SST and Shockwave blood trails?
12-24-2006 | 09:36 PM
#11
Giant Nontypical
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 5,425
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RE: SST and Shockwave blood trails?
I have killed, or cleaned deer killed with round balls, the Hornady .300 gr XTP, the Barnes 300 Copper, the 295 Hollowpoint PowerBelts and the 250 SSTs...What the SST bullets give you is a better bc, so you can take longer shots...Hunting over fields over eastern NC, the SST is a good choice....The other bullets don't "carry" as well....But, think about it a sharp, sleek design is great for cutting through the air, but not for quick expansion at muzzleloader speed....In fact, some of the prettiest expanding projectiles are the round ball and the PowerBelts....But, they aren't reliable when it comes to exit wounds...
I have killed 7-8 deer with the SST, myself....They group into one ragged hole at 100 yards, and sighted in 2 1/2 inches high at 100, they are 2 1/2 low at 150...A PowerBelt doesn't come close, neither does the Barnes 300 copper, at least not in my gun....So I use the shoulder blade to help the SST open up....Every deer I have hit with these bullets have dropped....Not because its such a great bullet, but because of where I have hit them....I use the SSTs because I can have an honest 150 yard shot and I know that I can put the bullet through the shoulder, and they will drop...
A buddy of mine also uses them...He hit a nice 10 pointer 2-3 years ago, range was only 35 yards or so...Hit behind the shoulder the buck ran 100 yards, very little blood, until we got 25 yards or so from him...The bullet exited, but the exit wasn't much larger than the entrance....After tracking that deer I started going for the high shoulder shot....
Another buddy and my brother have used 295 PowerBelts...As we have seen from other posts, impressive mushrooming, seldom exit, until you get 100 yards or so from the gun and velocity has slowed...My buddy still uses them, basically because he doesn't take shots past 100 yards and they load easy...
I used the 300 gr Barnes all copper for several years, my gun wouldn't group the 250, but, my brother's loves the 250 Barnes....Frankly these are great bullets, I'm suprised more don't use them...I guess $$$ is the reason...They will exit and they do mushroom...But, in my gun sighted in 2 1/2 high at 100, they were about 7-8 inches low at 150 (using 100 grains or Pyrodex R-S)...I killed 5-6 deer with these and brother another 2-3...If 125 yards would be my longest shot, these would be the bullets I shot....
Those are my observations, put some thought into how each bullet is designed, ranges you are likely to have a shot and which bullets group well in your gun...
Good Luck...
I have killed 7-8 deer with the SST, myself....They group into one ragged hole at 100 yards, and sighted in 2 1/2 inches high at 100, they are 2 1/2 low at 150...A PowerBelt doesn't come close, neither does the Barnes 300 copper, at least not in my gun....So I use the shoulder blade to help the SST open up....Every deer I have hit with these bullets have dropped....Not because its such a great bullet, but because of where I have hit them....I use the SSTs because I can have an honest 150 yard shot and I know that I can put the bullet through the shoulder, and they will drop...
A buddy of mine also uses them...He hit a nice 10 pointer 2-3 years ago, range was only 35 yards or so...Hit behind the shoulder the buck ran 100 yards, very little blood, until we got 25 yards or so from him...The bullet exited, but the exit wasn't much larger than the entrance....After tracking that deer I started going for the high shoulder shot....
Another buddy and my brother have used 295 PowerBelts...As we have seen from other posts, impressive mushrooming, seldom exit, until you get 100 yards or so from the gun and velocity has slowed...My buddy still uses them, basically because he doesn't take shots past 100 yards and they load easy...
I used the 300 gr Barnes all copper for several years, my gun wouldn't group the 250, but, my brother's loves the 250 Barnes....Frankly these are great bullets, I'm suprised more don't use them...I guess $$$ is the reason...They will exit and they do mushroom...But, in my gun sighted in 2 1/2 high at 100, they were about 7-8 inches low at 150 (using 100 grains or Pyrodex R-S)...I killed 5-6 deer with these and brother another 2-3...If 125 yards would be my longest shot, these would be the bullets I shot....
Those are my observations, put some thought into how each bullet is designed, ranges you are likely to have a shot and which bullets group well in your gun...
Good Luck...
