7MM bullet input

[mustfish]

I am shooting Hornady Superformance factory loaded 154gr SST bullets. I am using them on paper out to 900 yards and deer. I have shot 3 deer with them and am not impressed with the performance on flesh. Deer #1 shot from 90yards ran about 60yds with almost no blood trail. Deer #2 shot from 75 yards ran over 100yds with almost no blood trail and was not easy to find. Deer #3 shot from 296yards dropped one speck of blood and was not found. Deer #1 and 2 were broadside hits and the deer ran with lungs that looked like jello. I'm sure the same can be said for deer #3. I have always liked Hornady ammo. That being said, is there a bullet out there that has a good long range BC for my paper punching and will not blow up inside a deer. In my perfect world a bullet should mushroom and leave a good exit hole. Exit holes led to good bloodtrails and found deer.

 

[sendero72]

What rifle are you shooting? I shoot the 162 A-max and have no problems. Massive destruction on whitetails.

 

[mustfish]

I'm shooting a 700 Sendero with a 26" barrel.

 

[blacknzr1]

do you aim to break a foreleg, fairly hard to run with three legs.
usually, they open up well. if your trying to tuck it behind the front leg that might be why.

 

[MudRunner2005]

SST's are thin-jacketed varmint bullets...They are not designed to shoot whitetails.

The A-Maxs have a so-so record on this subject matter, as well. Some will say they work perfectly, some say they were horrible.

Try the Nosler 160 Accubonds or Berger 168 VLD's.

And to counteract what the guy posted above me said...I ALWAYS shoot them in the vitals behind the shoulder. I learned my lesson about shooting one in the muscle, as it unnecessarily ruins alot of meat.

 

[mustfish]

I almost always take a broadside in the lungs shot. We have a ton of deer here in eastern NC so I wait for a good shot and don't worry to much about wasting a chance at a shot.

 

[gilmillan1]

I think the a-max bullets will work very well for your application. I have shot several deer this year with them. They work flawless. If you connect well the shot, the bullet will do its job. They usually do it pass thru. However, they release all their energy into the animal causing them be knocked down right then and there. If you want a bullet that will give you a good blood trail, use a bonded bullet Like the accubonds or the interbounds. I vouch foe the effectiveness of the a-maxes on deer.

 

[sbhooper]

A-maxes are TARGET bullets and although the work on deer, they are not designed for performance on game. They can be erratic with their performance. Not a good choice for consistent performance and recommendations to others. A lot of bullets will work on deer, but are not necessarily good choices.

The OP has seen what SSTs really do. They are explosive and I, personally, will not use them again on anything.

 

[gilmillan1]

I know they are TARGET bullets, no one denies that. However, I know how effective they are on deer. Those bullets are explosive and transfer all of their energy into the animal being hit. I like that. When you hit a deer, I can be confident to say I will not be looking for a trail of blood because the deer will be dead on right theere where I shot it. Ask anyone who has personal experience with those bullets.

You may not like these bullets for hunting, but they are effective for my use. I like to do instant kills. This is what they do for me.

Gilbert

 

[AKGuide]

If you can get the swift sciroccos to shoot give them a try also. I have had good luck with them on caribou out of my 7 SAUM. Behind the shoulder or through both they expand well and penetrate, leaving good blood trails. The accubonds are usually easier to get to shoot, but i find they don't retain as much weight.

Reuben

 

[mustfish]

My SSTs dump all their energy because they blow up and the only exit I get is some random pin holes from shrapnel. Every deer I shot with these looked like their lungs went threw a blender. But to give the deer some credit they were still able to run like hell. I almost never get a deer to drop on the spot unless I hit high and spine them. I have noticed that most of Hornadys bonded type boat tail bullets are temporarily discontinued so finding a good tough bullet with decent BC is not easy.

 

[MudRunner2005]

I almost always take a broadside in the lungs shot. We have a ton of deer here in eastern NC so I wait for a good shot and don't worry to much about wasting a chance at a shot.

Same here. I take them down every year with my "little" .257 Wby with 110gr Accubonds with double-lung vitals shots. Never will I shoot them in the shoulder. A lung shot will kill them just as fast as a heart shot will. Maybe quicker b/c they run out of breath...

Also had good luck in the past with Barnes 160 TSX's. A little pricey, but they work flawlessly. Forgot to mention them before, as a third alternative. You shoot a great rifle. I have 2 Senderos and a 5R MilSpec myself. You could always load up some Berger 180 Hybrids, since you have a 1:9 twist... They say they are target bullets, but I hear they leave a serious wound cavity and have rediculous expansion characteristics.

 

[MudRunner2005]

A-maxes are TARGET bullets and although the work on deer, they are not designed for performance on game. They can be erratic with their performance. Not a good choice for consistent performance and recommendations to others. A lot of bullets will work on deer, but are not necessarily good choices.

The OP has seen what SSTs really do. They are explosive and I, personally, will not use them again on anything.

I had SST's looked like they exploded on contact and it killed the deer, but tracking for 300 yards on a clearly vitals shot is bullcrap. That was the day I stopped using SST's on deer in the 7RM, and swapped to Federal P7RK ammo, which was factory loaded with Barnes 160 Triple-Shocks. Never had a problem...Till Federal discontinued them. Then I moved on to Accubonds. Now I handload and use whatever I want. Best decision I've ever made.

 

[bigngreen]

The SST is a designed hunting bullet, thicker jacket and interlock ring to slow expansion and slow down the core popping out, it would be much like the Nosler ballistic tip, as with any of this kind of bullet you need to shoot them at a moderate velocity, you can uncork them!
Deer run, those deer would be no deader if you'd hit them with the most expensive bonded bullet, whitetail run if you don't blow out their CNS, just the facts!