reading all the test post one night, when I was up and could not sleep. started to notice something about the hornidy xtp and the powerbelts.

you over charge them they want to blow up.

both like low charges (but the 200 xtp)

both have a lovers and haters in about every forum I been too.

talking to people in my area and online, in gunshops, lot of people have taken a lot of deer with both bullets.

only that deffer, one cost a whole lot more then the other. edit: one is saboted, the other is an conical

From what I have read on the muzzleloader forums the PB needs a lesser charge than the XTP to perform well. I may be mistaken but the XTP seems like a good bullet for 100 grain charges at most ranges

I am switching this year from 295 grain hollow point PBs to the XTPs (.452 300 grain) and crushed rib sabots out of my Omega.

So far a 100 grain load of Pinnacle is giving me good groups with the XTPs. I couldn't get good groups or get the bullet down the barrel with a fiberglass range rod usingthe XTPs and the thicker sabots Itried before. I used the PBs for the ease of loading factor for a couple years but never had much confidence due to the marginal groups I got.

Now that I found a load thatgroups well I can't see a reason to keep shooting PBs. I can shoot sabots where I live.

There are XTPs and XTP/Mags. My various forum readings anda few e-mails I hadback and forth with Hornady indicates that the standard XTP should be held to lighter loads like PowerBelts, but the Mag bullets could be pushed harder. I have no actual experience shooting game with either.

I knew I massed up some facts some where but it would not be one of my post with out few mistakes.

regular xtp and powerbelts is what I'm talking about

I shot .430 240gr xtp with 85grs of pyro p. did the job. but I am going to use some freebie cheap shots out of my knight I got off an forum member this year. and powerbelts out of the apex that I got of FG.

I've killed a lot of deer and dozens of hogs with the 240 grain Hornady XTP. Never had adeer get away;most were bang flops.Woundeda fewhogs and had to goafter them but they all became pork. One hog was probably shot with an XTP Mag: Remember a friend giving me five of them. That bullet went through both shoulders of a very big boar.

Used to usethe 240 grain XTP along with 130-150grains of Pyrodex in my .50 muzzleloaders. Never had a bullet performance problem. One bullet killed two deer.

Those xtp 240's are bad news for deer.

There velocity range of the XTP's and XTP mags. Chap

The twodifferences I can think of off the top of my head are that the XTPs can be used with a wider range of charges thanthe powerbelt and that despite reports of XTPs sometimes shedding their jacketthe frequency of that is far less than powerbelts fragmenting. Cost and lack of confidence are also factors.

</facts>
Please see my velocity post above in reponse to Semi. Also please view this penetration test:

http://tinyurl.com/6e9gpm

although shot by a Savage, it will give you some clue on how well the bullet performs at high speed. To see other testing of other bullets in the same medium, please see this:

http://tinyurl.com/6nz6yu
</end facts>

</opinion>
I have hunted with this bullet (XTP Mag), I like the Mag over the regular XTP, since the velocity range is better with the Mag when shooting 300g. Sabotloader has shown in his penetration tests into "the rock pile" that the bullet sheds it's jacket, however that is only about 50g. For an inexpensive bullet I believe it is good, for a bullet that is better, the Speer Gold Dot 300g has about the same frontalshape and does not loose it's jacket, therefore I think it is better. If your trying to lower your hunting costs I beleive that is not a good idea to scrimp on a bullet, cause it is doing the work for you (scope and bullet should be best you can buy). If your shooting hundreds of bullets a year, go with the XTP or a speer gold dot. If you only shooting a box a year, spendabout doubleand get eitherNosler Partitions or Barnes MZ, TMZ.
</end opinion>
Best wishes on this important hunting decision (choosing the right bullet for the job),
Chap

Chap
I'd shed my jacket too if somebody shot me into a rock pile.joking aside I get good results out of
.451 200 grain XTP,s with 80 or 90 grains of goex.