I've got some Hornady SST's loaded up for my 300 Win Mag. I don't really have any info on these bullets or "field reports". (In fact, the guy that reloaded them for me encouraged me to use them because they're relatively new and he wanted some people to try them out.)

I'm using the 150gr bullet. Not sure what the muzzle velocity is though; I have tested them out to 300yds so I do know their POI (very good ballistics and accuracy). As far as I can tell, they are structurally similar to a Ballistic Tip so I'm assuming they'll perform the same. Is that right? Has anybody used them yet? Thanks!

I've got some factory loaded SST's from Hornady in a 6.5 Swede that I'm going to try this year. I'll hopefully be able to report in a couple weeks. I had excellent accuracy results as well. Good luck!
JIM B.

I've never used the SST but i have friends who have for several years in their 300mag and the 270 win. I've never heard them say anything negative about the bullet and they've killed lots of deer with it.

Well, I got my first buck yesterday. 40yd shot, 250lb buck, quartering towards, through the shoulder. The shoulder was destroyed (lost the front leg), took out a lung, blew off the top of the heart, got a few fragments into the other lung and liver. I found many small fragments from the near shoulder through the far side under the hide. It certainly got the job done and performed as expected; very explosively. Granted, a bone shot is not what I was counting on but that's all I had at the time through the timber. I'll give it a big thumbs up for getting the job done well but I won't be hunting with it anymore on account of the fragmentation and meat loss; I feel much more comfortable with a Partition for hunting.

PS- I hope it's ok to post this in the Reloading forum; I just wanted to do a follow up. Ie, superb ballistics and accuracy but a little too frangible for hunting, in my humble opinion.

I used SST's last season and they worked great...

Mistah my experiences with the SSTs are the same as yours. I have some Hornady Light Mag 139 SSTs for a 280 of mine. It only took a couple to realize that they are EXTREMELY accurate but terribly light for deer hunting. I even shot a buck in the chest (1/4ing towards me @ 45yds) without hitting any bone and the bullet didnt make it through the closest lung. The buck only ran 30yds and piled up but I believe a heavier penetrator wouldve gone through both lungs and possibly even exited on the otherside just behind the off shoulder. The same thing can be said for most "ballistic tips" type bullets that arent either partitioned or bonded.

The SST Interlocks are better performers than the standard SSTs but I suspect they will shed their core like a Nosler Partition does when fired at high velocities. IMHO if you want a devastating "ballistic tip" then try the Accubond. They still arent a Barnes X or Fail Safe but they will be extremely accurate and penetrate whitetails very well.

Good luck,
RA

Red I assume your referring to the interbond, as their is only one type of SST which has the interlock ring?

I used the SST for one season but then switched back the the NBT's. NBT's have yet to let me down in a variety of shot situations (if you contact bone they will do some damage). IMO they are a great deer bullet for my usage. I used the 160 Accubond this fall to harvest a Bull Elk and Bull Moose, both broadside rib shots. They expanded well and obviously held together to produce complete pass throughs of both animals. From this experience as a rib shooter on deer I felt they may in fact bit much for deer (although I am sure they would work fine) and switched back to my 150 NBT's.

mistah you may want to consider trying 180 gr NBT, they will give you a bit more JIC and I know a number of guys who use this bullet for deer, moose and elk, never seen a problem and a lot of animals taken through the shoulder as well.

Yeah skeet they are now called the "Interbond". Intially when first released, the improved SST was called the "SST Interlock". You know how it goes, old habits die hard.

Like I said, the Accubond IMHO is still the best Ballistic Tip type out there for big game,
RA

Hey Skeeter, the only reason I don't move up to 180gr bullets is that the trajectory falls off quickly before 300yds. For jumpers, I just want to hold dead on out to 300 yds since I never know how long a shot will be and 150gr bullets allow me to do that. (No point in shooting a 300 mag at jumpers if your bullet can't reach out and touch them! )

I'm going to try the Accubond's and Interbond's in the spring. They might be a little on the tough side but that's what I prefer anyway.

The 180gr ballistic tip is much tougher than the 150gr and 165gr versions because nosler redesigned them about two years ago with a much thicker jacket.I have driven one through both shoulders of an elk and the remaining bullet that was found under the hide weighed 111.7 gr.The 150gr and 165gr bullets however are plenty tough enough for deer.