Hornady Superperformance SST

Picked up a box of 308 150 gr today, because I could. Any of y’all with any experience with these. Look very sim to ballistic tips.

I’d trade you out of em, that’s how well I like shooting animals with them

I picked up some 162gr to see if my 7mag likes them.

Superperfomace SST is the only ammo I've tried that wouldn't group under an inch in my Howa 308

That is my go to round for my .308’s! Where did you get them?

Accurate but I did not like the performance on game. In the end all deer I shot with them died, so It did the job.

Picked them up in Andalusia Alabama. Thanks Ridgelife, that’s a good recommendation to keep them😂😂😂 If we were closer, I honestly would if you like them and had something I’ve already shot in the rifle.

Good bullet. My 308 likes them.

SST is Hornady's version of a ballistic tip. I don't like them. They expand too violently and fragment. Some people like them precisely because they behave that way however.

What do you shoot in your .308?

You’re exactly right with your description
If you want to shoot the right bullet in your 308 then load up some 165 Sierra game kings

How well they group deadeye (game kings)? I love them (sst) for shooting these coyotes around here. Blows em to pieces

Honestly, most any medium game bullet kills deer in a 308. The 150 SST driven at superformance velocities WILL naturally expand more violently. The heavier 165s and up aren’t as violent in a 308. Don’t shoot shoulders with the 150, and it’ll be less destructive. I like a lot of other bullets in 308, but I had a gun that loved the super 165s, and it killed stuff just great. Fact is, getting too picky on bullets (for our deer) on anything bigger than 243/257, in a larger case round, is just splitting hairs most days. Use what shoots good or what you can. If your gonna hunt bigger or longer, you can put the bullet effort into that.

I started using them in my .30-06 last year. Have been pleased with accuracy at the range and the performance on the deer and pigs I have shot with them.

Agree with modux. I try not to shoot any of my deer in the shoulder for meat purposes. I shoot the SST’s out of 270 and 7mm-08. I know different guns like different bullets, but it’s all about placement.

I like nosler partitions. Can't find any. I shot corelokt in it this past year. I just wanted something to shoot in it as its a new gun and needs to be shot, haha.

I seriously doubt I'll hunt with these. They will get shot up at paper. Was just curios if anyone was using them.

If you can shoot they’ll cut holes every time and they stay together retaining 80+% weight on the ones I’ve found that didn’t exit on quartering shots
I’ve shot these 165’s and 150’s for many years and they’ve never failed me

They do a fine job of ending critters. I have shot some rifles that love them, and a few that don't.

When I set up a rifle for hunting, I check 3-4 different quality factory hunting loads and hunt with the one that groups the best. SST is one that I always test. I have been very pleased with both accuracy and terminal performance in the rifles that shoot it well.

Thanks for all the responses. I'll try to remember to give a review on them when I shoot them. Its a Kimber Mountain Ascent. So far I've only shot corelokts (all I had) out of it and its sub MOA with those. I killed a couple of hogs with it, no deer, yet.

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Yep, its all about placement. I've shot varying weights of SST's out of 7mm Rem Mag, 280 Rem, 7mm-08, 6.5CM, 6.5 Grendel, and 25-06. They killed deer as long as I put the bullet in the right spot.

I shot a doe 2 seasons ago with a 165 sst out of a 16" barrel 308. She was about 80 yards and the bullet caught the point of the shoulder going in. Golf ball size entrance and base ball size exit 2 ribs behind the shoulder. It was nasty and bullet fragments everywhere. She was dead on her feet though.

Absolutely the most accurate round out of my .308 hands down.

Superformance is the only factory round that I've found that my Steyr rifles do not like.

Son shot his first buck(a spike) with one out of a 7-08. Perfect shot placement although the deer was quartering slightly. Deer tucked tail and ran. Waited on land owner to come help track. Got to shot site and zero sign. Looked where we thought he would have went and nothing. Finally I walked down a little cleared path in some pines and found him no further than 50 yards from hit site. When we cleaned him, the cup and core had separated and was lodged just under skin on opposite side. From then on I decided I would rather have an exit hole than to “expend” all energy of bullet in animal. Switched to barnes and haven’t lost one yet

Killed my biggest buck with a sst in 25-06. Shot him twice and had two perfect mushrooms

I shoot the 150 grain in my 308. 25 yards is the longest distance one has made it after shot. Love them

They were horrible out of my 300WM. In a rifle that is sub MOA with other factory loads, these were 3-4 MOA.

I tried the140’s in my 270. Grouped great, the regular 140gr BTSP performed much better on deer.

Meanwhile on Aldeer.... the most deadliest cartridge on the planet is a .243.... but a .30 cal SST is questionable at cleanly killing a deer.

Thanks ya'll for sure.

Plain ol' interlocks killed 78 brazillon.

My sons 300WM in a steyr pro hunter shoots them sub MOA. My other son shoots them sub moa in his steyr .308 pro hunter

Not near as many as a 22 hollow point

I have a few buddies who stopped shooting them due to no pass thru and poor blood trail.

I shot sst's in my Bar 30-06 for over 10 years didn't get a pass through or much of a blood trail most of the time but when ya see them fall ya don't need a blood trail. I never lost a deer that was shot anywhere close to the kill zone . I bought a Tikka T3x 300wsm last year I shoot Winchester Deer season xp ballistic tips killed 2 bucks didn't get a complete pass though but saw both fall. My Browning liked Sst's the Tikka likes Winchester sub moa. I think pass through's are a lot like Ford vs Chevy some folks are going to have bad experiences with both.

This. I shoot it in my 270. May have had one run 50 yards. Most drop in their tracks. It is devastating. I have always gotten them to pass through and also create a massive cavity of destruction inside. Which is fine, I don't shoot the parts I want to eat. Everyone loves core lokt and I do too but I always have to find the deer. Sure there is usually a blood trail. But with SST I just walk over to the deer instead of go look for him. And it groups sub MOA out of my X-Bolt.
People say it breaks up too much so there is no blood trail. Not true. Here is a deer I hit a little high and far back. Total lung shot. He went 20 yards and was full of mush when I gutted him. You tell me if this was enough pass through and blood trail to find him 20 yards away.

SSTs are like BTs. Don’t hot rod them and you won’t have issues. Run them fast and they come apart. I’ve never been able to get any of my rifles to shoot superformance. The only rifle I can remember like those rounds was Uncle Hucks Montana in 25-06

I have heard lots of folks put down the Superperformance loads. I haven’t had that experience so I guess I am lucky. Great pic of the SST deer kill. That is usually where I shoot them. Maybe an inch or two lower. I never understood people talking about “meat damage”. Where the hell are you shooting them? Unless you love that rib meat? Just drop that pill behind the shoulder. Boom....flop.

Yup. Explosive performance right behind the shoulder will end things quickly.

Save the hindquaters, backstrap and tenderloins. If the shoulder is salvageable it's a bonus.

Leave the rest for the buzzards.

Ian killed his buck with a Superformance SST in Lori's .243. Lori and I have killed deer with them in .270 Win, 7mm Rem Mag, and .25-06 that I remember.

He was in the tall grass so I couldn't see the low parts. Shot high.... and the gun was zero at 250. This deer was about 50. Which actually makes the story better. The usual complaint is that this type of bullet. Breaks up too early when moving fast. 50 yards is still fast. Clear destruction and pass through

We have a thompson center icon bolt action chambered in .30TC. All they made for it was sst or gmx. It grouped ok with the sst but we had to track every deer we shot with it. Switched to the gmx and every deer is down right there. Now they quit making .30TC in gmx so were kinda screwed.

I can’t comment on the SST because every rifle I’ve ever tried to get sighted in with Superformance ammo just will not group. Some giving just normal bad patterns, some actually spraying bullets all over. Normally, I switch back over to the Hornady Custom lead nose and the rifle will group fine.

I have chronographed the Superformance and the velocity claims are legit, I just believe the accuracy potential is very rifle specific.