hornady xtp

[jlbeebe]

Anybody using these in the 200 grain? How was accuracy and performance on deer size game ? Here in Iowa we are in our youth season and my boy just broke his arm at a football game. The break is just below the ball joint of his shoulder. He still wants to use his huntsman when he heals up and I was thinking of dropping back to a 200 grain bullet to soften up the recoil. We are fortunate that the DNR changed the laws on youth tags allowing them to be used until the end of the deer seasons if the child doesn't fill it during the youth season. This means we have until January to get him a deer. He has been shooting 70 grains of 777 and a 360 grain beartooth bullet. I figure dropping back to a 200 grain bullet will soften things up for him as long we can maintian accuracy and  penetration.

[PA-Joe]

Hornady makes several special ML XTPs. They are call XTP MAG. They also make a 250 SST. We are getting 100 YD cloverleafs in our Sidekick. 70 grs is plenty for under 150 yds.

[Reese]

I have not had any field experience with 200 grs but I have had great results with the 45 cal 250 grs XTP on deer.  They expand just fine with 80 grs of T7.  The XTP MAG is made a bit tougher than the XTP and may not get the expansion you want with 70 grs of T7.     250 gr XTPs and SSTs are very accurate in my Huntsman using Harvester sabots and work very well on PA deer.

[cattleskinner]

I think that if you switched to the 240gr. packs of XTP's that you find in the stores that come with sabots, you would decrease the recoil a lot.  That, or switch to pyrodex powder.  I've found that heavy conicals, and Triple 7 both hit my shoulders harder than sabots, or other types of powder.  Another approach to cutting recoil would be to switch to a hard cast bullet with a big meplat on it, and go down to as low as 50gr. of powder and still knock the stuffing out of deer.  Those level loads are used on deer out of pistols(1000-1200fps), and penetrate completely, I don't see why it wouldn't work the same out of a muzzleloader.  That should really cut the recoil down for your son, hope that helps.
 
~Amos

[jlbeebe]

Thanks for the replies. I think a lighter bullet and a reduced powder charge will work fine. We will just keep the shots to 75yrds or less.