duckslayer82

I think they will do fine. Deer here range from 140 to bout 190 is a grown one. That's about an hour from me

nchawkeye

There have probably been more deer killed with XTPs than any other pistol bullet available for muzzleloaders...

I've killed a few dozen with the .429 in 300gr and my hunting buddy has killed a few dozen more with the 240gr...The fellow that developed the Savage smokeless designed that rifle around the .451 in 300gr XTP and that's all he uses...

Nothing wrong with a XTP for deer hunting...

TNHagies

I don't think it's possible to count how many deer my hunting group has killed with XTPs. I've killed deer with most every bullet on the market and I have zero reservations about hunting with XTPs.

bronko22000

I use them with excellent results. In the .45 I use the 200 gr 10mm bullet in a Harvester blue CR sabot. For the .50 I use the 300 gr .429" and a green Harvester CR sabot. The deer I shot with them were never DRT but only traveled a short distance before piling up. But then again, I always aim for a behind the shoulder shot taking out the lungs. And judging by the exit wounds expansion was very good.

sbuff

The xtp has probably killed more deer then any other bullet, it is a fine choice.

dbowling

Ive killed at least 45 whitetails maybe more with the xtp`s ,all being the 240 gr. xtp(green sabot) except for the 3 I killed last year with the 300 gr. xtp...Ive shot deer head on thru the chest, quarting away, double lung, headshot, neckshot, double shoulder shot etc. and they performed flawlessly... quarter siz entrance hole and 50 cent piece size exit and no deer ever made it more then 80 yds with most only going 35-40 yds..
I have never not had a pass thru on any shot with loads with 85 gr pyro RS to 100 gr. and ranges from 5 yds to 165 yds..if there is a performance problem its not the bullets fault as they do what they are supposed to, destroy vital organs resulting in a very fast death.

I killed 2 deer with powerbelts(348 gr) 100 gr. pyro pellets, both double lung and the chest cavity of both was full of tiny copper fragments and a entrance hole you could stick 4 fingers in, I quit using them due to the fact if Id hit a shoulder more then likely would of lost the deer, lower powder charge would of probably been better also.

teflondon

I've used them in Knight, t/c and cva. 45 and 50 caliber. I don't run max loads very often. Usually 85 to 120 grains. I look for that sweet spot in accuracy. I'd rather shoot a 1" group at moderate speed than a 3"group at max load. On deer i had issues with poor blood trails, long runs after being hit, full mushrooms that only went in 3 or 4 inches, etc. I then tried power belts. They blew up. Killed them quick, but who wants to search for 40/50 pieces out of the meat. I then went to sst or shock waves. Same bullet. 37 deer later I am confident in my choice. I am confident if I shoot at a deer inside 250 yards that it's dead with the 50 200 yards with the 45. With xtp's that range was 100 yards. For every bullet type you will find lovers, haters and those on the fence. With the xtp's I'm on the fence. They will never be my first choice, but if on a trip and forgot my bullets they would do in a pinch at a much closer shot.

Triple Se7en

You explained why you don't use the xtps anymore. I had no idea you were shooting 200-250 yards with a BP rifle.

When I see a deer that far out, I'll say prayers instead of breathing deep and holding it, as I put the crosshairs about three inches over the deer's back using my Buffalo SSB HP lead bullet.

One of these years, my prayers are finally going to be heard.

teflondon

At least 3/4 of my shots are within 100 yards, but with the shooting range 4 minutes away I get the range time to feel confident to take those longer shots down a power line out across a field.

lemoyne

They are better for a pistol than a rifle . I have to reduce my normal load in a rifle or they break up they work ok at 15 or 16 hundred FPS but I do not care for the way they come apart at 2,000 FPS.