6.5mm 129 SST

[Code4]

I am building the ultimate Springbok rifle based on a Remington 700 in .264 WM.

Springbok are the same size and weight as a mature female Pronghorn and hunted over similar distances.

I am thinking of useing the Hornady 129 SST. Am I on the right track or is there a better pill ?

A 1 in 9" twist precludes the use of 140 or heavier projectiles.

 

[JARHEAD1371]

If you can get them down under, check out the Hornady A-max. I use the 162 in 7mm for deer and antelope with devastating effects. Here's the exit hole in a young antelope my wife shot at 391 yds a few days ago.

I would expect the 140 gr A-max would give similar results. And the .585 BC, compared to .485 for the SST, will help you down range.

There's always the Bergers as well, if your rifle likes them.

 

[06mauser]

Code4, I shoot the 6.5 mm 129 grain interlock bullet through my Rem 700 .264 win mag. My gun doesn't like 140 grain bullets at all and I have tried 5 different types of bullets with 4 different powder combinations to find one that would come close to the load I have for the 129 grain bullets. I just picked up a box of 129 gr SST to try this next week, hopefully they will shoot as well as the lead tips.

The exit hole of the 129 gr interlock is not near as large as the A-Max but they are devastating on the vitals. The whitetail doe that I shot last year had an exist wound about the size of a 50 cent piece.

One of my good friends shoots the 129 SST's in his 6.5/06 and they have worked very well for him. Exit hole out of his doe antelope last year was about the size silver dollar but the insides were jelly.

Hope this helps.

 

[Derek M.]

I do not like Hornady SST bullets. Due to a few photos I've seen, and with first hand experience on one pronghorn, I do not recommend them. In our case, they proved to be nondesirable.

 

[Code4]

Derek M. Would you care to expand ? Did they open too quickly for you or not at all. I'd appreciate your experience.

Cheers

 

[tackb]

the 129 wouldn't shoot well enough for me and the stuff i did shoot with it didn't go down as well as i'd like ? i use the 140 amax and love it ! i would try them in your gun you never know maybe the 1 in 9 will stabilise them?

 

[06mauser]

Most of the pictures I have seen and from personal experience with the SST bullet does not punch fist sized holes out of animals. The guys using target bullets for the higher BC's like the AMAX and the SMK out of the smaller guns are where you see the fist sized exit holes.

I really don't care either way if you want to shoot target bullets or bonded bullets. It only matters to me that if I shoot an animal it goes down hard with that first shot.

 

[Derek M.]

Derek M. Would you care to expand ? Did they open too quickly for you or not at all. I'd appreciate your experience.

Cheers

Sure. Here's a pronghorn shot with a 150 SST from a 308 at 234 yards:

This is probable blow up on impact, no penetration of the light boned scapula on a broadside shot. Just a huge flesh wound. It took additional shots at close range to kill this small animal and the final shot was with a different bullet.

I've never seen a ballistic tip do this, ever. Not even close. And I don't consider the 150 SST to be "screaming" from a 308 either.

 

[Bobcape]

I shoot 140gr A-Max exclusively from my .260AI now. They are loaded to 2,918 fps in a 1 in 9" barrel. No problems stabilizing them out to 1,200 yards at a long range rifle class this past June (4,100 ft). I used to shoot the Berger 140gr VLD but they were so picky on seating depth and too expensive. So I changed to the A-Max. I've shot 9 antelope and 6 deer with the A-Maxes and all have been one shot kills. The longest was 656 yards and the closest well under 50 yards. There is a good difference in wind drift between the 129gr SST and 140gr A-Max when both are started at their respective velocities. I've only used the 129gr SST on a couple of deer. I don't remember the specifics. They worked. There just is no advantage to the SST over the A-Max. Here's one of last weekend's antelope. 477 yards. 140gr A-Max. High shoulder shot. Dropped and didn't move. You can see the hay stack over my left shoulder where I took the shot from.

Bob