.451 diameter 45 cal. bullets

I bought some 200 grain .451 diameter 45 cal. hornady xtp bullets to use in my .50 cal. muzzleloader. I have shot 2 rounds using mmp sabots and 100 grains of triple 7 powder and they grouped very well at 70 yards. I've been told that these bullets will not perform well because they are the .45 cal. bullets that are not meant for higher bullet speeds. Will these bullets be alright for deer if i use less powder, say 85-90 grains or just keep shooting the 100 grains.

I've never used 200 gr. bullets, but 250-300 grain XTPs work great on deer. 200 grain maght be too lightly constructed

Looking at my Hornady book, it shows the 200 grain .451 XTP velocity performance at 800-1250 FPS. I believe that this bullet is designed to be used in .45ACP applications, which have lower velocities than most in-line hunting applications.

Landngroove said:

Looking at my Hornady book, it shows the 200 grain .451 XTP velocity performance at 800-1250 FPS. I believe that this bullet is designed to be used in .45ACP applications, which have lower velocities than most in-line hunting applications.

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That pretty much sums it up. I know many peoe have had great success at 250 and up. If you can find the XTP Mags, they are optimal.

So why would my 200 grain xtp be to light for deer when i use a 120 grain for deer in my 7mm-08, or somebody else uses 85-90 grain in there 243 and so on and so on. My 200 grain is not to light for deer period! I just wanted to know if it would withstand velocities of 1500 to 1700 fps. If these dont stand up in my water jug and phone book tests then I will get something else, which will be even a lighter bullet, a 185 grain C.O.P. bullet. Bigger is not always better, even when talking about muzzleloader bullets. Yes my 7mm-08 is hovering around 3000 fps but it is still a 120 grain bullet and deer dont like it one bit, lol, thanks for the input

stringtalker said:

.................My 200 grain is not to light for deer period!................

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What you are failing to account for is 'sectional density'. The reason the 45 caliber bullet isn't the best for deer is because it is light for it's caliber. The 200g 45 caliber bullet has about the same sectional density as a 80g 7mm bullet. Perhaps you could see how an 80g 7mm bullet is too light for deer, and then realize the 45 caliber equivalent 200g bullet is also too light for deer. One cannot purchase 80g 7mm bullets, because they are not manufactured; they are too light for caliber.

A 200g 40 caliber bullets works nicely on deer.

stringtalker said:

So why would my 200 grain xtp be to light for deer ...

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Two words ... design point. Bullets, like all engineered objects, have a design "point". Operate either side of that point and performance suffers and eventually becomes unacceptable.

The 200 gr. XTP has a design point at a typical .45 ACP velocity. Move too much on either side of that point and expansion and/or penetration begin to suffer, or the bullet can literally be ripped apart by the centrifugal and aerodynamic forces.

And what Ron said above!

Stringtalker,
Perhaps you are reconsidering your bullet choice. I'll be up your way in about a month and can hook you up with a few .452 300g XTP's if you would like to try em. I think I still have some Speer .452 270g also.
I have a place off Hwy 68 between Madisonville and Tellico Plains.
Where are you shooting? The closest place I have found is the Spring Creek range near Reliance.

Mike

Stringstalker,

The thing to think about here is not the Light Weight, but the Light Construction of the bullet. The Jacket is going to be thinner on that bullet so it expands at the lower velocities of the 45 acp and will more than likely over expand (or blow up) at the velocities of your muzzleloader. The jackets on the .452 bullets for the 45Colt (250gn) and 454 Casull (300gn) have thicker jackets to accommodate the faster velocities. You