SST vs Remington Core-Lokt

[alsaqr]

My experience with SST bullets is limited to use of .40 caliber 200 grain and .452 caliber 250 grain bullets in muzzleloaders. Both work great on hogs and deer.

 

[daniel craig]

I short the SST sabot slugs out of my 12 gauge. Very impressed tbh.

 

[Berserker]

I've shot deer through lungs with coreloct, partions and 45-70 hornady 350 grains that open to about an inch. They all run. I am thinking about oppsite, something hard to guarantee exit wound for blood.

 

[9x56MS]

If you keep
The SST's be!ow 2700 they are not explosive and give good performance. In my rifles they shoot well in, I load heavy for caliber bullets and keep the velocity below 2700. I have had issues with 243 and 257 corelocs shedding their jackets but let me be clear both killed the deer dead. Just more meat damage and sparser blood trails than I prefer.

 

[ms6852]

For 50 years I have been using Remington Core-lokts for hunting. One shot kills on deer and elk using 165 grains bullets on both as that is what my 30-06 shot best. I really have no experience with the SST's.

 

[stillquietvoice]

For 50 years I have been using Remington Core-lokts for hunting. One shot kills on deer and elk using 165 grains bullets on both as that is what my 30-06 shot best. I really have no experience with the SST's.

I've had the same experience with corelockt ammo 165 gr 3006. Can't shoot 06 anymore due to injury. I did test corelockt bullets in both 7mm08 and 243 win, both copper fouled my bores. Was thinking a jacket issue with that lot number, but haven't tested any more, took too long to get barrels clean.

I've used the sst's in 7mm08, really accurate on paper, but explosive at close range and higher impact velocities. I killed one doe with the 139 7mm sst. Shot was 15 yds into the throat patch, exit wound was massive, split the back of the neck from base of skull to shoulder. Looked like a neck fillet.

 

[9x56MS]

I short the SST sabot slugs out of my 12 gauge. Very impressed tbh.

I too used those in my shotgun with rifled barrel. Very accurate with good performance but the design of those is totally different than those designed for rifles.

 

[KsSkaEnthusiast]

I am quite partial to hornady when it comes to amunition but in this case with the 130 grainers out of a 270 id go corelokt for terminal performace. This would be trumped by whichever is accurate but all things equal id take the corelokt. To split the difference in price i hunted with the federal fusion 130gr out of my 270 and they were exactly what i wanted. At 150 yards i had one full passthrough with a baseball sized exit that dropped on the spot. At 160 i had a spine/shoulder shot that dropped immediately. Then at 400 i had a good blood trail and the deer only went about 35 yards from the hit.

 

[LoonWulf]

I shot 139gr SSTs from my 7mag at probably 3100fps, good performance on our 75-150 (avg) axis deer. I eventually switched to 162gr Amax, and drove them at a recorded 3000-3100 from 7mags and 3200 from my STW. If I went back to SSTs id probably use the 154s or 162s in 7mm, 180s in 30s (which I have used to good effect in 30-06 at 2800+/- and 300s at 3000 +/-). Ive never tried them in smaller than 7mm, or larger that 30.
I load 145Eld-xs for my buddies .270s, and they have worked well on everything that's been shot.

before I started handloading I shot mostly winchester PPs or Remington CLKs, and saw very little difference between them.
They also worked just fine, with only the rare issue. Usually caused by a poor shot, and necessitating follow ups.

 

[ms6852]

I've had the same experience with corelockt ammo 165 gr 3006. Can't shoot 06 anymore due to injury. I did test corelockt bullets in both 7mm08 and 243 win, both copper fouled my bores. Was thinking a jacket issue with that lot number, but haven't tested any more, took too long to get barrels clean.

I've used the sst's in 7mm08, really accurate on paper, but explosive at close range and higher impact velocities. I killed one doe with the 139 7mm sst. Shot was 15 yds into the throat patch, exit wound was massive, split the back of the neck from base of skull to shoulder. Looked like a neck fillet.

There was a time that Remington had a bad batch of core-lokt and the chief complaint was that the jacket was very thin. I haven't used SST's simply because a long time ago I bought about 10 boxes of Core-lokt on sale for about $7.99 and still have a few boxes left. Turns out I only shoot about 4 rounds a year per box 3 to check zero and one for deer or elk. I do shoot my rifle more but I load custom rounds for long distance target shooting.

 

[stillquietvoice]

I try and go to the range at least once a week, outdoors, depending on weather, from mid February to the week before hunting season, tend to shoot a lot, do out to 300 meters. The longest distance I have to shoot is 550 tight now, but only do that a couple times a year depending on the corn field. When I go out to hunt I take several different bullets, all handloads, for different conditions. I've tried the sst at real close range and prefer to use them for longer shots. Last season I used 139 interlock spbt on a spike buck drt 60ish yds. That is a much tougher bullet and has similar bc and accuracy to a 139 sst.

There was a time that Remington had a bad batch of core-lokt and the chief complaint was that the jacket was very thin. I haven't used SST's simply because a long time ago I bought about 10 boxes of Core-lokt on sale for about $7.99 and still have a few boxes left. Turns out I only shoot about 4 rounds a year per box 3 to check zero and one for deer or elk. I do shoot my rifle more but I load custom rounds for long distance target shooting.

 

[9x56MS]

I like the interlock for hogs myself. I shoot the 180 grain SST in my 30-06. I used to shoot core locs when I shot factory loads, but not I started reloading.

 

[ms6852]

I try and go to the range at least once a week, outdoors, depending on weather, from mid February to the week before hunting season, tend to shoot a lot, do out to 300 meters. The longest distance I have to shoot is 550 tight now, but only do that a couple times a year depending on the corn field. When I go out to hunt I take several different bullets, all handloads, for different conditions. I've tried the sst at real close range and prefer to use them for longer shots. Last season I used 139 interlock spbt on a spike buck drt 60ish yds. That is a much tougher bullet and has similar bc and accuracy to a 139 sst.

I used to do the same thing in my younger years. I would take 4 magazines for my Savage 110C one had 125 grain rounds for close up shots under 100 yards, 150 for 100 to 200 yards, 165 grainers for up to 300 yards and the 180's for 300 to 500 yards.
One year I shot my biggest 12 point mulie with the 125 grain bullet and swore not to use it again for deer. The core-lokt destroyed to much meat with that light round. I stopped using the 150 grain rounds because my rifle did not like it. I t would produce about 1.5" groups at 200 and the 180's were just to punishing for my shoulder. So I just stuck with the 165 grainers because it would shoot sub-moa groups at 200. It was a good compromise and I really do not consider myself a long-range hunter so the weight was a good compromise for up to 400 yards on deer and 200 yards on elk for me.

As far as range practice I have a Remington 513T and a 52C that I shoot at 200 yards off hand standing, sitting, and kneeling all year round with the Redfield sights. This keeps me sharp and a week before deer season I'll shoot about 100 rounds of handholds using Sierra 165 HPBT and SBT's to get used to the recoil shooting standing offhand, sitting and kneeling, can't handle prone shooting anymore ever since my abdominal surgery.