XTPs in muzzleloader?

[FLINT]

Hi all,

Now that hunting season is over, I started thinking about what changes I want to make before next year. I wasn't super impressed with the bullets I used in my BP rifle this year - and then got to thinking. I have a bunch of 250 grain XTPs that I load in my 45 colt ruger. How do you think those would work in my .50 cal BP rifle with some plastic sabots? It would slightly simplify things, as I'm going to be keeping the XTPs around anyways. I'm not sure what kind of velocity I'm getting with 2, 777 pellets - do you think the XTPs are up for it?

Thanks!

[Mescalero]

This should be interesting, keep us informed.

[Griff]

IIRC 86er has been experimenting with those the past several months. You might do a search on his posts, as I think he's posted on them recently.

[jmiller]

XTP's are my go to bullet. I've been shooting muzzle loaders for over 40 years and I've tried everything at one time or another. Currently I'm shooting TC's and a Savage ML2 smokeless. I've kept spreadsheets on performance, components, and accuracy with eveything I've shot. XTP's are capable of amazing accuracy and post mortem examination of many deer have show devastating performance/terminal ballistics. I either use the 250 grain with the TC or the 300 with my Savage. Triple7, if used, should be used in its loose form for best results. Pellets crack and accuracy goes out the window at time. Also, you need to clean every shot for best results (google Triple7 crud ring). I'd reccommend BlackHorn 209 powder. You can shoot all day without cleaning and it's pretty much non-corrossive.

[TedH]

I"m also a big fan of the XTP. They will work just fine. Try several different sabots to find what will give you the best accuracy.

[ndcowboy]

They work awesome! I've got a Ruger 77/50 that I use for muzzleloader hunting here in ND. I use 180 grain XTP .44 caliber bullets in sabots. My last deer shot was at 118 yards with open sites. Dropped him quick.
I don't use anything else.

[M. M. Wright]

I've used the XTPs for many years now. I keep .429 200 grain, .451 230 and 250 and have killed deer with all three, oh and the 240 grain .429. My old rifle has a Green Mountain bullet barrel with, I think, a 1 in 22 twist. It loves the .429 200 with 95 grains of Goex ffg and gives me 1642 fps with the green sabot. Shoots little bitty groups too.

If you can find 86ers thread from last week, I have a couple of posts on there too and there's a pic of a 230 grain XTP in .451 that I dug out of a deer I was butchering.

From my rifle, traditional Hawken style but with an old Weaver 2.5X scope and I have killed deer with it at 200 yards. Kinda cheated I guess, since I measured the distance, set up a target in the deer's scrape and found my bullet only dropped 3 inches at that distance. The next morning I dropped a nice buck at first light.

The rifle with this year's deer

The bullet

[86er]

I like the .452 250 grain XTP with the Harvester Crushed Rib sabot in my TC. They worked good at 1800-1925 fps m.v. I switched to the .430 XTP ( not .429) 240 grain with the green Harvester Crushed Rib sabot. That bullet/sabot is a little more accurate in my rifle and the bullet was more consistent on game at the 1988 fps m.v. I get from 95 gr BH 209 powder. That bullet (.430/240) demonstrated more consistency on game at a wider range of velocities than the .452/250 did. In .452 the 240 grain seemed to work better in the rifle than the 250 gr but not quite as good as the .430/240. You should be fine with any of them if you're shooting deer sized stuff or within 100 yds or so. Might consider 300 grain for elk sized stuff or bears.

[t.r.]

For 5 years I hunted with the 240 gr XTP used with Harvester Crusher sabots. 105 grains of 777 loose powder. Genuine one shot kills everytime but rarely a pass through penetration for blood trail. So I switched to Speer's 270 grain bullet for better penetration.

The XTP is a very good deer bullet producing wide wound channels. Reminds me of 44 MAG performance. But expanded bullet is typically found all balled up under the hide on far side of entrance hole.

TR

[Chuck 100 yd]

The XTP is an excellent bullet. I shoot them in the .357 mag. .44 mag. and the .45 Colt
when I want a jacketed bullet.
That said, I am a traditionalist when it comes to muzzle loading bullets and shoot only lead.
Even in my Knight Big Horn inline it gets lead or lead in a sabot.

[FLINT]

Thanks! Sounds like they are worth a shot - literally! I might also try that BlackHorn powder as well.

I'll add some of those harvester sabots with my next cabelas order

this will be fun

[41 Redhawk]

Make sure your breechplug and/or nipple are compatible with Blackhorn 209. Not all are.

[jmiller]

Make sure your breechplug and/or nipple are compatible with Blackhorn 209. Not all are.

They are compatible with Blackhorn 209. The TC changed the breechplug due to a problem with Triple7 pellets cracking when the bullet was seated. Any loose powder will work with all breechplugs. It's just the pellets causing the problem. Loose works better anyway. It's not as convienent as pellets but you can tailor your results with loose.

[41 Redhawk]

Make sure your breechplug and/or nipple are compatible with Blackhorn 209. Not all are.

They are compatible with Blackhorn 209. The TC changed the breechplug due to a problem with Triple7 pellets cracking when the bullet was seated. Any loose powder will work with all breechplugs. It's just the pellets causing the problem. Loose works better anyway. It's not as convienent as pellets but you can tailor your results with loose.

jmiller, I was referring to Blackhorn 209. It requires the nipple and/or breech plug to be solid and without the cut in them that some have. T/Cs that I have seen all have the solid style and are suitable. It also requires a regular shotgun 209 and not the Muzzle loading 209 primers.

Here are the faqs about Blackhorn.