Hornady XTP

[JayZuv]

Hey all, was wondering if anyone here shoots the Hornady XTP in their .44, or other rifles. I typically don't use hollow points but I wanted to give them a try as I had heard of good results. Today, I got a decent 6 point with my .44, and upon examining it there was no exit hole. Is this common with hollow points? Granted, It dropped in its tracks, but the lack of an exit hole lead to a lack of blood on the ground. I worry that if he didn't drop instantly that I would have a difficult time tracking with so little blood.

[bandit1250]

It is typical of most hollow points to have more rapid expansion than a soft point bullet of the same weight. I am not a big fan of hollow point bullets on deer. They are not the best on deer if a angled shot needs to be made. The hollow point will some times give great results on a perfect broad side shot behind the shoulder and maybe exit if it misses any of the heavier bone. Try to find a soft point that shoots well in your 44 and use them on deer if you want more penetration. Did that neck shot hit the neck bone centered or did it hit a tree limb right before it hit the deer? The heavy weight Hornady hollow points will penetrate best. The 265 gr. Hornady soft point will exit probably a 100% of the time. That one is a hammer in the 444 Marlin.

[JayZuv]

Good to know, I don’t believe it hit any trees, likely just some thin pieces of brush. But yes after that I think I’ll be going back to jsp’s for deer. My .44 likes the federal fusions and they seem to be pretty capable deer killers

[JEBar]

we have used Nosler 240 JHP bullets in our 44's since the late 60's .... they have excelled for us on bear, boar and deer .... I take an old school (what many would consider to be a contrarian) view about hunting bullets .... back when 30-06's started appearing on the hunting scene, the same conversations were taking place .... my grandfather who hunted with a 30-30 wanted his bullets to expend all of their energy in the bear and deer he hunted .... I well remember him saying that all of the energy expended by a bullet after it exits an animal and goes on down range is wasted .... that is a viewpoint I still maintain .... the bottom line is shot placement is always of prime importance .... I want a bullet that will deliver the maximum possible damage inside my target

[ESquared]

I've tried twice now to respond to this thread, but for some reason neither of them got posted. Basically, I was paraphrasing JEB's theory (above), but not nearly as clearly.
It's a "school of thought" debate, but I certainly can see JEB's grandfather's point of view.

[JayZuv]

Yeah that’s a good way of looking at it. For sure damage inside. I guess my concern lies more in the what if. I’m one to only take a shot if I feel confident that I can make a good shot on the deer. I’d rather it run off unscathed than to hit it far back and it run off wounded. But as we all know things don’t always go as planned and things happen. In those cases, with a complete pass through you at least have a solid blood trail to follow in order to recover it easier. I think mostly I’ve been so used to hunting with my 30-30, where I always have a pass through and then have to track 20-100 yards. Is it typical for deer hit with a .44 or similar to just drop where it stood?

[ESquared]

Will follow this with interest. My GUESS is that dropping it where it stands with .44 depends just as much on shot placement as it does when using 30-30.