Yeah sst bullets are garbage for big game. Learned that the hard way.
Hornady SST vs ELD-X
- Thread starter rjthehunter
- Start date
I’d have to disagree on the “quick clean” kill. I shoot a 270 and have had to repeatedly shoot elk, unsure if I actually hit it or where. On 1 occasion I double lunged a young bull elk at about 100 yards, and it ran behind some rocks. I heard it dying for a good 5+ minutes as I made my way over. (Due to nasty terrain I just couldn’t get there quick). There was a tiny exit hole with a bit of lung tissue hanging out. Every elk I’ve double lunged with a core lokt or interlock, died in less than 1 minute. I’d say closer to 30 seconds.
Mudranger1
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this doesn't make sense to me....if his lungs are gone then they are gone...doesn't matter what kind of bullet you are shooting...care to explain?
Sure! I can dumb it down for you. A double lung shot should equal dead in 30 seconds. Not 5 minutes.
Mudranger1
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That is a dumb way to put it because if you double lunged him he would be dead.
Another example: I once shot a coyote with a full metal jacketed bullet, double lung. I followed his tracks for 2 miles till it got dark. Without expansion, you only get a tiny hole. That coyote no doubt died. But it took a loooooong time. Same with the sst. So yeah, it killed the elk. But a core lokt, interlock, or arrow will kill it way faster.
I guess if you’re ok with your elk taking 5 minutes to die leaving little to no blood then it’s great.
Call me a sceptic..... mtmuley
Because I walked 2 miles? Or that I shot a coyote with a full metal jacketed bullet?
I don't give a shit what bullet you used. Two miles after a wounded coyote? Baloney. mtmuley
That’s right 2 miles! Easy to follow in a 1 inch layer of fresh powder. Could see where he wheezed or coughed as it ran. Little blood droplets in the snow. All down hill. You think you have it all figured out but you’re not as smart as you think mr muley!
Not sure how that’s hard to believe. I killed a 3 legged coyote once. Perfectly healed over and healthy. How far do you think she went wounded!?
Mudranger1
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Losing a leg and being double lung ...2 very different things
OhHeyThereBen
Active member
I've used both with similar performance. I have had some expected fragmentation when taking quartering to shots and hitting the front leg bones on whitetails. But that's expected with both of these bullets. Although the bullets fragmented, the heart was completely toast on the other side and the animals died very quickly.
Just be realistic about your expectations with any bullet you choose and place shots accordingly and they're perfectly ethical. And man do they shoot well out of every gun I've ran both offerings through.
Just be realistic about your expectations with any bullet you choose and place shots accordingly and they're perfectly ethical. And man do they shoot well out of every gun I've ran both offerings through.
rjthehunter
Well-known member
Thanks, I like the high BC of the eldx, I managed to find a box so I ordered them. I will be able to get to an indoor range this weekend if they're open and shoot at their 100 yard range with my sst loads. Hopefully be able to find out which bullet my gun prefers.
Recovered a bullet from a deer. ELDX 6.5PRC 143Gr and while it was a bang flop, I am less than impressed with the end result. 275 yards, behind the shoulder and exit the opposite shoulder and the hide stopped it. 36Gr is all that was left. That means a whole lot of lead is missing in that deer.
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rjthehunter
Well-known member
Interesting. Looks like just the jacket separated and that's what you found. Was there still an exit wound?
No. The hide stopped it. This is the first kill with the new gun and these bullets acted like a ballistic tip. Again, the deer dropped dead in tracks but the amount of lead loss is concerning.
rjthehunter
Well-known member
I managed to order some eldx bullets. I'll have to give them a try. I hear good and bad experiences from every bullet out there. Personally good and bad with the sst bullets. I'm hoping with the "higher quality" and "latest and greatest" being the eldx it might provide me with some more consistent results. I've heard they shoot incredibly accurately
Walkathon
Well-known member
No experience with the ELD-X, but have shot a few deer and antelope with the SST / 130 GR out of my .270 Win. Everything died really quickly, but I did find a jacket with no core left in it. This was on an antelope shot quartering away. Found the jacket under the skin on opposite side after going through some bone. All shots were 150-250 yards. The SST's grouped great in my gun, and killed effectively, but the damage was pretty severe.
