FTX Bullets
 

Has anyone used these on deer & have good results?
Fragmenting/blood trails/pass thru's.
I've read that they are the same as SST's other than tip?
I'm more interested in the 250 gr & 200 gr bullets.

Thanks,
Mark

The worst bullets i ever used. I shot 4 Deer and only found two. Both Deer found was strictly luck. No blood, no hair, no nothing. Great shots all right behind the shoulder. At least the two found verified that. I used the 250grn FTX with 110grns of Bh209 out of a T/C Triumph with Winchester primers.

BTW- In Kentucky i had delays with those primers and the Triumph with BH209.

The 200gr holds up ok but if you really want a tough FTX, choose the 325gr FTX made for 45/70 and 450 Marlin. I used 130gr BH209 load today and a torture test media including a 2 inch thick board in front of my usual media.

The bullet is still deep in a tunnel it made in the berm. After 16"+ of digging i gave up and the wet phone books had a whole the size of your fist. They have a good record on another board using smokeless and several BH209 kills too. Its beginning to be called the poor mans Barnes Original but it expands nicely at speeds the Barnes O wont expand reliably.

BTW i would advise you to verify this load is safe in your gun. It exceeds Westerns load data in charge and bullet weight. That much BH209 probably isnt needed but it shot extremely well in my NULA and better than my Extreme did with 120grs.

I have used the 250FTX and the 325 both on hogs they worked fine for me at 2200 FPS. They are designed for higher speed than the Shock Wave as they are designed for cartridge guns.

Mark you can read Grouse's comments, but he was so frustrated with them he sent me a box of them for shooting.

Gotta tell ya, accuracy wow! they certainly are accurate and the cut really nice little hole through plywood and after they pass thru the paper and the ply wood and hit wet soil - I was less impressed...

Good info. guys, Thanks!
Seems like the 325's are decent, but the 250 & 200 gr are questionable.
Was lookin for another bullet option for 45 ml instead of Barnes 195's--due to cost per shot,but I guess its worth it to get the performance.
Theres also the 200 gr XTP's that I could practice with I suppose.

Mark

Mark take a look at the Speer 40-180 grain Deep Curls. They really shoot great.

Thanks Sabot, will do!

You sure you are not talking about the Hornady FPB muzzleloading bullets??? The FTX bullets are the ones that are used in lever guns to give the hunter a chance at higher velocity and ranges in these lever guns. I didn't know anyone that is using them in muzzle guns. I may be wrong though. Enlighten me please.

If you are looking for meat, then load those XTP bullets and go hunting. I have been using them for close to 10 yrs and have taken deer every ML season in my .50 cal. Sidekick NEF ML. Not sure what they have in a .45, but maybe you need to put that .45 down and get you a .50 or .54 cal. real gun! :wave:

Here, here!!! :hail:

Take them SST & FTX bullets and use them for practice, then go buy yourself some Barnes TEZ or expander MZ bullets to hunt with.guys over at monster muley site are taking elk regularly out to 150 yds with Barnes .250 gr bullets, although i personally think the .295 &.300 gr are better elk medicine. these are big bulls taken with these bullets not spikes and cows.if you want to shoot on the cheap, the .250 gr or .300 gr deep curls are great also..

The Barnes 195 gr expander MZ's are highly praised for being a tough & devastating bullet. I plan on using these, but I got some FTX's at Midwayusa-blems for practice and couldn't beat the price. Wanted to know about their performance on deer.
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tNumber=980283

Mark

zakjak711

Ive got a few of those 200gr FTXs i will try out at SML speeds. They are on the list for my next session. I never got the accuracy from them i wanted in my sub guns but they are made for 460S&W at 2300fps and i can easily shoot them that fast in the NULA. It loves the 225gr version which is too weakly built for deer at that speed so i might get lucky.

BTW im a bit confused. Are you shooting a 45cal or a 50cal. Those blems will only shoot sabotless in a 45cal ML and ONLY if you can size them correctly. In a 50cal, try tighter sabots and/or maybe a little knurling with a pair of files. It helps them grab the sabot better. The Harvester smooth short 50x45 and the 200gr FTX knurled up to fit snug might work really well if you want to try and shoot them fast.

GM,

I have been shootin a Savage ML 50 cal for the last 8 yrs. With good results,BUT...
The 45's get a lot of praise on the green board,SO--
My new gun is a 45 cal Rem action/Mcgowen barrel.
I will shoot the 40 cal bullets-saboted with Smooth Lt blue Harv. sabots.
My deal with hunting bullets is-I like to research them with other hunters and check performance. I don't want to experiment on a deer & risk losing it.
We hunt in strip mine hills that are thick as snot with brush,honeysuckle,deep draws etc.
If an animal is hit with a bullet that doesn't exit (leave blood) or perform properly--Your SOL!! You can't blood trail in this brush for 70-100yds waitin for the deer to expire.

Mark

BTW, I copy/pasted the wrong bullet, the one I have are 40 cal--DOOOH!

lol, it happens

Ok, that's different

Barnes 195 MZ all the way in the 45cal SML!!!!!

325gr FTX and whichever sabot yours likes with either Re7, 4198 or N120 at around 2200-2300fps. I use Re7 and N120 for the 325gr FTX in the Savage. Neither is as temp sensitive as 4198. You can get a few more fps but the recoil gets a bit stout. :D

Start with the low side for 300gr bullets and work up slowly.

Either will slam them and probability of a pass through with good expansion is VERY high even past 200 yards.

Has anyone used the 275gr./.430 FTX on any game yet. I would think this bullet would hold tegether better than the 250gr. More like the 325. I'm shooting them out of my Endeavor in front of 110gr. of BH209. They shoot great on paper but I haven't had the chance to try them out on game.

Shulion,

For shots under 200 yds, the Hornady 250 gr XTP is lights out!
My older son shoots these out of his Pro-Hunter with 110 Gr's 777 (trying BH209 this year) and 5 deer were DRT's the other 3 went NO farther than 30 yds.

Mark

zakjak711

In .40 cal the 200 XTP has always shot really good for me and has performed well at moderate velocities (1,800 - 1,900 fps) but after a couple bad experiences will not use it anymore at higher (2,000 fps +) velocities. The 200 SST/Shockwave has been the most accurate bullet for me and has performed will at a variety of velocities up to about 2,100 fps. It's obviously more pricey than the XTP, but is cheaper than the 195 Barnes, and for target practice would likely shoot to a similar point of aim.

The 185 Lehigh has been #2 in the accuracy department for me, and even though I've only taken 1 deer with it, was very impressed with its terminal performance. But it is also pricey like the Barnes.

Not a whole lot more options out there in .40 cal, unfortunately...