Anyone shoot game with XTP's?

[86er]

Looking for real experience with 240 gr .430 and .452 Hornady XTP performance on game. What velocity and what animal at what range?

[TedH]

In 2009 I took a good size whitetail buck with a 44 cal 240 gr. XTP, at chronod 1800 fps. Hit him broadside right in the breadbasket from 60 yards. Bullet broke a rib on the way in, and another on the way out, with very significant damage in between. He ran a couple little circles then a straight line for about 20 feet before dropping. He was on the ground in probably 6 to 8 seconds.

[Rifleman]

I've shot a 200lbs whitetail doe with a 357mag handgun, using a 158gr HP-XTP. Muzzle velocity of 1050, 65 yard shot, hit between two ribs then through the heart/lungs breaking a rib on exit. Doe ran 60 yards further then collapsed.

I use 180gr HP-XTPs now since I get 1080fps, (still avoiding transonic effect.)

[Pisgah]

I have shot 3 deer with the 240 gr. .44 at 1250 fps from a Ruger Bisley, and another 2 with the 250 gr. .45 at 1580 fps from a 24" Hartford Model 1892. Deer run mostly small here; the largest two, one each buck and doe, were maybe 150 lbs. on the hoof. Ranges were 25 to about 55 yards. Ribcage shots, complete penetration for all, and the devastation to the chest cavity has to be seen to be believed. I have a feeling a hit through meatier anatomy would tend to ruin a lot of meat, but I believe you'd still get good penetration.

[t.r.]

I've taken 11 deer with the Hornady XTP bullet. All were one shot kills but at varying distances of 50-85 yards. My Ruger carbine in 44 MAG shoots them accurately but 100% penetration is not typical. I now load the 270 grain bullet by Speer for the penetration I wanted to acheive.

TR

[66GTO]

175 lb boar. Head on shot just above the right eye. Short range (15 yds) at night using Gen1 night scope. Dropped in his tracks and twitched a couple of times. Used 240 grain .44 Magnum out of an 1894 Marlin. Probably didn't matter what bullet I used at that range and placement, but the XTP worked fine.

I'll be taking the same rifle and ammo to the deer woods this weekend (minus the night scope of course ), so with a little luck I'll have more info to report.

[piller]

I sure appreciate the info. I have a .480 Ruger levergun and handgun. The most common ammo for the .480 is the 325 grain XTP bullet. I have hesitated to use it on game so far due to the fact that I was told it didn't have enough penetration. I have used lead cast LBT style bullets and 400 grain softnose jacketed bullets. It sounds as what I was told about the XTP bullets is very wrong.

[M. M. Wright]

86er,
I have used the XTP exclusively in my ML for about 15 years now. 95 grains of ffg Goex and a sabot, gives 1640 or so. Actual crony readings. In this time I've killed about 10 or 12 whitetails with it out to 200 yards. I've used both the 240/44 cal and 200/44. I like the 200 best. Never had one get away and only recovered one bullet, perfectly expanded. The big buck, over 200 lbs live weight, I killed this year exhibited massive destruction to both rib cages and the heart/lung area was just jelly. This is typical performance for this bullet. Killed a small buck at about 90 yards with my 92/44-40 with the 200 grain over 19 grains of H110/296. (Work up to this load carefully although they caution against using reduced loads of this powder) Most kills stayed really close to where hit but the big one this year ran about 25 yards. Can't say enough good about them. I really doubt you'll be able to tell the difference in the performance of the 44 or 45 bullets. I load the 185 in my 45 ACP for social purposes and feel very confident of it.

[TedH]

It sounds as what I was told about the XTP bullets is very wrong.

I have done quite a bit of testing with the 44 cal. and 45 cal. XTP bullets. They are very tough for a HP. I have recovered bullets that I shot into ballistic medium at 1800 fps, and 1250 fps that are identical in weight, and shape. They have a pretty broad velocity range where they are intended to perform, and by all accounts I have seen, they do it very well.

[Mac in Mo]

I too have used the 240's and 200's with great success on Whitetails in my 44 Mag Ruger carbine, a 1983 model. In the 11-12 I have killed with the XTP, I had one recovered bullet,a 200 grainer. This was from a buck shot head-on in the chest, recovered from the stomach after traveling through the vitals and taking out everything.

All the others were various broadside or quartering slightly shots, none recovered, no deer lost, no long trails. All deer fell at the shot or within 20 yards or so.

The shot that I recovered the bullet from was about thirty yards. The others were anywhere from 20-80 yards, I hunt the thick Missouri Ozarks and long shots really don't happen there.

I don't have chrono speeds but all loads were close or at max for H110 or 2400.

I shot a buck 2 weeks ago with my Blackhawk .45 Colt. 250 XTP with a good load of 2400. It should be around 1200 FPS. It hit high, at the lower part of the spine. Dropped right there. A finisher went through the cavity from top to bottom and exited. Not my cleanest kill, but it is in the freezer. The bullet was found, w/o jacket. It had busted through the spine and the attached ribs and traveled under the hide on the opposite side, where it was found 1/4 of the way down the body.
I have never been disappointed in these bullets and will continue to use them for as long as they are available.

Kevin

[Mac in Mo]

It sounds as what I was told about the XTP bullets is very wrong.

I have done quite a bit of testing with the 44 cal. and 45 cal. XTP bullets. They are very tough for a HP. I have recovered bullets that I shot into ballistic medium at 1800 fps, and 1250 fps that are identical in weight, and shape. They have a pretty broad velocity range where they are intended to perform, and by all accounts I have seen, they do it very well.

Ted, what penetration were you getting? My son has learned how to make gel and I may try this also, just for grins.

Kevin

[TedH]

It sounds as what I was told about the XTP bullets is very wrong.

I have done quite a bit of testing with the 44 cal. and 45 cal. XTP bullets. They are very tough for a HP. I have recovered bullets that I shot into ballistic medium at 1800 fps, and 1250 fps that are identical in weight, and shape. They have a pretty broad velocity range where they are intended to perform, and by all accounts I have seen, they do it very well.

Ted, what penetration were you getting? My son has learned how to make gel and I may try this also, just for grins.

Kevin

I only make 12" blocks, and have never stopped one in the gel, they were stopped in the phonebooks behind the gelatin, so I can't say about total penetration.

These loads were the same, but the one on the left was fired from a Marlin 1894, the other from a S&W 629. 1800 and 1250 fps respectively. Target was approx 15 feet away from muzzles.





I'd call that pretty consistant performance.

[jackruff]

I shot a nice buck last year at very short range with a 240 gr XTP out of my 1894SS. I don't know what the velocity was. The bullet did not exit, but it didn't matter. He went down very quickly well within sight, maybe within 20 yards or so. The effect of the bullet was, in a word, devastating.

[Dave]

I have killed maybe a dozen deer with the 240 gr XTP in a ML with a sabot. It works fine.

[Mac in Mo]

Thanks Ted.

[cubrock]

I've taken 6 whitetail deer with a 240-grain XTP out of a rifle. Longest shot was 75 yards. Shortest was about 30. Four dropped where they stood. One ran 20 yards. One ran 25 yards. It is my go-to hunting bullet in .431".

[CaptainFinn]

I have taken eleven deer with my '60's Ruger .44 carbine, all with the 240 XTP over 23.5 grains of H110.

Three were neck shots, above the shoulder. Eight were broadside at the rear juncture of the front leg-armpit area. Only recovered one slug, it was perfect mushroomed with the copper petals folded back. All eleven deer dropped in their tracks except for one doe this year that ran/tumbled down a steep embankment about thirty yards, then piled up. Bullet had gone through lungs and heart, exiting and taking out a rib.

Very satisfied with the performance, I'm going to load the .45 Colt 240mag this weekend and see if I can get similar performance out of my 92 Rossi.

[Ben_Rumson]

FWIW...I recovered a couple of these from the berm I fired into at about 6ft from my 73 Win SRC clocking about 1100 fps... Notice where the rifling melted the lead to the jacket from friction...

[allhands]

86er, I used both 240 and 300 grain xtp bullets in my .444 Marlin. I shot 2 whitetails with the 240 at 2400 fps. Both dropped instantly with shoulder breaking shots. One exited (65 yard shot) one stayed in (85 yard shot). I salso shot a black bear with a 300 grain xtp at 40 yards (1800 fps). Broke the shoulder again, bear dropped instantly dead. Taxidermist found the bullet in the off shoulder under the skin, fully expanded. I rate them as FANTASTIC!

[EdinCT]

I have used the .432 240gr XTP on a few bucks out of the muzzleloader at 1650 fps and it worked well. I have caught one on a quartering to shot and it looks textbook prefect. I have also shot a few coyotes with it out of my 1894 Marlin CB and it appeared to expand fine in them.
I switched to softpoints for deer when a friend hit a deer quartering to and the XTP glanced off the shoulder knuckle and exited on the same side. It was a long trail but the deer was recovered. The Speer 240 gr unicore SP is now a fussion I think but pretty costly, and while they have killed well but not as fast on broadside shots as the XTP.
I have since thought about going back to the XTP for deer because they shoot good and are priced fair, also sometimes strange things happen to good bullets.