bullet for best blood trail with a 50 cal. ?

[JeffB1961]

sorry for another bullet question . i think i've decided what i want to get bullet wise . hornady XTP 250's and the no excuses seem to get good comments and their price is wallet friendly . the large majority of folks seem very happy with the 240 , 250 and 300 grain XTP's but i see a few comments here and there about no pass through or a small blood trail .

soooo , ignoring the fact that i can be a cheap ba$$ turd ......
what .50 cal. bullet or bullet sabot combo produces the best blood trail without exploding in a deer sending shrapnel through a lot of meat ?

take care , jeff

 

[michiganmuzzy]

This is one of those topics of endless debate and discussion. There is no right or wrong bullet just bullets that work FOR YOU and bullets that don’t. Ive had successful hunts with just about every bullet readily available and plenty that i made myself. XTPs work great for me on whitetail

 

[michiganmuzzy]

If inexpensive and good performance is important then casting your own is definitely worth getting in to.

 

[JeffB1961]

thanks MM .
i wish there was a section here dedicated to just bullets and sabots .
i do use the search function here but apparently i'm getting into analysis paralysis and my old brain doesn't keep track of things like it use to .
maybe i should just try to Keep It simple Stupid rather that trying to split hairs .... hahaha

thanks again , Jeff

 

[Henry Miles]

Make a heart shot, low right behind the front leg and you'll get dead deer and blood. Shot placement is key to success

 

[snapbang]

I use the bullet below from my 1/28 twist. Knight Elite.

305gr Hollow Point lead bullets 44 caliber
305gr 44 caliber hand cast hollow point lead bullets for your 44 caliber needs. These are a heavyweight 305 grain bullet great for hunting or self...

If they dont drop on the spot the blood trail is ample.

For me Traditional guns I have used PRB but am going to try conicals.

 

[1874sharpsshooter]

This is one of those topics of endless debate and discussion. There is no right or wrong bullet just bullets that work FOR YOU and bullets that don’t. Ive had successful hunts with just about every bullet readily available and plenty that i made myself. XTPs work great for me on whitetail

Not true .... there are Power belts don't forget

 

[gmstack]

Shot placement is the key with any bullet Henry is 100 per cent correct.

 

[Ole Creek Boy]

I have very good results with the TC Cheap shots in my inline. I use the TC Maxi hunter in my Renegade. Like stated prior there is no bullet that will make up for poor shot placement.

 

[deermanok]

In my own traditional guns, the old patched round ball has killed deer.
I also have had good success with all lead conical bullets.
The Thompson Center Maxi Hunters, 275 grain and the Hornady PA conicals, 240 grain.
I've killed a lot of deer with the TC'S. Either dropped em or they didn't run very far, usually within sight.

 

[ElDiablo]

what .50 cal. bullet or bullet sabot combo produces the best blood trail without exploding in a deer sending shrapnel through a lot of meat ?

Bloodtrails: You have to have an exit hole for reliable bloodtrails - two holes - the bigger the better. You didnt mention what you are hunting. Whitetails I assume? XTPs are great on deer sized animals. Not the perfect choice on bigger game.

Shot placement: You can hope for and strive for perfect shot placement, but you can’t count on it, the ideal bullet that will work reliably with the invariable less-than-perfect shot.

 

[gmstack]

I killed a very big black bear in 1985 with a Knight 50 cal. muzzleloader the bullets Knight was selling at the time were 260gr pistol bullets. My first shot broke his back and I did the fastest reloading on record and the second shot took out his heart. Todays bullets are far better but again it all boils down to SHOT PLACEMENT !!

 

[chubby ninja]

I've killed deer with pb , prb and sabots.my preference is the 300 gr. XTP.The blood trail is shorter [or DRT].There is very rarely an exit . To me, this says that the bullet is dumping all the energy inside the animal.I aim for a broadside shot in the heart /lung area or a high shoulder shot which results in a 2 foot tracking job.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

No doubt about it, a 300xtp is a killing machine. A 330 Gould is also a deer hammer.

 

[bandicoot]

So is a 250 or 320- grain R.E.A.L. bullet. They cut a nice clean .50 hole, and let blood out fast.

 

[mnoland30]

If you want pass through, a heavier bullet will usually do the trick. I'm convinced that most any 350 gr bullet will drop a deer in its tracks most of the time. I like inexpensive bullets, so I can shoot more. I shoot 405 gr. .45-70 bullets for elk and it works great.

 

[JeffB1961]

100 of the 250 XTP's literally cost about the same price as 50 of the 300 XTP's so i'll get the 250's for getting used to my optima and if i find i need something heavier/premium this deer season i'll only need a few of them . but i'll have plenty of 250's for sighting in and getting used to my old optima ....

take care , jeff

 

[BlackPowderGuy (AJHS)]

100 of the 250 XTP's literally cost about the same price as 50 of the 300 XTP's so i'll get the 250's for getting used to my optima and if i find i need something heavier/premium this deer season i'll only need a few of them . but i'll have plenty of 250's for sighting in and getting used to my old optima ....

take care , jeff

Jeff- I’ve killed two deer with the 240 grain XTP, no blood trails on either one. One was DRT and the other went near 75 yards and I only found it because my dog helped. Because of that, I’ve chosen to go with the 300 grain XTP, though I’ve not killed a deer with it yet. I did kill a deer with a Hornady Great Plains, no exit but the deer DRT’d. Next season I will use the 300 grain XTP’s in my inline and 460 grain Bullshop NEX in my traditionals…

 

[hairybird]

I killed a very big black bear in 1985 with a Knight 50 cal. muzzleloader the bullets Knight was selling at the time were 260gr pistol bullets. My first shot broke his back and I did the fastest reloading on record and the second shot took out his heart. Todays bullets are far better but again it all boils down to SHOT PLACEMENT !!

Not sure if you are talking about the Speer Semi-Jacket Hollow Point bullet but that has been my favorite muzzleloader bullet for years. I have taken white tails with as little as 70 grains of 2f Goex. Excellent bullet and leaves a great blood trail for fast animal recovery.

 

[ingramjets]

Give harvester a look pt golds or white lightning. I use 300grn white lightning good blood and dead deer. Good pricing also