I formed my opinion of the SST 165 gr. based on my field experience. I fell into this ammo long ago, confirmed it's accuracy and started shooting pigs with it. Then deer, then coyotes. I also committed to shot placement on deer as shown when possible.
If not there into the forward portion of the front shoulder, not behind it into soft tissue. Have a close look into the cavity of the buck. Entry wound, with damage to CNS.
Notice the damage to the spinal column. Here's another buck shot with SST that was dead on his feet with a shoulder shot, SST bullet, no exit. A large whitetail, about 220 lbs. Here's another big bodied whitetail shot facing me with an SST square into the chest
Here's one that had to be dropped within the gradient boundary, so glad I was using a bullet that I knew would drop whatever I shot.


I'm open minded. Post up some pic's and details of when as SST bullet performed poorly. In the absence of that, it's just noise, likely the result of poor shooting.

The only SST I've ever recovered was from a East Texas public land buck I shot head-on in the chest. Recovered the bullet just under the skin at the rib cage. I didn't weigh it, but I certainly will weigh the next one I recover...if I ever do recover one again.

That's ridiculous, as it totally depends on what bullet your using, contruction, placement, etc. It's a proven fact that more frangible bullets generally kill quicker than the monos, etc, and do much more internal damage. I have a whole bunch of 162gr Nosler Accubond bullets that did not exit some big mule deer and African game. To say they were a failure or "criminally bad performance" is laughable.

Well done sir, those are some beautiful and big whitetails. Actual use in the field trumps theory any and every day of the week.

For broadside lung shots on WT deer, I completely agree. Frangible bullets generally DO kill quicker. They'll likely exit, too, a plus imo.

For quartering shots - big bones, big muscles - I prefer a bullet that reliably expands, holds together, penetrates, and, ideally, exits.

Edit: Excellent choice of bullet for your mulie and African hunts.

IMO, that's a criminally bad choice on shot placement.

I agree 100%.

Had food luck with them for one box in hand loaded 300 Win Mag. Never caught one. Not as impressive as NBTs but real good. Next box inconsistent. That's been my experience with Hornady overall and not just those SSTs. Inconsistent and will go to great lengths to avoid making it right. Never again.

I shoot 150s out of one of my 308s and 165s out of another and love the performance of both. Biggest WT I killed dressed out over 180 lbs and it rolled him and he got up and went 30 yards and piled up.

Great looking 8 point OP! Congrats. Looks like a big bodied deer!

Thanks. I keep waiting on a pic showing some type of failure or poor performance of this bullet.

I shoot the SST out of my .243 and no need for a blood trail.
Makes for easy gutting. You just pour out the lungs and heart.
Neighbors have cattle and I don't worry about pass thru's, or bullets bouncing around off trees or the ground.

Wow. I've had nothing but good results for many years with the Nosler Ballistic Tip in 243 & 25-06.

The early ballistic tips weren't what I'd call a tough bullet. The more modern ones of the past 202-25 years are much better IME.

You won’t because they don’t exist.

You will always have the two camps….one who wants a rapidly expanding bullet that dumps energy into an animals and others who want an exit wound regardless of the scenario.

I prefer a rapid expanding cup and core bullet for my deer hunting and imo the hornady interlock and SST are two of the best. Also like Nosler ballistic tips but don’t have near as much in field experience with them.

You don't need to follow blood trails when you get entrances like this...7mm-08 with 140 grain Silvertip. This deer did a back flip and his horns stuck in the ground when I shot him, Lol. Since I switched to Winchester Silvertips and Nosler BT's I haven't had a shot deer run more than 20 yards. They generally drop where they're hit.

They kill deer deader than [censored], only problem is they will waste some meat with poor shot placement. They get nasty on target.

I have killed big boar hogs though that died right there, but once I skinned/gutted/inspected a few times I was surprised that one shot killed him. Killed a few big boars with only an entry wound and a big hole in his neck. Broke his neck or cranium, dead. Straight to the ground.

On deer, I love the NBT and I almost always have an exit wound anyway although not needed....

Roger that. I wasted some meat on the buck I shot last weekend.

Winchester Silvertips are hell on deer.

Deer tend to carry evidence of poor performance away with them.

Here's a 7mm 120 BT running 2975 at muzzle, 349 yd impact on a mature, 225lb whitetail buck that exited out right shoulder....



Here's a full grown axis doe at 85 yds with the same bullet running 3025fps....

As do gut shot deer with poor shot placement.

While I do admit to very poor shot placement, due to a cheap scope mounted on a truck gun at pretty much dark, I’d say this is not great for an entrance wound on any shot placement. 117 grain sst factory superformance out of a 26 inch barrel 25-06. Not knocking the sst at all, I think they work great, not my preferred bullet as they can create a heck of a blood shot mess, but I’m not afraid to use them. They put a tremendous hurting on whatever they hit.

Me too, sir. I didn't mention earlier, but I load the 95gr SST over a max load of Varget in .243 and it is absolute hell on deer and hogs.

Again, for the money, I don't think there's a better bullet. SSTs used to be $30/box of 100, but you can still find them for under $40/box easily.

That looks more like an exit wound. Entry wounds are generally the diameter of your bullet.

Yep that nails it, two trains of thought on what good bullet performance is. I’ve shot a few deer when I first started hunting with 130 and 140 grain cup and core soft points in a 270 and 280. Most have big wound channels and an exit; however not all do. My first racked buck was a nice 8 I shot with my dads 280 and a 140 grain Winchester soft point that failed to leave an exit or blood trail. He ran less than 100 yards in thick brush with a good behind the shoulder shot. We found him by dumb luck after a lengthy look.

I shot a hill country 8 point years ago with a 150 grain hornady interlock in the neck…. No exit. Good buddy shot a hill country deer this year with a 308 and 130 grain ballistic tip shot entered under the eye and bullet was against the back of the head, dead deer poor bullet performance.

Shot a hog a few years ago at the ranch 270 150 interlock bullet entered on front shoulder hit the off side rib cage made a 90 degree turn into the guts. Was recovered after a follow up shot but again poor bullet performance.

After several similar instances my brother and dad said they would start shooting factory ammo again if I didn’t quit loading them hornady bullets.

I will probably buy a box of sst’s but it will be for blackout use around 2100 fps impact speeds. Currently shooting some 220 grain interlock round nose in my 30-06 just to get rid of them, had to slow them down to around 2300 fps muzzle before they wouldn’t just blow up on impact, and they are still a little more frangible than I would like. I’ve never lost an animal to them but have very little faith in them.

I’m a big fan of the eldx, moving the interlock ring made that bullet what the interlock tried to be and failed.

Different hunters, different species, different calibers, different shot placement, different bullets all handloaded by you and performed poorly? A quick root cause/analysis points to you as the common denominator.

I have a case of Hornady Superformance, .308 165 gr. SST if your dad and brother are interested in a box that they could split. I wouldn't part with more than that.