Hornady SST Experience

J

Jevyod

New member
Like the title says, I would like your experience with a SST. I have been doing some reading on them, and it seems like the majority of problems come from high-speed/close shot scenarios. By problems I mean almost zero penetration, excessive meat damage, etc. I Have a box of SST's (129 grn) that I am looking at reloading for my 260 REM. Going by the other data I have for my 260, I would be running a fairly tame velocity (2,775 ish ), and my thought is if I don't push for ultra fast velocity, I should be fine. This would be for Pa white tails. Thoughts?
 
I would think you'll be fine. Last year my son shot a buck with 154 grain SST out of his 7mm Remington Mag. The first shot was taken at about 50 yards and he hit the deer in the neck but missed the bone. Once he got to the buck it was trying to get up so he shot it again, this time hitting the bone, and almost decapitated the thing. In the end the bullet did it job and as high up on the neck as he was there was little meat loss.
 
The 129gr SST is one of their exceptionally soft bullets but you should still be fine below 2800fps just try and keep them behind the shoulder or in the neck at close range. I am pushing them at a modest 2655fps in my 6.5x55 and they literary group into one hole using RL19.
 
I've personally witnessed and then cleaned 3 Texas whitetails all taken with 120 grain SSTs in a 6.8 (.277 cal). Muzzle velocity in the 2450 range. All shots inside 100 yards. All pass throughs and DRT, including a quartering away shot that went through the vitals and completely through the off shoulder.

Wound channels were impressive and I would not say excessive.
 
The 130 grain SST is my go to bullet for the .270 Winchester. It may cause more meat damage at close range than a heavier constructed bullet, but I have never had one fail to penetrate, there is enough of the base that remains intact to ensure adequate penetration on most any shot on deer size game. .
 
I've had problems with SSTs coming apart (270 & 243), I went to the same bullet weight in Inter-Bond.

The BC is the same. Loaded the same I can't tell the difference on paper & steel targets.

IBs are more expensive, so I keep the SST for practice and use the IBs for hunting.

Worked great, with 270 150 IBs I drop an elk at 340 yards a couple weeks ago. One shot, destroyed the lung and just rolled down the hill. No meat damage.

With IB I get the same velocity and trajectory as the SSTs in the same bullet weight.
 
I shot my biggest buck with SST's from my .270 at less than 15 yards. And another large 8 point at the same or less distance, they both exited and neither ran more than 20 yards before dying.
 
I shot my biggest buck with SST's from my .270 at less than 15 yards. And another large 8 point at the same or less distance, they both exited and neither ran more than 20 yards before dying.
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What bullet weight, Hutch?

I have found that going to a heavier bullet (150gr) at slightly lower velocity give enough penetration at close range before the bullet comes apart inside the body cavity ...... I use Sierra Game Kings in .270WIN, but the principle is the same: more mass to resist disintigration (temporarily, at short range) and a bit less velocity, which is the cause of same ..... while at longer ranges, the higher BC of the longer bullet retains energy better ....

Were I the OP, I'd try 140's in .260Rem ....
 
What bullet weight, Hutch?

I have found that going to a heavier bullet (150gr) at slightly lower velocity give enough penetration at close range before the bullet comes apart inside the body cavity ...... I use Sierra Game Kings in .270WIN, but the principle is the same: more mass to resist disintigration (temporarily, at short range) and a bit less velocity, which is the cause of same ..... while at longer ranges, the higher BC of the longer bullet retains energy better ....

Were I the OP, I'd try 140's in .260Rem ....
Click to expand...

130's. Now that I sit here thinking on it, I've stacked up quite a few with SST's in my .270 over the last 10 years. Anywhere from 10 to 250 yards and everywhere in between. Never had 1 problem what so ever. I've never shot 140's or 150's out of my .270.
 
Hornady stopped making the 123 grain Amax (for the 6.5 Grendel), but they make the 123 SST.

Identical BC...

SO... why shouldn't it be just as effective as a long-range target bullet?

No one uses it as such.
 
Only issues with using the 123gr SST is they are not designed for full power 260 impact speeds at close range, I contacted Hornady and they advised me to keep it under 2700fps at impact, but that would still make for a good bullet at range once I shed 300fps.
I would second the OP trying the 140gr SSTs I love them in my 6.5x55.
 
Used the 150gr in my 30-30AI Contender. Heavier bullet than I wanted to use but beggars can't be choosers and it was all I could find at the time. Loaded to right at 2400 fps. 90yrd shot on a 130lb sow when thru and thru at the shoulder. Took a good 3 inch chunk of meat with it on the way out. Sow still managed to bolt about 20 yrds before folding up.
 
Bought the loaded ammo for the Grendel...needed new brass anyway, so I ordered five boxes. Not a bad deal from that perspective.

Guess it's just out of stock everywhere and not discontinued like the 162 Amax I also use in my 7-08.
 
Ive used the SST almost exclusively for deer and elk hunting for 8-9 years, mostly in .30-06 but also in the 7mm-08 cartridge. Never had a penetration problem, most hits were complete pass-throughs of the ribcage with above average tissue damage. Of the 3 or 4 bullets I was able to recover, all but one had retained a very high percentage of their original weight. The exception was about 60% and had hit the spine of an elk and only the section behind the interlock ring was intact.

Although I have not seen it happen I would expect a tendency to overexpand at higher velocities, which could be ugly with a shot in the wrong place. I tend to wait for the shot I want and I'm a couple grains below max load, so I don't consider it a handicap but something to be aware of. I chose the SST originally because of spectacular group sizes and I have yet to be disappointed with their performance. YMMV of course.
 
I load .30 150SSTs in a single shot 30-30 imp. The MV is just a hair over 2,300 fpd. I hit two deer with this load last year and got very good performance on both shots.

Curious about the minimum velocity needed to expand properly, I emailed hornady. They said 1750-1800 would be minimum vel to expand properly on the 150s. My max range from my blind is under a hundred yards, so they work very well for me in the low powered 30-30-Imp.
 
Ifishum, just curious, What weight was that out of your 7mm-08? It seems like the 7mm-08 and 260 are fairly close performers.
 
So far I've only used 139gr in the 7mm08. I haven't shot that load over a chrony, but I estimate it starts about 2700fps.
 
I've used the Interlock SP for many years. They work and they're close to the cheapest hunting bullets around.

I haven't found a need for boat tails when I'm hunting.
 
I'm pushing 3200 fps with 139g SST's in my 7mm mag and haven't had one come apart yet.

Compared to Nosler Accu-bonds that come apart everytime.

Boomer
 
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