Hornady SST vs Moose?
- Thread starter doubleman
- Start date
Killed loads of moose/bear/elk and other assorted critters with 200 and 250 grain SSTs and have never had a problem. I always shoot 150 powder grain loads so with a 100 grain load the 300 grain bullet might be a better option but I've never seen the need for a bullet bigger that 250 grains.
Last edited:
sheephunter
I shoot 130grns of loose 777 powder with the 300grn SST because thats what the gun shoots the best. I have only ever recovered 1 bullet so I didn't think penetration would be an issue but I thought I'd ask anyway.
Thanks for the reply.
I shoot 130grns of loose 777 powder with the 300grn SST because thats what the gun shoots the best. I have only ever recovered 1 bullet so I didn't think penetration would be an issue but I thought I'd ask anyway.
Thanks for the reply.
Ya, there is this misguided school of thought that is a result of an outdated theory about sectional density that you need big bullets from a muzzleloader to kill big animals. With modern jacketed bullets it's just not the case and those that say otherwise I can guarantee don't have any real-world experience with jacketed bullets in muzzleloader to back up what they say. Unfortunately, there are guys that just love to foam at the mouth regardless of knowledge. No doubt that hard cast bullets need weight to work and yes they do work but they perform much differently from jacketed bullets and to compare the two shows a complete lack of any in the field experience. I've got nothing against big lead bullets and have killed plenty of critters with them but the outdated theories that apply to them cannot be used with jacketed bullets despite the attempts of some to do it on here.
To answer your question.....yes, your load is plenty for moose to 200 yards, especially because as you said, it shoots well.
I wish my rifle would shoot better with the 250's becuase it is mostly a deer gun and they would shoot a little flatter than the 300's. I shoot a Remington 700ml and it will shoot 3" to 4" at 200yards which is more than satisfactory for me.
Give Pyrodex pellets a try. I've got an Omega that won't shoot a lick with T7 but spits bullets under an inch with plain old Pyrodex. Are you shooting the SSTs or the bonded SSTs? I've found some guns don't shoot the bonded that well either.
. Good luck
I am shooting regular SST's, I tried pyrodex first but got the best results with the T7. My gun will shoot about an inch at 100 yards and opens up to 3"-4" at 200 and since the vitals on a moose are about 18"x24" I think it will get the job done.
