xtp bullets
 

I was just wondering if anyone had used the Hornady xtp bullet saboted in their ML and what results they got with deer sized game or larger. Also were you using 44 or 45 caliber bullets. Are they accurate at longer ranges at 200-300 yards.

RE: xtp bullets
 

Thats what I use to shoot was the Hornady 240 grain XTP with the break-a-way sabots. I think they were the .45 bullet. I shot them out to 150 yards. They shot good at that distance, but I've never taken a deer further than 100 yards with them. They do a good bit of damage. They seem to expand really well.

RE: xtp bullets
 

I have used the Hornady 240 grain .430 bullet on deer and hogs since 2000. Have killed about 20 deer and dozens of hogs with that bullet in the short black sabot. Have recently started using theKnight sabot. Most shots were bang flops and not one animalwas lost. Sometimes the 240 grain .430 bulletexits a100-110pound deer hit behind the shoulders and some times it does not.That may depend on whether or not the bullet hit a rib going in.The bullet very seldomexits the body of a 150-200 pound hog hit low behind the shoulder.

The Hornady XTP bullets are just as accurate as any out there. As a general rule i do not shoot a muzzleloader
at deer or hogs at ranges exceeding 150 yards. Most of my shots have been at ranges of much less that 100 yards.

RE: xtp bullets
 

I use the .430 240gr xtp in a green crush rib sabot. I have taken 5 deer ranging from 30-70 yds. I shots were boiler room shots. All shots were pass throughs. Blood trails were awesome. Deer never went far. Usually watch them wobble down.

RE: xtp bullets
 

I use a 200 gr .40 cal xtp in my 45 ML and a 300 gr .44 cal in my 50. They are plenty accurate. My 40/45 combo is capable of 1" to 1 1/2" groups at 100 yds. And that is with open sights out of a T/CRenegade with a GM barrel.
As for shooting 200 or 300 yds. It is probably accurate enough but you are really asking a ML to do a lot after 150 - 200 yds. At 200 and especially 300 yds and anywhere in between the holdover would be critical. And I am not sure how much energy the bullet would have when it got there.

RE: xtp bullets
 

The XTP is primarlily as pistol bullet. Please see the chart below for expansion velocity of the various XTPs. The 300g retains more energy and shoots thru better than the light one, therefore better blood trails.Sometimes they loose their jacket causing weight loss and lack of penetration, they are unbonded. I am not saying they don't kill, I am just giving you the facts so you can make an informed choice. They are like $25 for 100 so they are one of the least expensive bullets out there. The 300g Gold Dot, is bonded, cost is $17 for 50, so a bit more expsensive, but the don't fragment nearly as bad as the XTP.There are some that believe that "a little bit of fragmentaion" is a good thing, like 75% weight retention. I am not one of those believers. They do kill deer, they are a good bullet, if they are accurate in your guy, by all means use them.There some that shoot the XTP/Mag, which is designed for higher velocity, like 3 pellets, however they are known to not expand on close shots.

If you want to shoot 200 to 300 yards you need to go to an ShockWave or an SST (Super Shock Tipped), to get a higher ballistic Coefficient and shoot a LOT at those distances so you know bullet drop. MLer "fall off the shelf" at really 175 yards and beyond. Your basically shooting a 45/70 rifle bullet, look up ballistics in any handloading manual and see the design performance of the 45/70, which is about 2000 fps an 200 yards max. Of course with tang sights the old 45/70 in a Sharps did some amazing things for folks that knew their bullet drop (Quiggly Down Under). Big bullets going slow kill very effectively. It sounds like you wanna shoot long distances (Open fields in the mid west), buy a Savage and shoot smokeless, then you can get there no problem. 200 is easy, 250 is possible, some guys shoot 300 with solid rests, very accurate guns (3" at 200 yards, 4" at 300) and knowing their bullet drop.
Chap




This may also help to point out the differences in XTPs:




Starting on the left is a regular 300gr XTP, then a 300gr XTP Mag, then (a bullet some of you have never seen) a 240gr TC PTX (this bullet was made for TC by Hornady and is the daddy of the SST ML, production was ended after the SST/Shockwave came out) and then the Hornady .458 300gr HP. The above was taken from here:
http://dougva.proboards34.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=Savage&thre ad=9748&page=1#92603

Notice jacket thickness, base thickness and expansion cavity.

RE: xtp bullets
 

First off if I were a betting manI would bet that XTP's have killed more muzzle loader shot deer than any other bullet on the market requireing a sabot.
I used Xtp's in the 44cal. and the 45cal. size for years and never experinced a problem with them.
I have recovered hundreds of them from my sand filled bullet stop and found every one to have expanded despite sheding the jacket. A hunk of lead still kills with out a jacket, many are called round balls some conicals.

As far as the long distance shooting they would work as well as any thing on the market today for that. Biggest limiting factor is the shooter. I was talkiing to my BIL just yesterday about that long distance shooting. He has to either come to my home range or drive to onlytwo sactioned ranges we know of in Michigan over 100 yards.
Sort of hard to figure rise and fall of your load over that distance unless you have a corny to figure out your loads billistices.

If you want a bonded bullet the Speer Gold Dots are still resonably priced bought in bulk.

:) Al

RE: xtp bullets
 

Thanks Chap for showing those cut outs of the bullets.I said I was going to go back to the Barnes Expanders butafter viewing the cut away of those bullets the Hornady XTP/Mag look very impressive to me.The Hornadys shoot so good in my gun I hate to change but I am going to the 300 grainers next year.I will forever only shoot shoulder shots on deer and the 300 grain XTP/Mag may be my ticket!Anyone who shoots shoulder shots with these bullets any feedback would be great and also do you use 44 or 45 caliber! Mike

RE: xtp bullets
 

Chap- I sent an E-mail to Hornady a year or 2 ago and asked about the Max FPS a .400/200 XTP could handle in a MZ. I was told to push them as hard as I wished. This does not match up with their charts,but was what I was told. I guess you just find out what the best group is for your rifle. I killed a pile of deer with the .44/240 XTP 90 gr PyroRS in my Rem 700ML never had a problem. Lost one hit with a .45/300 XTP Mag,might have been my fault though.

Charlie

RE: xtp bullets
 

That doesn't surprise me, I think they are a very good bullet, and I don't think you can beat the price of them. I am not trying to denegrate them, I am just giving all the facts that I know. Somebody who has shot them a lot and has kept wiht them, can answer authoratively. I now about PBs,Nosler Partitions, Gold Dots, Barnes Origonals, Barnes MZ and Parker Ballistic Extreme, I have taken game with each of these bullets and they are all good or excellent bullets.
Chap