Hornady SST 150 grain?

[YoungNVHunter]

Question for all you Elk hunters. I'm getting ready to head out for my late season rifle Elk hunt. I just dropped my Antelope using Hornady SST 150 grain .30-06 factory loads. I've got my rifle sighted in using these rounds. The question is, is this enough bullet for a Bull Elk or should I go with a different round/heavier grain and head out to sight the rifle in using that? Thanks in advance for any insight!

 

[Straight Arrow]

Assuming shot placement is in the vital area, your bullet is good in my opinion. My Rem 7mm mag bullet of choice for elk and deer is Barnes TTSX 150 grain and has been effective.

 

[JohnCushman]

I dropped my first elk...a cow at 450 yards...with a 150 grain SST out of a 30-06

 

[genesis273]

First, I'm not an elk hunter. Although I would love to. I shot SST's for a few years in my 7mm mag and had to switch to a bullet that wasn't so prone to coming apart. Yes, they were accurate and worked great...sometimes. I'm assuming an elk would take a more controlled expansion bullet. Alot of deer fell to SST's out of my gun, but those few that literally blew apart caused me to change.
I'll post a pic of one bad experience in a few.

Elk hunters, correct me if I'm wrong about a bullet needed for elk. I think you need something a little more consistent in the expansion category.

 

[GKimPrice]

SST's are comparable to Nosler Ballistic Tips - Neither would be my first choice for even cow elk - Straight Arrow apparently doesn't realize that there is a lot of difference in "150" between a 7mm and .30 but again, neither is more than a marginal elk bullet - Now, I would not hesitate to use a 150 Accubond Nosler or Hornady Interbond OR a monolithic such as a Barnes TSX or Hornady GMX - As far as the load work, you may find it surprisingly easy to find a replacement for your SST load in that Accubond or Interbond since there are very similar in shape and B.C. Were it me I'd start there

 

[Oak]

There is nothing wrong with a 150gr bullet for elk. What I would worry about is the construction of the SST, as pointed out by the last 2 posters. They do act like ballistic tips. I'm sure there are plenty of SST success stories out there, but I think there are better choices. I had good luck with Interbonds on two elk, if you want to stick with Hornady.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Not everyone is as slick as Cushman, go with a bonded bullet. Agree w/ the last three posters.

 

[1_pointer]

Just to clarrify, not all Ballistic Tips are created equal. Some have harder lead cores and a larger percentage of the weight made up by the jacket, some to the tune of 60%. There are some I would have no problem using (again) for elk. That said, I'd opt for something tougher than the SST. My first stop at 150gr for elk would be either Barnes TTSX or Nosler Etips. Second choice would be Nosler Partitions. I'd bet either could be easy to find a load for that is minute of elk.

If you really want a bonded bullet, I'd take a hard look at the 165gr Accubond. Second from right...

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

Don't forget the all copper bullets, they get good penetration and hold together well like the bonded bullets. Lots of good options out there:

Hornady Interbonds, GMXs, TSXs, Accubonds, Partitions, Sciroccos, Trophy Bonded Tipped (this is what I am shooting out of my 7mm for elk this year. I am kind of partial to Federal, since it is 4 miles from my house, my next door neighbor works there, oh and they sponsor my favorite hunting show ;-) )

 

[idahofishnhunt]

Thought I would post a few pictures for clarification. I've been trying out some different bullets lately. I realize these bullets aren't from an actual animal, but I dug them out of the dirt when I was shooting. They paint a pretty clear picture of bullet fragmentation and weight retention. I have noticed the SST's come apart and your left picking quite a bit of fragments out of your meat, at least on the little experience I have using them. You can see on the picture that all the lead is gone out of the SST, and there is nothing left but the copper jacket. I haven't used them enough to see if they will make it all the way through an animal or not, but for what I've experienced they haven't. They are very accurate that's for sure. I think on smaller game like deer and antelope they will do their job no problem with proper shot placement, like not hitting bone right away, but if it was an elk or bear I think I'd go with the bonded bullets without a question. Then your down to the picking of fragments out too...so just go with a bonded on everything and you don't have to worry about it.

But like with everything...nobody can cover all the different scenarios, they may work every time for one person...but another person they didn't' work the first time they tried it so they won't use it again.

 

[Summitthunting]

The above picture is a pretty good example of what I have dug out of animals. If you want to shoot one load out of the '06 go with a 165gr bonded bullet. Kills everything.

 

[JohnCushman]

I've shot everything from elk to antelope to deer with my SST's and have yet to have the fragmentation problems that everyone is talking about. I've taken long shots and short shots and everything in between. Maybe I've just had good luck...

 

[YoungNVHunter]

Great info. Thank you for all the tips on the "tips"!

 

[huntbux]

Love my Hornady ammo that I am using now. Best ammo I have used.

 

[A-con]

I'll chime in and agree with most everybody else.
9 times out of ten, your SSTs will work fine, but why risk a bull elk on that one failure.
Pick a controlled expansion bullet, and while your at it, bump the weight up to 165 or 180.
Bonded, partition, solid copper or monolithic.

 

[genesis273]

I'll post a pic of one bad experience in a few.

ElQUOTE]

Here is a pic of the last deer I will shoot with the SST, and this is a thin skin whitetail doe. She ran 146 yards after the shot, and this is the enterance! I will say that I have plenty of success stories for the SST, but I just need something a little more consistance with expansion.
If this photo is too graphic, let me know and I`ll remove it.

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Wow, a lot of nay sayer's.... Here is what my Dad, Wife, and I have used on everything big game, .270 win, using 130 gr. Hornady SST, so I don't think you will have a problem, wife shot her Cow elk at 306 yards high shoulder last year and dropped it in its tracks... Total we have shot 12 antelope, 9 Deer, 2 Elk with this combo, remember the farther away the less energy which equals a bullet that holds together, but same goes for close shots, faster=more expantion and probably won't bust bone as well, if your taking iffy shots than this is not the bullet for you, if you know what your doing than that bullet is plenty, it's a devestating bullet....
Matt

 

[GKimPrice]

As stated previously, 9 out of 10 times the SST will probably get you by but "IF" your luck runs like mine tends to that 10th elk will be "Mr Big" and it will run off wounded and someone else will kill and claim it - WHY CHANCE IT ?? Accubonds are proven and shoot well from most rifles, in .30 I really like the 165 grain comments above as that is an excellent weight class, Hornady Interbonds are well constructed too - I've been "battling" with an obstinate 7mm Rem Mag recently and had my heart set on 150's or 160's and just this morning found that it shoots 140 Berger, Accubonds and TTSX to the same P.O.I. & 1/2" at that - (every once in a while even a blind squirrel finds an acorn !) goes to show that you never know what you'll discover if you don't spend the time and effort to look - Good hunting !!

 

[GKimPrice]

just as an anecdotal comment, one of the only true "one hole" rifles I ever worked with was a Kimber Montana .308, it shot 165 Accubond AND TSX into 1 little .30 size hole at 100 (4 shot groups), EVERY time but I poo-poo'd it cause it was just a pokey old .308 - AFTER I sold it (DUMB) I was thinking "what is the difference if your bullet hits 20" low or 25" low ? you still have to correct for the trajectory ! and I'll take one in the target over "on the paper" trajectories every day of the week

 

[EagleEye]

If you like the SST's I'd go with the Interbonds for bigger game like elk. I've shot both SST and Interbonds (180 gr, .30-06) and they both perform similarly downrange. In fact, last week I shot a big Shiras bull moose at 30 yards with my Interbonds and pulled the perfectly mushroomed bullet from the opposite shoulder. I was very impressed and will be sticking with the Interbonds in the future. Personally, I would go with 180gr Interbonds if you have time to re-sight.