Working on several loads for a 270 win. Bullets include 160 gr NP, 140 Hornady SPBT,
130 gr Sierra SPBT, 150 gr NBT and 130 gr Hornady SST. Most everything will group to 1" or
less - the 150 gr NBT will do 3/8" or less with SC4831 or RL22. In fact the preference for that
bullet is unbelieveable. Now these 130 SST's will not group at all - sprayed all over the
target = 4" groups - went to the range three times this weekend just to try different loads
to see if anything would help - RL22, SC4831, IMR 4350 - nothing worked. Also the other
bullets will all just about impact at the same point on the target - which is nice - but not the
SST's. Anybody had similar results with SST's. They are so bad I am tempted to send them
back to Hornady to see if there is a manufacturing defect. Can't use them anyway. I know
some rifles flat don't like some bullets but this appears extreme. Any opinion would be great.

I have a friend that uses the 180 spitzers and bt's in a 300 wby. They both shoot great. When he heard I had some sst's he "ran" to my house to steal some to try. After 2-3 recipes he couldn't get them to shoot as well as the others either.
Don't know what to say--maybe some guns will love them but they seem a little different than the older hornady's. I hate the way they repositioned the cannelures. On the old hornady's you could load to the cannelure and still be close to the rifling.
ALSO--I've noticed some of the new "tests" on these bullets is showing them NO TOUGHER than ballistic tip noslers. AND in some cases slightly less tough than the older hornady's. Guess we won't be needing those new plastic tip wonders so bad afterall!

I thought it was just me. Read many positive posts on the SST. Tried then in 7mm-08, 140 grain.
Best I can get is 1.5" at fairly low velocity.
WW factory 140 power point ammo shoots 3/4-1" every group. Speer 145 about 1". 140 BT's go 3/8" to 1/2"

My custom 7STW will shoot Nosler 140 B-Tips into very small groups at 200yds. When I tried the 139 SST with the identical load, I was surprised to find that they shot just as accurately as the Noslers and to the same point of impact. I was impressed.
I tried the same 139 SST's in a Tikka 7mm-08 and I could not get them to shoot with any powder. Funny thing is the little Tikka will shoot a Barnes 140 XBT into 1" at 200yds and those darn Barnes never shoot in anything that I've ever owned. Go figure.
VH

I've been using the 6.5mm 129s and 140s. I can tell you that these bullets will develop higher pressures and, consequently, more velocity than their flat-based Hornady 6.5mm Spire Point counterparts.

In fact, 46 grains of Re-22 in Lapua brass (w/ Fed 210) gives just over 2800 fps with the 140 grainer from a 24" 6.5x55 barrel.

Accuracy is as good as any other bullet save for the high-grade match projectiles. I am pleased with them.

I forgot to add that in my expansion testing, they (129 and 140 grain SSTs in 6.5mm) performed virtually identically to the lead-tipped 6.5mm Hornadys. But the SSTs do appear to have a lower-velocity threshold for more complete expansion due the the driving force of the polycarbonate tip.

Rifleman-

I have a super accurate 270 that will shoot five 130 ballistic tips into .5" and sometimes less. Playing with 130 and 140 SST's I get no better than 1 to 1.25". Granted, this is good accuracy but not nearly as good as the Ballistic Tips in my rifle. I've shot quite a few of the SST's in .257, .264, .277 and .284. Nothing so poorly as 4". Something really seems wrong. My experience has been that they are no less accurate than the older spire point interlocks.

I agree something is wrong - but? - so I decided to order some 130 gr NBT and see what happens. I seat the bullets out but off the lands - maybe I will seat to the cannelure to see if "free boring" helps. Nosler definately seems to have its act together with the BT's. Hornady's web site show a group fired with the 130 SST - I wish! Thanks for your response.

Some rifles show a preference for one bullet over another.I've loaded the SST's in 270,7mm & 308 and found them to be accurate in several different rifles.One strange thing with a 7mm Wby I have is that it will group 139 gr SST's under an inch @ 200 yds and I have trouble keeping 150 Noslers in a 6in group at the same range.

Last night I decided to check and see just how far out that 130 SST would sit in the case before hitting the rifling - wow - almost all the way out - to the point that there was hardly enough neck contact to firmly hold the bullet - this rifle has "freebore" - so I think this may be the problem. I knew I had a long throat but case length is limited to magazine length - so I'm grateful it shoots 150 NBT so well and will concentrate on this bullet weight and the 160 NP - Hornady usually makes a pretty good product and doesn't deserve my public discredit.

Have you checked the runout on the SST rounds? It's possible that your bullet seater isn't engaging them properly, and they are not seating straight. Loading long might help. Shoot a group at 200 yards if possible and see if they start to stabilize. If they do, this is an indication that runout might be your problem.

The mention above of dropping load charges might also help. If you're dealing with a bullet with more bearing surface than a conventional bullet, it will require less powder to achieve the same pressure.

Check with Hornady and see if they have any "accuracy load" recipes.

Best of luck,

Dan Newberry
green 788

I have not checked the runout - but this does not appear to be a problem with the other bullets I listed. I think the 130 sst has a long ogive compared to the other bullet brands and this combined with the long throat and long jump to the lands may not work well together. I seat the bullets as far out as the magazine will allow. The 130 NBT should be here this weekend. I suspect that because they have the same shape as the 150 NBT they will perform better. A flat based 130 grainer may also improve the grouping although the Sierra SPBT shoots extremely well. Thanks for advise. Also chronograph should show up any day and I can't wait to see what the velocities are on this rifle and my 338.

I ran 100 180 gr 30 Cal SST's thru my Redding Bullet Comparitor, and they varied a lot more than the standard 180 gr Hornady SPBT.\BUT, they shoot just as well.

SO, I am going to take them with me to Africa next spring in my 30-06, and I'll let you know how they work.

I am going to compare them to the 180 gr TBBC, and some of the new Remington Ultra Core Lokts.

I have used the 130 SST in a Win M70 CRF with a Lilja bbl., chambered in .270 Win. They shot well under minute of angle. Spine shot a doe whitetail with them a few years back, bullet completely went to pieces. I have also killed with the b-tips and they also come apart too quickly. I am now leaning towards the tougher constructed bullets for hunting. Will try the Speer 140 grain Deep Shock bullets when they become available.

zman

Nosler used to make my favorite .270 bullet, the Solid Base. I used the 130gr's with excellent results in my 270.

I gave some 130 SST's to a PH of mine, and he wrote the other day, and, quote," If you are not going to shot 'em in the head, don't use the SST's". Body shots were just devestating.

Well a box of 130 NBT arrived the other day so I loaded them up with some RL22 and headed to the range. As I expected they shot like the 150 NBT - just beautiful .600" groups at an avg velocity of 3120 FPS. My gun just does not like the SST's and again I think it is because I have such a long throat. The 160 NP also grouped the same with RL22 at 2880 fps. The 150 NBT averaged 2985 fps with RL22. What is nice is all three bullets have the same impact point at 100 yds. Had some rounds loaded with SC4831 - they did not group as well or generate the velocity of RL22. This rifle generates high velocity for the loads I used which are pretty conservative by the manuals I have. Lucky me. By the way take a look at this months Shooting Times - one good article by Rick Jaimison on the performance of a whole variety of bullets - best article I have ever read.