308 Deer ammo - SST or Fusion ammmo

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308 Deer ammo - SST or Fusion ammmo

Postby thatguy » Fri Oct 26, 2012 4:18 pm

I just bought a DPMS Recon in 308 which I am going to use (along with the 450B) for deer hunting.. Been getting it broke in and sighted in lately..

Based on reviews/suggestions I bought some Fusion ammo and Hornady SST - both in 150 gr and 165 gr to test for accuracy.. At 50 yds, accuracy was outstanding for both SST's, and very good for the fusions (I may have gotten tired and caused the 'wing' shot)

I have heard good and bad things about both types of ammo - (ie SST's coming apart if you hit a bone/make a bad shot). My gun seems to shoot all the ammo reasonably well - so bullet grain isnt big choice it seems.

From your experiences which would you pick - Fusion or SST for deer?

Here is my accuracy pic showing how well the DPMS shot - Upper left = SST 165, Upper Right = SST 150, Lower left Fusion 165, and Lower Right 150

3 shots each type of ammo, off a bench with an 8x scope
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Re: 308 Deer ammo - SST or Fusion ammmo

Postby commander faschisto » Fri Oct 26, 2012 6:13 pm

Fusions are core-bonded to the jacket...but, I'm sure either would be fine. Hard to choose.
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Re: 308 Deer ammo - SST or Fusion ammmo

Postby MarkCO » Fri Oct 26, 2012 6:40 pm

All of the deer I shot with my DPMS .308 and then Armalite .308 were felled in the track in which they stood with one round of 150 grain Fusion. They worked very well.
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Re: 308 Deer ammo - SST or Fusion ammmo

Postby thatguy » Sat Oct 27, 2012 10:26 am

commander faschisto wrote:Fusions are core-bonded to the jacket...but, I'm sure either would be fine. Hard to choose.



Educate me and correct me if im wrong:

Fusion is Core-bonded = the bullet should stay together better if you hit a bone (ie take a shoulder shot)? But still allow for expansion

The SST = If you hit a bone (or take a shoulder shot) there is a change the the bullet could/would come apart (fragment) and not impart as much damage since it is now in smaller pieces?

For deer size game - you want more of a 'rapid expansion without deep penetration' - since otherwise the bullet could pass through without expanding?

Is this correct?
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Re: 308 Deer ammo - SST or Fusion ammmo

Postby Al in Mi » Sat Oct 27, 2012 1:32 pm

I'm partial to bonded bullets in everything I'd use on big game.
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Re: 308 Deer ammo - SST or Fusion ammmo

Postby Hoot » Sun Oct 28, 2012 7:31 am

Before I got my 450b, my favorite deer rifle was my G3. The 150gr Fusion put meat in the freezer. Here's a Link to the Speer 150gr Bonded Core (HotCor) bullet. Once I started loading my own deer loads for non-hunting length 308 barrels it was my go-to bullet over a load of Varget. Very temperature insensitive to boot, if you live somewhere that has four distinct seasons. The 165gr DeepCurl (bonded) is all my hunting buddy uses. They duplicate the Federal Fusion 165 cartridge he used to shoot.

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Re: 308 Deer ammo - SST or Fusion ammmo

Postby cptrifeg2 » Mon Nov 12, 2012 5:37 pm

MarkCO wrote:All of the deer I shot with my DPMS .308 and then Armalite .308 were felled in the track in which they stood with one round of 150 grain Fusion. They worked very well.


Man...I read this and had dreams about buying a bolt action 308..man I hate you guys..(Joking) I spend every dime of my fun money on these damn guns! :D
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Re: 308 Deer ammo - SST or Fusion ammmo

Postby MOUNTIN DU » Thu Nov 15, 2012 7:16 pm

:? i'm kinda ole skule on this one :roll: my go to bullet for either of my .308 "hunting" guns; BLR or Win. M100, is the 165gr Speer Grand Slam. :) it's not a sniper round, but has a sectional density of .248 & a .393 bc. :| it also has a proven & deadly, bonded dual core with a protected point, that allows it to function flawlessly in the M100 semi. :geek: for coyotes & paper punching in the BLR; the nozler 150 ballistic tip gets the nod. ;)
:shock: just my humble opinion... but if i were to get an AR in 308w, this would be my first choice since i'm not familiar with the deep curl 8-)
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Re: 308 Deer ammo - SST or Fusion ammmo

Postby Hoot » Thu Nov 15, 2012 9:15 pm

MOUNTIN DU wrote::? i'm kinda ole skule on this one :roll: my go to bullet for either of my .308 "hunting" guns; BLR or Win. M100, is the 165gr Speer Grand Slam. :) it's not a sniper round, but has a sectional density of .248 & a .393 bc. :| it also has a proven & deadly, bonded dual core with a protected point, that allows it to function flawlessly in the M100 semi. :geek: for coyotes & paper punching in the BLR; the nozler 150 ballistic tip gets the nod. ;)
:shock: just my humble opinion... but if i were to get an AR in 308w, this would be my first choice since i'm not familiar with the deep curl 8-)


The DeepCurl was the HotCor. Bonded core, lead tip. It's what the Federal Fusion 165gr 30-06 uses. My buddy Jim swears by that bullet in his 30-06 for anchoring whitetails. He got a big body, small rack 8-point on opening morning this year. He's back up right now for the final weekend of the season, when his oldest boy got a nice 10 point last year with the same bullet. I unfortunately, am on-call this weekend and can't leave town. :(

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