Thread: Issues with 165gr SST at short range

I have shot a few deer lately at close range with 165gr SST and it knocks them down then they have got back up again and run. I have also had quite a few again shot at short range where they are dead on their legs but run quite a way before going down. Definately not an issue when its a longer range shot though.
Anyone else had this issue or any other experience with this projectile?
Also what might be a good alternative "all range" projectile for a short barrel 308 (16 inch barrel)?
178gr ELDX and Speer 165gr BTSP have been mentioned to me but not sure if the ELDX would stablise in a short barrel (16 inch) 308?
Any suggestions/experience would be appreciated.
Thanks.

Have you opened them up to see where the wound channel goes?

Ie what's your placement where this has been a problem?

What @gimp said. If you double lung them then they have 4 working legs and will go until there's no oxygen left in their blood.

Shoot them through the shoulder and any 165gr 30cal hunting bullet should anchor them.

168eldm

Originally Posted by Pommy

What @gimp said. If you double lung them then they have 4 working legs and will go until there's no oxygen left in their blood.

Shoot them through the shoulder and any 165gr 30cal hunting bullet should anchor them.

I was pretty sure the one i shot the other night was straight through the shoulder - it was bloody close. The strange thing is they are going down in most cases (its happened a few times now)but getting back up again up to a minute later. I lost the one ther other night so didn't get to check wound channel.

with a shoulder shot if to high it will knock down initially but then they can get up again - hard to awnser this one without knowing where you are hitting them - I suspect that may be more of the issue than projectiles since what you are experiencing can happen with all sorts of rounds - the best shoulder shot is thru the lungs and if possible take out the opposite shoulder on way out that works well generally 3 legged deer dont move well - but to high or to far back and they can run quite some distance until they bleed out

High shoulder shot. Shocked the spine, knocking it out. It wakes up, lower parts of the shoulder blades still intact so 4 (mostly) working legs and oxygen in the blood...

Exactly like pommy said.
Break more bones bring your point of aim further forward.
Iv always liked that projectile in that weight for the 308.
I wouldn’t worry about changing to another-just try and hit them better

I wonder to if some hunters are being a little unrealistic about projectile performance - all this bang flop on here quoted by hunters - does not always work like that in practice - shoulder shooting with my .222 I know they are going to go a little way - with my 308 ( all factory rounds ) I dont expect bang flop every time - I tried 243 many years ago and gave up on it - that to me did not seem to drop well - me old 270 did very well indeed - my mates 22-250 impresses me for knock down on fallow feck they dont like that caliber

Originally Posted by Pommy

High shoulder shot. Shocked the spine, knocking it out. It wakes up, lower parts of the shoulder blades still intact so 4 (mostly) working legs and oxygen in the blood...

This is the most likely cause I think.. Seen it happen with others and even happened to me a couple or three times. Place your shots a bit lower and it should improve results.
Lesser possibility is trouble with the SST bullets when they go too fast, but probably unlikely with a 16 inch 308 barrel. When I used to shoot a lot of SST 150 and 165 gn 30 cal bullets I had some slow kills until I reduced velocities slightly. They open very quickly on impact and sometimes penetration is not deep enough.
Seemed to only be problematical for me with 30.06 and 300 Win Mag. My son loves shooting fast 130 gn SST's in his 270 Win and gets great kills.

Mate ran the SST in his 308 but was not happy. Switched him to 110gr TTSX. Frown turned to a grin. The SST in 243 when amped up certainly put the sting on deer. Red mist every time.*

Thanks for the comments guys.
I'll persist with the SST and see how it goes

I had similar with Sst. I found when hitting animals up over 2600fps it was an issue but soon as they slow down they are fine. I changed back to 150gr interlocks in my 16in 308 and haven’t had an issue.


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I’ve had poor results with the sst at close range too. Thin jacket bullets are designed to work at lower impact velocities at longer ranges, and they do as you’ve said. You could try a more heavily constructed bullet to ensure complete penetration, a longer wound channel may be a better option if the sst’s aren’t getting into the vital bits and pieces.

165 Nosler BT