I have shot Hogs, Whitetails, Coyotes, and fox with XTP'S. They are an excellant bullet at moderate velocities. They are a pistol bullet and weren't designed to shoot at high speeds.
I used them ranging from two 777 pellets to 110grns of 777 by volume. I mostly used a short black MMP sabot as well. That combination hooks up very well. The results have been excellent.
Alot of people like to say it's a cheap bullet. Well i can tell you it works like an expensive bullet on game. You cant go wrong for Whitetails with an XTP.
BTW- I have read were the mag XTP"S did not work well on Deer size game. I can't confirm that. I alway's used the standard XTP.
I have shot Hogs, Whitetails, Coyotes, and fox with XTP'S. They are an excellant bullet at moderate velocities. They are a pistol bullet and weren't designed to shoot at high speeds.
I used them ranging from two 777 pellets to 110grns of 777 by volume. I mostly used a short black MMP sabot as well. That combination hooks up very well. The results have been excellent.
Alot of people like to say it's a cheap bullet. Well i can tell you it works like an expensive bullet on game. You cant go wrong for Whitetails with an XTP.
BTW- I have read were the mag XTP"S did not work well on Deer size game. I can't confirm that. I alway's used the standard XTP.
I used the 250 gr XTP on about 17 deer and hogs, they worked quite well with 110 gr RS. I tried some heavier loads but they started coming apart to much to suit me so I tried the mag with 130 and 140 gr RS it work well on the deer but I could not get the accuracy I wanted.
I tried a number of different bullets and am going to try some new ones this year, but at the moment my stand by go to bullet is a 250 gr Gold Dot for deer, it is reasonable priced and shoots well for me but the real reason I like it so well is I get bang flops with it. There are a number of bullets that work quite well, I like the Nosler partition and the Lehigh [which I will be using this year. But the truth of the matter is I like to shoot a lot so for a lot of my shooting I need a combination of accuracy and capability with a good enough price that fits the shooting budget. Lee
i have used the 240 grain .430 XTP on deer and hogs since my return to muzzleloading in 2000. Have killed dozens of hogs and over 15 deer with that bullet: Most were bang flops or near bang flops. Never had a deer or hog escape after being shot with that bullet. Most of my shots with the 240 grain .430 XTP bullet used two Pyrodex pellets or 100 grains of loose Pyrodex RS.
Had a few long tracking escapades when i failed to put the bullet in the right place: That is my fault.
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BTW- I have read were the mag XTP"S did not work well on Deer size game.
A few months ago i dug five 300 grain XTP magnum bullets out of the red clay behind my 100 meter target. They all failed to expand. Those bullets were fired last fall from my CVA Mag Hunter using 140 grains of Goex Pinnacle. Picture coming up.
There are a lot of people who have had excellent results with them. IMO, I would use them to shoot paper with for practice being that they're cheap. But as far as harvesting game, I choose to trust a more expensive, high performance, bullet for that. Harvesting an animal is too important to let something as easily controlled as my bullet performance go to chance. XTP's have worked great for some and others have had issues with them. When I have an animal I want to harvest in my sights, I don't want to think about whether or not my bullet is going to perform correctly. There are certain instances when being cheap can be rewarding. IMO, bullets is not one of those instances.
__________________ Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my handgun...
This is one of the 300 grain XTP magnum bullets that failed to expand upon hitting dense moist red clay. Yep, this is not a good test of a bullet. However, all the other types of bullets that i dug out of that bank expanded nicely.
In the hands of a good hunter making a long range shot; a premium centerfire rifle bullet might make a difference. Many of my hunting friends in the 50s and 60s in WV harvested big buck deer with .25-20 and .32-20 rifles. They did it because they knew the limitations of their guns and they put the bullet in the right place.
Quite often the expensive bullets do not perform any better than the XTP and other cheaper bullets. Some hunters hunters think that their expensive well advertised bullet is a magic bullet that will turn a gut shot into a bang flop every time.
Every year i track a dozen or so wounded elk, deer and hogs for other hunters. Most of those animals are gut shot. Watched a guy shoot a big bull elk at a distance of about 100 yards. Saw dust fly off the animal when the gun cracked-too far back.
Had an argument with the guy when he said he didn't hit the animal. He claimed that his Nosler Partition bullet would have dropped the elk in its tracks had he hit it. Asked him if i could have the elk if i found it and he just drove off.
Tracked that big bull elk about one-quarter mile, found it, called the game warden who gave me permission to bring it in and keep it. Voila'-400 pounds of good elk meat free. Saw the elk "hunter" a few days later and told him about it. He had the guts to demand the antlers: i told him where to go.
I've taken 3 deer with the .40 cal 200 grain XTP.
Deer #1: 2 Triple Seven pellets, range 108 yards = DRT
Deer #2: 80 grains loose Triple Seven, range 102 yards = DRT
Deer #3: 95 grains loose Triple Seven, range 90 yards = 70 yard tracking job w/good blood trail (deer was hit in liver)
I've been very happy with them- no complaints with performance or accuracy. However, I am considering switching to a "pointy" bullet to get a flatter trajectory & long range performance since I hunt in a place where lots of long shots are possible.
__________________
"Speak softly and carry a big stick - you will go far."
-Theodore Roosevelt
In the hands of a good hunter making a long range shot; a premium centerfire rifle bullet might make a difference. Many of my hunting friends in the 50s and 60s in WV harvested big buck deer with .25-20 and .32-20 rifles. They did it because they knew the limitations of their guns and they put the bullet in the right place.
Quite often the expensive bullets do not perform any better than the XTP and other cheaper bullets. Some hunters hunters think that their expensive well advertised bullet is a magic bullet that will turn a gut shot into a bang flop every time.
Every year i track a dozen or so wounded elk, deer and hogs for other hunters. Most of those animals are gut shot. Watched a guy shoot a big bull elk at a distance of about 100 yards. Saw dust fly off the animal when the gun cracked-too far back.
Had an argument with the guy when he said he didn't hit the animal. He claimed that his Nosler Partition bullet would have dropped the elk in its tracks had he hit it. Asked him if i could have the elk if i found it and he just drove off.
Tracked that big bull elk about one-quarter mile, found it, called the game warden who gave me permission to bring it in and keep it. Voila'-400 pounds of good elk meat free. Saw the elk "hunter" a few days later and told him about it. He had the guts to demand the antlers: i told him where to go.
That's horrible! People like that shouldn't be allowed to purchase a hunting license. I am definitely not one of those people who believe in magic bullets. I just have a certain expectation of performance in mind and I select my bullet based on that. I fully realize the importance of a well placed shot and have had several occasions where I passed on a shot because it wasn't what I considered ideal. I have yet to gut-shoot an animal and hope I never do. But rest assured, if I do I will definitely take the time to track the animal and make a follow on shot if it's needed.
__________________ Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my handgun...
XTP Performance on Whitetails?
