XTP USERS!! HELP PLEASE!!

[mroszkowski]

Hello everyone. i don't know if you have read in my previous thread, but i have decided to go with the XTP MAG for deer hunting, because my gun really loves them. But, i am now doubting my decision because i hear people talking about these bullets not opening at low velocities?!?! Please, anyone have pictures ETC. that will reassure me that this bullet will work well for me and cause a lot of damage so as to put a deer down quickly.

Thanks-
Max

 

[coh-1]

I think you are really over thinking your choice. If it is accurate in your rifle and you make a nice shot you will have a dead dear. They aren?t really that hard to kill and plenty have been killed but just an old lead round ball. (I have killed 5 or 6 with just a 144 grain .45 caliber during primitive hunts.) To ease your mind, go to www.cabelas.com, do a search and read the 25 reviews on the XTP Mag bullet you keep mentioning!!!!

Curtis

 

[sabotloader]

mroszkowski

The XTP mag should work just fine is you are not shooting it to fast at short ranges. Really more importtant is shot placement.

A lot of deer have been harvested with XTP's - the only complaint I have on the Mag is when shooting thin skinned animals like deer at close ranges it tends to pencil through if it does not contact a major bone.

I can not remember what you indicated your powder charge was going to be but keep it below 90 and you can shoot to 100 with a lot of confidence.

Next time you get an opportunity to purchase - look in the the Speer Gold Dot series - they are bonded and will not come apart plus expansion is great - either the 250 or the 300... - just a thought....

 

[UtahRob]

????

Will the XTP Mag expand enough for elk from 100 -140 yards ?

I am using a 90 grains of BH 209 in a Encore with 26'' barrel

Where i am hunting , i don't think a shot under 100 will ever happen . Should i use the XTP non mag ??


Thanks -RobK .

 

[wildhobbybobby]

I know this is not a direct answer to your question, but have you considered the .44 caliber .430 diameter 300 gr. XTP? It only comes in a magnum version. It has better sectional density and a better ballistic shape than the .452 version. It will shoot a bit flatter than the .45 if launched at the same velocity and should penetrate a bit more also. It works great in my experience. I prefer the green Crush Rib sabot with this bullet and get great accuracy.

If you stick with the .452 XTP, I would recommend the Mag version because you will be working with Mag velocities.

 

[mroszkowski]

okay so the package says 45-300 XTP MAG HIGH VELOCITY.

Is the MAG only reffering to the sabots?

 

[wildhobbybobby]

"Mag" means the bullet has a thicker jacket and is more stoutly constructed to hold together when striking game at higher velocities (over about 1100 fps).

The regular bullet is intended for the .45 Colt handgun cartridge. The MAG version is intended for the .454 Casull and .460 S&W Magnum handgun cartridges. Using the regular bullet in a high velocity load would possibly result in a fragmented bullet or insufficient penetration.

A muzzle loading rifle with a 100 grain volumetric charge of 777 or BH209 would produce about 1900 fps or so muzzle velocity and would be in the "Magnum" velocity range.

Bullet expansion on elk is nice, but penetration is absolutely essential. The MAG version of the 300 gr. .452 XTP (or the .430 XTP, for that matter) should give you the right amount of both.

 

[sabotloader]

UtahRob

Will the XTP Mag expand enough for elk from 100 -140 yards ?

For elk the Mag should work very well - their thick skin is exactly what the mag needs.... I would push the load up to 100 grains T7-2f - that is what i was shooting for elk when I was using the XTP's and there is not that much difference in velocity of BH and T7 - BH will be a little hotter. This load would probably not be that good for deer at close ranges.

 

[Busta]

okay so the package says 45-300 XTP MAG HIGH VELOCITY.

Is the MAG only reffering to the sabots?

Does it say "MAG EXPRESS SABOTS" XTP BULLET?

If it does that is the standad bullet with six preformed petals at the hollow point.

If the bullet only has four preformed petals at the hollow point, then they are the XTP/MAG like in the following picture. These are bulk bullets. Oh, by the way those MAGNUM bullets that don't open up and look like mushrooms were shot with a measily 80 grains BH209 into my bullet trap at 50 yards. I don't think I have seen prettier bullets in all my life. :wink:

 

[mroszkowski]

wow. those are impressive. well, needless to say, with me shooting 2 777 50gr. pellets, i am not the least bit worried about expansion problems on deer! I have tried catching the bullets with water jugs lined up but the darned things penetrate too much! :lol: What IS clear, however, is that within the first 12-16 inches, these bullets expell most of the energy, but the slug just kept going!!

 

[choc-dog]

mroszkowski,

A hornady bullet failure is a rare occurrance...just load and shoot. You have done well so far this year with lesser made bullets.

Chocdog

 

[scratcherky]

IMHO the T/C Cheap Shots are one of the best bullets available for deer.
I have had the standard XTP bullets fragment with very little penetration at close ranges and quit using them.

 

[sabotloader]

scratcherky

I have never had one really fragment - but I have a had a few separate - especially at close range, and only on elk. The lead is stripped from the copper, you will find copper just inside the hide and the lead across the body on the other side... The animal is dead but he does not always know it right away.

It does not happen every time but it can happen - that is one of the reasons that have sorta set the Hornady's aside and moved on the the Speer Gold Dots...

Here is a picture of a torture test for bullets - when i was doing the iniatal testing...

 

[mroszkowski]

well hopefully i will have better luck with the XTP MAG. I will definitely give reports in the next two weeks, and i am looking to drop a doe. Opening morning here in Minnesota is Sat. :twisted:

 

[mroszkowski]

The only reason i am worried about these bullets is becuase i fear i might not have enough velocity for them to expand properly.

 

[sabotloader]

mroszkowski

Do not think you need to worry at all - they will work... just go out and get the job done - have fun..

https://www.hornady.com/shop/Bullet_XTP_popup.htm

The XTP Mag was designed to be shot & expand properly with a muzzle velocity in the neighborhood of 1650 fps. You will be shoting it faster than that probably so you can expect expansion.

 

[johnpb]

I only have made 1 kill with my .50 Kodiac and it was with the .300 XTP. It dropped the deer in its tracks, I was useing 90 grains of Triple 7 ffg. Even though the bullet did not pass thru, the bullet was not recovered because I took the deer to a processer and they lost it.

 

[Hulions]

How hard can you push the .430 300 gr. XTP? I am going to try some in my endeavor. I was thinking about trying 110gr. of BH209. What do you guys think? Does accuracy suffer when you push these bullets to hard?

 

[wildhobbybobby]

Push it as hard as you want. It will work fine. Accuracy depends on the individual rifle and sabot used. I use 100 gr. by volume BH209 with the .430 XTP, but only because it is slightly more pleasant to shoot than 110 grs. I wouldn't hesitate to use the 110 gr. charge if I felt the need to wring every bit of performance out of the bullet, but where I hunt, 150 yards is a long shot.

 

[Hulions]

Wildhobbybobby,

What gun are you shooting them in and what sabot are you using?