with that load. I'm about out, so I hope the Superformance does as well. I have a loader, but prefer factory as I'm not a high volume '06 shooter.

They worked for me.

Jack

I haven't had great luck with precision in Superformance ammo, with the notable exception of some 243 ammo pushing super-light bullets (58s, IIRC?) through my BLR. That rifle positively loves that ammo! If I have chrono results for that ammo, I don't recall where I've put it.

I've never experience very good accuracy with either Hornady Superformance or Federal's souped up version. I'll give up a few fps with handloads for much better accuracy.

My experience with Superformance ammo was not good. Used to sight in a rifle for a friend. Also saw a friend shoot it next to me out of a 308. 2" groups. Federal match factory out of his gun went .6".

.30-06 and 150s

Have head shot one moose at @30 yards, and 7? (maybe several more- I forget just where I switched to SPs) caribou from @ 60 yards to 433 yards.
I'm quite happy with the rifle, the round's accuracy and trajectory,, and the terminal performance, especially 300 yards and out.

Rifle is sighted in with SP at 300 yard zero. Factory Corlokts are nearly as accurate, but at 300 yards hit 6" lower and 3" left.

"Rifle is sighted in with SP at 300 yard zero."

Well, I'm pretty sure it is.... I was running a bit short of ammo, not available here, so after the above group (and one caribou at 100-150 yards where the bullet went higher than I wanted), I cranked 4 clicks down elevation, keying off the previous left shift. Did not re-shoot, which makes me a bit nervous. Not a good practice...

Next hunt, bullet went to cross-hair hold (lung-center) at @290 yards on the first caribou, and went to lung center with a line-of-back hold on the second caribou at a ranged 433 yards. Still haven't re-shot for group/poi, tho I now have another box of ammo.

Does that count?

Had 6 caribou cold tonight after work at a ranged 271 yards, but I think they were all young bulls, currently not legal until Feb 1. Could not determine for certain sex at that range, as they were all of a size (no calves, either) except one slightly larger. I believe they were 5 19 mo. old, and one a year older.

All were small antlered, but so are cows (legal right now), but I couldn't see penis sheathes on any, nor vulva patches on the two that did turn away. They kept their tails down, and I couldn't be certain, sooooo, I called them bulls. Then they laid down!

I'd seen them first about a mile and a half away, working toward me, wind in my face. Cut the distance in half with the snow machine, and waited behind a small ridge, and they walked right into me, on a small flat off the point. Had a good time watching them for a half hour or so, but couldn't make any of them legal...

Sun was down, 0 degrees with 15-mph wind, and a freezer already full of meat, so I took some pics with my new Canon T5 and telephoto, but without a tripod or stabilizer lens they will likely be blurry. Camera is warming slowly inside a plastic bag now to prevent condensation - be a couple hours before I can check.

A good time, and I don't have to clean anything!

I've used their Superformance varmint bullets- my .223 and .22-250 shot them very well, my .243 didn't shoot well with the 58-grain load well at all. I don't own a chronograph so I don't know if I am getting the advertised speeds, but I am happy with the .223 and .22-250 loads performance on ground hogs thus far!

The SST is accurate and looks good. I won't shoot a bullet that dynamites on game. I shot 150s from a .308 and they dynamited on small white-tailed does. I will never hunt with them again. There are way better options.

The .270 130gr. SST load is a favorite of my 24" factory barrelled M700. Velocity (from drops) is as advertised and it shoots 3 in the .6's.

As an aside, these are VERY soft bullets. Mostly recover fragments and not many exit wounds.

Hornady .308 150 grain IB Superperformance out of my Ruger Hawkeye RSI (18.5" barrel) chronoed a touch over 2800 fps. Groups at an inch 3 shots.

I don't know about the velocity claims, but lots # 3152824 and 3152837 of the 129 grain SST 6.5 Creedmoor ammo shoot great groups from my RAR-P and V2. Actually, it shoots so good, that if I was compelled to tinker, I could shoot this Hornady ammo without worrying if I could do better.

I chronoed the 180 grain SP out of 2 .30-06 rifles, velocity was really close to blue box Federal.

Unimpressed.




P

My Rem 700 300WM loves the 180 grain Superformance SST's and in the last 5 years I've killed 2 Elk and 2 Axis bucks with 4 rounds and all animals all piled up within steps of taking the hit.They work well for me and when I shoot it at the range I'm getting .75" groups consistently. I'll stay with them.

The Hornady Creedmoor ammo is very accurate and has been reasonably priced.

I learned at SCI Hornady will not make any more 6.5 Creedmoor 140 grain AMAX ammo. They are moving to the 143 grain ELD-M, or whatever it's called. There will still be 120 grain ammo available.

Thanks for the info, I guess I'll have to try the 143's when I run out of the 140's. I sure hope they shoot as well as the 140's

They finally started making the .444 Marlin 265 grain Superperformance again and I bought a couple boxes last fall. Accuracy was very good in my rifle. I used it to shoot a medium sized doe at about 25 yards. I didn't see the 3/4" tree that was about a foot in front of the deer, the bullet hit the tree and completely penetrated the deer and broke the offside shoulder. The doe ran about 15 yards and Ray Charles could have followed the blood trail. My favorite ammo in the .444.

My Ruger 7mm08 stacks both the Superformance SSTs and GMX bullets on top of each other. Velocity was very close to what is advertised. They shoot so well, I haven't reloaded anything for this rifle.

I just picked up 5 boxes of these....already have a handload worked up but m y dealer order them previously and I took them
Figure I'll have another 100 pc of brass reguardless

Serious Question or 2.

Is this evidence that Hornady made changes in the construction of the SST?
-----------OR

Is it evidence of different jacket designs between 150 & 180 ?

Jerry

Hornady's 35 Whelen 200 gr. as I recall ran 2912 fps just above what Hornady shows on the box but accuracy was +2" at 100 on a gun that can shoot much better with most loads.

REDUX - sincere ?
Not just a bump.

Tried them in several calibers, not impressed with accuracy.

I'm with ya Marm. The LEVERevolution stuff has been pretty handy though.

The 243 win 95gr SSTs shoot very well out of my model 7. But I've been hesitant to use them due to lack of reports of on game performance of the 6mm SST.