Black Hills Gold's 95-grain SST is for hunters who want Hornady's SST bullet at a moderate .243 speed. The SST is Hornady's polymer-tipped hunting bullet with a lead core. The load leaves the muzzle at 2,950 fps with 1,835 ft-lbs of energy. Black Hills does not name a game for it.

Compared with Fiocchi's Hyperformance 95-grain SST, the Black Hills load is a near twin: the same bullet at the same 2,950 fps, and the same recoil in the same rifle. Fiocchi tags its load for big game. Compared with Winchester's Deer Season XP 95-grain, which Winchester builds specifically for deer hunters, the Black Hills starts 150 fps slower and carries 192 fewer ft-lbs at the muzzle. The Winchester kicks about 6 percent harder in the same rifle.

Buy the Black Hills Gold 95-grain if you want Hornady's SST with a little less recoil than Winchester's or Federal's faster 95-grain loads. Pick the Fiocchi Hyperformance if you want the same bullet and speed from a maker that tags it for big game. Pick the Winchester Deer Season XP if you hunt deer and want the most speed of the three, 3,100 fps. Federal's Berger Hybrid Hunter 95-grain, which Federal markets for medium and big game, starts 100 fps faster and kicks about 4 percent harder. If you also shoot varmints, Hornady markets its Custom 87-grain V-Max for them, and it kicks about 6 percent less than the Black Hills.