muzzleloading
 

Hows the Nosler .430 300 for deer hunting ?

what I meant to ask was, would the .430 nosler 300 be a much better set up for deer than the .430 300 XTP. I never hear much about this nosler. Thanks.

.454 - I would not hesitate to use it. The design is very similar to the XTP. I use them interchangeably and see no difference in accuracy. IMO, any 300 gr bullet for deer will get the job done. (even a Powerbelt..hehehehehe)

My problem was how well they shot,I have no doubt they would do a good job on deer but accuracy with them in my gun was not acceptable.

Im guessing you mean the regular Nosler Sporting Handgun bullets and not the Partition. I cant think of any reason it would be better/worse than a XTP. The Nosler 40-200gr seems to perform about the same as the XTP on media but ive never shot their other bullets besides the Partitions.

There basically the same construction, not better than the other. Both will work effectively is basically what your saying. I guess I am surprised that the XTP is more widely used. I would like to get a deer w/ it one day. I have read many reports of the take down ability of the .429,.430 dia. bullet out of the ML. I would think that you guys who hunt elk would not hesitate to use this or have used it.

Is the Nosler you are referring to a Partition or just a regular lead/copper bullet? That would be a big difference, if it is the partition it is an exceptional bullet, the XTP is not in that class.

One other side note and this is just me... I really do not like shooting the 44 in a 50 cal ML - I really prefer getting as close to bore size as I can. I want to reduce the thickness of the sabot as much as possible. It seems everytime I shoot 44's I do get some inconsistentcies in accuracy.

A good look for you might be the Sierra .458-300 lead/copper bullet. Yankee on another forum has done media testing with this bullet versus the XTP that he normally uses and has switched to the Sierra.

You also need to keep in mind... The XTP is the most widely used bullet in a ML by far... they can be found anyplace... their availability is universal.

I will not use any XTP on elk as they can separate very easily. That is one of the reasons that Hornady had to go to the XTP Mag.

Here are some examples...

.454

This PermaGel thread on Modern MuzzleLoader is a good read too but you would need to join.
http://www.modernmuzzleloader.com/ph...er=asc&start=0

Its a little bit long for a copy and paste of the results. Its in the smokeless section but JJ also tested some bullets with T7. One of the big surprises is how well the 250gr XTP did vs the standard 250gr SST/Shockwave. The 250gr XTP held up better even at 2200fps+ vs a 95gr of T7 with the SST.



PermaGel is a great media for testing but it wont simulate bone and that is where XTPs and many other bullets fail to penetrate enough. Im using the Parker 275gr BE this year at very high fps. Its known to deliver very quick kills but it can expand very quickly and cause excessive meat damage on a poorly placed shot.

Normally i use bullets that im sure will pass through on a broadside shot and give reasonable expansion. This year i want to try for a little less penetration and a bit more expansion that delivers more initial shock. The field i normally hunt has been cut and the option for longer shots greatly increased but they can also run out of sight rather quickly now into thick cover.

Wow, I just got back home from from a long day away but this is a lot of information. I guess you get what you ask for. I appreciate all that you sent all of you. The 250 XTP I was surprised to see how it out performed. The BE 275 and 300 have savage written all over them. I i get great accuracy from the 300 jacketed hydra con w/ 110 Blackhorn 209. I use 110 always w/ this and the .452 300 Deep Curl. I have wondered about the .430 Nosler for a while now and thanks for the comparisions. Yes, I agree that Hornady has a track record of coming apart, especially the shock wave. I hear nothing but bad reports regarding that bullet and of course the SST, same thing. I need to focus from your advice to work w/ .458 dia. and as we all know Deep curl wont steer me wrong either. Thanks alot guys. I would like to one day get the savage for the added FPS. When and if I do, I would be involved w/ the 300 BE or Match Hunter, Barnes Original and .458 Lehigh. Kevin