I just harvested my 15th deer with Hornady SST's, both black sabot and low drag. I have yet to recover one and tonight I shot a doe at 87yds, was quartering away and turned just as I touched off the Knight with 100grns T7. It was supposed to be a behind the last rib and out the front of far shoulder. NOT!!! She turned as I lit it up and upon walking over there, she DRT'd.
It went in her right hind qtr, breaking hip, out the ribs, back in the back of right shoulder and out the front of shoulder!!!! Now thats holding together!! Broke the shoulder socket on way out. She dressed at 137lbs on my electronic scale/gabriel. Sorry to say I had to knife her to finish it up. But a round that can do that kind of damage and still have enough energy to exit will have my vote forever!!!!
congratulations on the deer. I am glad the bullet was able to stick together and finish the job on that deer. Even if you had to finish the animal off.
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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, a total wreck, screaming Yahoo, with a big smile on your face."
Well that is inline with my experience. Congratulations on the deer. I keep wondering why some people have bad experiences do you suppose they are under loading? These are muzzleloader bullets designed for inlines with a load that produces 2000+at the muzzle. And I am afraid some use loads suitable for Power Belts which work best at 80 grains unless modified.
With one minor difference. The 250 grain SST has a soft plastic tip. The 250 grain Shockwave has a hard plastic tip. After killing a lot of wild hogs and deer using both bullets; i think those two bullets sometimes act differently. But i can't prove it-yet.
It may be that the SST expands better at long range and lower velocity.
Congrats on the deer. I share the belief with many others that today's modern projectiles are all effective if used within their means. I've seen a lot of deer killed with Shockwaves/SSTs. Keep shootin' 'em and keep adding horns to the wall
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"Yes, well, I’m polymerized tree sap and you’re an inorganic adhesive, so whatever verbal projectile you launch in my direction is reflected off of me, returns to its original trajectory and adheres to you." - Sheldon Cooper
sst's are the same bullet as the shockwave, but the sabot on the sst's is .001 smaller diameter.
RR
I get better accuracy out of the SST's than I do the shockwave though. Loaded them side by side at range tests and the SST's always come out on top. I also like the red low drag sabot (without the stick on bottom) they came out with. Load REAL easy for follow up shots. Almost as easy as a powerbelt. Another funny thing is, out of alll the deer I have shot with these projectiles, I have yet to recover one. No matter how I hit em, not left inside. heck, look at this one!!!! If one was to ever be left inside, this one should have been a canidate. Thats why I use them. DRT!!!