Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game SSTs for Deer?

What's the verdict? Bombs? Have a box of 140's moly'd up for a 270wsm.

I'm the wrong guy to ask as I won't use cup-and-core bullets in bolt guns on big game if there is an alternative.

At WSM speeds I'd at least use the InterBond or AccuBond or Partition.

I tend to agree. If you reload, and SINCERELY want bullet performance, I believe you should load them down a bit. Having said that, I've never used them.

I shot 11 deer with 150's from a 308. Most all were short range, less than a 100yds. 10 exited and one did not, at least exactly. The one that did not exit broke both shoulders of a buck and the jacket and core seperated. I found the jacket under the skin on the far shoulder and the lead core exited.

I think its a "softer' bullet than the standard hornady IL. I think the 150 308 would be a good hunting choice for cartridges like 300 savage or in 308 or 30.06 for longer ranges.

It wouldn't be my choice for animals larger than deer or for hunting with very high velocity cartridges.(300 mags)

If the target bullets didn't work.. it might be a choice for long range target work and plinking.

From what I saw this season I'm inclined to agree, the 165 gr. .308" SST does seem to be relativley soft. I haven't tried a .277" SST though.

I have used 117s in a 25-06. They were responsible for a couple of bang/flops. Just under 3000 fps MV and ranges under 100 yards, both through the ribs, broadside, very small exit. IMO they are the type of bullet that trying to salvage a shot shoulder will create some excess lead intake. I will not use them on anything larger than varmints up to coyotes.

The only two I used on deer were a 139gr in 7mm-08 and a 150 in 308. Both were started with a MV under 2700fps. The shots were broadside at 25yds and 40yds at calm animals. Both bullets hit just behind the shoulder breaking one rib then fragmented taking out only one lung. Both deer required longer tracking than I prefer. I won't say the bullets failed cuz there was a dead deer at the end of a blood trail. I will say the bullets did not perform to my expectations and I no longer use them. I switched to the Interbond and have been thrilled with their performance.

RH

I use the 129gr SST's in my 264 Win Mag,they whop the HELL out of deer,hogs and varmints.I've never had a problem with them.

My brother used them for years in a 6mm Remington. Had no way to know speed at the time but had no troubles with them. He killed several deer with them a year for a few years.

Been using them on deer/antelope for past several years with great results. Many dropped in thier tracks instantly, including mule deer up to 320lbs live weight. Bullet placement is obviously more important than the bullet IMO.

I only have experience with the .308 150s and 165s. IME these light for cal SSTs pushed fast will often explode. I took several whitetails with the .308 150s and witnessed a few as well(2950-3200 fps). They often wouldn't exit even at the 2950 MV. Alot of fragments and core seperations. The .308 165s held better on deer. I wouldn't hesitate to use them at 308 win velocity. I load the 165s for a friends 308 win(2700fps) and he's had good results thus far.

I've had alittle better luck with NBTs.

Good Luck

Reloader7RM

the SST could be the best varmint bullet in hornadys line. HAPPY HUNTING

That's similar to what I've done with them. I loaded them for a friend's 308 to about 2750 fps on top of 46 grains of Varget.

Mathman, that's close to the load I used. 45grns Varget, win brass, and WLRs for 2700fps with single digit SD. It is a LVSF Remington and after I free floated and bedded it, it shoots sub moa with that load at 200.

Have a good one,

loder

I've loaded them (140 sst/270) for years for my buddy's son. We have them going very accurate at about 2800 fps so it's not hot.
The kid has a golden horseshoe during huting season and usually gets 3-4 deer per year for the crew he hunts with.
Nobody in his crew could believe the size of holes the bullets were leaving....they had not seen what a plastic tip cup and core can do. Some of the older hunters refused to believe he was using a 270.
Anyhow after years of cleaning his shot up deer they politely told him when he was out of that ammo he should go to something different. I just loaded him up some normal 140 horn bt's for the upcoming years....no more big big holes.

A very interesting topic for me, and I hope others too.
I load a 139gr. SST for my 7mm08 (41gr. of IMR 4350 to get excellent accuracy at just under 2700fps).
The first deer I shot with it was at about 90 yards - excellent placement behind the shoulder. He turned as though unaffected, but I saw blood coming from the exit wound. He then ran for over 100 yards before dying.
This disappointed me because with other loads (same caliber) under seemingly similar circumstances, I had more dramatic results - the deer fell and died instantly. This result is similar to what himmelrr posted.
The next deer I shot with the same load presented a totally different result. The buck came out of the dense bush walking away from me. The shot was between 80-90 yards. I aimed about 2" to the left of his anus, and shot. To my surprise, he dropped like a ton of bricks, never flinched and died where I hit him.
The SST entered where I aimed, significantly damaged his hip and guts, and exited on his right side through the skin covering his liver.
My point is that the SST performed very well on the second deer for what I believe was a much more difficult (and maybe less mortal) shot placement.
I have shot many deer under many different conditions and shot placements. It is important to me that I shoot well and understand what happens. However, I'm still not sure why some animals die the way they do - despite appropriate shot placement/loads/calibers, etc. Conversely, there were times I felt I shot poorly, and the animals died instantly.
I'd gladly change the SST's for a bullet I thought was better. But what bullet, and under what circumstances?
In fact, I used to load Nosler Partitions for this rifle. They killed well, but lacked the accuracy I wanted. So, I switched to the SST. Then I got the accuracy I want, but still lack an understanding about performance/killing affect.
So I'll watch this topic and hope to get some clarity for a topic I believe will be very important to settle.

I have taken a couple of deer with a 270 Win and 130 grain SST at 3070 muzzle vel, the first a older doe was behind the shoulder in the ribs with a nickle size entrance and a quarter size exit.

The second was a 7 point buck that was chasing a doe and at forty yards angling away and when I walked up to him I said I would never use the SST again as there was a grapefruit size hole in his side starting at his first rib and going forward toward his shoulder. About that time my hunting buddy walked up and I was telling him how the bullet had failed by coming apart on impact but when I opened him up to field dress I noticed how the bullet had busted 7 ribs down one side deflected across his body broke another rib and I found the lead core and the jacket seperated but side by side in the offside shoulder.

This seemed like good penetration from a cup and core bullet and I had made a bad call about bullet performance before looking at the actual damage.

Still after all that for whitetail deer I have gone back to the Hornady interlock.

Yukoner here from the forum uses the 30 cal bullet in his 300 Win for Caribou.If it works for that deer will be no problems.

I've only shot one deer with the 139 grain in a 280. It worked well, but one deer isn't much of a test.

I have used 30 caliber 180 grain SSTs on deer with satisfactory results. I have not used 270 caliber 140 grainers, so I cannot speak to that with authority. But given the SST's reputation as being a "soft" bullet, I would tend to limit them to broadside ribcage shots. Nothing sux like wounding a deer and having it hobble off and die an agonizing death and not be recovered. That happens when soft bullets are placed in hard spots on game. Personally, I would choose a tougher and heavier bullet to hunt with from the 270 WSM (or 270 Win for that matter).

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