Thread: Hornady XTP-HP

Gentlemen,I recently took my redhawk to the range and shot a bunch of 300 gr. XTP-HP's.None,and I mean none,of them expanded.I shot several into a very wet snow bank,several went into a large muddy,dirt bank.I went back to the range today and picked up a bunch of the bullets,the snow is gone now.These bullets looked as if they hadn't even been shot out of a gun.I havn't clocked these loads,they are just under maximum charges of H110,in the Hornady manual.
I am hoping some of you have maybe shot a deer or elk with this bullet and can give me a little reassurance of it's effectivness on game.Is this bullet going to expand or just zip on through like a FMJ?

I shoot them out of my Desert Eagle once in awhile, but I have never recovered any of the bullets to see how they do

It will expand just fine on a deer. If you want a more drastic expansion load some that are a little lighter like 240gr with 22gr of the H110 or find some lighter gold dots.I think with the 300 gr they are traveling a little slower than they need to.

i had the same problem with these bullets, i shot a deer at 25 yards and not 1 of the bullets expanded.they simply dont travel fast enough for the type hollow point they use.i would look into the speer deep curl hollow points, designed for short barreled weapons.

They expanded fine for me on game, but I was shooting them out of a 16" bolt action rifle.
I personally like the hard cast lead for hunting, big fat mushroom.
Jacketed are cleaner through the bore for plinkin' though.

I would suspect the medium (dirt, snow) before I suspected the bullet. Try wet newspaper, or wet phone books, or 4-5 plastic milk jugs full of water, set in line to "capture" your bullet in the last one. Good hydraulic pressure (such as occurs in animal flesh) should open that bullet up, especially if you are loading to the top of the power range.

Having said that, the 300g is a very stout .44 bullet. For deer, I'd go lighter (240 or so). 444 Marlin owners are singing the praises of the 300g XTP for big game, but that cartridge definitely drives that slug to a higher speedometer reading.

I'm getting textbook-perfect expansion from the 240g XTP out of my Dan Wesson and my Ruger Carbine, so I would take issue with the idea that the "type of hollow point they use" is at fault. I also cannot believe the front of the 300g bullet is any different construction than the 240. The weight is gained in the posterior. (Kinda like wunna my ol' girlfriends.)

I'm kind of surprised the 300gr XTP is doing so poorly. I've shot a boatload of critters with it since it was first introduced and really never had a problem with it, from 4" .44 revolvers to the mighty .444 Marlin.

I have to admit however, if I am going to be using a jacketed bullet, anymore I use only the Remington 240gr JSP or the 240gr XTP since they kill things every bit as dead as the heavyweights (non dangerous game) with a bit less recoil and a bit cheaper!

i will try like Spitpatch suggested,and shoot into some water jugs.I have like 250 of these loaded up for practicing over the summer,so they just gotta' work.

A word about XTP bullets. They are my "go-to" bullet when looking for textbook expansion combined with nearly unequaled accuracy. I load them in everything from .32-20's to .44's, and 45ACP. Even driven to rifle velocities (in the Ruger Carbine, and Marlin Carbines), they have never failed to hold together, even when the mushroom nearly completely obscures the base of the bullet. If more penetration is desired in a pistol bullet, a Nosler partition or better yet, hardcast lead is the way to go. (I wonder about the guy who says he's getting good mushrooms from hardcast bullets: never my experience). Perhaps possible if hollowpoint style, but in that case, why shoot hardcast if you are looking for a mushroom?

i hope they work good...It's all I have been stocking up on for HD....45acp

edit: i guess mine are actually FPD not HP

I use 250 grainers in my 45 Colt, but I've never recovered one. I pretty much bought them for social work loads. I'm a big fan of hardcasts, like Oregon Trail. That was pretty much the driving force behind giving up my beloved Super Blackhawk and switching to Bisleys in 45 Colt.

I've had great results with both 300g and the 240g out of handguns, the 300's are for big critters and need max loads to get them going. The longer the barrel the better. That said I only use the 240's now. They are cheaper, kick less, and kill just as good in my experience.