Experience with Hornady XTP bullets on game...?

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AJMD429
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Experience with Hornady XTP bullets on game...?

Post by AJMD429 »

Anyone here used 44 Mag 300 gr Hornady XTP's (or other 44-45 caliber XTP's) on deer or larger game...?

Mostly I'm curious as to what they do (compared to haed-cast) when try hit bone.
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GunnyMack
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Re: Experience with Hornady XTP bullets on game...?

Post by GunnyMack »

Doc I've had 1 opportunity with the 300 gr XTP. Back in 94 my hunting buddies and I went to shoot hogs at a game farm.
I shot the smallest pig out of 6 of us, I got 222 lbs of meat- not a small pig! Man that was great bacon.
I used my Ruger 44 carbine, dont remember what powder or charge but probably 2400.
My shot was about 40 yards, I put 1 through its lungs and the pig didnt even react, just turned and walked about 20 yards and fell over. The bullet had complete penetration and expanded to about .75" on the off side, no heavy bone just ribs.
However while I was working up loads for my 41 mag Henry I was concerned with 1800+ fps so I contacted Hornady about velocity range it's designed for- they said the xtp was not designed for that high speed. Nosler and Sierra said go for it !
A buddy of mine used the xtp's in his Savage muzzle loader, says they just go through deer with minimal expansion at high velocities with 5744.
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JimT
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Re: Experience with Hornady XTP bullets on game...?

Post by JimT »

Not 44 or 45 ... I've use the 41 Magnum 210 gr. XTP to take Whitetail Deer, hogs and an elk. Never had a problem with them. The cow elk was taken at about 90 yards. The bullet entered the left side behind the shoulder and stopped under the hide on the right side behind the shoulder. I slit the skin with my pocket knife and popped the bullet out. Personally I like the XTP bullets. I have some 200 gr. 45 ACP loads but have not ventilated anything with them yet.
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Re: Experience with Hornady XTP bullets on game...?

Post by t.r. »

I hunt within restricted zones with my modern 50 caliber muzzle-loader which is legal. My loading consists of a Harvester sabot cup and 44 caliber 300 grain XTP bullet with 115 grains of 777 powder. This is an accurate and hard hitting load which is quite lethal indeed. I have never recovered a single bullet as they always provide complete penetration. Wound channels are quite ghastly which is normal for the line of XTP bullets. I'm not sure what else I can add but to state that Hornady builds very excellent bullets for hunters.

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OldWin
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Re: Experience with Hornady XTP bullets on game...?

Post by OldWin »

I've shot two deer with .44 200gr XTP's. They were loaded in 44-40 and muzzled about 1500. Shot one 8pt buck and one good doe. Both DRT. Both bullets were pass through but the one on the buck went into a 4" hemlock and I cut it out. Bullet stayed together and looked good.
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Re: Experience with Hornady XTP bullets on game...?

Post by .45colt »

Once in a while We get a lone woodchuck that shows up here, much too close to My little garden. I had 100grn XTP's loaded in the Marlin 32-20 right around 1900fps, He stood up in some tall weeds about 60 yards away. one shot made a tennis ball size hole in his skull. My beans were saved :lol: .. very accurate.
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Re: Experience with Hornady XTP bullets on game...?

Post by vancelw »

I've shot plenty of mule deer and hogs with 300 gr .45 Colt XTP mags and a few hogs with 300 grain .44 magnum XTP.
I have never recovered an expended bullet. All went through and through. So I have no idea if they disintegrate on bone like some claim.
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Re: Experience with Hornady XTP bullets on game...?

Post by wvfarrier »

Ive used them repeatedly in a 44 mag levergun. They worked quite well but did discover they needed to hit something substantial to fascilitate expansion. A first couple broadside shots barely expanded but if i used quartering shots or shoulders they expanded perfectly
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Re: Experience with Hornady XTP bullets on game...?

Post by wm »

I used XTP s in 45 Colt and 41 mag Blackhawks for hog hunting. Used it on a ram and a coyote as well.


I was running both 'hot', near max loads using Win 296 powder, Winchester large pistol magnum primers. I don't exceed manual limits.


I had good accuracy and expansion with near full weight retention and deep penetration. My opinion is they are 'slow' expanding bullets compared to other common hollow points. Where others might achieve max expansion say in the first 4-6 inches I think (and emphasis here on think because I have no data back it up, just an impression from examining game animals and my preferred test medium of wet newspapers) the XTP bullets fully open up about 6-10 inches in. Remember I'm a hobbyist, not a scientist.


My other thought is if you are running them at medium or slow speeds loads then expansion is less reliable and the bullets tend to tumble. Ones that tumble do not really expand or ones that don't expand, then tend to tumble. Its a chicken/egg sort of thing.


I always wanted to test them a little more using a rifle and see how they perfom. Even thought maybe 180 grain XTP .357 bullet loaded on a 35 Remington or the 30 caliber, 90 grain bullet loaded on 30 WCF case might make some interesting holes but have not gotten around to testing that theory. I think that 90 grain/30 WCF could be a nice "walking around" varmint round.


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Re: Experience with Hornady XTP bullets on game...?

Post by JerryB »

I shot a big water moccasin with my Winchester 1892 24"rifle with a load of some 2400 powder and an 85 gr. XTP. it looked like someone had thrown a grenade. Now I am waiting for a good shot at a deer.
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Re: Experience with Hornady XTP bullets on game...?

Post by M. M. Wright »

I've been using the "Extreme Terminal Performance" bullets 20 or more years Doc. Started using them when I got my Green Mountain bullet barrel. I have used the 45 200, 250 and the 44 200 and 240. I load them in a sabot over 90 grains of Goex ffg. I like the lighter bullets for the flatter trajectory they give.

I've recovered several bullets, maybe 6 from the mmmm let's say 50 or so deer killed with them. Usually there is a shattered front leg bone when I get to find the bullet under the skin of the far shoulder. Always intact and perfectly mushroomed. Do they need the bone to expand? Probably, but they really work well in other circumstances too. The buck I killed with my 73 SRC in 44-40 this year was hit way too far back with a 200 gr XTP and went down while still in view. Reminded me of watching an arrow shot deer die. They are remarkably tough and expand at a wide range of velocities but I never use them at over 1700 or 1800 fps. I don't hunt with many rifles that give velocities greater than that and I use different bullets in them.
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Re: Experience with Hornady XTP bullets on game...?

Post by Pisgah »

Numerous deer shot with the .45 250 gr. XTP from my .45 Colt Ruger Bisley have succumbed in spectacular fashion, along with a couple of coyotes, all at ranges of from 60 to 100 yards. Perhaps not the bullet I'd choose for bison, but on anything smaller I'd have complete faith in them. I use a near-max Ruger-only load of 2400.
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Re: Experience with Hornady XTP bullets on game...?

Post by wolfdog »

210 grain xtp have worked well for me in 41 mag on deer and pigs out of handgun and rifle. 240 grain xtp did a good job on deer out of lever gun and Blackhawk in 44 mag. Can't tell you about hitting bone as none hit anything but ribs and all exited.
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Re: Experience with Hornady XTP bullets on game...?

Post by Scott Young »

I have killed 20-25 deer and hogs with .429 240 XTP out of a .50 cal sabot muzzleloader. They perform wonderfully. I have taken shots out to 150-175 and have had complete pass through on all the deer and most of the hogs. The few hogs I have recovered bullets from they have mushroomed as expected. Unless they have changed the xtp bullets I have been happy with them.
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Re: Experience with Hornady XTP bullets on game...?

Post by piller »

A few years back in the hog hunt in the mud, I used my .480 Ruger model 92 on a nice sized hog. The hole went all the way through and the 325 grain factory XTP was not recovered. The pig rolled about 270 degrees, and it would have been 360 if not for the legs. I have never had any animal bigger than 5 pounds die so instantly on me before. Mjolniir could not have shut that hog down any faster. It was a side on shot at maybe 30 yards. Not much evidence to gather on this one.
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