Hornady SST for deer?

J

jimmyp

New member
At the moment I am trying to find a good general purpose load for my 243 using something between 80-100gr. My old man picked up some 95gr SSTs the other day, I have had great luck with them in a slug gun, and have seen good results out of a muzzle loader, but I am having a hard time going from slow moving results to reasonable fast in my mind.

Any one using these for deer? What about on yotes?

Jim
 
All one has to do to find out the effects of plastic-tipped hunting projectiles is shoot one 20-rd. box of them at live game. I did that years ago with the original Nosler Ballistic tips, and never again will I shoot another plastic tipped bullet. The destruction is too traumatic, and in the event you are wanting to consume said animal, meat wastage is excessive. There is only a small bit of room for error between a rib shot and a shoulder shot, and I have seen way too many shoulders ruined by too explosive a bullet.

Deer are not hard to kill. A standard cup and core projectile will do wonders in most cases (although I HAVE seen Sierra Pro Hunters fail miserably at reasonably pedestrian velocities).

Finally, just guessing here, but I would expect muzzle velocity from a slug gun to be about 1900 and from a ML about 1400. That is 65% and about 45% of what you should expect as MV from your .243. I think the damage potential goes up significantly with speed. What happens if it is literally the buck of a lifetime and that plastic tipped bullet explodes on the shoulder without penetrating to the vitals? The .243 is minimal in my book anyway. Why up the risk? Get some Partitions, Grand Slams, or similar, and use them.

Just my honest $.02...
 
Jim, i`ve used the hornady 95gr sst and like `em for deer 200yds and in.Shot placement is important.I`ve also used there 87gr amax`s on `yotes with good results.Im starting a load work up for my 7mm08 with some 139gr interbonds. Good luck. Yea im a hornady fan.
 
I started using the 95g SST after a friend in New Zealand recommended them to me. He shoots those 450 lb deer with them and will not use another bullet.

42.3g of H4350 with a 9 1/2 or Win primer is a good place to start with this bullet.

Also, if you don't like a plastic tip bullet, the 95g partition will make a real believer out of you.
 
I've used them on Whitetails before in a .270 Win. They were factory loads in the form of Hornday Superformance 130gr SST. Let me tell you they work, REALLY work. They are literally "explosive". Hits in the wrong places can destroy some meat though. All the deer I've shot with them dropped where they stood. They were accurate too and I still use them. Also have some SST loads for a 6.8SPC but I've not taken any game with them.
 
My son and I have been using Hornady 165gr. SST's in our 30-06 for the past 10 years. Deer are DRT, a couple. Ran 10-20 yards and died. Yeah they are not always meat friendly, but. They kill now. Last fall my son took a big 6x5 muley at 385 lazered yards and deer buckled where he stood. SST's work!!!!!!
 
I'll add that one of my hunting buddies uses SST Superformance loads in his 308 and every deer he's shot when I've been with him dropped where it stood also.
 
Originally Posted By: Doubless What happens if it is literally the buck of a lifetime and that plastic tipped bullet explodes on the shoulder without penetrating to the vitals?

Give him another..... That's how I'd do it.
 
I have used them on whitetails with good success in a 243. I shot an elk at 339 yds with a 150 gr sst in a 308 and had no problem. The entry was at the last rib with it quartering away and had penetration to the heart, no exit. For what it is worth I am now shooting deer with a 223 and 65 gr sgk bullets, no issues yet.
 
Not sure about the 95 grainers. I was unimpressed with the performance of .243 87 grain SSTs in Hornady Light ammo. I like exit wounds, and even on small south Texas whitetails the 87 grainers rarely exited. On the other hand, the 129 grain SSTs that I shoot in my 6.5x55 have yet to be stopped by anything I've shot with them, including hogs, antelope, and large-bodied Wyoming mule deer. They are accurate and inexpensive, so I keep shooting them. However, I'm switching the .243 over to 95 grain hunting B-tips and/or 95 grain Partitions. The SSTs seem just a bit too fragile for my tastes.
 
The 95 grain SST in a 243 is a great combo for deer or antelope. It is definitely a devastating bullet. They usually shoot pretty accurate in most rifles while the Nosler partition does not. In fact, unless you have the rare one that like them, you can pretty much figure on doubling your average group size with a partition bullet. They are killers, but they are not accurate.
SST's are not ideal for heavier body or boned game, not that they wont still kill something, but they are not my first choice for bear.
SST's are great for coyotes if all you want to do is kill them or make a half mount out of one, because it will absolutely blow them in half.
 


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