Hornady SST for 308 Win

I've taken 3 deer, 90-150 yards. Never recovered the bullets. They were Hornadys SST 150g & 165g. I will never buy anything else for my Winchester M70 in 30-06.
Btw, the lungs and heart exploded on impact. All 3 deer just keeled over.
 
I have not read this thread, so this may be repetitive...

In many cartridges, including .308, I have taken to the practice of shooting SST's on pper and the equivalent Interbond or GMX for hunting... IME, the POI is identical (I always double check anyway)... with this method, you shoot very few of the more expensive bonded/mono bullets but put in legitimate practice time with your load and weapon. For .308 I use the 165 SST/IB, for 7mm-08 I use the 139 SST/GMX, for my .30/30 singles I use the 150 SST/IB etc... etc...

I am sure that on light game the SST's will get the job done, but I like the feeling of extra confidence that shooting "sturdier" bullets on game brings...
 
I used SST's successfully on black bears as well as several moose now, all fired from my bolt action M70 in .308Win. All of them with no issue at all. I have no problem recommending them for bear or other heavy game.
 
There is an interesting article on Ballistisstudies.com They really think highly of the SST BUT.... They say only if you anneal the ogive to soften the bullet for better opening.

I have used the 154 and 162 in a 7WSM with no issues on deer, now I am looking at the 150 for 270 and annealing them for poops and giggles.
 
Speaking of the 150 grain SST bullet in the 270 Winchester, you have a bullet with both excellent sectional density and the Interlock ring feature for added insurance.....Loaded with 56.2 grains of H4831, and a muzzle velocity of 2,856 fps, I shot a whitetail doe at a range of 12 yards, broadside shot through the ribs.....exit wound was the size of a quarter while breaking the rib before exiting....the doe ran 20 yards and cabled up....

This particular load had a nice habit of grouping sub MOA on a regular basis....
 
Almost every deer - white tails and mules have walked no further than 10 steps from my 3006 with SSTs in 165gr. The regular SPs I didn't find grouped as well no matter what I tried for powders/loads/bullet combos. I'm sure you'll hear it a million times, but just find what your rifle likes for groupings and stay with that. The SSTs seem to be really constant.

Consistant placement from range time is far more important that the much smaller amount of difference a lead vs ballistic tip vs whatever is going to make. Just hit it solidly in the vitals and you've done a good job.

- T
 
hoytcanon said:
I have not read this thread, so this may be repetitive...

In many cartridges, including .308, I have taken to the practice of shooting SST's on pper and the equivalent Interbond or GMX for hunting... IME, the POI is identical (I always double check anyway)... with this method, you shoot very few of the more expensive bonded/mono bullets but put in legitimate practice time with your load and weapon. For .308 I use the 165 SST/IB, for 7mm-08 I use the 139 SST/GMX, for my .30/30 singles I use the 150 SST/IB etc... etc...

I am sure that on light game the SST's will get the job done, but I like the feeling of extra confidence that shooting "sturdier" bullets on game brings...
Click to expand...

I could never get interbond's to shoot well enough to hunt with them. Gmx was slightly better but not the same as the sst.
 
mmattockx said:
very devastating on light game like deer and antelope. I wouldn't use them on anything heavier, though. The chance of the bullet exploding against a shoulder is too great.
Click to expand...

This mirrors my experience. I have used them in both factory and handloads in both .308 and .30-06. My friend that I am introducing to hunting hit a smaller doe in the shoulder with 150gr Hornady Superperformance and it was a wreck. Dead right there which is to be expected when it hits that way. Most of the front quarter and a bit of backstrap was lost. Several bullet fragments were recovered.

I think a different construction is called for if you want to use them on moose or elk. I guess 180gr out of a 30 cal is where I would start if you must use SST for them for some reason. I have bought a few types of bullets to test in search for a better moose load for myself. Meanwhile I will keep sending the SSTs at deer.
 
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