Hornady SST

[eagle rider]

Anyone hunt with these? If so what are your thoughts.

 

http://www.hornady.com/store/50-Cal-Sabot-Low-Drag-with-45-Cal-250-SST-Bullet/

 

 

Edited July 12, 2015 by eagle rider

[dbHunterNY]

I use them.  I shoot them out of my Nikon Omega scoped TC Prohunter muzzleloader.  they seem to be very very accurate.  I've grouped shots at 100 yards into a single ragged hole.  groups at 200 yards are 5" or better with regularity.  Out of my barrel anyway they load easy.  TC 250gr shockwaves with the yellow sabot, that I started with, loaded quite a bit harder.  only had one bad experience with the SST but it wasn't even that bad really.  in 2009 I was whitetail hunting in OK.  104 yard shot, slightly quartering away yielded not a drop of blood.  it was a complete pass through with 150gr of powder behind it and blew the heart apart from the center out.  we searched and found it quickly as it was maybe 38 yards away, but still I thought that was odd.  since then I've had more than adequate blood trails and the long range accuracy can't be beat, so I've stuck with them.  some I know have had similar results and moved to a XTP Mag, Barnes expander, or similar bullet.  You're then limiting your range though.  I hunt mostly farms with wood lots and ag fields.  So the accuracy and range is important to me.
 

[phade]

They work fine. Accurate, readily available, and relatively cheap. Been shooting them for a long time. They're just not a "sexy" ML option. Doesn't expand all that great in my experience, but it goes where I point it and the deer die pretty cleanly.

 

 

[phade]

I use them.  I shoot them out of my Nikon Omega scoped TC Prohunter muzzleloader.  they seem to be very very accurate.  I've grouped shots at 100 yards into a single ragged hole.  groups at 200 yards are 5" or better with regularity.  Out of my barrel anyway they load easy.  TC 250gr shockwaves with the yellow sabot, that I started with, loaded quite a bit harder.  only had one bad experience with the SST but it wasn't even that bad really.  in 2009 I was whitetail hunting in OK.  104 yard shot, slightly quartering away yielded not a drop of blood.  it was a complete pass through with 150gr of powder behind it and blew the heart apart from the center out.  we searched and found it quickly as it was maybe 38 yards away, but still I thought that was odd.  since then I've had more than adequate blood trails and the long range accuracy can't be beat, so I've stuck with them.  some I know have had similar results and moved to a XTP Mag, Barnes expander, or similar bullet.  You're then limiting your range though.  I hunt mostly farms with wood lots and ag fields.  So the accuracy and range is important to me.

 

 

Shockwaves are SSTs made by Hornady I believe. The sabot might be the difference there.

[sbuff]

Shockwaves are the same thing as sst. If it were me I would get the standard .452 xtp in 250 or 300 grain , you won't be disappointed. Buy the sabots separate from mmp or harvester and don't look back. Don't buy the magnum version as you are only achieving muzzle loader velocity s , hence the lack of expansion.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I shoot those or the Shockwaves, which as others have said, are the same. I have plenty of meat in the freezer and a couple of mounts on the wall because of them. I will say expansion isnt great, but they are very accurate. Shot my first ML buck with one a few years back at 190 yards with my 50 cal. Hit him with a high shoulder shot and it took him off his feet. He got up and ran abou 60 or so yards and piled up. The buck I shot the season before last was at around 50 yards, hit him through the shoulders, blew up the front of both lungs. He went maybe 70 yards.

[eagle rider]

Thanks fellas, I was looking for a better bullet.  I have tied the shockwaves with varying results.  Powerbelts are garbage and nobody at Harverster answers the phone.  I will try these (even though they are the same as the shockwave).  

[catskillkid]

Yes, I use them in my T/C pro-hunter. I've put many deer down with them.

[dbHunterNY]

Shockwaves are SSTs made by Hornady I believe. The sabot might be the difference there.

 

yes that's correct.

[sbuff]

If you want a better bullet try the xtp or the hornady mono flex.

You can get 50 xtp for 17 bucks and 50 sabots 7 bucks or so...it sure beats buying pre papackaged. If you want a really good bullet the Barnes like is hard to beat.

 

If you can find them the speer deep deep Curl on .452 300gr is a bonded bullet and top notch.

[phade]

For mass produced options...the Barnes seems like a deer's worst nightmare. Moog shoots them and the damage done is unreal.

[dbHunterNY]

a realtree and CVA prostaffer that I know shoots the Barnes Expanders last I knew.

[sbuff]

It's nice to see a cva worker shoot something other then power belts..tell him not to let the boss find out 

[Hock3y24]

I can't comment on the muzzleloader prt but the set bullet in shotguns does not expand, still hammers deer though. I will be trying the American whitetail interlock slugs this year but wouldn't hesitate to still use the sst.

[pistolp71]

Been using them for a couple years. They always perform nicely out of my Omega. Shot one last year with it, 170 yards and both shoulders smashed, straight down.

[cdmckane]

I have plenty of SSTs sitting on my shelf as backups.  I used to use them exclusively in my TC, until I switched to the XTP.  I wouldn't hesitate to use them at all, I've just grown more towards the XTP for some reason.

 

[eagle rider]

The Harvester Scorpion looks like a good bullet as well.  

[SCbklyn]

The sst shoot well out of my tc impact. Recently I tried the hornady xtp bullets and managed two almost in same hole and one within 3/4" of first two... At 100 yds. I know the sst will flatten deer but cannot say what the xtp,will do. I think you should try a few different bullets and see which your gun prefers

Edited July 27, 2015 by SCbklyn

[phade]

The Harvester Scorpion looks like a good bullet as well.  

 

They are not all that common here in NY for some reason, but when I was in Ohio a local store carried Harvester on the shelf, so I bought a couple packs of the Scorpion in 300gr to use out of an old CVA Wolf with only a single 50 gr. 777 pellet. Pretty much was a loaner to my FIL to see if he liked ML hunting, which he did.

 

I took it out and killed a doe with it at about 25 yards, but it seemed to be accurate out to 75 with enough energy to kill (conservatively). Expansion was decent considering the lack of blazing speed/energy.

 

I wish Harvester was more available locally. Really interested in the PT Golds.

[eagle rider]

local shop on LI has the Harvester Scorpions PT Golds in 240 gr.  I'll buy a card and see how they print.  

[cdmckane]

The sst shoot well out of my tc impact. Recently I tried the hornady xtp bullets and managed two almost in same hole and one within 3/4" of first two... At 100 yds. I know the sst will flatten deer but cannot say what the xtp,will do. I think you should try a few different bullets and see which your gun prefers

If you're worried about the XTPs, check this out. I shot this at a salt block in the cow pasture that I was walking through on my way back to the truck. The farmer left it there when he move the cows to a different pasture before deer season and I wondered what the XTPs would do to it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

[wooly]

I've been shooting the 250gr. SST's since I started ML hunting.

They are accurate as all heck out of my gun but as others have said, they have some issues with expanding.

I'm sure there are better options out there but I have a stock pile of 100+ of these things to burn through before I explore other options.

I've almost lost a few deer to perfect shots in good tracking snow when this bullet zipped right through them.

 

Love their accuracy, but HATE what they do on impact unless they hit bone. I don't mess around anymore and intentionally aim for base of shoulder and neck with them. Hope you don't learn about them the hard way.

[ants]

I've been shooting the 250gr. SST's since I started ML hunting.

They are accurate as all heck out of my gun but as others have said, they have some issues with expanding.

I'm sure there are better options out there but I have a stock pile of 100+ of these things to burn through before I explore other options.

I've almost lost a few deer to perfect shots in good tracking snow when this bullet zipped right through them.

 

Love their accuracy, but HATE what they do on impact unless they hit bone. I don't mess around anymore and intentionally aim for base of shoulder and neck with them. Hope you don't learn about them the hard way.

I always used 300grn Hornady XTP with 100 grains of pyrodex. They hit deer very hard. The XTP's were getting hard to find so I switched to Traditions smack downs this year. 250grn. The bullets look identical to the SST's. The smack downs fly beautiful out of my gun. But I shot a deer with one last week and Im already looking for another bullet. I hit the deer broadside, double lung at about 40 yards. No blood trail and I was lucky to find the deer about 100 yards away. Small hole in small hole out. Same with the lungs. It looked like you stuck your pinky through both lungs. No shock or tearing to them like the XTP's use to do. The bullet definitely didn't expand.

Back to 300grn XTP's if I can find them.

[JFB]

For those who feel the 250 SST does not provide great expansion, would you say a 300 grain SST would be even worse (or possibly better)  out of the same load?

 

I ask because I got a box of them cheap and curious. thx

[Buckmaster7600]

For those who feel the 250 SST does not provide great expansion, would you say a 300 grain SST would be even worse (or possibly better) out of the same load?

I ask because I got a box of them cheap and curious. thx

I had the same results with the 300gn's .45 hole in and a .45 hole out. Even when I recover them out of a clay backstop at 100yds there is minimal expansion.