For years i never looked at this bullet. Always used the Deep Curl for hunting, and practicing. These days now, the Deep Curl is unavailable for purchase; i looked at other bullets. Prior to this past hunting season, i sighted in my rifles with two bullets. The plan was to use a well thought of tipped bullet, because it was accurate. However, as season neared, i began leaning toward using the XTP, because it seemed more consistent/ accurate. Because our son was to join me for the hunt, i readied two rifles. The two rifles shot the 300 XTP, 75 (weighed) grain Blackhorn, black crush rib, W209 primer. The two rifles were equipped with 1X glass, as per regulation. The same load was accurate in each rifle.
The boy killed a deer first at 157 yard, using the X7 with 1X glass. Strangely the 300 XTP didn't hit much of anything. The bullet hit behind the diaphragm, kinda hit stomach, and went through the diaphragm, hit no lung, and exited. The deer went up some, and fell over. When we reached the deer it was dead. When he gutted it, there was no blood in the chest. It sure puzzled me what killed the deer. It seemed the deer had no vital injury. We decided the deer couldn't breath, because of the hole in the diaphragm........
About three weeks later, using the same rifle, i gut hit a deer with the 300 XTP, at about 100 yard. It ran off a short distance, and fell down; i thought it was dead. When i was ten feet away, it got up, and ran off; wow was i surprised. It ran a short ways down to the bottom, and up the other side a short distance, where it quit. Another hit by the XTP; the deer expired. Thinking about it, i was impressed the bullet hurt the deer so badly with such a poor hit. Two deer, two poor hits, two deer in the freezer, 300 XTP.........
This morning i had an opportunity to shoot the bullet out 200 yard with negligible breeze. The rifle was the
rust pitted Omega with a 2.5-8 scope mounted. The load was 300 XTP, 60 (weighed) grain Blackhorn, black crush rib sabot, W209 primer. Elevation is about 4600 feet. Temperature was about 60 degree. First shot of three was from a clean cold barrel. Range was about exactly 200 yard.
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