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#12553189 01/15/18
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I have never tried the SST will someone tell
Me how you like them and how they perform? Thank you
I would really appreciate it.

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The ones I've seen are soft but they were early ones. They may have made them a little stouter since then.

95gr 6mm
154gr 7mm
150gr .308


No exits and very destructive


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Originally Posted by Bearcat74

The ones I've seen are soft but they were early ones. They may have made them a little stouter since then.

95gr 6mm
154gr 7mm
150gr .308


No exits and very destructive

Thanks buddy👍🏻

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Took a buck this year and it was a shot right behind the shoulder at about 100 yds which wasn’t far, but when I walked to the spot where he was standing there was pieces of lung and blood about three feet further back. He ran about 20 yds and had about 1.5-2” exit on the opposite side. Performed great for me. Oh and it was a 6.5x55 rifle.


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I ran the 139 grain for a bit when I had a 280 Remington, seemed soft, I switched back to the 139 grain interlock ....I was loading to 3000 fps, might be ok at lower velocity. Defiantly caused meat damage if you clipped a major bone etc. they shoot pretty good. I don’t know if they have changed. Nosler went through the same learning curve with the ballistic tips . For a basic cup and core bullet the interlock is very good imo.to be fair I have not used them in many years. These days I’ve been running accubond and ttsx, and som ballistic tips. I did pick up some hornady eld-x for my 243ai and my 280 ai. What rifle did you plan on trying them in?

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Originally Posted by goodshot
I ran the 139 grain for a bit when I had a 280 Remington, seemed soft, I switched back to the 139 grain interlock ....I was loading to 3000 fps, might be ok at lower velocity. Defiantly caused meat damage if you clipped a major bone etc. they shoot pretty good. I don’t know if they have changed. Nosler went through the same learning curve with the ballistic tips . For a basic cup and core bullet the interlock is very good imo.to be fair I have not used them in many years. These days I’ve been running accubond and ttsx, and som ballistic tips. I did pick up some hornady eld-x for my 243ai and my 280 ai. What rifle did you plan on trying them in?

30-06 bolt action

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I used a couple of them this year. 129 grain SST's in the 6.5mm Isle. I shot them out of 260 Remington brass. One whitetail shot through the shoulders and another shot through the neck. Each was over 100 yards and each resulted in full penetration. I would not hesitate to shoot that bullet at 2800 to 2900 fps on whitetails again next year.


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Originally Posted by CrimsonTide
I used a couple of them this year. 129 grain SST's in the 6.5mm Isle. I shot them out of 260 Remington brass. One whitetail shot through the shoulders and another shot through the neck. Each was over 100 yards and each resulted in full penetration. I would not hesitate to shoot that bullet at 2800 to 2900 fps on whitetails again next year.

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I am shooting the 117 gr .25 caliber SST at a sluggish velocity of 2660 in a 250 savage. I had full penetration from just under 200 yards to over 330 yards. Not one deer has traveled over 35 yards.

I chose this bullet because the Hornady tech said the SST bullet would open up quicker even at the sluggish velocity I am shooting... so far the results have been stellar.

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Originally Posted by Bearcat74

The ones I've seen are soft but they were early ones. They may have made them a little stouter since then.

95gr 6mm
154gr 7mm
150gr .308


No exits and very destructive

IME, all these are still pretty soft. They exit broadside lungs, but I'd be leery of any quartering shots, at least at near 3k starting speed. I've seen the 154 make softball-size exits in deer a few times. The deer are dead right there, but it's....overkill.


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Originally Posted by ChaseA1
I have never tried the SST will someone tell
Me how you like them and how they perform? Thank you
I would really appreciate it.

My experiences mirror others here. The SST's are quite destructive, but kept at reasonable speed, they kill well. I learned to step up in bullet weight or step down in speed with them. Out of an '06, I run the 165's and 180's for deer and elk. I prefer the 180 for elk and the 165 for deer, but the other way works too.


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I've killed several antelope with 139's from a 7-08.

They killed quickly but were too soft. There was far too much blood shot meat to my way of thinking. If you use them, keep the bullet in the ribs and off the shoulder.


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The SST performs well at low velocity in reduced recoil loads, but they expand violently and penetrate poorly when MV gets over 2600ish.

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Originally Posted by ChaseA1
Originally Posted by goodshot
I ran the 139 grain for a bit when I had a 280 Remington, seemed soft, I switched back to the 139 grain interlock ....I was loading to 3000 fps, might be ok at lower velocity. Defiantly caused meat damage if you clipped a major bone etc. they shoot pretty good. I don’t know if they have changed. Nosler went through the same learning curve with the ballistic tips . For a basic cup and core bullet the interlock is very good imo.to be fair I have not used them in many years. These days I’ve been running accubond and ttsx, and som ballistic tips. I did pick up some hornady eld-x for my 243ai and my 280 ai. What rifle did you plan on trying them in?

30-06 bolt action


I have used the 150 grain SSTs and 150 grain Nosler BTs in 30-06 for the last few years and can't tell much if any difference between them on our skinny Carolina deer. I don't recall ever not getting an exit hole and 9 out of 10 times you get a blood trail Mr. Magoo could follow. I hunt from a stand and I do tend to wait for broadside lung shots. Like any softpoint 150 grain out of a 30-06, they can wreck a shoulder quarter if you hit it. If you are planning to shoot at any angle or have a chance at shooting a buck over 200 lbs, moving up to the 165's might be a good idea.

That said, I don't know that the polymer tipped bullets are much if any better than traditional soft points unless you are going to shoot at really long range. That is what they are designed for.


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I love the SST's.

95gr @ 3150 in .243 & 117gr @ 3100 in 25-06.

I do not take marginal shots, only behind the shoulder, on settled deer. Always had full penetration (exit) & beautiful, short blood trails.

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Originally Posted by doctor_Encore
I am shooting the 117 gr .25 caliber SST at a sluggish velocity of 2660 in a 250 savage. I had full penetration from just under 200 yards to over 330 yards. Not one deer has traveled over 35 yards.

I chose this bullet because the Hornady tech said the SST bullet would open up quicker even at the sluggish velocity I am shooting... so far the results have been stellar.

Good information. Thanks Doc. I'm looking for a heavy 250 Savage bullet and you may have given me what I am looking for.


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I've been using the 129g SST's in one of my 6.5x55's. At a little over 2800 pfs they've given me good results on behind the shoulder shots. I tried the 139g SST's in a 7mm Mag at about 3200 and they exploded on impact


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I have gone to the 139 grain SST out of my 7mm-08 as my go to bullet of choice because I do want a faster opening bullet after losing the only buck I've ever shot with a rifle using a too hard Barnes 140 grain TSX. Five drops of blood and two days of looking convinced me that I'll take five pounds of bloodshot rib meat over 200# of wasted deer. While I didn't get an exit wound from the last buck I shot with the SST, it was a close shot and at a steep angle, so I probably hit the spine for and instant drop.The SST is an Interlock bullet with a plastic tip that didn't batter in the magazine during recoil like the soft point Interlock. That Interlock is a terrific deer bullet as well. A 165 grain Interlock from my .308 gave me an almost immediate easy to follow 50 yard blood trail on another buck.


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I had some initial reservations about the 95 grain SST when I loaded them for a friend's 243. A number of years and deer later I can report they've been good performers. They're coming out of a 20" barrel so the velocity isn't too high for them. (I don't recall us shooting this rifle over the chrono.) This SST is a flat based bullet with a long straight shank section.

I don't think it has been used on a quartering on, point of the shoulder shot, so no comment there.

My friend's son shot a good sized buck quartering away and hit him a little far back so the exit was behind the opposite side shoulder. The bullet didn't blow up as far as I could tell from the wound track, and the buck only staggered about fifty feet.

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In our experience, double lung, hitting ribs in & out, typically sees only a 1" exit wound.

If too tight to the shoulder/s, you will have to clean under the "armpits", once hung, due to hydrostatic shock.

If there is anything behind the deer, when shot, it will be covered in blood & lung material.

smile


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I shot 6 deer with the 150 SST out of a 308, They were accurate and killed quickly, I had exits on 5 of the 6 and the sixth hit the shoulder going in and the lead core exited and I found the jacket under the skin. My feeling is that the 150 is a decent choice for deer in the 308 or 300 savage, if I were loading for the 06, I might hedge my bet by going to the 165. If you like quick expanding bullets that kill pretty quick and you can avoid highly raking shots where lots of penetration is needed they might be a good choice. If you want a bullet that will make two holes and penetrate on the tougher shots, or hunt where black bear or big pigs are a thing, there might be surer choices.


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I have used them extensively on deer in several different chamberings and I find them to be excellent killers of deer sized game.

As stated, stay with heavy for caliber bullets and place your shots in the vitals because they are a rapid expanding bullet.


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I helped a couple guys on a black bear hunt several years ago. One of the fellows was visiting from the prairies and the goal was to get him on a bear his set up was a 300 win mag with 150gr sst's of all things confused Ended up finding the visiting shooter a decent bear and he shot it a bit far back on a quartering away shot. Things worked out better than I would have thought actually it was about a 120 yd shot and the bullet entered behind the last rib, clipping the stomach, vaporizing the liver, one lung and exiting the shoulder. Not a pretty shot but the bear made it around 60 yards and piled up for good. Damage to the quarter that it exited was extensive, a couple softballs worth of blood shot meat. As someone said back there wait for a broadside, don't shoot them in the meat and they work fine, still wouldn't recommend them for bear tho

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I shoot 140 grain SST's out of a 270 WSM at 3150 fps. Most of the whitetails I've shot with that load are about 200-250 yards away.

I've gotten full penetration on every one. I generally shoot the deer just behind the shoulder. No huge wounds, typical smaller entry and larger exit. Deer generally run not more than 50 ft.

They're very accurate in my rifle.

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I'd be interested in how they work in 180gr fired from a 308Win. According to Knowledge Base Ballistics Studies the slower speed of the 308Win is actually good for the 180gr SST.

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Originally Posted by Rob96
I'd be interested in how they work in 180gr fired from a 308Win. According to Knowledge Base Ballistics Studies the slower speed of the 308Win is actually good for the 180gr SST.



Rob96 ,

They will work great , I shoot 208 amax out of my model Seven 308 - copied off of MontanaMarine . The little 308 is a destoyer with heavy for caliber fast opening long range bullets .


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Thanks everyone for the information!!!

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Originally Posted by ol_mike
Originally Posted by Rob96
I'd be interested in how they work in 180gr fired from a 308Win. According to Knowledge Base Ballistics Studies the slower speed of the 308Win is actually good for the 180gr SST.



Rob96 ,

They will work great , I shoot 208 amax out of my model Seven 308 - copied off of MontanaMarine . The little 308 is a destoyer with heavy for caliber fast opening long range bullets .


Great to hear.

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Do the SST's typically like a lot of jump?

Was building loads for 7mm-08 with 139 SST. Anything close to 2.8" shot poorly. Best groups were .070 off at 2.75"

Next rifle getting the SST treatment is a 260 Rem with match chamber. Likes everything around 2.805-2.815, including 130 Accubond, 130 ELD-M and some others. Measurement to lands with the 130 SST gives COAL of 2.818. First groups at typical lengths were poor which got me to thinking about what the bullet likes. Interested to hear what others have learned about the SST.

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Originally Posted by Dantheman
I shoot 140 grain SST's out of a 270 WSM at 3150 fps.

They're very accurate in my rifle.

Dan


Good to hear about a positive experience even at higher velocities. The 140 is one that got a makeover as the originals were bombs. I think Hornaday beefed them up the second year of production.

Prose: Not too much experience with loading them but I treat them like any other pointy boat tail bullet and go from magazine length to way off the lands with 0.05 to 0.5" sometimes being the sweet spot. I think in general the accuracy potential is there just a matter of finding it.


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Originally Posted by Rob96
I'd be interested in how they work in 180gr fired from a 308Win. According to Knowledge Base Ballistics Studies the slower speed of the 308Win is actually good for the 180gr SST.


Like Mike said. If you're stepping up that high in weight, I would look at the ELD-M line as well. With the 178, you should be low enough MV to take any shot with that as you would with the SST. The extra BC will extend your range if that matters.

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Originally Posted by ol_mike
Originally Posted by Rob96
I'd be interested in how they work in 180gr fired from a 308Win. According to Knowledge Base Ballistics Studies the slower speed of the 308Win is actually good for the 180gr SST.



Rob96 ,

They will work great , I shoot 208 amax out of my model Seven 308 - copied off of MontanaMarine . The little 308 is a destoyer with heavy for caliber fast opening long range bullets .



I can say this for teh amax though, the 208s will not open with an MV of 1000 fps. FWIW.


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The SST's are not soft! I hunted with a guy who using a 300 Win Mag shot 2 mule deer, an elk and a moose, all DRT and full penetration. The moose was shot at 80 yards thru the shoulders and the bullet exited with one very bloody and dead moose!

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Chase I use 140gr SST and BTSP exclusively in my 270 for our big deer up here in Sask. with stellar results. Mature bucks weigh +- 300lbs. Most shots are complete pass thrus. The deer do not travel far after being hit with these bullets. 25yds or less. And accuracy is always under an inch at 100yds. Cheers.

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I have used the 165gr sst for years in a 30-06 and will continue to do so. Switched to them from 165gr ballistic tips because I wasn't getting the terminal performance I wanted. I have only had 2 not exit. Both large bodied bucks, the first quartering toward entered in front of left shoulder and stopped under hide in front of right quarter, the second was quartering away and I hit the base of the neck. Bullet ended up at the base of the skull. Both DRT. I have zero complaints about them.

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I had poor performance using 150 SSTs, from a short .308. There is no way that I will use them again, as there are plenty of better bullets available, such as Interlocks Supposedly, they have beefed up the jackets a little and that would help. They are probably OK if you want lots of damage, but the lower velocities are best, if you want to use them. I shot them at 2550 and they dynamited on small white-tailed does. To me, that is very poor performance for ANY bullet. They do shoot accurately, though. I think that the ELDM is actually a better bullet and it is a target bullet.


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Originally Posted by sbhooper
I had poor performance using 150 SSTs, from a short .308. There is no way that I will use them again, as there are plenty of better bullets available, such as Interlocks Supposedly, they have beefed up the jackets a little and that would help. They are probably OK if you want lots of damage, but the lower velocities are best, if you want to use them. I shot them at 2550 and they dynamited on small white-tailed does. To me, that is very poor performance for ANY bullet. They do shoot accurately, though. I think that the ELDM is actually a better bullet and it is a target bullet.


That is not my experience with the current 150 gr. SST. Do you just hate tipped bullets? Were you intentionally shooting shoulders? You do know that shooting bone destroys meat no matter what don't you?


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Originally Posted by HuntnShoot
Originally Posted by Bearcat74

The ones I've seen are soft but they were early ones. They may have made them a little stouter since then.

95gr 6mm
154gr 7mm
150gr .308


No exits and very destructive

IME, all these are still pretty soft. They exit broadside lungs, but I'd be leery of any quartering shots, at least at near 3k starting speed. I've seen the 154 make softball-size exits in deer a few times. The deer are dead right there, but it's....overkill.


Overkill?


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SOme bullets hitting bone destroy much less than others. Results are still dead deer.

We ran some SSTs, 130s and 150s, in 270 for my buddies dad. He was getting older and didn't always hit em perfectly.... thought that more expansion might net shorter trails. It seemed to help some, but the meat damage on a shoulder shot was more than any of us liked. But it helped with less trailing.

Then I ran the mono light and fast theory for grins since I prefer barnes over abotu any other choice anyway.

Come to find out a 95 ttsx in a 270 they don't usually go very far and even so if hit to far back, OR if hit to far forward through bones there really was not significant meat damage.

Of course YMMV.


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Originally Posted by rickt300
Originally Posted by HuntnShoot
Originally Posted by Bearcat74

The ones I've seen are soft but they were early ones. They may have made them a little stouter since then.

95gr 6mm
154gr 7mm
150gr .308


No exits and very destructive

IME, all these are still pretty soft. They exit broadside lungs, but I'd be leery of any quartering shots, at least at near 3k starting speed. I've seen the 154 make softball-size exits in deer a few times. The deer are dead right there, but it's....overkill.


Overkill?

The theory that a huge exit hole just makes a mess and wastes meat depending on the location of the hit. Not really over kill but over damage or destruction is a more realistic wording...

Having run nosler BTs out of a 300 wtby mag that my BIL gave me to try, I only shot about 3 deer in the ribs to find that they still ran like hell at the shot( IMHO they run from noise, more than anything else and the 300s are loud) and had substantial damage and were a mess to clean. So why?


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I'm pretty sure the SST's were designed for long range shooting of medium game. Cool the velocity down and things will be rosy. Some of us who don't hunt open country like large blood leaking exit holes. The last lease I had if you didn't find the animal before dark it was 90% sure all you would recover the next day was bones, either coyotes or feral hogs had a meal. Substantial damage usually means the animal travels less after the hit. But shoot what you want, I like Partitions too, another bullet your not fond of.


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It's been a few years since I shot them. I was using 139 gr out of a .280 at 200-225 yds. on a mule deer. Pretty bloody for a behind the shoulder hit. The accuracy was great. Just a bit more spectacular on the receiving end than I was used to with 120 B-Tips.


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i have shot 2 deer in Canada with a sst and 165 gr. out of an 06 both ran a bit and lots of bloodshot meat. they died. tried a nosler 165 and had drt with same shot placement.not a big deal just noticeable difference in reaction . very big deer, range on all was from 150 to 100 yards. nosler for me is the choice!

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Two years ago I shot a mule deer at about 100 yards. quartering way with a 6.5 Creedmor I believe 129 grain SST, whatever the Hornady loading is. Dropped on the spot and broke the offside shoulder. Sample of one but no issues from my perspective.


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Originally Posted by rickt300
I'm pretty sure the SST's were designed for long range shooting of medium game. Cool the velocity down and things will be rosy. Some of us who don't hunt open country like large blood leaking exit holes. The last lease I had if you didn't find the animal before dark it was 90% sure all you would recover the next day was bones, either coyotes or feral hogs had a meal. Substantial damage usually means the animal travels less after the hit. But shoot what you want, I like Partitions too, another bullet your not fond of.


I hunt country as thick as anyone else. I've yet to have an issue finding a deer or pig that runs off. Even if, like pigs, sometimes you really have no blood trail. We have the same issue if you don't find it that evening. Loss of animal, and even if you find it, its most likely spoiled anyway the next morning. If its a must.. CNS is the only way to rely.

Like anything, we all have our preferences.

I"d shoot a partition before I"d shoot an SST. I've really nothing against partitions, after I learned to use the right ones. Like 200s for 300s, not 180s.


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Originally Posted by rickt300
Originally Posted by sbhooper
I had poor performance using 150 SSTs, from a short .308. There is no way that I will use them again, as there are plenty of better bullets available, such as Interlocks Supposedly, they have beefed up the jackets a little and that would help. They are probably OK if you want lots of damage, but the lower velocities are best, if you want to use them. I shot them at 2550 and they dynamited on small white-tailed does. To me, that is very poor performance for ANY bullet. They do shoot accurately, though. I think that the ELDM is actually a better bullet and it is a target bullet.


That is not my experience with the current 150 gr. SST. Do you just hate tipped bullets? Were you intentionally shooting shoulders? You do know that shooting bone destroys meat no matter what don't you?


Gee, I never thought about bones destroying bullets! I have only shot about 200 deer and quite a few elk and antelope. Those bullets were shot into the rib cage and totally came apart. It has nothing to do with tipped bullets. Is your comment about tipped bullets, due to me liking a bullet that rarely fails and does not have a pretty tip? I use tipped bullets and like GOOD ones. (head shake imoji inserted here)

Last edited by sbhooper; 03/25/18.

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I will admit that I have no recent experience with SSTs, but with so many other good bullets available these days, I see no reason to try them again. YMMV.


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The Ballistic Tips went through a long period of this kind of bashing and were changed several times because of it. Properly used the SST's are good for what they were designed for. All things have performance perameters. The 123 SST is the bullet of choice for the 6.5 Grendel.


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Originally Posted by sbhooper
Originally Posted by rickt300
Originally Posted by sbhooper
I had poor performance using 150 SSTs, from a short .308. There is no way that I will use them again, as there are plenty of better bullets available, such as Interlocks Supposedly, they have beefed up the jackets a little and that would help. They are probably OK if you want lots of damage, but the lower velocities are best, if you want to use them. I shot them at 2550 and they dynamited on small white-tailed does. To me, that is very poor performance for ANY bullet. They do shoot accurately, though. I think that the ELDM is actually a better bullet and it is a target bullet.


That is not my experience with the current 150 gr. SST. Do you just hate tipped bullets? Were you intentionally shooting shoulders? You do know that shooting bone destroys meat no matter what don't you?


Gee, I never thought about bones destroying bullets! I have only shot about 200 deer and quite a few elk and antelope. Those bullets were shot into the rib cage and totally came apart. It has nothing to do with tipped bullets. Is your comment about tipped bullets, due to me liking a bullet that rarely fails and does not have a pretty tip? I use tipped bullets and like GOOD ones. (head shake imoji inserted here)


So you shot deer in the ribs, they died and your unhappy about the destruction caused? Some people actually like a bullet that does maximum damage on rib hits. I have yet to see a 150 gr. bullet not exit on small deer hit broadside through the ribs, but if I do I would think it odd. My hog rifle outfitted with night vision is loaded with the 150 gr. SST pushed to 2300 fps out of a 308. Amazingly I am getting exits most of the time, good amounts of destruction and dead hogs. I shoot for bone most of the time too. I guess the reason I am defending the SST is because I am getting perfect performance out of it for what I use it for and I don't want all this useless ranting to cause the design to be changed.


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Originally Posted by rickt300

So you shot deer in the ribs, they died and your unhappy about the destruction caused? Some people actually like a bullet that does maximum damage on rib hits. I have yet to see a 150 gr. bullet not exit on small deer hit broadside through the ribs, but if I do I would think it odd. My hog rifle outfitted with night vision is loaded with the 150 gr. SST pushed to 2300 fps out of a 308. Amazingly I am getting exits most of the time, good amounts of destruction and dead hogs. I shoot for bone most of the time too. I guess the reason I am defending the SST is because I am getting perfect performance out of it for what I use it for and I don't want all this useless ranting to cause the design to be changed.

So what powder and how much are you using to get 2300 fps with the 150gr. SST in your .308 ??
TIA

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Originally Posted by rickt300
Originally Posted by sbhooper
Originally Posted by rickt300
Originally Posted by sbhooper
I had poor performance using 150 SSTs, from a short .308. There is no way that I will use them again, as there are plenty of better bullets available, such as Interlocks Supposedly, they have beefed up the jackets a little and that would help. They are probably OK if you want lots of damage, but the lower velocities are best, if you want to use them. I shot them at 2550 and they dynamited on small white-tailed does. To me, that is very poor performance for ANY bullet. They do shoot accurately, though. I think that the ELDM is actually a better bullet and it is a target bullet.


That is not my experience with the current 150 gr. SST. Do you just hate tipped bullets? Were you intentionally shooting shoulders? You do know that shooting bone destroys meat no matter what don't you?


Gee, I never thought about bones destroying bullets! I have only shot about 200 deer and quite a few elk and antelope. Those bullets were shot into the rib cage and totally came apart. It has nothing to do with tipped bullets. Is your comment about tipped bullets, due to me liking a bullet that rarely fails and does not have a pretty tip? I use tipped bullets and like GOOD ones. (head shake imoji inserted here)


So you shot deer in the ribs, they died and your unhappy about the destruction caused? Some people actually like a bullet that does maximum damage on rib hits. I have yet to see a 150 gr. bullet not exit on small deer hit broadside through the ribs, but if I do I would think it odd. My hog rifle outfitted with night vision is loaded with the 150 gr. SST pushed to 2300 fps out of a 308. Amazingly I am getting exits most of the time, good amounts of destruction and dead hogs. I shoot for bone most of the time too. I guess the reason I am defending the SST is because I am getting perfect performance out of it for what I use it for and I don't want all this useless ranting to cause the design to be changed.


This is not useless ranting. I said nothing about being unhappy about the destruction. I could not care less about that. A bullet that completely dynamites, is not what I am looking for in a bullet. I understand that they have beefed up the jacket a bit, and that is good, but I have no need to use a marginal bullet when there are good ones available. If it works for you, I am happy for you. Personally, I will stay with bullets that I know will not fail from any angle. The reason that they work well for you is probably because you are pushing them at anemic velocities. Do what you wish, but my experience and opinion of them stay the same. They are poorest bullet Hornady ever made.


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Originally Posted by ChaseA1
I have never tried the SST will someone tell
Me how you like them and how they perform? Thank you
I would really appreciate it.

I've used the SST n deer and have no complaints at all..... actually prefer them over ballistic tips.

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Originally Posted by rickt300
The Ballistic Tips went through a long period of this kind of bashing and were changed several times because of it. Properly used the SST's are good for what they were designed for. All things have performance perameters. The 123 SST is the bullet of choice for the 6.5 Grendel.


This. An SST is NOT designed to hold together like a mono. People get in the mindset that every bullet should be built like a tank or it has "failed". These are designed to be stout enough to reach the vitals and then grenade. If you like that performance, these are GREAT. They work well to pretty low velocity, so you can extend the ranges with them as well.

If that is not the performance you like, choose a different bullet, but that does not make these a bad bullet. They're designed to do something you do not like. It's sort of like saying chocolate is a bad flavor because you like vanilla. Options are good.

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IME, SST's suck at high speed impacts. At lower velocities they are decent. I'll take a BT every time instead.


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So what powder and how much are you using to get 2300 fps with the 150gr. SST in your .308 ??
TIA[/quote]

I've been watching for a response to your question also. I have a need for such a load for a 15-yr old niece, and now myself because of shoulder issues and trying to avoid surgery. The powders that come to my mind would be SR4759 or IMR4227. One of the 4198's would get there at a little lower pressures than the first two. I use SR4759 in an old Remington 721 30-06 and 30-30 flat point bullets for just at 2,300.That old aluminum but plate gets uncomfortable for me much above this speed.
Maybe the original poster will come along and let us know what combination he's using.

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Rather than trying to reinvent a reduced recoil .308 load, why not just pick up a box of the Hornady Custom Lite .308's with either the 125 grain SST or Interlock? Problem solved.


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Originally Posted by Windfall
Rather than trying to reinvent a reduced recoil .308 load, why not just pick up a box of the Hornady Custom Lite .308's with either the 125 grain SST or Interlock? Problem solved.

That's certainly a great option if you are not a reloader and/or only shoot a few rounds a year..

RicknTN
Looking in the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook #3 I see they show the same powders you listed plus a few more..
Where it gets real interesting Is Lee's #2 manual on pages 142-148 listing reduced loads with bullet weights from 110 grs. to 225 grs.


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Re-inventing the low recoil load is most of the fun. I've only fired factory loads a few times in the last 40 years, and that was when I could buy the 20 round boxes of 223 for about $2/box.

Nrut,
The Lyman cast bullet handbook has a wealth of information on powders that usually wouldn't be used with jacketed. When loading with jacketed I do only use it as a suggestion and apply it very judiciously. I have a '90 version of the IMR loading handbook and rely on it more for reduced jacketed loads with SR4759 , IMR4227 or IMR4198. Recently I have loaded Red Dot, Unique, and 4227 with jacketed in several cartridges and it really increases the "fun" factor. Accuracy is usually pretty good too. I've found it usually doesn't take much velocity to punch a hole in paper or to ring a gong! I have a close friend who is a retired school teacher with a bad knee and hip and weighs over 500lbs. We have a gong @ 50 yards outside his garage. He loves to shoot and this is one of the few places he can get to to shoot. We cast many of our own and shoot a combination of cast or jacketed, depending on what we have available. The reduced loads work very well. I"m still curious which powder the poster who originally mentioned the 2,300fps load in the .308? It may be one of the powders mentioned? or maybe one I/we have missed. I've used 2400 before but it won't quite get there in .308 and 150 bullet, at least not at pressures I'm comfortable with.
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Quote
Quote

So what powder and how much are you using to get 2300 fps with the 150gr. SST in your .308 ??
TIA


I've been watching for a response to your question also. I have a need for such a load for a 15-yr old niece, and now myself because of shoulder issues and trying to avoid surgery. The powders that come to my mind would be SR4759 or IMR4227. One of the 4198's would get there at a little lower pressures than the first two. I use SR4759 in an old Remington 721 30-06 and 30-30 flat point bullets for just at 2,300.That old aluminum but plate gets uncomfortable for me much above this speed.
Maybe the original poster will come along and let us know what combination he's using.

Rick


In WW brass I've used 32.5 grains of H4198 with a 155 grain Amax*** and the CCI 250 magnum primer. Out of the 20" barrel of my 700 VTR it gives 2250 fps and excellent accuracy. Five shot groups average a smidge over 1/2 moa. It goes off with a pop and the rifle barely moves. Indications point to very mild pressure.

Think of it as a half MOA 30-30. grin


***The 150 SST would probably substitute right in for the Amax I used. Why the magnum primer? I had a bunch, they worked great right out of the gate, so I was never motivated to try another. Maybe there's a 1/4 moa load I'm missing out on, but probably not.

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Mathman,
Curiosity makes me ask....Have you had any issues with the headspace of your cases shrinking with your load with 4198? Primers high in the cases after firing? Just wondering if that load produces enough pressure to properly form, or keep cases properly formed to the chamber? I would have guessed 33 grains to give 2,300fps so right in there with your results. My niece has a 20" barrel also, so when I get the opportunity to do some testing I can do some parallel comparisons to your results. I can appreciate the difference in opinion of the SST bullets. What would be an excellent bullet at sedate velocity could very well become a bomb when pushed hard. I am looking for that bullet which will perform well at the sedate velocities which my niece can handle the recoil. And yes, these loads are similar to a 30-30 load, the benefit being the better shape of the bullet to retain more of the velocity than a traditional flat point 30-30 bullet. If she has the opportunity to take a shot longer than 125 yards or so it would be very unusual.
Thanks all, and I'm enjoying the conversation,
Rick

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I don't recall any post firing, high primers indicative of extra pre-firing headspace combined with very low firing pressure.

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sbhooper,

I believe the 150 .30 SST's have been beefed up considerably. Went on a deer/pig hunt in South Texas last fall, and all the rifles used among a number of hunters were 22" barreled .308's, and all the ammo used Fiocchi factories with 150 SST's. Muzzle velocity was around 2800. We killed more than two dozen animals, and the SST's not only didn't grenade, we never recovered one, even on angling shots through fairly sizeable pigs and bucks.


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Originally Posted by Nrut
Originally Posted by rickt300

So you shot deer in the ribs, they died and your unhappy about the destruction caused? Some people actually like a bullet that does maximum damage on rib hits. I have yet to see a 150 gr. bullet not exit on small deer hit broadside through the ribs, but if I do I would think it odd. My hog rifle outfitted with night vision is loaded with the 150 gr. SST pushed to 2300 fps out of a 308. Amazingly I am getting exits most of the time, good amounts of destruction and dead hogs. I shoot for bone most of the time too. I guess the reason I am defending the SST is because I am getting perfect performance out of it for what I use it for and I don't want all this useless ranting to cause the design to be changed.

So what powder and how much are you using to get 2300 fps with the 150gr. SST in your .308 ??
TIA


31.0 grains of IMR 4198, accuracy is ok for the less than100 yard shooting and it is not overly loud. Recoil is light enough that I wouldn't loose sight of the hog but the muzzle flash whites out my view. I loaded 40 and have been using them for 2 years and have 12 left. The cases seem fully obturated so I don't see any problems. Accuracy when shooting at a paper plate, 100 yards with the night vision after dark is three in 1 1/2 inches. I have been thinking about using Blue Dot when I load the cases up again.

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I'll have to give the 4198 a try. I think I'll also try some IMR4227 for similar velocity as I've had excellent results with it in several other chamberings when looking for milder than standard loads.
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Gee, you may have thrown cold water on this whole thread John

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How is the 6.5 SST Hornady 123 Gr at Grendel speeds?


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Have all the SSTs been beefed up? If not, is there a way to tell which ones have been?

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Originally Posted by kk alaska
How is the 6.5 SST Hornady 123 Gr at Grendel speeds?


I would think that it would be perfect for those speeds.


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Originally Posted by RickinTN
I'll have to give the 4198 a try. I think I'll also try some IMR4227 for similar velocity as I've had excellent results with it in several other chamberings when looking for milder than standard loads.
Rick


I'm a big fan of IMR 4227 in reduced loads myself. Don't know what top speeds you can get with a 150 in a 308 though. I have decided to go to Blue Dot for much of what I used 4227 for.


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I'm thinking the IMR4227 in a 308 with a 150gr bullet should reach about 2,250 depending on barrel lenght and fast rifle/slow rifle syndrome. I haven't tried that combo but will. One of the 4198's would be the next progression in a bit slower powder for a touch more velocity in my mind.
If the SST bullets have been beefed up I'm thinking the 160gr FTX for the Marlin express may just be a good substitute. The 30-30 version of that bullet seems to be pretty soft when shooting targets of opportunity but I have no experience with it on game. The Version for the Marlin express is a different bullet than the 30-30 version appearing more like the SST profile with a little more pointy gummy tip. It may be just the answer for good performance on game in a 30 caliber in the 2,200 to 2,400 fps window? Anyone have any on-game experience with this bullet they would care to share?
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243-95g SST has been great -Lot tougher than you would think

6.5-129g sst is a coyote bullet
-140g is great-very accurate

7mm Mag-154g- 63.0 Of imr 4350, 9 1/2 in Rem case and 162g sst 71g of Retumbo, fed 215

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I've shot a lot of 36 grain IMR4198 in a 30-06. After 3 or 4 firings, the case does start to shorten slightly overall.

I anneal and load those up full-power to blow them back out, then use again for 3-4 firings of reduced pressure.

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Your probably interested in rifle ammo but I have loaded the 44 mag 225g Hornady FTX/SST with great results. I also have some 265g 44 mag SST that I'm going to shoot out of my 50 cal ML using sabot sleeves. I prefer to shoot 44s & 45s with sleeves vs 50 cal out of the ML. I get better patterns. I think the longer bullets for the same weight shoot more accurately. Plus, your choice of bullets is greater.

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I have used factory Hornady Superperformance 150's in my 30-06 for several years now, taking at least 10 caribou with them (used factory Corelocts prior). MV is advertised as around 3100, presumably through a 24 or 26 inch test barrel. Mine is a heavy barrel of 27 inch length, but I have never chronnied a load in my life, and feel no need to do so as long as the accuracy is good. I took 4 caribou this winter, out to 300 yards (RF), and as close as about 50, using behind-the-leg lung/heart shots. The difference in wound channels was impressive, but expected from past experience.

My experience mirrors above posts. At @ 300 yards or more (longest 433), the tissue damage is not wildly extensive with lung/heart placement from broadside. At closer ranges, or hitting shoulder bones, it becomes much more extensive. Or large muscle mass. Even hitting a rib goin in expands the wound channel considerably, as would be expected.

A while back I badly fluffed a shot on a bull at 200 yards, and hit him in the hams. (Gloves, some wind in the face, 15 degrees, standing, using Bog tripod shooting rest - call it an inadvertent discharge, which it was. My Bad!). Nerf-ball size tissue damage both sides.

I have never recovered a bullet. Even earlier ( a year or two) , I killed two within a few seconds of each other - both using RF. One at 292, the other at 433, both near- broadside shots through the lungs. The 292 one went through without hitting ribs on either side. Tissue damage was maybe a 2 inch cut-out, both sides, plus some iblood shot in the membranes, easiy trimmed out. On the 433, same, except it broke a rib on far side, then the leg bone (not perfectly broadside). Not much damage at the far side rib bone, but exponentially more to the leg.

Keep, or get, the velocity down decreases the wound channels, other things being equal. These things are designed that way.

I don'y know if this is a factor for OP, but at 300 yards, my rifle puts the Hornady SST SP (as above) about 16 inches higher and 10 inches right of Factory Corelocts of same bullet weight. At that range, with good solid "sandbag" rests, I get 1", 3 shot groups with the SST, and
about a quarter inch larger with the Corelocts. The GMX SP 150 just about exactly splits the difference between them for POI, also with 1" groups.


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