129 SST performance results

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trooperjd

New member
Ok on Nov 9th of this past season, I was able to harvest a mature but short horned axis buck. I utilized a semi custom Rem 260 with a #4 contour barrel at 22" long at app. 2700 FPS with hand loads. The axis was atop a large hill and shot at 257 yards. The buck was broad side with an ever so slight angle away from me. The shot was at the last rib angling slightly forward. The bullet did not exit and two portions were found behind the opposite shoulder just under the skin. There was no blood at all except a small amount from his mouth where he laid. He ran just a few steps and piled up in a large clump of cactus and Algerita.

I placed the mushroomed portion of bullet on the scale and it weighed 32.8 grains. With the addition of a large petal found near the first both weighed 40.3 grains. A rib was struck and broke, and a second rib grazed.

Is this good performance on a axis sized game animal? I did recover him and he only went a short distance before piling up. But had this been in the back part of our lease, in the area where I killed the large tom mountain lion, tracking would have been difficult. This combo did the same on the mountain lion at 40 yards or so. It went in between the shoulder blades of the cat but did not exit. It required a second shot and little to no blood except where he expired.

So is this acceptable to you guys or is it worth trying other bullet combos for complete pass through and bone crushing performance? The SST fragmented severely and only had 30-35 percent weight retention. Just curious on yalls opinions of this bullet and the results.

I have pics of animal, shot distance and weight of bullet on scale if I can email to someone to post for me. I can also text them if easier. Thanks
 
I shoot SST's exclusively on deer sized game. From 300 win mag down to 243 win and everything in between ('06, 7 mag, 270, 280 rem etc...) and I haven't found one in a animal yet. That includes a 315 yard shot on a whitetail with the 243 win, pencil hole entrance and 50 cent size exit on that shot.
 
trooperjd, I hunted elk last season with a 260 rem using the hornady 129gr interlock, velocity 2828fps out of a 24" barrel. I got the 260 barrel while elk season was in progress and did not have enough time to experiment with it. I was not lucky to see a bull and not able to test performance. your 129sst showed good performance on the deer but not the same on the cat. I have used mostly nosler partions on elk with 243,7mm-08,7mm,270,308, with good results. I have inquired around from hunters using 6.5 bullets on game and the barnes 130tsx was a favorite with them giving good results. I have nosler 130gr accubond that or if I can find the 130gr tsx to try. spike
 
Deer dead in two steps, and you wonder if you have a viable bullet? Come on!

Animals have an unbelievable will to live, your cat was dead and did not know it. Did you skin the cat? I bet the entire front half of the cat looked blood shot when you got the hide off.

Tripple shocks do not leave much of a blood trail at all, in this caliber. The 130g Berger hunting acted just like the 129g SST.

140's are a lot tougher and often are designed for moose and elk.

So, for me, the 129g Horandy Sp all day long. The 129g Sp is a tougher bullet, if that is what you like. I hunt in a jungle type of thing and I have to have a blood trail, but I also need the Heart/lungs to look like hit has been in a blender. I like shoulder shots, lung shots = running animals, and you will get less runners with the SST than any bullet I have tried on lung shots.
 
Personally I don't like frangible types of bullets such as SST's for big game. If they won't hold together on a rib they aren't going to do anything but splash and wound on a shoulder. 2 holes makes more blood than 1 hole and I shoot to anchor them right where they stand. NEVER had a probmen doing that with a Partition.
 
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Well perhaps my typing is misleading and not clear. Yes I did harvest both animals that were shot, and I am very greatful for that. So ultimately I guess the bullet did its job. BUT I have began to look for the 129 grain SP as an alternative to the SST.

Ackleyman you are correct. Upon skinning the cat, the bullet entered between the shoulder blades at a downward angle. The bullet caught the top third of both lungs. The bullet fragmented and did not exit. The skin in the chest area was badly bloodshot and bruised. I hate that he suffered for about 45 minutes until 2nd [beeep] was administered. I agree with you that it did as intended, but maybe my expectations were not the same as the intended purpose of the bullet. So yes like you the 129 SP will be my next bullet combo along with the 130 accubonds I have on my bench.

I just thought I would share the bullets performance on animals such as those I described. Hope it helped a few with their decision on bullet selection wether choosing this bullet or another bullet or bullet type.
 
Originally Posted By: GhostmanPersonally I don't like frangible types of bullets such as SST's for big game. If they won't hold together on a rib they aren't going to do anything but splash and wound on a shoulder. 2 holes makes more blood than 1 hole and I shoot to anchor them right where they stand. NEVER had a probmen doing that with a Partition.

I am just the opposite. Of course, I don't shoot for the shoulder. I neck shoot (99% of the time on big game) or shoot behind the shoulder and get into the vital organs. I prefer a bullet that fragments and destroys the vital organs. When I hit them, they drop where they stand. Shoulder shots or solid bullets to me don't do enough damage. I have heard to many stories of people having to track animals. My 6.5 Creedmore with the 140 gr Amax brought down 4 mule deer this year at 250-300 yards. One shot on each one and dropped where they were hit.
 
I haven't had good results with them. Shed cores is what I had. 260 Rem @2850. Very accurate but I went away from them. They might work better at 250 yards but I'm not taking the chance.
 
I've had really good luck with 129 grain SSTs in my 6.5x55. I've shot deer, antelope, and hogs and have yet to recover a bullet. I like the accuracy and excellent wound channels they offer. They kill quickly and cleanly for me.
 
I am going with Ackleyman on this one, after shooting Nosler Balistic Tips for over 25 years and before that their Solid base bullets, in 2012 I tryed some SST bullets and have experenced unreal lightning like instantanous kills with that bullet. If your a big bore guy that likes two holes your not going to like an SST. So we are really right back to are you in the Elmer Keith corner with two holes or over with O'Conner with DRT kills...........
With SSTs avg around $28-30 for a box of a hundred and BTs now up to $22-24 for a box of fifty?
Hornady designed the SST for deer sized animals , But it is really not intended for Moose or Brown Bear, However for animals up to 400lbs it just flat works!
 
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