Just bought a new Savage ML 10 II. Plan on using low to moderate loads of smokeless powder. However I've noticed that Savage is set on Hornady .452 non mag XTP's, either the 250 or 300gr. I like XTP's however the non mag .45 cal XTP's are not designed to work at the higher velocities that the Savage is capable of. As a matter of fact I talked to a Hornady rep today on the phone and he said to expect the non mag XTP's to come apart at close range shots. Savage says to avoid the mag XTP's due to accuracy concerns. Any thoughts? Anyone use the non mag XTP's in their Savage on deer at close range? I use the .44 cal 240gr XTP's on deer in my other ML but Savage does not recommend the use of .44 cal XTP's in the Savage.
Question about .452 250gr non mag XTP.
- Thread starter JimG
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I shoot 250 grain non-mag Hornady XTP's all the time; my go to bullet. I'm pushing them with 42.5 grains of SR4759, black MMP sabot. I have not had near the problems I had with the 250 grain SST, them things were grenades!
I've shot deer from 10 to 200 yards with the XTPs with no problems.
Going to set up one of my ML10's for N120 and the Barnes original soon, weighed up a bunch of powder last weekend. Now if the weather would cool off.
I've shot deer from 10 to 200 yards with the XTPs with no problems.
Going to set up one of my ML10's for N120 and the Barnes original soon, weighed up a bunch of powder last weekend. Now if the weather would cool off.
As I recall the 300 grain non mag XTP is the bullet unless you want to go the Barnes originals. I personally have had good success with the SSTs though.
I would not use the .44 caliber bullets, they are actually .429 in diameter and the .452s or the .458s are better depending on the sabot used.
I would not use the .44 caliber bullets, they are actually .429 in diameter and the .452s or the .458s are better depending on the sabot used.
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JimG
The non mags are accurate and have been used a lot for hunting deer but there are many better options. In the boiler room you will likely get reasonable killing performance and a fragmented bullet on close shots. Outside the boiler room i would expect high meat damage and poor performance. The 44cals are not used because sabots tend to fail.
I shoot only .458s in mine. The 325gr FTX is a good semi affordable choice with powders like N120, Reloder7 and 4198 if you dont mind the recoil. 55-57gr of N120 or 60-63gr of Re7 will get them into the 2100fps range and a bit less recoil without giving up reliable expansion.
There are also several 458-300gr bullets that work fine with moderate loads/speeds and wont break the bank. The Remingtons and Hornadys are pretty popular even with the "book powders".
XTP Mags have been used but accuracy isnt as good and shots should be kept a bit closer for more reliable expansion. In the 250gr class, a 250gr Bonded Shockwave should perform well over a wider range of impact speeds. The 250gr Barnes (with the big hollow point) are also a well proven killer in the Savage.
Lee9
Sofar the Lehighs have not been popular in a SML. I dont know of anyone that has reached 2500 fps with Lehighs in a smokeless 50cal. Mild amounts of N120 have gotten the 250gr Lehigh to shoot ok but not anywhere close to 2500fps in a Savage.
The non mags are accurate and have been used a lot for hunting deer but there are many better options. In the boiler room you will likely get reasonable killing performance and a fragmented bullet on close shots. Outside the boiler room i would expect high meat damage and poor performance. The 44cals are not used because sabots tend to fail.
I shoot only .458s in mine. The 325gr FTX is a good semi affordable choice with powders like N120, Reloder7 and 4198 if you dont mind the recoil. 55-57gr of N120 or 60-63gr of Re7 will get them into the 2100fps range and a bit less recoil without giving up reliable expansion.
There are also several 458-300gr bullets that work fine with moderate loads/speeds and wont break the bank. The Remingtons and Hornadys are pretty popular even with the "book powders".
XTP Mags have been used but accuracy isnt as good and shots should be kept a bit closer for more reliable expansion. In the 250gr class, a 250gr Bonded Shockwave should perform well over a wider range of impact speeds. The 250gr Barnes (with the big hollow point) are also a well proven killer in the Savage.
Lee9
Sofar the Lehighs have not been popular in a SML. I dont know of anyone that has reached 2500 fps with Lehighs in a smokeless 50cal. Mild amounts of N120 have gotten the 250gr Lehigh to shoot ok but not anywhere close to 2500fps in a Savage.
Hornady has "mag" bullets in .452 diameter. The 240 grain and 300 grain XTP Mag (.452) are excellent at smokeless speeds. Avoid the sizes smaller than .452 for the mag bullets in smokeless guns. The 300 XTP .452 (not mag) is also excellent at smokeless speeds and in my experience, retains the vast majority of weight regardless of impact speed.
Agree that the Hornady 325 grain, .458 bullets mentioned in other posts are excellent and were my choice this past season.
Agree that the Hornady 325 grain, .458 bullets mentioned in other posts are excellent and were my choice this past season.
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