Hornady SST's tip pretty banged up after 1 week of carrying them around

[huntingfish]

This year, I'm trying Hornady Superformance 30-06 180gr SST's. I noticed that after 1 week of moose hunting, the plastic tips had been deformed. Seems rather flimsy if you ask me...especially from a "premium" bullet. Can this affect performance? Probably won't change a thing when shooting something at 100ft, but a 300 yard shot might be different.

Top one is a bullet that stayed in the Hornady package, while the bottom ones where in my rifles for 9 days:

Anyone else observe this with theirs? Mine were in my rifle all day long, except at the end of the hunting day, where I would carefully remove them (cycle them out one by one). Then, they went in a pocket in my packback (nothing else in pocket).

Fish

 

[BigUglyMan]

I've seen it before with all manner of softpoint bullets. The only ones immune (except for monos) are Nosler Protected Point Partitions.

Here are some 400 grainers that rode through the mag of my 416 Rigby.

 

[hoytcanon]

I wouldn't exactly call SST'S a "premium" bullet...

Take a look at Win and Rem factory PSP offerings... straight out of the box, the tips are every-which-way...

In my experience, nylon tips are far more durable than lead tipped bullets... but even nylon tips can get buggered... particularly if you are cycling them through the action.

 

[iceman2]

Just curious as to what model of rifle you are using.

 

[flashman]

The SST is definitely not a premium bullet. It's a standard unbonded cup and core.

They do provide exceptional accuracy though. On par with the AMax, if not better actually. IMHO anyway.

OP... I've shot like 300 of these this year and never noticed anything like what you're seeing, 165s out of a .30-06. More to the point, I have dummy rounds made up to test reload cycling that must have been through the rifle a hundred times or more, and they are essentially unmarked. I'd look at the rifle. What model is it? The kind of force it takes to do damage like that, minimal as it is, is more that what I'd think possible to go undetected during careful cycling. I mean, setting up the dies I'll press the tip of the dummy round hard as I can into the top of the bench to ensure neck tension, and even that doesn't mangle them like this.

Yes, it will affect accuracy. How much you can only find out by testing. Mangle that last pristine tip in the photo and you have all you need for a five round group right there. Be interested to hear the result if you do. I suspect it will harm accuracy they will still be accurate enough for moose to 300 yards. Just a guess though. I sure wouldn't test it on an animal, ever, if not almost entirely just for the peace of mind.

In extremis, with no other option, I would just pull the tips out if they were really bad. Now you just have a hollow point rather than a ballistic tip. If anything, upset will be slower, accuracy will be unaffected, and the BC will take just a small hit.

 

[flashman]

Here are some 400 grainers that rode through the mag of my 416 Rigby.

Maybe I'm the only guy this eluded, but that pic made me realize one more advantage of the few the round nose bullet has... Minimized tip deformation in heavy recoiling rifles.

When you still load .30 cal 220 grain LRNs in 2015, you need all the excuses at hand you can get.

 

[regulate34]

I've seen it before with all manner of softpoint bullets. The only ones immune (except for monos) are Nosler Protected Point Partitions.

Here are some 400 grainers that rode through the mag of my 416 Rigby.

wow. Looks like the COL suffered a little too.

My 375ruger mars the tips up. My 30/06 use to mangle the SST tip as well. Never had a performance issue but I shoot interlocks in it now. I find my marlin 30-30 to be the hardest on the ammo when loading and unloading.

 

[Northman999]

Slightly damaged tips like that have been tested quite a bit from what I have read, and accuracy seems to be not affected much, if at all.

I had a Win 70 in .338 win mag that would mangle bullet tips every single time when fed from the mag, and it took me a few years to even know, as I rarely loaded a round and then unloaded it.

The thing shot extremely well, and I could never get better groups in real life by single loading all my cartridges and shooting groups like that...

 

[saskcop]

If I use tipped bullets in my .338 RUM, all the rounds in the magazine look like that after one shot is fired.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

Conventional wisdom says it's not important, though I try to carry mine in bullet wallets to protect them. Just doesn't seem right.

Grizz

 

[ironsighter]

I use the 150 SSTs in my .270 win and I have never seen anything like this. All the tips stay looking brand new regardless of how many rounds I shoot, or how many times they are cycled through the action.

Also, I'll note that the SSTs are not a basic cup-and-core projectile. They are actually a Hornady InterLock with a "Super Shock Tip".

I'll also note that in the .277" and 7mm sizes (at least) these projectiles certainly perform like a premium projectile (but at a much nicer price).

 

[Eagleye]

I use the 150 SSTs in my .270 win. They are actually a Hornady InterLock with a "Super Shock Tip".

I'll also note that in the .277" and 7mm sizes (at least) these projectiles certainly perform like a premium projectile (but at a much nicer price).

I'll have to wave the flag on the bolded statement. These bullets come apart very dramatically in my 270 Winchester, even when shot into water jugs. After a few tests, I decided not to use them on game, period.

They do shoot well, though. Great practice bullet. Dave.

 

[.284]

I saved a bunch of Winchester power points that have the lead tip which rode on the bottom of the dog pile in a tikka t-3 mag attached to a 300wsm. I kept putting them back in the mag on purpose while firing other rounds until they looked like they were tipped with pancakes for small people. Fired them at 200 yards mixed with fresh factory rounds and I didn't notice them to open up the group. Im sure they degrade the BC but I don't think you'll notice anything unless your shooting extended ranges.

 

[ironsighter]

I'll have to wave the flag on the bolded statement. These bullets come apart very dramatically in my 270 Winchester, even when shot into water jugs. After a few tests, I decided not to use them on game, period.

They do shoot well, though. Great practice bullet. Dave.

I've only used the 150 grainers (loaded to ~2900fps with a max load of 7828), but I certainly did not observe what you have. Either way, they have emphatically killed everything I have shot with them. My buddy uses them in his 7mm and reports excellent results, too.

EDIT: Note: both my buddy and I anneal our SSTs as per Nathan Foster's advice. This increases expansion at longer ranges (lower velocities) and quite possibly reduces fragmentation (since they are less "brittle").

 

[langbanger]

I'll have to wave the flag on the bolded statement. These bullets come apart very dramatically in my 270 Winchester, even when shot into water jugs. After a few tests, I decided not to use them on game, period.

They do shoot well, though. Great practice bullet. Dave.

180 gr sst in my 30-06 shoots very accurate. In one end and out the other of a calf moose at 100 yards and left the vitals looking more like soup. Likely would have been a different story had I hit the shoulder ( hit just behind the shoulder and through the ribs on each side) but I'm still very happy so far with the results on game that I have had. I may opt for a bullet next season with a little more weight retention though because even though shot placement is key, its not always ideal. As far as the tip damage, I've been using them for two years now in a blind mag rem 700 and have never had that issue.

 

[flashman]

Also, I'll note that the SSTs are not a basic cup-and-core projectile. They are actually a Hornady InterLock with a "Super Shock Tip".

No, they are.

The interlock ring does not make it a premium bullet. It is still a basic cup & core unbonded bullet. Premium bullets will feature bonded, partitioned, or monolithic construction.

The InterBOND is one of Hornady's premium bullet lines. The InterLOCK is their standard cup & core line.

No shame in it, they're a fantastic bullet. I have had excellent results with the 165 SST in the .30-06.

 

[flashman]

I'll have to wave the flag on the bolded statement. These bullets come apart very dramatically in my 270 Winchester, even when shot into water jugs. After a few tests, I decided not to use them on game, period.

They do shoot well, though. Great practice bullet. Dave.

Let me guess? The water jugs were inside 100 yards?

They wouldn't be my pick for a .270 either, not unless I was regularly taking shots at over 200 yards. A rapid expanding, "soft" cup and core bullet is a pretty lousy choice for the .270 at close ranges at standard velocities. At distance though, they would be a fantastic choice. Match grade accurate, good BCs, and ballistic tip equals one great mid to long range hunting bullet. 3000 fps is right about where cup & core bullets fail, and the SST is a soft cup & core. 3000 fps is also the MV of the .270, if not higher. That's the problem.

But impact them out at 500 yards when they've dropped to 2200 fps, and still expand rapidly - that's what they're well suited to. The SST is a lousy choice for close range, high velocity applications, much like a monolithic copper bullet would be a lousy choice for long range, low velocity applications. Horses for courses.

Or, as I use it, for mild yet deadly loads for the .30-06... Rather than pushing a lower BC, harder bullet faster, they let you push a higher BC softer bullet slower, and retain good energy and expansion out to and past past 300 yards.

 

[ironsighter]

In my .270, the 150 grainers are a perfect choice as an all-rounder. I would not expect the same performance from 130s.

Due to the weight of the bullet, 2900fps MV is about maximum achievable (with "reasonably hot" .270 win loads), so the projectile never crosses that 3000fps mark that flashman has noted.

Nevertheless, it shoots nearly as flat as any 130s I have tried, due to the BC of .525. They carry more energy downrange, too.

Penetration is excellent due to the very high SD. Yes, the bullet loses mass as it does its job, but it still does its job. They wouldn't be my choice for grizz or water buffalo, but on BC ungulates they have never let me down.

The icing on the cake is that they shoot damned close to .5 MOA from my Savage 111. The cherry on top is they cost 40 cents each.

 

[Cleftwynd]

I'll have to wave the flag on the bolded statement. These bullets come apart very dramatically in my 270 Winchester, even when shot into water jugs. After a few tests, I decided not to use them on game, period.

They do shoot well, though. Great practice bullet. Dave.

I had the exact same experience with SST's in my 270W. Deer within 150 yards. The bullet acted like a varmint bullet, it did kill quick, but was a very shallow and wide wound. Barely made it to the onside lung with a perfect broadside shot. After a few times I stopped using SST's on game.

 

[ironsighter]

180 gr sst in my 30-06 shoots very accurate. In one end and out the other of a calf moose at 100 yards and left the vitals looking more like soup. Likely would have been a different story had I hit the shoulder ( hit just behind the shoulder and through the ribs on each side) but I'm still very happy so far with the results on game that I have had. I may opt for a bullet next season with a little more weight retention though because even though shot placement is key, its not always ideal. As far as the tip damage, I've been using them for two years now in a blind mag rem 700 and have never had that issue.

I cranked a mule deer through the upper front leg bone, through the lower chest, and into the other front leg with an annealed 150gr .277" SST. Distance was ~200 yards. Deer hobbled around for about 15 seconds, then dropped and wiggled a bit and died. About 30% of the projectile was found in the opposite leg. Opening the chest revealed copious quantities of blood. Not an ideal shot, but the bullet did its job.