Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Serious Deer Talk Forum BTSP or SST

I shoot a couple of different 30.06 rifles. Both guns prefer a Hornady round in 165 grain.

Boat tail Soft Point seems to dump all energy of the bullet into the deer. Most of the time, bullet will not exit. Therefore, a slim blood trail.

SST - This bullet will exit 95% of the time under 100 yards. Most of the time a decent blood trail.

Which one would you prefer? Just seeking some opinions.

Both result in a dead deer. A trail to the deer makes that an easy pick for me.

Not sure there’s enough difference between the two to matter.

I prefer mono’s to ensure holes are poked through both sides but I think even the ELD-M’s I used to use always punched through. I imagine just about any bullet in 30-06 is going to pass through unless you make a really bad shot on a really big deer.

Shot 2 last year with 150 gr.sst 308 both ran 40 to 50 yards. with big blood trail ,shot around 75 over the years with 165 btsp most did not run. Wish hornady still made 165 customs.

Federal BTSP 165 grain is lights out if it will shoot from your gun. I would use the Hornady BTSP if not. I would use the Hornadys if not.

I've killed a few with both and both had the same results, dead deer. I don't particularly like the SST, but a lot of folks do.

I killed my 10pt last year with a 35 cal. 200g Hornady Interlock within bow range and he ran about 35 yards with a substantial blood trail. This year I'm planning to try a 35 cal. 180g Barnes TTSX in the same gun.

I had the opposite no exit with SSTs and little blood vs good exit and good blood with SP. I've gone to nothing but the TTSX now though always exit and always have good blood.

SST always

I don't prefer Hornady, but with that said you are getting opposite of my experience years ago. Btsp would blow through with no expansion, sst was like a ballistic tip with no exit. Out of the two options I'd go with the one that shoots the tightest group.

SST should dump more energy which equals more likely to fragment with no exit. The plastic tip drives back into the bullet on impact which initiates the rapid expansion. I don’t care for either. I would use what your more confident in and which one shot the best out of your gun.

Been using SST since they came out and usually DRT. Never lost a deer. I like dumping all the energy into the body cavity. Hit the ground like they were hit with a sledgehammer. Rarely kick. This is in a 300 win mag 180gr.

Uhmmmmm , when I used boattail soft point at close range they just buzz right through . They done great futher out



Like the bonded soft point the best. I like 150s better too

I’ve been using the Federal 165 Gamekings in my Ruger and I’ve never lost a deer that I’ve hit. I can’t recall not getting an exit and a blood trail that Ray Charles could follow either. A few went maybe a hundred yards but most were within 40. Aside from hogs, though, very few deer were DRT with them. I haven’t used SST in 30-06 but I have and do in other chamberings and they work.

This is incorrect.

Multiple slow motion videos of plastic tipped bullets fired into ballistic gelatin show the tip separating from the bullet after impact. The rapid expansion is due to the large hollow cavity used for the tip, which is larger than a typical hollow point bullet.

SST bullets are great deer killers IMO. Don't shoot shoulders, just put the bullet right behind the front leg and take the deer to the processor.

SSTs don’t do well above 3k fps in my experience. Sub 3k they do just fine. We’ve killed a pile of deer with the sst in the 6.5 Grendel.

I have come to this conclusion also. DRT with 308 win and 06. Stopped using them in my 7mag because a made a couple of close shots (within 100yds) and the bullets “Blew apart” dead deer both times, but both got right back up and ran about 100 yds.

I’ve had to be super picky with bullet selection out of my 7mag because of this right here. I think bonded bullets are overkill for southern deer, but is necessary at magnum speeds if you want two holes. Nosler partition, accubond, federal fusions, and Barnes ttsx for the mono lovers work great over 3k fps.

Crazy how situations and experiences can be so different. Probably 7 or 8 years ago I shot a +/- 160 pound buck from about 50 yards, through both shoulders with 150g super performance SST out of a 7mag, and I had an exit hole big enough to stick my fist in. That was the only experience I've had with that bullet as I have since moved on to a 7mm-08.

Anything can happen.