Deep Curl vs XTP MAG
 

Went to the range this morning and shot my inline. Wanted to see the difference in the two bullets. Well needless to say I cant really find a difference besides the expansion. The Deep Curl seems to "Curl" and expand bigger. Which is good and bad. I like the bigger expansion yet I wonder how much more damage it will do to the meat. (I just hate throwing meat away). So at 50 and 100 yards there is no real difference to point of impact of the two 300 grain bullets. Wasn't my best day of shooting I know I can do better. But its been a couple of months since I've shot my inline. So again 90 grains of BH209, W209 primers, Crushed Rib Sabots, and a mixture of 300 grain XTP MAG and Speer Deep Curl bullets. It is nice to know that I can pick up either bullet and know it will hit the same. I think though I will try this hunting season with the Deep Curl or atleast one deer with them. See how far they go and how much damage they do. The two bullets really don't have a price difference. Had one flyer at 50 and 100. They were my first shots at each range. I don't know why I do that.

You can't go wrong with either one 50cal. I doubt you'll see much difference in meat damage. Possibly less with the DC because you won't have secondary wounds away from the bullet path from fragments, which are more likely with the non-bonded XTP. If you're like me and almost always shoot high mid-chest broadside, there will be little damage to usable meat in either case. That said, I favor the DC myself.

I like the 250 gr bullets for deer I used the250 and 240 gr XTP for many year; Sabot Loader put me on to trying the Gold Dot or Deep Curl as it is called now.
I have used the Deep Curl for 4 or 5 years I use the same 110 gr load with both bullets but since Blackhorn came out I have used only that in my inlines.
The main difference that I see is a properly placed bullet [to me that's on the edge of the shoulder half way up the body] usually drops them on the spot with the 250 gr Deep Curl and most of the time they ran a ways with the XTP.

I believe they are so similar that it is a moot point. I have easy access to the XTPs so that is what I use. And nothing I shot so far with the 300 gr .429 or the 200 gr .400" complained.

I have access to both pretty well. Locally the XTP Mags are cheaper. But I'm finding that online I can find everything cheaper yet and online the Deep Curl is cheaper. So i'm just going to start buying bullets/sabots online. I have a equal amount of XTP Mags and Deep Curl now. So the big factor is what will happen out in the field with Deep Curl. If they drop the deer quicker then the XTPS thats my bullet then.

bronko hit the nail on the head in my opinion. I've killed deer with both and would have no reservations about hunting with either one of them.

I will say, I've always had better accuracy out of the XTPs-especially the .430 300g version.

50calty

While I know that XTP's work and have been used very successfully by many many hunters... but I will not hunt with them at all. I question their reliability here and there, not always but - it a bullet comes apart - I have a worry. Yet i know that a lot of people will continue to use and that certainly is your choice.

The Speer is a bonded bullet with a certain amount of controlled expansion, so it can not come apart or pan cake as a Hornady can. I have often called the Speer a 'poor man's Nosler Partition'

I believe the Hydrostatic shock that a Gold Dot/Deep Curl will cause will have a very damping effect on any thing that it hits. Also I believe the Gold Dot/Deep Curl will also allow you a greater margin of error and still provide a quick humane harvest.

Examples...

Looking at both bullets ballistically the Deep Curl has the edge over the XTP at 200 yards. The Deep Curl has a greater Ballistic Coefficient thus more energy and velocity. So with that being said I can see why people are having the deer drop in there tracks with the DC and not with XTP. I still have about 200 rounds of XTPs to shoot up. But this hunting season I will try the Deep Curl and compare it to last season. That will be the ultimate judge.

both will harvest deer effectively.