250 gr. Hornady SST Muzzleloader Projectiles

[HCDH66]

I had an interesting experience this past weekend during the early muzzleloader season. I shot a decent 8 pointer with about 10 minutes of legal shooting light on the last day of the season. It was a 50 yard shot completely broadside on a still animal. I shoot 250 gr. Hornady SST's over 100 gr. of Pyrodex pellets. I typically get 1 - 1 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards, which is plenty accurate for where I hunt.

Now for the goat rodeo part of the story. Due to the low light and slightly humid conditions, the smoke at the shot did not allow me to see which direction the deer ran upon impact. When I went to the site of the shot, I found no blood or hair, and it was getting dark fast. I called a friend to help me look. We grid searched for about an hour with flashlights, but no deer. I went back out the next morning, but I did not locate the deer. Later that afternoon, my friend who is also the landowner called me and said he found my deer. Fortunately, it was cool the night before and that day, and was in the shade, so the meat was fine. The decent size whitetail was hit right on the shoulder, destroyed the lungs, but did not exit. My experience in the past with these muzzleloader projectiles has been positive with pass-throughs.

What experience do you guys have with these muzzleloader projectiles? I typically try to break shoulder bones in order to put the deer down quickly. I usually do not utilize rear-lung, "meat-saver" shots. I am guessing and hoping that my experience this weekend was an anomaly. Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[riverboss]

I used to shoot shock waves 200 gr killed several deer with them they would pencil straight threw a deer.
Hit a lot of deer that I never found any blood till I found the deer dead and there would be lots of blood there.
I switched to the barnes solid coppers a few yrs ago but haven't shot a deer with them yet, I also bought some sst bullets and have been impressed with the bullets I have recovered from the bank being my target.
No matter what you shoot stuff can and will happen if you take out the heart there's nothing pumping blood and deer can run along ways on adrenaline.

 

[Meatstick]

I've said it on here before, but muzzleloaders kill deer worse than anything else we shoot em with. Now 40 11 people are gonna say they backflip deer with their smokepoles, but I stand by my statement. I've seen it too many times. My thinking is MZ bullets are too hard for their low velocity. It's like shooting a deer with 1/2" wide broadhead, and who would do that? Pencil hole in, pencil hole out.
Now some of the new fangled high velocity muzzleloaders are really raising hell, but that ain't the norm at all.

 

[Feedman]

I've said it on here before, but muzzleloaders kill deer worse than anything else we shoot em with. Now 40 11 people are gonna say they backflip deer with their smokepoles, but I stand by my statement. I've seen it too many times. My thinking is MZ bullets are too hard for their low velocity. It's like shooting a deer with 1/2" wide broadhead, and who would do that? Pencil hole in, pencil hole out.
Now some of the new fangled high velocity muzzleloaders are really raising hell, but that ain't the norm at all.

^^^ This is the reason you need one of those automatic muzzleloaders.

 

[riverboss]

I've said it on here before, but muzzleloaders kill deer worse than anything else we shoot em with. Now 40 11 people are gonna say they backflip deer with their smokepoles, but I stand by my statement. I've seen it too many times. My thinking is MZ bullets are too hard for their low velocity. It's like shooting a deer with 1/2" wide broadhead, and who would do that? Pencil hole in, pencil hole out.
Now some of the new fangled high velocity muzzleloaders are really raising hell, but that ain't the norm at all.

That's why I shoot 150 grs of powder the groups aren't as tight but the extra speed has to help!
The sst looks like a corelock looks after it's shot from a rifle, Hornady needs to make a 250 gr vmax!

 

[Meatstick]

That's why I shoot 150 grs of powder the groups aren't as tight but the extra speed has to help!
The sst looks like a corelock looks after it's shot from a rifle, Hornady needs to make a 250 gr vmax!

Something with a thin jacket like that would make sense for the low velocities

 

[bluedog69]

I had the upper leg bone of a small deer stop a 7MM Rem Mag nosler partition bullet. It blew the leg bone to shreds but the bullet stopped on a rib. It never even made it to the lungs. This was on a yearling doe. Had this been a big tough mature deer I would have never seen it again in all likely hood. I figure this was the perfect storm of velocity, bone, and the back half of the lead was not in the copper anymore.
Freak deal but I will take a double lung any day of the week. I have used the same bullets you speak of in a muzzleloader, but I never try to hit the shoulder.
Double lung is dead within 100 yards.

 

[Hntr2506]

I've shot several deer with T/C cheap sabots 240 grain. Always punches big holes on exit. The one time though I shot a doe quartering towards me, I got no exit. With the smoke and multiple deer, I had no clue where she ran. Got to the shot site and nothing, no blood or hair. Had to come back next day with my dog and found her about 100 yards away in an overgrown field. I backtracked her route and she didn't start bleeding until she was 50 yards from the shot site.

 

[HCDH66]

I've shot several deer with T/C cheap sabots 240 grain. Always punches big holes on exit. The one time though I shot a doe quartering towards me, I got no exit. With the smoke and multiple deer, I had no clue where she ran. Got to the shot site and nothing, no blood or hair. Had to come back next day with my dog and found her about 100 yards away in an overgrown field. I backtracked her route and she didn't start bleeding until she was 50 yards from the shot site.

That tracking experience was pretty much the same for me, except without the dog. With my deer in particular, there was no blood trail at all. The only blood I saw was a little bit where the deer had bled out its nose.

 

[davers]

Shot several Deer using: 250 grain Hornady XTP bullet .451" Dia. My load using: 90.0 GRS (Volume) Triple 7 FFG loose powder, fired by a 209 primer. Point-of-aim was either a neck shot or heart/lung shot, with good expansion as shown by the exit wound. Distance was always < 100 yards.

 

[Little FR]

I shoot 240gr PA Conicals. They are all lead balls with a skirt on rear. Soft lead. Push them with 30gr FFFG in pistol and 60gr FFFG in rifle. Killed big mature deer with both.

My blood trails are typically poor, expansion is typically poor (judging by exits) but I always aim straight up the leg, lower 1/3rd and they always pass through. A slow heavy bullet penetrates well, they fair well on bone, they just do not expand worth a lick.

I think your issue was the Hornady actually overexpanded and stopped itself like a parachute.

 

[riverboss]

From what have seen nosler partitions are prone to loose the lead in the back if they hit anything hard.
I have been very impressed with the speer grand slams they hold together exceptional well and at $20.00 dollars a box as apossed to the noslers that's what I will be buying for my rifles.

 

[bigbill30978]

Have taken many deer with the SST, but every once in a while you will get one like that. Good hit, no hair, no blood, but you know you hit it. Always found within 150 yards, with lots of blood at the end. Hunt a disc rifle with Barnes rounds and have never had that problem, usually down in sight. Barnes are tough to load but they get the job done every time.

 

[Junglekat]

hornady xtp 240 grain, green sabot,been working good for years

 

[mstrn1]

I shoot the 240 grain Hornady XTP low drag hollow point sabot with 150 grains of Pyrodex... devastating performance and plenty of knockdown. I've tried several other projectiles over the years but have always come back to these