6.5 Creedmoor 129 SST

[cstrah6]

Quick question for you guys that are familiar with the head stamps don’t kill bullets do topic…

My gun loves the factory 129 SST’s from Hornady. I bought 200 rounds of them before I learned about the high fragmenting match bullet topic for hunting.

I’ve read a ton of negative feedback on the SST’s because they “blowup”. But based on what I have learned isn’t that exactly what kills fast and is what you want?

 

[cstrah6]

Really don’t want to purchase the 147 ELDM’s I can get the same type terminal performance from the SST’s

 

[Hnthrdr]

Sst’s I believe are in the same category as eld-m’s a Thin jacketed cup and core bullet, I believe the “blow up” as you hear about is often a suboptimal shot that either hits non vitals so the animal runs off and isn’t found or hits a branch or something else prior to hitting the animal, the people who say they blow up often never recover the animal… so not sure how they know… or if they do not sure what the issue is then. Remember animals don’t have armor.

I killed my biggest mule deer to date a few years ago with 150 sst’s in .308, 120 yard shot. 0 blow up or splash. Sample size of 1 so take that for what you will but I wouldn’t hesitate to use it again in 6.5 or .308

 

[NWBLKTAIL]

There's a guy on here who runs those in his 260rem and likes them for a killing bullet. I believe also used them in other caliber/cartridges @mxgsfmdpx. Correct me if Im wrong.

 

[RWT]

They work very well on hogs. I run the 123’s in my Grendel.

 

[jeffpg]

I can't count the number of big game animals that I have killed with Hornady's SST bullet in a variety of cartridges and bullet weights, from point blank range to 600 yards. Most have been anchored on the spot. Those that weren't left a short, heavy blood trail that was an easy follow up. I have never had one single problem at all.
I've seen the posts stating negative info on the SST but I have too much positive personal experience to give it any credit whatsoever. I'm not saying that what is claimed didn't happen at all, I just know what I know from my experience. I think a small number of negative experiences by people may get blown out of proportion. The fact of the matter is, I have been fortunate to have killed hundreds of big game animals, and I have never actually experienced bullet failure with any bullet. When I place any decent bullet properly, something dies fairly quickly. Period. That includes well over 100 African plains game animals that are supposedly tougher than average.
I have used the SST more than most other bullets and it has been particularly good to me.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

129 SSTs kill large game animals very well. Ive hunted and killed with them out of 260 REMs and 6.5 CMs for over 10 years now. Kill with confidence using them.

 

[Reddish]

I think most guys are choosing the ELD bullets over SST’s now bc of higher BC’s.

SST’s will kill well. They do expand rapidly and leave large wound channels.

 

[Macintosh]

I dont have experience with that exact bullet, but my wife shot the hornady reduced recoil 7-08 for a number of years. Thats a 125gr 7mm sst. Given its both lighter and shorter it likely wont penetrate as well as the 129 6.5, but on deer that thing is a killer. Of the handful of animals I watched my wife shoot with it, none took even 1 step. Those sst’s are part of the reason I started shooting copper, I found the damage excessive for my needs. But they killed like lightning. I would have zero qualms about using that bullet in a 129 6.5.

 

[ColPenguin]

I've shot several deer with Ammo, Inc. factory load of 140 gr. SST bullet. It is the best grouping load I've tried in my Tikka 6.5 CM. I think the SST bullets, of any size, are good to go if you put them in the boiler room of a deer.

I only have 2 wooded acres behind my house for deer hunting. The last thing I want is a deer to run. I shot a spike on opening morning this last year with 140 SST, right in the chest. He took two steps and fell over. Unfortunately, I wasted his heart.

 

[MHWASH]

I presume they recovered the animal then complained about "blow up"? No such thing as too dead.

 

[farmermail]

Quick question for you guys that are familiar with the head stamps don’t kill bullets do topic…

My gun loves the factory 129 SST’s from Hornady. I bought 200 rounds of them before I learned about the high fragmenting match bullet topic for hunting.

I’ve read a ton of negative feedback on the SST’s because they “blowup”. But based on what I have learned isn’t that exactly what kills fast and is what you want?

My 12 year old daughter killed a bull with 129 SST's out of a 6.5 CM. Worked great. Never stood up from its bed.

 

[nobody]

ELDX/ELDM are to current factory CM offerings what the SST/AMAX used to be. Just new flavors of largely the same/similar bullet tech.

My bet is you’d have to shoot A LOT of animals to ever see a nickels worth of difference between a 129 SST and a 130 ELDM. And I doubt there’s any planet on which an animal would die when shot with one and wouldn’t die when shot with the other. Assuming impact velocities are kept above the minimum impact threshold for function.

 

[ColPenguin]

ELDX/ELDM are to current factory CM offerings what the SST/AMAX used to be. Just new flavors of largely the same/similar bullet tech.

The big design difference between the SST and ELD is a boattail. The boattail is just a better form factor at longer ranges. It would give one a higher BC and provide more forgiving wind and drop ballistics.

The boattail is not a likely meaningful contributor to terminal expansion. I know we're in the long range hunting section, but a boattail would provide no mechanical advantage for the majority of eastern and midwestern whitetail hunters.

OP didn't say what he was using it for. An ELD is going to be a .6 G1 BC and an SST a .4 G1. One doesn't necessarily need the boattail or higher BC for hunting eastern and midwestern deciduous woods and ag. fields. If one wants to optimize for longer open ranges out West, then a boattail ELD.seems like an optimal tool for that job.