Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game SST Vs NBT (which is tougher?)

Of the two, I would choose the NBT.

But why not use the plain Interlock SP?

I popped a WT at 80 yds w/a 270/130 BT years ago, they probably toughened them up since those days, back in the late 80s.

Deer was broadside - had to shoot thru a narrow opening as it passed thru so the shot was far back, but it made a very large black/blue radial damage on both sides of that deer. I remember thinking it was amazing just how bloodshot the tissue was - no doubt it was a close shot.

Since then I used 150s and they seemed to be tougher, and definitely more accurate for me.

Not the same weight but for a visual.

6.5 120gr Nosler Ballistic Tip


6.5 140gr Hornady SST

x2

I am now loading and waiting to compare the 120 NBT to my old standby the 140 Sierra. No one has mentioned them but holy cow have I gotten consitent textbooke performance with those. Complete pass throughs with tidy exits every time. Anyone else use the 140 Sierra's?

Anybody sectioned an SST, I have done a Nosler BT it gets thicker as it gets about halfway or farther up from the base. I have really considered using one in the 06 for aa elk bullet. 180 gr or heavier that is.

My (brief) experience with the SST was not good.(277cal) They killed the animals in all cases, but I had fragments of copper and lead scattered in the meat on the 4 deer I shot, and complete jacket separation on a 100lb hog. Haven't used them since.....

I have shot the 154g SST out of a 7 Mag with a load of 63.0g of IMR 4350 with a 9 1/2 primer in a rem case bullet touching the lands and accuracy was less than 1/2". I shot three bucks with the bullet within 2 weeks, 280-320 yards and all died on the spot with pass throughs. One buck jumped straight up like a bottle rocket and hit the ground like a sack of hammers.

I had one 7 mag that was so picky that all it would shoot was the 162g SST with a load of 65g of R#22 with a CCI250 primer. The 162 SST would shoot holes through deer at all angles.

Later on, two friends bought 7 STW's in Mark 5's and wanted me to work up a load for the 162 SST's for plains game. I begged them to let me load the 175g partitions, but NO WAY would they hear of it. They both bagged 8 plains game each, including Kudu and Eland with one shot each and DRT kills with the 162 SST at 3150 fps.

I think that it would be hard to throw all SST type bullets in the same barrel depending on caliber, weight, distance shot, etc.

SST stands for Super Shock Tip...use some common sense in the use of this type of bullet.

No game shooting but i shot a lot of wet phonebooks a few years back with various 6.5 bullets. The BT was the pick of the 120gr bullets ( no barnes tested) but the Speer hot core and rem core-lokt both looked more then fine for deer size game. The Speer used to be the darling of the 6.5 JDJ pistol crowd so is probably a good one. The 129 interlock was darn similar in performance to the 125 partition and the sst wasn't to far behind, but I've never seen one hold a core. 129 interlock would probably provide years of trouble free service, but the book loads always showed the velocity so close between the 129 and 140 I always stuck with the 140. Did a lot of killing with 160 rn. All seem to work fine at .260 or 6.5x55 velocity.

I am working up hunting loads with each right now. I have only killed deer with the BTs so far but in a different caliber (.270win). The BT bullets passed all the way through and I recovered nothing to determine anything. They just did the job, but I didn't shoot through the shoulders either. The loads I have been working-up in my 260 with each bullet have both shown good accuracy, but the BTs and Accubonds have been better (significantly better) than the SSTs. My load for the season will be Nosler 130g Accubonds over 47.0g (give or take a little) of Reloader 19. I'll report back on how well they work, but they sure are an accurate hunting bullet! I'm playing with the powder charge and seating depth at this point for a touch more accuracy, but they are well under .75" five shot groups and 2750fps from a 22" barrel, which is plenty of power and accuracy for hunting deer, but I always want a little more of each.

Has anyone tried the Hornady 129gr Interbond? I bought a box to work up some loads, after less accuracy than I've gotten out of SSTs compared to the Nos BTs and ABs. I haven't had the time this month to test the Interbonds though. I'll use up the remaining SSTs on targets and coyotes; the Accubonds have been that much better. I have to wonder about the 129 Interbonds. If they give similar accuracy as the Accubonds, the deciding factor will be performance on game.

Dober,

I killed several antelope with a 7-08 and 139 SST's. I found he bullet to be quite soft. The bucks died, and fast, but the shoulders were ruined even if not directly hit. That said, I've also found the 7mm 140 BT a bit soft.

I would strongly agree.

I don't like to reduce loads and it seems to me that SST's like the slow lane better.

the 120 NBT is a good choice, but I'd also load up a batch of 130 AB's. If the AB's shoot just as good, I'd roll in that direction.

I have used 180 gr. SST's in my 06 and obtained the most accurate results ever. Have not shot anything with them so can't comment on their results on game.

Jim

Are the 6.5mm 120NBTs beefed up like the 7mm 120s?

I doubt the 6.5mm 120 gr BT is beefed up since its sectional density is roughly the same as the 7mm 140 grain and .308" 165 grain bullets, which are generally thought to have sufficient sectional density in a modern cup-and-core bullet for the game Ballistic Tips are designed for (deer, antelope, and hogs). You never know, though, and you could email or call Nosler.

On the topic of SSTs, they've worked well for me on small deer and smaller (small whitetail, antelope, and javelina) the times I've used them, even at close range (10 to 30 yards - would guess impact velocity to be around 2750 to 2800 fps) with a .30-06 using the 150 grain SST Hornady factory Custom Ammunition. I personally wouldn't use an SST if I was popping the primers on a hyper velocity magnum, though.

The SSTs may be "Interlock" bullets, but they are still cup-and-core bullets and behave like typical cup-and-core bullets from what I've seen in the 150 grain SST out of a .30-06. My feeling is the SST is interchangeable with the Winchester Power Points and the Remington Core Lokts based on past use of all three in factory .30-06 150 grain offerings on southern whitetails. The Hornady factory ammo with SSTs was more accurate in my gun than the other two factory loads.

I have killed a pile of deer with the 120 HC. The only one I have ever found was from an antelope. Shot was about 200 yards, whipping friggin wind. Ended up going thru the onside shoulder, thru the low point in the spine behind the shoulder, thru the offside shoulder and lodged under the hide. I had the bullet for awhile, but lost it in several moves. Jacket was peeled way back, had a little lead left in it, but it lost alot of weight. Gun is a 260 and mv is 2877.

I agree here as well. 3 shots to put down a large muley, all within 3 inches of each other right behind the shoulder in the lungs.

Been using 100 gr BT's in 25-06 now and they are the hammer of thor

With all of these attempts by Hornady to make some super trendy bullet, I've found the plain old 129 and 140 SP work just fine on anything I want to use them on in the lower 48...which includes all of my hunting..

I've taken deer with the plain old Hornady 100 gr SP..and it works just fine..

and there all accurate...

between those 3 Hornady bullets and the Nosler 100 and 120 grain Ballistic Tips and the 125 grain Partition.... I really don't have the need to keep searching for a bullet that works well in a 260...