XTP ?'s
#21
Banned
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Boncarbo,Colorado
Posts: 9,186
If a 225gr Powerbelt driven by 80gr T7 3f could take this shoulder shot and put it down within 5 yards with an excellent blood trail, i dont see why a thick copper jacketed bullet like the XTP can not.
Dumped right into the shoulder
Dumped right into the shoulder
#22
Spike
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 88
I have killed over 20 whitetail deer and dozens of wild hogs using the 240 grain .430 XTP bullet. The vast majority of those kills were bang flops or near bang flops. Never lost a hog or deer that was hit with that bullet. There are a few memorable tracking and dragging jobs because i failed to put the bullet in the right place.
Keep the muzzle velocity in the 1,700 to 1,850 fps range and put the 240 grain .430 XTP bullet in the right place: It will do a good job on whitetail deer and hogs.
Keep the muzzle velocity in the 1,700 to 1,850 fps range and put the 240 grain .430 XTP bullet in the right place: It will do a good job on whitetail deer and hogs.
#23
At the range (120 yards) and the load you are describing (2 T7 pellets), I highly doubt bullet failure on the part of the XTP is to blame for you being unable to recover the deer. Most likely, either you hit it too low in the leg, or too far forward in the shoulder and missed the heart. This happened too me once, and the deer required tracking and a second shot.
XTP's are fairly tough, and I've only seen fragmentation and jacket separation on very high velocity impacts.
XTP's are fairly tough, and I've only seen fragmentation and jacket separation on very high velocity impacts.
#24
Fork Horn
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 147
XTP bullets have always worked okay for me, several deer and an antelope. I don't push them too hard, and they don't appear to break up as all have been pass throughs. I can't believe a shoulder shot would stop the bullet, it appears to me that you just hit low and broke a leg. Guess you'll never know as deer was not recovered. None of us are perfect and everyone misses their mark every now and then.
#25
(BP)
#26
Banned
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Boncarbo,Colorado
Posts: 9,186
No fragments. I think it lost something like 14 or 16 grains in all. That was some years back so the memory is a bit faded.
Went through both shoulders, sucked the lungs, guts and other innards deep into the chest cavity. You should have seen the deer later on that we shot with the same load! Holy moly.
Went through both shoulders, sucked the lungs, guts and other innards deep into the chest cavity. You should have seen the deer later on that we shot with the same load! Holy moly.
#27
No fragments. I think it lost something like 14 or 16 grains in all. That was some years back so the memory is a bit faded.
Went through both shoulders, sucked the lungs, guts and other innards deep into the chest cavity. You should have seen the deer later on that we shot with the same load! Holy moly.
Went through both shoulders, sucked the lungs, guts and other innards deep into the chest cavity. You should have seen the deer later on that we shot with the same load! Holy moly.
(BP)
#29
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 1,607
I think there are a couple things to remember. #1 is that not all bullets will preform beautifully EVERY TIME. Just doesn't happen. Bullets are equipment and equipment fails sometimes.
Secondly, deer react weird sometimes. Sometimes they simply just don't bleed well.
I wanted to try the Gold Dot (or Deep Curl as it's now called) this year. I have always heard about how well it performs on deer. Friday I made a great shot on an 8 pointer and he didn't bleed at all until where he fell. (about 40 yards) I still believe they are good bullets but the point is, sometimes deer just don't bleed and there is not magical bullet that will always give you the perfect blood trail.
If you don't have confidence in the XTP, then find something else. But my point is, you may still have this same experience with another bullet as well.
Secondly, deer react weird sometimes. Sometimes they simply just don't bleed well.
I wanted to try the Gold Dot (or Deep Curl as it's now called) this year. I have always heard about how well it performs on deer. Friday I made a great shot on an 8 pointer and he didn't bleed at all until where he fell. (about 40 yards) I still believe they are good bullets but the point is, sometimes deer just don't bleed and there is not magical bullet that will always give you the perfect blood trail.
If you don't have confidence in the XTP, then find something else. But my point is, you may still have this same experience with another bullet as well.
#30
If anyone's reading this, is 70gr's enough? Im sure it should be. She's going to limit her shots to about 50-60 yds tops.
I feel for ya MD, I've had ELK a few times and I LOVE IT! wish we had them here. Is your Season over?
(BP)