SST performance

[ruffcountry]

I shot two deer this year with my new rifle a mod 7oo in 7 rem mag . The first was my Nov Coues and the second was a Dec Oklahoma buck . I used Hornady Heavy Mag 139 gr SST on both . I have not used this caliber or bullet before . Even though it didnt exit , I did not recover the bullet from my Coues buck . It kind of made a mess of things and I didnt spend much time looking for it .

I did recover one of the bullets from a 165 lb whitetail that I shot in western Oklahoma . I badly under estimated the distance (it was probaly 440+) and first shot broke the bucks front leg , the follow up shot made from about 100 yards hit him in the back of his neck and I found it near the back of his jaw .This bullet traveled approximately 12 inches through this large bucks neck into the back jaw region .

As you can see there is not much left of this bullet . Although , I feel these bullets transfer incredible shock and energy and are fine for deer sized game , I dont think they would my first choice for elk .

The SST is an interlock bullet , the Heavy Mags are also available in 139 gr interbond . I have not tried the interbond but it would be interesting to compare recovered bullets . Additionally , Hornady is introducing the GMX in 139 grain too , I dont know if it will be available in the Heavy Mag , but I hope it will be.

I just thought some might be interested in these pics of my bullet and what I thought of their performance . Again I think they are great for deer but wouldn't recommend them for larger game like elk because penetration in both cases was only about 12 inches . Last year my 300 wby drove 150 gr over two feet through my Coues buck .

[curmudgen]

I shot two big game animals this year with SSTs. Both had entry wounds about 2"x3", larger than many exit wounds with other bullets I've used. I won't use them again. I've used Hornady Interlocks before with excellent results so I was surprised with these bullets which are also advertised as Interlocks, but with plastic tips. Jack

[ruffcountry]

What caliber were you using for your kills ? Did the bullet exit ?

Ive had good results with Hornady and I plan to keep using them .

The large entry wound really doesnt bother me much , my 300 wby with 150 and 165 grain bullets has always done that . I use Weatherby loads in my weatherby .

[singleshot]

We shoot 139 grain SST's in our 7mm-08 and have had excellent results on deer. Both deer shot happened to be broadside though and both bullets exited. I shoot Nosler ballistic tips in my 7 mag. and the recovered bullets look about like the one you have pictured. I was a little shocked to find the nylon tip just under the skin on the entrance hole of the buck that my wife took this year. It was a 115 grain ballistic tip that entered just in front of the ham angling forward. I recovered what was left of the bullet in the area of his heart. No jacket, just the core wich weighed about 55 grains. Internal damage was extreme, and the deer was recovered so I guess the performance was fine. I agree with you on never shooting an elk with one.