Calling All XTP Users

[Indiana SmokePole]

You guys that shoot the hornady XTP what do you prefer 44cal .430 or 45cal .452 WHY ?

Do you prefer 240gr or 300gr Why ?

Do you prefer the Reg XTP or the XTP MAG Why ?

What powder charge do you shoot with them Why ?

What kind of shot groups are you getting at 100yds with them ?

[TNHagies]

You guys that shoot the hornady XTP what do you prefer 44cal .430 or 45cal .452 WHY ?

I use both the.452s and the 10mm.


Do you prefer 240gr or 300gr Why ?

Of the two you're asking about, I use the 300gr in the .452 because I just prefer to shoot a heavy bullet... I'd shoot bowling balls out of mine if I could.


Do you prefer the Reg XTP or the XTP MAG Why ?

I prefer the MAG in the .452 as they hold up a little better and you can use them at a greater variety of velocity. I like being about to shoot through brush if need be and I like to be able to break both shoulders if need be.


What powder charge do you shoot with them Why ?

I shoot 100g In my Genesis because it's a powder hog. In my Hawkins I shoot 80g.


What kind of shot groups are you getting at 100yds with them?

I don't shoot a lot at 100yrds because where I hunt you can't really shoot that far. However, the times that I have I'm around 1 1/2in give or take depending on the day.

[oldrookie]

My Optima likes 300g regular xtp hpwith black mmp sabot. It likes to be pushed with 90g of 777 FFg along with winchester 777 primer. Here in Indiana, most of my shots are in cover and inside 60-70 yards and the heavier bullet serves me better. For some reason, my Optima groups the 300g better than the 250g as well.

[sabotloader]

Indiana SmokePole

Again remember this is only my preference...

XTP's have probably harvested more deer tha any other single bullet bullet out there - but if you are shooting regular XTP's make sure you do not over drive them, sort like Power Belts, they work great in the velocities they were designed for. The exception to that in my shooting has been the 10mm 200grain XTP. I have been shooting that at 2200fpsand the recovered bullets from saturatedclay bank have stayed together very well.

I orginally tried to shoot 44 cal bullets when I first started a decade ago but could never get real consistent targets from them. They normal have the better BC so I really wanted them to work. Probably the biggest problem that was causing the inconsistent targets was the old green MMP sabots... they were not as tough as todays polymere sabots. So I ended up shooting .452's and .458's... They were consistent.

I am shooting T7-2f, 100 grains in the 24" Remington, 110 grains in the 26" Remington, the Omegas, the A&H, and the White U-Mag.

90 grains T7-3f in the GM-LRH sidehammer and 80 grains in the Renegades.

When I was useing XTP's I did prefer the regular XTP's vs the Mag's - the 300 grain mags would go right through a whitetail at close range and really not do to much other than putting a nice neat hole all the way through. The deer was dead but it took it awhile to figure that out.... At longer ranges when the mag has slowed down a bit it worked great.

1 1/2" groups are the norm from the scoped inlines... I can shoot tighter ones when everthing is right - including myself, but on average 1.5 with an 1" occuring quite often.

I should also say that I do not shoot the XTP's any longer for anything other than paper. My normal hunting bullet for deer is a .451/260 grain Nosler Partition HP and a .458/300 grain Nosler Partition PP for elk, but these are expensive bullets and when I run out I will be shooting Speer Gold Dots.

I have two pics to show you so I will use a second post to show a XTP/Gold Dot comparison...

Here is a collection ofrecovered Gold Dots from my tortue pit. These bullets were shot into a saturated clay bank and them dug out...

[alleyyooper]

50 Cals
I shoot the 240gr. 430's in my Hawkins with 80gr. T7. Never at 100 yards mostly 50 or less. I get clover leaf groups at that range. I shoot the same XTP in my Plains rifle with 85gr. T7and since it is scoped do shoot it on occation at 100 yards and get 2 inch groups and some times better.
the Remington shoots the same XTP with 80gr. of T7 and at 100 yard I get clover leaf groups. Of course this rifle likes about any thing you stuff it with as long as the charge is less than 90 grains.

I shot the XPT HP 230gr. 452 in my Remington 700 54 cal. It likes 100gr. of T7 and I get 1 1/2 groups with it.

I don't do a lot of XTP'S any longer as I find I like the speer Gold Dots very well.

Al

[sabotloader]

This picture shows Hornady XTP's shot into the same clay water bar and again the Gold Dots...

Again I should say not ALL XTP's shed their copper but enough of them that I really do not trust them going through a solid bone in an animal...

This is for reference only...

[sabotloader]

One more thing and it is off subject but since I mentioned it I would like to show it.

This is a pic of a recovered .458 (45/70) Nosler from the elk I havested this year. It was a 176 yard shot. The bullet passed all the way through the body and lodged itself in the upper leg bone... Both lungs were jello and the lower half of the heart was gone...

[wabi]

I've had the best accuracy with bullets closer to actual bore size. In a .50 I find the .452 is usually best, and a .458 sometimes even better.
For XTPs I like the 300gr .452 in most of the rifles I've owned. A lot of those rifles wouldn't shoot .429s worth a hoot, but the .452s did good????? It could have been sabots, but if you find a consistantly good bullet/sabot you tend to stick with it, and I vote for a 300gr .452 XTP in Hornady's sabot.

[lemoyne]

I think Sabotloader has covered it well, I have used XTP for many years and they are better than most give them credit for. The XTP in 200gr 40cal [10mm] is unmatchable it shoots the best group in all my inlines often under an inch it will shoot with thewidest range of loads for me in my guns and I have taken a number of boar and deer with it and it has always done well.
Omega 50/40 200gr XTP -100gr RS and 150 gr RS average group 1.2 inch
Triumph 50/40 200gr XTP - 90 gr 777 average group .8 inch
I also use the .451 250gr in the Omega and the Gold Dot 250 & 300gr in the Triump and the 230 XTP in the System One [1-38 twist] 130gr RS
Why? The same reason for all if thats what shoots best in that gun I use it.
As a point of interest most of the Knights I have set up showed a marked preferance for the 240 XTP.
Take care Lee

[Skopia]

I shoot both.
T/C Omega
The .430 240gr in a green crush rib sabot over 90 gr t7 ffg.
The .452 300gr in a MMP 3 petal ezsabot over 90 gr t7 ffg.
Acurracy with both loads is amazing.Rifle like.
Harvested 2 does this year with the 240gr xtp,(first muzzleloader deer), both broadside, one 30 yds the other 40 yds. The only reason I chose to use the .430 240gr this year was because I was hunting deer only and I read in one of the threads on this sight that 300gr would be overkill. So Isighted in with the 240 gr and I could not be more satisfied.Both shots were pass throughs, both deerran a few yards andexpired. I will admitt that neither shots were shoulder hits. I am looking forward to using the 300gr also.