200 grain SSTS for deer

[WV Hunter]

I don't think that cup/core separation is automatically bad, or means failure. Sometimes you find the skin(cup) of the bullet that remained in the animal, but the core has passed through. Bullets that aren't bonded sometimes do this. Majority of the time they still hold together and push on through. I've killed a ton of deer with a number of different cup/core type bullets over a wide range of CF rifles, and in my ML's. I have found a few casings - usually under the offside skin, but most have passed through and worked perfectly. I've even found some complete bullets (cup/core), mushroomed perfectly but managed to remain in the deer. Regardless of the bullet and whether it held together or separated, most all had nice wound channels that resulted in quick clean kill.

Where my concern's lie with bullets: 1) if the bullet explodes upon impact, that's a big problem or 2) if the bullet pencils through with no expansion. Just because you occasionally get separation and the casing doesn't pass all the way through (on a non bonded bullet), doesn't mean it didn't work or is a bad bullet. It just happens sometimes. My .02 fwiw

 

[LarryBud]

I don't think that cup/core separation is automatically bad, or means failure. Sometimes you find the skin(cup) of the bullet that remained in the animal, but the core has passed through. Bullets that aren't bonded sometimes do this. Majority of the time they still hold together and push on through. I've killed a ton of deer with a number of different cup/core type bullets over a wide range of CF rifles, and in my ML's. I have found a few casings - usually under the offside skin, but most have passed through and worked perfectly. I've even found some complete bullets (cup/core), mushroomed perfectly but managed to remain in the deer. Regardless of the bullet and whether it held together or separated, most all had nice wound channels that resulted in quick clean kill.

Where my concern's lie with bullets: 1) if the bullet explodes upon impact, that's a big problem or 2) if the bullet pencils through with no expansion. Just because you occasionally get separation and the casing doesn't pass all the way through (on a non bonded bullet), doesn't mean it didn't work or is a bad bullet. It just happens sometimes. My .02 fwiw

Good Post! I like and agree with your line of thinking. You brought up some thoughts which had previously escaped me.

 

[Lee 9]

I don't think that cup/core separation is automatically bad, or means failure. Sometimes you find the skin(cup) of the bullet that remained in the animal, but the core has passed through. Bullets that aren't bonded sometimes do this. Majority of the time they still hold together and push on through. I've killed a ton of deer with a number of different cup/core type bullets over a wide range of CF rifles, and in my ML's. I have found a few casings - usually under the offside skin, but most have passed through and worked perfectly. I've even found some complete bullets (cup/core), mushroomed perfectly but managed to remain in the deer. Regardless of the bullet and whether it held together or separated, most all had nice wound channels that resulted in quick clean kill.

Where my concern's lie with bullets: 1) if the bullet explodes upon impact, that's a big problem or 2) if the bullet pencils through with no expansion. Just because you occasionally get separation and the casing doesn't pass all the way through (on a non bonded bullet), doesn't mean it didn't work or is a bad bullet. It just happens sometimes. My .02 fwiw

I agree finding the jacket against the skin on the far side after complete penetration has happened to me a number of times the lead opens a hole and keeps on going and the deer usually falls within sight. Just exactally is supposed to be better than that?

 

[hawki]

After stating that these bullets have never failed me, I had one fail. This years buck was 150 yds broadside. At the shot the deer reared like a horse and came down carrying a front leg. I reloaded and shot it again this time thru the shoulders at about 100 yds. DRT event. The second shot was a complete pass thru and impacted the hill on the exit side. Upon cleaning the deer I found the first bullet, or at least the jacket, against the near side ribs with no penetration of the ribs. It had hit the elbow and come apart. The second shot had performed as expected, golfball sized exit after passing thru both shoulders. If there was going to be a failure I would have thought the the closer shot would have been the one. It is one failure out of over 20 deer, but that is enough for me to start looking for another bullet. Suggestions on 200 grain 40 cals?

 

[ShawnT]

After stating that these bullets have never failed me, I had one fail. This years buck was 150 yds broadside. At the shot the deer reared like a horse and came down carrying a front leg. I reloaded and shot it again this time thru the shoulders at about 100 yds. DRT event. The second shot was a complete pass thru and impacted the hill on the exit side. Upon cleaning the deer I found the first bullet, or at least the jacket, against the near side ribs with no penetration of the ribs. It had hit the elbow and come apart. The second shot had performed as expected, golfball sized exit after passing thru both shoulders. If there was going to be a failure I would have thought the the closer shot would have been the one. It is one failure out of over 20 deer, but that is enough for me to start looking for another bullet. Suggestions on 200 grain 40 cals?

Glad you were able to get another finisher off and into him. Good going!

Mind if I ask what Powder and charge you were using? Just curious.

 

[jsteurrys]

After stating that these bullets have never failed me, I had one fail. This years buck was 150 yds broadside. At the shot the deer reared like a horse and came down carrying a front leg. I reloaded and shot it again this time thru the shoulders at about 100 yds. DRT event. The second shot was a complete pass thru and impacted the hill on the exit side. Upon cleaning the deer I found the first bullet, or at least the jacket, against the near side ribs with no penetration of the ribs. It had hit the elbow and come apart. The second shot had performed as expected, golfball sized exit after passing thru both shoulders. If there was going to be a failure I would have thought the the closer shot would have been the one. It is one failure out of over 20 deer, but that is enough for me to start looking for another bullet. Suggestions on 200 grain 40 cals?

Here are my two favorites:
1) 195 gr Barnes Expander
2) 200 gr Knight Bloodline/Lehigh DOA

I will not use the SST/XTP for hunting.

 

[hawki]

The load was 84 grains (weighed) of BH209, blue harvester sabot, goes through the chronograph at 2270.

 

[ShawnT]

The load was 84 grains (weighed) of BH209, blue harvester sabot, goes through the chronograph at 2270.

So roughly 125 to 130 grains by volume. I doubt you would have the pencil though issues that light loads seem to have!

Maybe try backing down just a few grains, unless that is just what shoots accurately in your rifle. Do they have a bonded version of the 200 grainer? Don't think I ever saw one.

 

[WV Hunter]

After stating that these bullets have never failed me, I had one fail. This years buck was 150 yds broadside. At the shot the deer reared like a horse and came down carrying a front leg. I reloaded and shot it again this time thru the shoulders at about 100 yds. DRT event. The second shot was a complete pass thru and impacted the hill on the exit side. Upon cleaning the deer I found the first bullet, or at least the jacket, against the near side ribs with no penetration of the ribs. It had hit the elbow and come apart. The second shot had performed as expected, golfball sized exit after passing thru both shoulders. If there was going to be a failure I would have thought the the closer shot would have been the one. It is one failure out of over 20 deer, but that is enough for me to start looking for another bullet. Suggestions on 200 grain 40 cals?

Nice job on getting the 2nd shot off to put him down for good. :yeah:

Curious, did you find any of the lead from the first bullet? Wondering where that portion of the bullet went, or if you were able to tell.

 

[Dennis Stankovitz]

Been using them since I got my 45 cAliber. Now I own 3 have shot many deer with them and never had a problem using blackhorn 70 grains by weight and fiocchi primers all shoot 1 inche groups at 100. Longest shot was 159 yds. The bullet preformed perfectly from 80-159 yds. Don't mess with success.

 

[moridgerunner]

I think that if you are shooting 100-200 lb. deer that should be plenty of bullet unless the deer is standing behind a cinder block wall. Keeping the shot off major bone structure that may have an effect on the flight path of the bullet is important. All of the bullets where the lead is not bonded to the jacket make great bullets for deer, the heavier the bullet is the less concern you have with deforming the bullet on the close side of the deer. The first time I saw where i had the core separate i thought it was bullet failure, but the bullet is doing the work it is supposed to. I think that bonded bullets have their place for smaller caliber bullets and big deer. If you are hunting a deer of a lifetime shoot bonded bullets. If you buy a box of bonded and do not use them for practicing the premium price only pennies a year.

 

[Widude]

I will agree, the SST often doesn't come out 'magazine ad pretty' after the shot. The mushroom never looks as nice as the Barnes and often even an XTP pistol bullet. This can have some effect on bullet performance, but it's the exact shot placement that's paramount. A poor shot is a poor shot with any bullet.


I don't think there is any reason to be miffed when one has a DRT shot, but then the mushroomed bullet isn't perfect. So much can also depend on what the bullet went through, minimal soft tissue or heavier bone.