I usually use the 165 grain Nosler BT or Sierra in the .30/06 and I have good loads for them and the 155 AMAX ready to go.

I am about to embark on another round of load testing with heavier bullets for my Model 70 .30/06 and I have just come into some of the Hornady 180 grain SST bullets that I am going to experiment with.

Does anyone have any pet loads for these and has anyone used them out of the .30/06 for deer and black bear?

Ain't nobody played with the 180 SST?

Shot 2 deer and 3 antelope. Bullet entered and blew up in cavity. All DRT. Found tiny fragments when butchering game.

Shoot very accurately out of my Tikkas


I think ok for thin skinned game. I personally not use foe elk, bear, moose.

maybe others chime in.

Was this out of a .30/06 and how fast were you pushing them?

Yes Tikka t3 30 06 180gr SST's

Around 2580 2590 FPS chrono.


Shot well but would go with Hornady interbond if shooting bear

Or an accubond

That don't sound good them coming unglued at those velocities.

Why? Do they kill any less?

No I was mostly surprised that a 180 grain bullet at that speed would be fragile.

I know this is old school, but Hornady Interloks in either the 165 or 180 stuffed into a case with a near max load of IMR4350 has worked well for me in several 30-06s that I load for. 55 grains for 180 BTSP, and 57 gr for 165 BTSP. Killed both moose and deer, so I doubt a black bear will survive either one. And they stick together like glue. Shot a 180 through both shoulders of a 1000 pound moose and recovered the slug in the off shoulder roast weighing 154 grains. DRT.

I'm skeptical too. At that low velocity I have a hard time believing a 180 grain SST would fragment on impact. Now, if it was loaded to extreme pressure limits and thus, flying much too fast, then I might (possibly) consider the notion or theory that a 180 SST would disintegrate on impact. But even still, to have it happen on deer-size game would be a stretch.

i shot large canada deer in sholder and it ran maby 50 yards and no exit. 3006 factory load. not impressed. even fast opener like nosler bt will exit in same deer.

Just reporting on my personal observations re the sst.


Would love to use the sst as they shoot very well for me.

Now the Hornady gmx held together very well on recovered elk

Many have reported good success with with SST's. I feel there are better options for hunting BG. I just don't trust them on big bone. If you like poly tips, roll with the AB or TTSX. You can drive either of those as fast as your rifle likes with no worries.

Save the SST'S, for the range.

I suspect that the SST was not much more than a reply to handloaders thinking they need all the BC they can get for flatness that not relevant. To get that, they went to the poly tip. Now where do you think that tip is going to go on impact and what do you think will happen? A 180gr interlock in a 30-06 will work well on all North American game.

Like I said -- Old school, but very effective.

I am not certain but I think the SST's have been improved as the original ones were very frangible. Hard to beat the inter lokt and some SST's are listed as inter lokt but I haven't tried those yet.

I've read that SST's were friable, but mine seem to hold together pretty well. I shoot 140 SST's in my 6.5-284. Great accuracy. This Kreiger barreled M-70 will shoot 4 1/2" at 600 yds., from a bench, using a Z5 3.5-18x44 with ballistic turret.

Last fall, I shot a 300# boar right behind the ear at 225 yds. in the morning fog from a box stand. Entrance, exit, clean kill with no blow up. Can't ask for much more than that.

DF

The box on these 180's are marked "Interlock" and they have the cannelure just like the standard issue Hornady bullets.

My 140 gr. .264's have a cannelure but don't say "Interlock" on the box. I have some other SST's that do say it, but the box looks different, maybe a newer offering.

DF

I bet the "Interlock" marked SST's are an updated version or at least a new box.

I have some of the older 7mm 162 AMax that are in a box that is marked SST on top of the box with the 162 AMAX label on the end cap. They are for sure the AMAX bullets.

Bet you are right. My box of SST's purchased 2,years ago does not say interlock


maybe fixed the problem

Call or email Hornady and ask a CS rep.

http://www.hornady.com/contact_us

Good idea Dave. I just sent them an e-mail.

I called to make sure I was not spreading misinformation. The Hornaday tech person said he didn't know. Thought that something might have changed from the very first batches but wasn't sure.

They seem tougher now and something as minor as changing the antimony content of the core might have been done. Hope the other tech responses shed a little more light on the issue.

Hopefully, I will hear something back from Hornady today and we'll compare notes.

Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading - 8th Edition, Page 105, lists the 180g SST as an InterLock.

On page 41 SSTs are also described as InterLock bullets.

I recently cut a 6.5 cal 140gr SST in half lengthwise and filed it smooth and found no hint of any interlock feature.
I know they advertise it, but I'm thinking it might be BS.
Has anyone else done this?

All the SST's I ever fooled with had the interlock.

I'm running them in my AR this year.

I don't see butkus for an interlock on my 6.5 cal 140 gr SST.
Cutout starts at the cannelure.

Try cutting the bullet completely in half then pop out the lead core and see if its their ?

What did you use to cut the bullet so cleanly?

And folks wonder why I use Barnes bullets. I don't have to spend a day or three cutting bullets in half and sending emails and calling the company to see if they have a frigging interlock.

I'll not use an SST again unless it's for gophers.

After my experience with Barnes bullets on deer I would rather use a FMJ than anything that says Barnes on it.

Finally got a reply from Hornady:

Dude, your retired now. You have all the time in the world to cut bullets.........

I cut the 6.5 140gr jacket some more and peeled out the lead and sure enough the interlock was there, altho farther back than I figured. The cannelure is pressed in pretty deep also.
(The jacket is bent toward the tip to help remove the lead core).

It probably took a whole 20 minutes to cut the bullet. I found some time in my frantic schedule.
My take on bullets like Barnes is that the lighter metal is like using steel shot in a shotgun shell.
No way it can carry it's velocity as good as lead in my opinion.

I see the interlock on your bullet, look closely.

So your experience with killing critters with Barnes TSX/TTSX is?

No one has ever accused NC folks of being overly bright but you sure are funny.....

And you do know I'm just busting your balls on the NC thing.

This coming from someone who retired in TN is rich.

I suspect my IQ and school transcripts would stand up well against most anyone.

Shame they don't go past the 5th grade...

Its still five grades longer than you went to school

Oh and why do all Coast Guard uniforms have zippers in the back?

You're right, it makes far more sense to live in a state with income tax, my bad.

Well, we all can't be as "special" as you are.

Seriously, it shows considerable intelligence to live in a place with more taxes. Someone has to feed the 'poor' and I'm proud of you!

I guess some of us are just more inclined to stick by home and family thru good or bad than simply worrying about old self and personal comfort first.

And good or bad NC is home.

The interlock ring on that bullet is farther forward than any I've seen by at least 2x.

So then explain how a 180 grain lead core bullet is so much heavier than a 180 grain mono metal like Barnes that the lead core maintains its velocity and the Barnes falls out of the sky like a rock, when they both weigh the same.

(BTW, I like Barnes bullets, but your thought process is flawed, I think.)

Since we�re dealing with a single projectile, it�s a little different that lead/steel in shotguns.

The advertised Ballilstic Coefficient for a 180g SST and 180g TTSX are:
.480 = 180g SST
.473 = 180g TTSX

Not much difference there. Launched at 2700fps and zeroed at 250 yards, the calculated trajectories show very little difference.

600 yards
-74.02�, 1733fps, 1200fp3= 180g SST
-74.58�, 1721fps, 1183fpe = 180g TTSX

1000 yards
-344.81�, 1258fps, 633fpe = 180g SST
-349.00�, 1244fps, 619fpe = 180g TTSX

The difference is so tiny as to be irrelevant for hunting purposes.

You might want to re-evaluate and select an opinion more in tune with reality.

I admit this is just my theory and opinion, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if real world actual trajectories and those calulated with BC numbers are quite different due to the longer bullet surface that has to be present on a bullet with less specific gravity.
I don't see many homogeneous bullets talked about in long range discussions, matches, etc.
I think I may be very much in tune with reality, sir.

The BC's take the longer bearing surface into consideration.

I think the Barnes bullets are great now but when they first came out they were unpredictable. I use them for pretty much everything.

But when I am hunting thick thorny brush where even a short tracking job means crawling around with big rattlesnakes and a longer even fifty yard tracking job could result in a lost animal I like the faster opening or even fragmenting type bullets like the SST.

Bought a thousand 180gr SSTs in a blem sale a few years ago. They shoot well from my '06s at 2700 and change (according to loading manual data) compliments of 55gr of H4350 and kill deer extremely well. Never recovered one as they always exit. I haven't killed anything larger than deer with them but I can't imagine a black bear just shrugging them off. I might pick a tougher bullet for larger game like elk but I have no reason to switch for deer.

I have done this and they (Hornady) told me the 180 SST is an elk bullet at -06 and .308 speeds.

Expat

Good bullets for deer for broadside shots.

Would not take a frontal or quartering away shot on an elk with SST's.