falcon

What Breechplug said. i've used the 240 grain .430 XTP to take about 20 deer and dozens of hogs. Never lost one animal. Yep, i've hit some deer through the guts and had some long tracking and dragging jobs as a result. They sometimes run into swamps, thickets and wildlife refuges when they are not hit right.

So far this deer season i've tracked two "double lung shot" bucks for other hunters. One was hit straight through the paunch. The other was hit about four inches behind the diaphragm.

The search for the elusive bullet that will turn a gut shot into a bang flop every time continues.

Doug100g

I also love the XTP. For it's price it is a solid bullet. But I just had a deer run with a perfect double lung 90 yards with no blood trail.

The 240 xtp had a very small exit hole. When field dressed, both lungs were pierced dead in the hoop. Yet, they were not eviscerated from hydrostatic shock. I like to see the lungs look like wet gravy.

Maybe we should talk about powder and speeds?

D

falcon

Used to use 130-150 grains of granular Pyrodex with the 240 grain .430 bullet. Then i discovered that large charges of powder are not needed. The powder charge that i currently use with that bullet is 100 grains of 3F Pinnacle. The muzzle velocity is not world beating: It is somewhere around 1,720-1,750 fps.

There are two 240 grain XTP bullets. One is the excellent .430 bullet. The other is the .452 Magnum bullet. The jacket of that Magnum bullet is very thick. It may not expand at lower velocities.

The Hornady pictures do not show the difference in these two bullets.

http://www.hornady.com/store/44-Cal-.430-240-gr-HP-XTP/

http://www.hornady.com/store/45-Cal-...40-gr-XTP-Mag/

falcon

The nose and jacket of the 240 grain .452 XTP Magnum bullet are much thicker than those of the 240 grain .430 XTP bullet. i do not have a 240 grain Magnum bullet. However, the nose is exactly like that of the 300 grain XTP Magnum bullet pictured on the right.
Hornady used to have a chart that showed the velocities their XTP bullets were designed for. That chart is no longer on the Hornady website. Will try to get it into Photobucket and post it on the board.

Chasam60

The only problem I ever had with an XTP bullet was with a 300gr Mag.Massive blood for a ways,but I never recovered the deer so I could have made a bad shot?The XTP was designed at 9oofps and up,I do not know why they made the mag.Now I shoot Nosler partitions.most always bang flop.

Charlie

lemoyne

I used Xtp bullets for many years from about 1974 until 2002, I never lost a deer but some went far and I was lucky to find them when the bullet broke up and did not exit . It is my opinion that if you hunt from a tree stand you need that lower exit hole to have a blood trail. The one time you do not need a blood trail is when you drop them on the spot, that's why I use a 250 gr Deep Curl and carefully place the bullet 2 to 3 inches over the top of the heart. Taking out the nerve center the big arteries and both lungs with a bullet that opens explosively and stays intact because its bonded has reliable dropped them on the spot for me. The fact that it also exits is good insurance.

TNHagies

May not have been the bullet. Most people consider Gold Dots/Deep Curl's to be superior to the XTPs and I've shot deer with Gold Dots through the ribs and not had a blood trail either. Same thing with a Barnes.

Deer shot high through the lungs, center line or above take a while to bleed externally. If you hit the lower third, you'll get a blood trail quicker.

I hate for your misfortune, but sometimes the fact is that deer just don't bleed.

zZ50CalZz

Hey "D" is that you??

SmokeSeeker

zZ50CalZz do i know you?

zZ50CalZz

LoLz yea I noticed the pic you have up I'm Jay.Hey sorry to here about your experience with them XTP's they are what I am using also.I really cant say anything about them yet,the only thing I can say is they shoot ok..Although I took a shot at a nice one and was pretty sure of the shot but did'nt find nothing...So whats going on my dude?