jacketed hollow point performance?

[rvtrav]

Hello everyone,

 Recently I went bear hunting with a .45 colt. (pictures and a short summary are posted in the single actions forum under the topic Schofield revolver and bear.)

  I recovered a hornady 250 gr XTP from the bear that was only marked by the rifling in the barrel, otherwise it was unscathed, has anyone else had similar preformance from jacketed bullets?
  Are other brands/calibers better at expansion? if anyone has had a chance to test some in the field, I'm sure it will be you folks on this forum. So, any tales of interest out there?

[Redhawk1]

I could of been the speed the bullet was traveling. Maybe to slow to expand, but it did the job right.  

[Special Ed]

I use the 200gr XTP in my 44 magnums. Any of them that I have recovered from Whitetail have performed flawlessly. Good expansion & weight retention.
I wouldn't stop using the bullet based on just one instance of non-expansion. It sounds like it didn't hit any bone to make it expand.
Quite frequently I have varmint bullets that don't expand on woodchucks, they will pass right on thru, you have to look really hard to find the entrance & exit holes.

Ed

[Graybeard]

In the Schofield, I'm sure you had it pretty lightly loaded. If not shame on you for over loading it. Sadly light loaded JHPs don't fair too well. Far better to use a cast bullet with large meplat than a JHP at too low a velocity.

The only JHP I've recovered from deer was a Pre-XTP Hornady 180 JHP many long years ago. I was pushing it with 12.5 grains of Unique in a S&W 29 with 10-5/8" barrel. Don't recall the velocity but it was only a middle of the road load velocity wise. I recovered the bullet under the hide on the off side and it was only barely mushroomed at all. Minimal expansion and the inside of chest kinda showed that.

Since then I've used only 240 grain bullets and haven't recovered another but the damage inside sure tells me they are expanding better than that old 180 did.

In your revolver I'd use either a wide meplat cast bullet or perhaps the Hornady CAS swaged lead bullet for hunting.

[rvtrav]

Thanks for the input from everyone,

  Greybeard, I agree 100% with your preferance for the cast bullet instead of the jacketed stuff!. I love casting and shooting my own, and I know that they'll do!

 As I explained in the single action thread, the State of Utah might not like them as well as we do, Or at least if the wrong authority wanted to make an argument for a "nonexpanding type bullet"they might could make life difficult. So I went with what was presentable as an expanding type bullet, But...... I'm thinkin' somebody (like myself) should be lobbying for a wording change in the game laws.

  Anyways, It does have me curious as to what everyone else's exeriences are with JHPs and JSPs, was my event just a wild fluke? or is this the most common performance?

  I did load to keep the velocities,pressures on the mild side due to the type of gun and all, and it did do the job.  

   Thanks much for the input, I'm really interested in what everyone's got to say,
           Rvtrav

[Graybeard]

Both Hornady and Speer market a pure lead swaged bullet you can use. Surely even the fish cops will recognize a pure lead bullet is made to expand.

[animal]

using an 8 3/8 " 44mag with 240 gr. jhp-xtps I have had zero problem on deer out to 90 yds w 24 gr of H 110. Gold Dot solid points work but not as traumatic as the hornadys.

[Catfish]

I like the 240 gn. Serria bullets in the .44 mag. I have tried the 240 XTP`s, but like you I was not able to get them to expand, and I push they with a max. load of Win. 296.

[bunsen]

Have used 210 Sierra and 200xtp from 7 1/2" 44mag. Also .430" 240xtp and 300xtp with sabots from muzzleloader. Good performance from all on whitetails. All recovered bullets did expand. Mabee the ones that passed through didn't. All deer went 75 yds or less, pass through or not.