Moebedda

I have seen mixed thoughts on this slug for deer hutning. Accuracy is not the issue. The issue is what it does to deer. I have heard this slug blows right through them with little expansion, and small entrance/exit holes leading to poor blood trails and sub-par knockdown power. Most deer I have shot with a 12 ga. either drop or run maybe 30 yards. I saw one report of deer running 80-100 yards after ebing shot with this slug. I am sighted in for this slug and it opens in 2 days. I would rather have knockdown and sacrifice long range, rather than vice versa. I know from experienc that partition golds do a great job on deer, but that means spending more money and going back to the range.

Comments?

Canned Heat

I can see the blow-thru issue if you're really close, like less than 25 yards. This may not give it time to expand. Same problem a lot of people, including myself, have had with ballistic tip rifle bullets at close range. Never hit a deer with one yet, just paper. Hoping that changes on the 23rd of November.

andy da animal

my brother has had that problem! he shot a good sized 7 point last year at 75 yards right through the lungs and it still went a good 150 yards before dieing in a creek! the second deer he shot at 85 yards and it made it 100 yards! there really isnt much difference in size from entry to exit! but it is entirely up to you on what you want to do! hes trying them again this year and if he has the same problem then hes switching back to remingtons!

good luck and good hunting!

TimHixson

I am sighted in for them also. I sure hope they do the job!

Moebedda

Shot a doe at 165 yards last night and it blew the top of the heart off. It ran maybe 30 yards. My brother had similar results with a doe at 80 yards, but there was only the bottom portion of the heart left. Most of the rest was decimated. These bullets do very good internal damage. Blood trail? I didn't pay attention. My deer didn't run out of my view. I simply watched it drop. My brothers was the same way. So obviously they didnt run far enough to worry about a blood trail. These shotgun sabots get my unofficial Juan Valdez seal of approval.

Tuco

A 12 gauge sabot is not a "small" entrance/exit hole. Hit them in the vitals and they will die.

Paul L Mohr

First of all Knock Down Power is somewhat of a myth. There isn't a slug on the market that can transfer enough energy to knock a 100+ lb deer off from it's feet. It's physically impossible.

Now if you are worried these slugs will not expand and transfer the same amount of energy a different slug will then I really don't think you have anything to worry about. I don't see anything in the design that is radically different than most other modern slug bullets or inline muzzle loader bullets. Hardly any of them perform that well when you are up close. They tend to zip right through the deer if you hit them in the vitals. But they do leave a lot of internal damage behind.

I hunt with an inline or shotgun and have never had a deer drop in it's tracks yet. It is never a given, not even with a high powered rifle. Unless maybe you are shooting them in the neck or close to the spine. Mine have all ran between 50 and 100 yards after being shot. And the exit wound is usually the same size as the entrance. I always shoot them in the vitals though, not the shoulder. My ranges are between 20 and 90 yards, never had to shoot one farther away than that.

You have to remember that the bullets we use are basically controlled expansion pistol bullets. They really are not made to expand rapidly, this is in case you hit bone like a shoulder or something. You still want that penetration, not a slug that will fragment or spread out when it hits something.

The key is the damage they do inside the deer. Almost all the deer I have shot the bullet zipped right through and the deer ran off. However when gutting them the internal damage was devastating. The heart is usually bruised badly or destroyed if I hit it and the lungs are turned to gel and just pour out when you cut the deer open. It doesn't get much better than that. If you want something that expands faster you will need to go with a softer lead bullet. Then you run into penetration issues if you hit bone. I personally want an exit wound.

I have never used the hornady shot gun slugs, but I have and have friends that use that same bullet in an inline muzzle loader and they work just fine.

A few years ago I used a full bore heavy slug (gold magnum 600 grn!) because I thought it would be devastating. Wrong, punched a quarter sized hole in a deer at 20 yards and it ran about 90 yards. When I gutted it there was very little damage to the internal organs. Nothing like a smaller controlled expansion bullet moving at a faster speed would do.

My opinions anyway.

Paul

Hunter_59

I thought I would offer my experience with the SST. I shoot it through a Mossberg UltiMag 835, rifled barrel with 2.5x7 scope mounted on top. I have sighted the slug in to the manufacturers specs. i.e. zeroed at 150 yds. I can put them into a 3" diameter circle at 150 yds. Some people no doubt can do much better.

When I first used this shell in '06, I was using a red dot scope for close range shooting. I didn't expect to have a 200 yd. shot. Since then I have purchased a 2.5x7 scope.With the red dot last year I had the opportunity on a nice 8 pt. buck standing broadside with a doe at 198 yds. The slug drops 6" at 200 yds. so needless to say,you aim atthe top of the back and it should drop right in. The first shot definately hit the buck and he responded with an arching back and outstretched neck. Kind of like something hurt him seriously but he did not drop. Like I said he was with a doe and did not want to leave her side. The sound of the gun did not effect them. I waited about 1 1/2 minutes and decided it would be best to hit him again. I carefully took aim and pulled the trigger and he dropped like a rock. When I walked up on him he was still alive with a broken backbone. Definately the second shot was way off and had hit the spinal cord. I finished him off with a knife through the heart. The first shot hit below the heart and probably was not lethal.Iknew I needed to get rid ofthe red dot and go with something more accurate.

I was excited for the '07 season and sighted in the slug again to zero at 150 yds. On opening day, Friday the 16th, I had the opportunity at a respectable 15 pt. buck at 85 yds. As the buckcame infollowing a doe, I had 1 shot opportunity at 85 yds. before he dissapeared intosome willows. When he turned broadside I put the crosshairs onhis left shoulder and gently squeezed the trigger.At the sound of the gun the buck dropped in his tracks. I waited a couple of minutes to make sure he wasn't getting up then unloaded and climbed down. When I walked up on him he was dead. TheHornady SST had done a terrific job. The bulletentered exactly where I aimed in the left shoulder and passed through the opposite shoulder. The entrance and exit holes were basically the same size.More like what I would expect from a high powered rifle. Definately not what you are used to seeing fromthelead slugs. Afterskinning thebuck, the traumais very evident. Massive tissue and bone damage.

I have been pleased with this shell in respect to accuracy and long range capability. If you are used to the damage caused by lead slugs, you may not like this shell. If you put the slug in the vitals, it will do thejob. I routinely have 200 yd. shots available,so this is what I was looking for. If your shots are within 50 yds.you may want to staywith the lead slugs. Either way,I believeshot placement is still more important than the slug used! It's common in my area, public ground, to hear some hunters shooting 3,4,or 5 shots. LikeMel Gibson says in "The Patriot", "aim small, miss small"! I try to recite this in my mind before every shot.

ReDoT

I have never been able to get the sst to group in my shotgun. however i shoot a 870 WM w/ a fully rifled hastings barrel (1:34 twist). but i know from my muzzeloader that they are very accurate w/the right load. back to the slug debate. out of my 870 i seem to have the most success with 3" lightfield hybred elites. 1730fps MV and 3650 ft./lbs ME. 1.5" high @ 100yds. and 0.0 @ 125 yds. from a rest i can shoot clover leafs @ 100 yards. i shot an 8pt this season very close range (10-15yds) and the slug put literally a fist sized hole thru his heart. No exit hole as it is a maximum expansion slug designed not to exit. the deer amazingly trotted 30-40yds. and dropped like a rock, blood trail was about a foot wide all the way to him

AJ52

Used this slug for two years and taken 4 deer.Two does,Two large bucks.Three heart lung shots and 1 neck shot.What I've seen is No controlled expansion - it just explodes with any impact to bone,hard tissue etc.Just took nice 210 lb 10 pnt other day.It took the animal 10+ minutes much of it walking to expire after 2 chest shots,one fragmented into heart and 2nd into lung.

Killed a buck last year with a broadside shot to heart lung area.Slug must have nicked a rib. Entrance hole and small exit hole high on opposite side rump.After I opened up deer it was obvious the slug splinttered and literally gutted the deer from heart to Butt Hole!!

Having said that I took the buck this past week at 175+ yrds.
My buddy took one at 200+ - yrds.I witnessed his shot but yet to use range finder to verify precise yardage.He witnessed my shot. This SST will reach out and Sting deer - BUT I'm done with them.
Going back to a more conservitive shallow lead HP. My .02