Observation on the bullet and terminal effects rather than criticism of its use (in case this is misconstrued)...
..but that looks awfully messy and the fragmented jacket would alarm me in a supposed "Interlocked" hunting bullet.
The fact that you comment it has held together and exited as a good thing implies that some don't. Is that the case?
Especially considering the range. (at 46yds ANY game bullet should exit)
I am afraid its pics like this that confirm my disinterest in using SST's on deer.
I use AMax on foxes and it makes less mess
Just to be clear, I'm no expert and don't want to seem to be lecturing fellow stalkers (don't want to be misconstrued either!)
High velocity/close range can be a challenge for expanding bullets; even to the extent that under-penetration occurs. Whereas at longer range the bullet is less likely to fragment, paradoxically increasing penetration (perhaps less so in .243 than more powerful cartridges.) I'm not talking about highly frangible constructions like Barnes Varmint Grenade or V-max, but uncontrolled expansion of bullets designed for deer-sized game can occur at high impact velocities such as at close range.
The pic above shows the worst of the wound channel, which was about 1-1.5" diameter, after I have removed some overlying muscle. The area of damaged meat was quite localised. The pic below shows the same area before dissection to show the permanent wound cavity. Remember, this is a neck, not a thorax, so it's hardly a massive area of damage:
My point is that even at close-range/high-velocity the bullet has expanded in a controlled manner, retaining enough mass to make a clean exit wound after hitting the spine (much more substantial than rib). It's possible that the interlocked section remained fully jacketed and intact, we'll never know. The fragmentation was not excessive, not a case of "bullet blow-up".
Recovered fragments:
My previous experience with Speer 100gr BTSP at similar range did not not exit (and that was a high cervical impact.) Of course, no two shots are identical so one must be wary of definitive statements based on limited data. It may well be that further use puts me off the SST in .243.
After the Speer, I switched to Sierra Gameking and subsequently Prohunter. The former tended to exhibit jacket/core separation, the latter were fine (though the meplats tend to get deformed in the mag by recoil.)
Happily, most bullets are going to get the job done most of the time, if put in the right place. But having had a heart-shot fallow buck stroll toward me with no sign of a hit, I am aware that "most of the time" is not "every time". Since the .243 is at the lowest end of the UK deer-legal calibre spectrum, I am happy to experiment to get the best out of it.
My deer stalking is only in double-figures per year so I am guided by the opinions of those who shoot triple-figures or have a lifetime of experience behind them. Not many people document terminal ballistics in detail:
Terminal Ballistics Research is an interesting repository of observations of the performance of different bullets on game. The .243 is not the site authors favourite calibre but the 95gr SST is, in his opinion, the best of a bad bunch.
If things don't continue to go well with the SST, I'll switch back to the 100gr Prohunter.
Hopefully, by sharing our experiences (on forums, in the pub, etc.) we can peel back hype and hyperbole and make informed decisions based on in-field results. It's good to share!