Thread: Bullet Performance on game

Originally Posted by Ned

I'm using 150SST in my 308. Zeroed in at 200m. When I'm bush stalking I just have a soft point as the first round ready to go. If I ever need a longer range shot out in open country just eject that first round.
I'd rather have stayed with the interbonds but hornady aren't loading that pill in their superformance line anymore?

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So would you say that the interbond performance was better, or more reliable at differing ranges than the SST?

Is anyone using the Sako ammo loaded with the Barnes monolithic bullet of the Sako powerhead blade which is also an all copper projectile.

Originally Posted by zeropak

Yeah your probably right. A Boars head is a pretty solid landing point for any bullet and yes I have been very happy with the SST bullet Performance. The reason for the post is that I am interested in what other hunters are using and their personal experience with those projectiles.

Completely understand mate, whilst not a 260, the old man and I have used 130gr ssts in .270 well over 3000fps, very messy and no exit up close but they certainly do the job.

Originally Posted by zeropak

So would you say that the interbond performance was better, or more reliable at differing ranges than the SST?

Nothing scientific about it in my case. The superformance hornady groups well in my rifle. 0.75" at 100m. I'm only hunting a handful of times a year so no real cost benefit in getting into reloading.
And I'm only chasing reds which is why I started with the interbonds being prob more likely to hold together. I've still got about 30 rounds of the btsp custom lite load they used to sell hence taking a couple with me if doing any bush hunting.

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Ok. Trying to stay out of this but…
165gr SST’s at a relatively low velocity work. Or any SST end of story. That’s what they are designed for. Out of my 308 at 2570 they kill. Up close and out far. Between me and my boys we have shot over 50 from 5 yards to 400 yards. Again they work.
We have shot probably 20 using my old 7 x 57 and SST’s - end result - dead.
As for the 143 grain Eld-x out of a 6.5x55 - no contest. Everything dies and the lungs etc are mush.
Just load ‘em up at the right velocity and use them. From our experience 100 odd reds, and some big ones, shot up close bush hunting, on slips and faces etc they work end of story.

Hunting mate uses the SST's in a 7M08 and at those velocities on meat reds and goats etc they work well.
No bullet will do every thing. you need to decide what you want. Large heavy bodied animals at close range, heavy bones etc, need a different bullet to light bodied animals at long ranges.
And any bullet hitting spine or heavy skull bones etc may blow up short of a copper solid.
Z

I am no fan of SST's, lots of meat damage and a fragmenting bullet that looses too much weight and momentum and does not exit.
They are easy to get to shoot well (as are most soft target type bullets) which explains the popularity.
Because they dont exit the wound can seal and the animal escape.
I like a bonded bullet, bullets are cheap per deer so use quality and get the job done every time. A fast opening bonded bullet retains weight and momentum and blows a hole right through - result blood on the ground at the hit and blood pouring out if the animal has moved from the shot making it easy to find.
For the huge amount of meat damage and the percentage of animals lost with SST's should they even be considered a deer bullet ?

Interbonds in my experience are one of the top projectiles, way superior to the sst. Recovered projectile weight was excellent. Only stopped using them because they fouled my 7saum really badly. Funnily enough the fouling started 400 odd rounds into the barrel life. Also I suspect you can load the same weight sst and interbond and possibly get same point of impact and have a short to medium range interbond load and a sst load for long range where you won't get them blowing up.

boar of about 70lb...range about 30 yards,.308 and a 180grn round nose...went in between eyes and lodged in offside shoulder weighing 110grns...... up close just about all projectiles will loose some weight when hitting something as solid as pig in head/neck.....personally I like heavy soft projectiles for up close and lighter soft for out further....actually I just load something Ive got and shoot something I want to eat...poke projectile in right place and they end up dead.....I believe the biggest issue around today,is that folks didnt start out using worn .303 SMLEs with FMJ ammunition......just about ANYTHING we have on shelves today crap on that...and we still killed animals deader than dead.....the shoulder shot was popular as gave big area of vitals and some bone to make damage bigger..it still applies for same reason....but if you go really soft,or really fast,you need to slip projectile in just behind foreleg and pulp the vitals..... NOTHING about the animals has changed...

@Micky Duck in that case you should see the geco ammo I got for the 8x57 I just got.
Round nose with a lead tip the size of a fingernail (mild exaggeration). It looks like a mushroom waiting to happen but dont expect a flat trajectory

gives me a hard on just reading that bud.....

this is,believe it or not...what 150grn remington coreloct projectiles used to look like....have careful look at the exposed lead and you will see the jacket has star shaped petals extending up into/around outside...this is when projectile makers knew and cared about game killing in real world conditions....

Originally Posted by Puddleduk

Interbonds in my experience are one of the top projectiles, way superior to the sst. Recovered projectile weight was excellent. Only stopped using them because they fouled my 7saum really badly. Funnily enough the fouling started 400 odd rounds into the barrel life. Also I suspect you can load the same weight sst and interbond and possibly get same point of impact and have a short to medium range interbond load and a sst load for long range where you won't get them blowing up.

The 4 big red stags that I have shot from 23 December dont think that 95gr SST are useless. Tagged and dropped. Shot 2 monster red hinds in the rain on Santas morning. Like a bolt of thunder hit them. We usually run 85gr Sierra but the SST are up on the podium.

Originally Posted by Huntfisheat

Been using Hornady Superperformance 139g SST in the 7/08 ever since that load superseded the "Light Magnum" load they had.
It's been 12 years since I wounded and lost an animal.
21inch tube, shots out to 400 have all been deadly with mostly bang flops on Tahr, pigs, goats, fallow, reds.
Had one blow up on a fallow buck shoulder at about 75 metres but everything else just down and died.
But I hunt for meat and, if I get an option, it's juveniles I target for the meat quality. If I was seriously in to bull Tahr, big pigs or red stags, i think I'd choose a slightly less frangible projectile.

I agree with the above i have shot hundreds of deer with the sst and every now and again you have a bad hit but is it any worse then other rounds, when i am meat hunting i will try neck or base of head. Yep lost a couple of big stags but i have sure had some luck with the sst.
And lost deer are more human era then bullet performance
if you are worried about meat damage shoot another one

Here you go @Micky Duck
Pic of one from internet
On the arvo boxing day celebration so cant take a photo of real one but this is what they look like
Big softpoint on that one