180 grain SST too much for a Red Stag?

[2428 miles]

Hi all.

Does anyone have any real world experience of how the 180 grain Hornady SST performs of Red deer when shot from .30-06?

They worked well on Boar but mildly concerned they may not fully expand on Highland Stags...

Thanks in advance,
Miles

 

[Greener Jim]

Not first hand experience but the SST is a relatively fast opening bullet ie not bonded/partition/thick jacket. I would be very surprised if it wasn't effective/didn't open fully on red stags

 

[Greener Jim]

Some snapshots from http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/.30-06+Springfield.html

View attachment 74147View attachment 74148

Not a believer in everything this guy believes in (he is a huge proponent of hydrostatic shock) but he has done extensive bullet testing especially SST's.

 

[jcampbellsmith]

http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/.30-06+Springfield.html Regards JCS

 

[Muir]

SST's were very reasonable a few years back so i stocked up on 30 cal variants from 150 to 180 grain. I loaded 165's for a friend of mine amd my daughter's 30-06. Another friend, who is a reloader and took advantage of the good prices on SST's also loaded 165's for his 30-06. I hunted with these three people and they are good marksmen. I saw some really inconsistent performance with these bullets. Multiple shots required when the first should have done the trick. I started using them for off hand practice in my 308 and advised others to abandon them. I was curious though, so i took my 308 loaded with 165 SST's hunting last fall. I stalked onto a small mule deer buck at about 80 yards and shot him just above the heart. He ran 150 yards through heavy timber, coughing out chunks of his lung before collapsing. Initially, I thought I'd botched the shot but found the bullet had struck where I'd aimed. The lungs were shredded and the remaining bulk of the bullet had angled up and right to destroy the off shoulder from the inside. There were bits of copper everywhere when i butchered him.

I know some people swear by SST's but they are now a cheap target bullet as far as I'm concerned.~Muir

 

[Southern]

I think the SST bullets in the .30-06 are made for lighter-boned game at long ( 250 to 400 ) yard ranges.
The Nosler 180-gr BT seems to be a little slower to expand.

But for most big game, a flat base 165-gr or 180-gr standard Speer, Remington, Hornady or Sierra is all you need. A Partition is a proven bullet for this job, and the Accubond seems to be even better for long range, if you feel the need for a little more BC to shave off an inch of drop

 

[bewsher500]

Hi all.

Does anyone have any real world experience of how the 180 grain Hornady SST performs of Red deer when shot from .30-06?

They worked well on Boar but mildly concerned they may not fully expand on Highland Stags...

Thanks in advance,
Miles

why do you think that?

The SST was designed to offer reliable expansion on medium sized NA plains game at ranges in excess of 3-400 yds with impact velocities in the 2000fps to 2500fps range
Its the reason it can be explosive when it hits a solid bone at 50-100 when still clocking 3000!

Short for "Super Shock Tip" the Hornady® SST® is designed to deliver tremendous shock on impact while expanding quickly and reliably, particularly at higher velocities. Flat shooting and deadly accurate, it's an ideal bullet for whitetails, as well as most North American game animals from antelope to moose and similar-sized African plains game. The SST® creates a devastatingly large wound channel.

 

[alberta boy]

I have a few friends who've used them . From their experience with them , I've stayed away from them . They seem a bit erratic in performance , everything from instant kills to long blood trails and bullet failure .

AB

 

[big ears]

Used 150gr SST in 308 and had very variable and erratic behaviour so switched to Sierra GK. They accounted for a couple of red stags (one a royal) with no problem. In the 30-06 my friend only uses 180gr partitions which he swears by and he shoots a lot of reds and North American Elk. I have just started shooting 30-06 and am planning on 180gr partitions, they seem to work and have worked for the last 40years or so, and is the chosen bullet for most American Elk hunters so will work fine on reds here in the UK. As Muir says SST's are now my plinking round.

BE

 

[bewsher500]

The bog standard interlock works just fine for me in .270 130gr form
however I use 180gr corelokt in 30cal on reds
Standard cup and core exposed soft nose bullet

leas frangible, not too thick in the jacket
partitions, interlocks, game King's, grand slam, interbond, etc etc
not much between them

 

[2428 miles]

Thanks all for your replies.

I use the 150 SST normally but purchased some 180sst for a boar trip and keen to use them up.

I have used the sst in 243, 6.5 and .30 cal and always found their accuracy, consistency and terminal performance excellent.

 

[Hunt-Inter]

We use 180g SST in .30-06 for Sika and think are very good. Nothing goes far..

Shot everything from Sika to Brown Bear with them

 

[sikadog]

129 sst's in my 6.5-284 dont even get to the target before they blow up, and I watch a demo on a dead fallow buck at 10yds 130grn out of a 270.
DONT DRIVE THEM HARD THEY JUST BLOW UP, unless you are targeting something at 300-400 yds