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A 65 Grain Hunting Load?

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A 65 Grain Hunting Load?

Old 03-31-2014, 12:11 PM
  #11  
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Well then, this seems settled. Plenty of deer have been killed with a 22LR.(Though the 45-70 references are the opposite end of the spectrum from a 200xtp). I didn't like having to use my fingers to search the offside of the deer I killed just to find the exit wound nor following his tracks 100yds across the field with not a drop of blood in oncomming rain. Maybe I pushed the bullet too hard with 100gr but I'm looking for a bullet that performs from 10 to 200yds and the 200xtp doesn't appear to bo it for me. Might be fine at 200 but was not at 25. I guess that's why god made both blondes and brunettes.
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Old 04-01-2014, 09:16 PM
  #12  
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Originally Posted by yeoman
Well then, this seems settled. Plenty of deer have been killed with a 22LR.(Though the 45-70 references are the opposite end of the spectrum from a 200xtp). I didn't like having to use my fingers to search the offside of the deer I killed just to find the exit wound nor following his tracks 100yds across the field with not a drop of blood in oncomming rain. Maybe I pushed the bullet too hard with 100gr but I'm looking for a bullet that performs from 10 to 200yds and the 200xtp doesn't appear to bo it for me. Might be fine at 200 but was not at 25. I guess that's why god made both blondes and brunettes.
I wonder if the hollowpoint got plugged somehow, causing the bullet to not expand? Keep in mind, one experience can be misleading, though I don't blame you for looking for a different bullet after that one.

I've killed 5 deer with the 200 grain XTP. My experience was opposite of yours - if anything, I thought the XTP over-expanded and fragmented on close range shots. This was with 95 grains T7 FFFG. It did just fine on longer range shots (80+ yards).

Based on 5 kills, at close range the XTP at this velocity would generally pancake and sometimes fragment, though the base of the bullet would still penetrate fairly well - 3 of the 5 kills were at close range, and I recovered all 3 bullets.

The other 2 kills were at 100+ yards, and both times the bullet passed thru and was not recovered. One was a neck shot that showed minimal signs of expansion. The other was a broadside shot that left a golf-ball sized exit hole. Both deer were DRT.

I stopped using the XTP because I wanted better penetration- switched to the 200 grain Shockwave/SST, and have had great performance from this bullet both in terms of penetration and expansion.

I think that 65 grains of powder with the XTP would work for deer, but personally I would keep the range shot. I set my dad up for the past few years with 70 grains of powder (but with a .45 cal 250 grain Deep Curl) that has worked very well at close range.


(by the way, nice shooting Semi!)

Last edited by oldsmellhound; 04-01-2014 at 09:22 PM.
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Old 04-02-2014, 03:51 AM
  #13  
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That's good information Oldsmellhound. Given your and others' experiences with the bullet my one and only seems bizarre, and your moving on from lack of penetration saves me having to discover that myself. It's unfortunate as I've put nearly 200 of the 10mm xtp's through that gun on the range out to 200yds. It was the only bullet I could land on an 8" target often enough to stay interested at long range with ramp sights. I never tried the SST due to cost, though the superior BC is obvious, and was concerned the ballistic tip might hinder expansion. Sounds like that may be a plus with this bullet at these velocities.
I've recently added an MK-85 and stainless Wolverine to the line up. Both will be scoped, one set up for whitetail, the other for Sitka. There's still a place for a 200gr bullet in the Sitka gun I guess. Lots of shooting to do before Fall. Next in the lineup are .44 280gr A Frames in the MK. Not cheap either. Oh well. Wow, this really hijacks Semi's post. I may be headed to Moderator Heaven/Hell. Sorry.
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Old 04-02-2014, 04:33 AM
  #14  
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Fortunately we are usually left alone to openly discuss our experiences on this website...
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Old 04-02-2014, 06:48 AM
  #15  
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Originally Posted by yeoman
Wow, this really hijacks Semi's post. I may be headed to Moderator Heaven/Hell. Sorry.
yeoman...

You don't have to worry about the Mods, you have to worry about Semi. Just when a thread you've started is going along nice and smooth...BAM!!! He'll post some of the funniest stuff you've ever seen and right in the middle of your thread!!! ...LOL!

BPS
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Old 04-02-2014, 09:08 AM
  #16  
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Originally Posted by yeoman
Wow, this really hijacks Semi's post. I may be headed to Moderator Heaven/Hell. Sorry.
Not to worry yeoman. We're just a bunch of guys BS-ing around the fire.

You think Moderators are tough? You should see what Air Marshals do when you're in a plane and greet an old friend a few seats over across the aisle. Don't ever stand up and yell "Hi Jack!"

Last edited by Semisane; 04-02-2014 at 11:42 AM.
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Old 04-03-2014, 07:43 AM
  #17  
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I look more at the Kinetic Energy part, I have been a firm believer that you need at least at the very minimum 700ft lbs of Kinetic Energy to get a clean harvest on a Deer sized animal, so that being the load Semi worked up for me and from the charts would be a good one only out to 50-75yds.
(BP)
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Old 04-03-2014, 04:35 PM
  #18  
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You can throw KE out when discussing muzzleloaders...

A round ball is pretty pitiful on paper but makes a pretty effective deer killer
if an adequate caliber is used...
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Old 04-03-2014, 05:29 PM
  #19  
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Originally Posted by nchawkeye
You can throw KE out when discussing muzzleloaders...

A round ball is pretty pitiful on paper but makes a pretty effective deer killer
if an adequate caliber is used...

I tend to agree with that nchawkeye. That's why I included the following in my original post.

Well, at 150 yards it's moving faster and with more energy than Hornady's 180 grain 10mm handgun load has at the muzzle. So If you would be comfortable shooting a deer at five feet with a 180 grain XTP in a 10mm handgun, the 65 grain load of GOEX will certainly do the job out to 150 yards.
I would have no qualms using the .40/200 grain XTP with the 65 grain load for shots out to 150 yards.

However, I'll be sticking with my standard 85 grain load for hunting. It's just as accurate as the lighter charge and has a flatter trajectory.
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Old 04-04-2014, 11:02 AM
  #20  
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Originally Posted by Semisane
I tend to agree with that nchawkeye. That's why I included the following in my original post.



I would have no qualms using the .40/200 grain XTP with the 65 grain load for shots out to 150 yards.

However, I'll be sticking with my standard 85 grain load for hunting. It's just as accurate as the lighter charge and has a flatter trajectory.
I think it would get the job done out to that range, provided good shot placement. However, personally I would want a bit more energy for the longer shots. 80 - 90 grains is plenty adequate to shoot out to 150 yards. I reduced my powder charge down to 80 grains several years ago and the deer don't seem to notice the different
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