Has anyone ever tried the .45 Hornady XTP (intended for handguns) in their muzzleloaders? I bought some 230 grainers to try out in my Ardesa Deerhunter .50cal with Harvester sabots. The 250gr SST's fly true to the bull from my rifle(1:48 twist) but they are double the price of the XTP's and sabots if you buy them seperately.

Yep, since the 80s when the sabots first came out...I use both the .429 240gr and 300gr for deer here in the US...

I have not used the .45 cal XTP but I have used the 300gr .44 cal and 200gr 10mm cal with very good accuracy and performance.

Thanks, that does sound like good news. I was a little concerned that the hollow point might cause the bullet to tumble or that the hollow point might "over-mushroom" and not give sufficient penetration but I guess I will have to test them first.

My experience is that the 250 work well in a 1-28, the 230gr work well in a 1-38 and that the 200gr worked best in the 1-48 twist. Different people will have different results because of barrel vibration but I am speaking for the results of 7 different guns so it sort of on an average.

Wildeboer, for a good hunting bullet for larger game you might want to try the Hornady .452/300 grain XTP MAGs (Hornady #45235) in those same Harvester sabots. They are one of my favorite bullets and shoot well from most .50 caliber 1:28 twist rifles.

Thanks for the advice, I had hoped for a little heavier XTP bullet but the 230gr is the heaviest available in South Africa. I buy directly from the importer.
I have shot the 230gr FMJ from my 1:48 24"barrel and they grouped nicely. Only problem I foresee is that they wont mushroom or open up enough due to the bullet-construction on a live target.
I will play over the weekend and test different powder loads, hopefully I will get a sweetload that will work on warthog.

I know the 240 grain .430" XTP puts a pretty big hole in a deer. At your average muzzleloader speeds they seem to do just fine.

The .45 caliber 240 grain XTP with a Thompson Center Mag Express Sabot is my go to hunting bullet/sabot combination.You can order them seperately or in combo packages. It knocks the snot out of medium sized deer. I mostly shoot them out of a barrel with a 1 in 28 inch twist but I have had good success shooting targets with a 1 in 48 inch twist .54 caliber barrel. I don't see why they wouldn't work in a 1 in 48 inch twist .50 caliber barrel.

Semi,you think you can push the 300gr Mag at fast enough speeds through a ML to expand properly?? I use the regular .452 300gr XTP with great accuracy.

Steve