Winchester partition Gold vs Hornady SST

[Squirrelhawker]

Gonna have a shootout. Bought some of both. Not crazy that the SST's are lighter weight but I haven't been this curious about slugs in a while.
 
I have been a real big fan of the winchester's. Slug integrity has been tremendous. And hands down the most accurate slug I've used out of this bolt action. We won't try and fix anything that's not broke but we'll have a look see.
 
Anyone compared these two slugs yet?

[Woods Walker]

What's to compare? The Winchesters beat the SST HANDS DOWN ballistically, in ANY catagory.  I have killed a dozen or so deer with the Winchester Partition Golds, and they kill as close to a .30 caliber bullet as any shotgun slug I've ever seen. Unbelievable lung damage, and actual HYDROSCOPIC SHOCK DAMAGE!!!! And these were with the 2 3/4" rounds.
 
Look at the retained energy that the Winchesters have as compared to the SSTs at ALL ranges. They may be a bit faster, but that evens out at 125 yards. I'm zero'ed at 100 yards, and I don't think about holdover until I'm at 140 yards+. With that zero I NEVER have to think about holding under. I will take energy over speed any day. Point is, BOTH of these rounds are still supersonic out past 175 yards.
 
If your shotgun likes the Winchesters, you have no need to look any further.
 













Winchester® Slugs
385 Gr. OZ #SABOT SLUG






Product Symbol: SSP12

Gauge: 12
Shell Length: 2-3/4
Velocity (in.): 1900
Powder Dram Equiv: n/a
Shot Size: Sabot

Description: Winchester shotgun slugs for hunting deer have long been the gold standard for performance and accuracy.

Packaging Options
Rounds Per Box: 5
Box U.S. MSRP: $25.11
Rounds Per Case: 100
Case U.S. MSRP: $502.20



Ballistics



Distance (yds)
Velocity (fps)
Energy (ft.lbs.)
Trajectory (in.)

Muzzle
1900
3086
-

25
-
-
0

50
1737
2579
0.7

75
-
-
0.7

100
1585
2148
0

125
1514
1959
-1.6

150
-
-
-4.2

175
-
-
-7.8

200
-
-

-



Hornaday SST
 




12 Gauge 300 gr. SST Slug
[align=right]8623[/align]





Velocity (fps) / Energy (ft-lbs)

Muzzle
50 yd
100 yd
150 yd
200 yd

2000/2644
1816/2196
1641/1793
1482/1463
1341/1198





Trajectory (inches)

Muzzle
50 yd
100 yd
150 yd
200 yd

-1.5
2.4
2.7
0
-6.7

[Squirrelhawker]

I guess I would have to agree here Woodwalker. It was a short comparison last night at the range.
 
Both slugs printed the same out of my gun at 50 yards- 1 1/2" high.
 
But at 100 yards the lighter SST was still on the way up and hit 8+ inches higher than the Winchester that has been dead-on.
 
I guess if its not broke, we won't try and fix it.
 
I've never seen bullet integrity better than the partitions anyway. At 3.50 a squeeze, my buddy was glad to have the unused SST's I gave him.

[deerhunter713]

Nosler always produces a superb product, so it does not surprise me that they perform well in Winchester ammo.

[stumpsitter66]

Don't fix it if it ain't broke! That is very true. However, if you like to test out different loads, I'd suggest this one. I have used Partition Golds almost exclusively since they cam out, but this new Lightfield Slug (Lightfield Hybred EXP) is VERY impressive. Not as accurate to long distances, but the bullet performance on deer is second to none. No more pencil hole entry wounds on lung-shot deer!

SS66

[Woods Walker]

ORIGINAL: stumpsitter66

Don't fix it if it ain't broke! That is very true. However, if you like to test out different loads, I'd suggest this one. I have used Partition Golds almost exclusively since they cam out, but this new Lightfield Slug (Lightfield Hybred EXP) is VERY impressive. Not as accurate to long distances, but the bullet performance on deer is second to none. No more pencil hole entry wounds on lung-shot deer!

SS66

I assume you mean EXIT wounds!  [:)]
 
I know a lot of guys like the Lightfields, and of course accuracy is of top concern, but the Lightfields ballistically don't compare to the Winchester Partition Golds.......
 
They are FAR slower than the Winchesters. In fact at 125 yards the Lightfields are sub-sonic, while the Winchesters are still WAY above the 1200FPS range. At 50 yards and beyond, the Winchesters have quite a bit more retained energy too, with 2148 ft/lbs @ 100 yards, and 1959 ft/lbs @ 125 yards. 
 
The first buck I killed with one was at about 65 yards, and when I opened him up, I literally POURED the lungs out, making an 18" round pool of "cranberry jelly" in the leaves. I hadn't seen that type of hydroscopic tissue damage since the last time I put a 180 gr. .308 round through a deer.
 
The Lightfields:
 























12 Gauge Lightfield Hybred-Elite Magnum Ballistics Data







Range
(yards)


Velocity
(feet/second)

Energy
(foot·pounds)

Drop
(inches)

Flight Time
(seconds)






0


1730

3628

-------

--------






25


1578

3020

+0.93

.04600






*50


1438

2507

+2.50

.09500






75


1315

2095

+2.99

.15000






100


1208

1769

+2.25

.20900






*125


1122

1526

0.00

.27400






150


1055

1350

-3.97

.34300






 
*Slug guns MUST be zeroed (sighted-in) while the slug is supersonic (above 1220 ft/sec in velocity). Therefore you must zero your gun 2.5 inches high at 50 yards, absolutely centered above your point of aim. You will then be dead-on zeroed at 125 yards because gravity will see to it. Zeroing at 50 yards also cuts down (by approximately 60%) your chance of adjusting windage error into your scope setting.

[beagleman23]

Woods Walker and Squirrelhawker,
  I think you guys are shooting Browning ABolts from prior posts.  Ever tried Federal Barnes expanders?  I shoot the 3" with about 1 1/2"-2" group of the bench at 100 yards and great performance on deer.  What kind of group are you getting from the Winchesters?  Ever shot them through any other shotguns?  I ask because I'm not quite settled with my Remington 1100 20ga.  The Fed/Barnes shoot good but not like out of the ABolt.  I know they're two totally different guns but the 1100 is customized with a pinned barrel, trigger job and the like.

[Woods Walker]

ORIGINAL: beagleman23

Woods Walker and Squirrelhawker,
I think you guys are shooting Browning ABolts from prior posts.  Ever tried Federal Barnes expanders?  I shoot the 3" with about 1 1/2"-2" group of the bench at 100 yards and great performance on deer.  What kind of group are you getting from the Winchesters?  Ever shot them through any other shotguns?  I ask because I'm not quite settled with my Remington 1100 20ga.  The Fed/Barnes shoot good but not like out of the ABolt.  I know they're two totally different guns but the 1100 is customized with a pinned barrel, trigger job and the like.

 
Yes I have. In my gun they were about the same, but the Partition Gold's have better ballistics (slightly), so I decided to go with them.
 
BTW: I also have an 1100 that is a dedicated slug gun (it was my deer gun before I got the A-Bolt). It has a Timney trigger and a rifled barrel on it, and fortunately for me, it likes the Partition Gold's also.
 
My buddy, who bought his A-Bolt at the same time I did, uses the Federal Barnes expanders in his, as his gun seems to do better with it. I've seen the damage they do, and it is impressive.

[vipertech]

Partition Golds shot like crap out of my gun when I tested them a few years ago.  And that is shooting from a rest.  I really wanted to use those slugs too given the technical aspects of them.  Instead, I used Winchester 1oz sabots which printed very good groups.  This year however, I couldn't find that particular slug for sale at any of the local places I usually go. Since Dicks was running a sale on the SST's, I gave them a try.  As it turns out, I have never shot better groups from my gun.  My son shoots these as well.  Both of us had great success this year. 

As far as ballistic charts go, I never met a deer that knew how to read a chart.  [:D][:D]