Hornady 180 gr xtp 44 mag

[Johnnyjr]

Anyone have good results with this bullet in the big boy 44 mag for deer. Heard so many negative remarks about using cast bullets,so I found these at the local shop. I think they should do the job at 0/75 yds..

[Vaquero]

I bought some, but have never even loaded any.
Nothing wrong with cast for hunting, I have taken several deer with cast bullets.
35 Rem., 41 & 44 mag., 444, all with a cast bullet.
Got a 38-55 that I will hunt with some this year, it'll be a 250 gr. FN cast.
Also have a pair of 45 colt rifles that will get a little time in the field and
you guessed it, 250 RFN cast.

RP

[Johnnyjr]

Thanks for the reply

[Steve51]

I have had very accurate results with the Hornady 240 grain XTP's in my 44s but never have tried the 180's.

[fortyshooter]

I load the 180 XTP in 44 Mag and those things run about 2000 FPS and explode what ever they hit! Don't know if it is best weight bullet for deer but smaller varmints would be destroyed. Make a great SD round too!

Here are some 4 inch pumpkins getting hit with the XTP 180's https://youtu.be/2ckzPZCuAbE

I came up with a Alliant 2400 load that is the same performance as the Underwood 180 XTP load.

[fortyshooter]

I'm going to to a target test with both my 180 and 240 XTP loads and see how they compare on paper.

[John E Davies]

I hate the XTPs for .44 Mag, they are oversized at 0.430” compared to almost all other jacketed bullets and they are a 100% PITA to load with Lee dies. I can’t get consistent OAL, the bullets grab and jump instead of going into the cases smoothly. The OAL varies by up to 0.020”! Maybe my resizing die is undersized, I dunno, but I would be interested to know if other brands of dies have this same problem.

I absolutely LOVE the 220 gr Lehigh Extreme Penetrators (0.429”), they are a joy to load (they slide into the cases as smooth as silk) and are very accurate from my BBX. I do not hunt, that is my bear defense load.

John Davies
Spokane WA

[Johnnyjr]

I see they have rifle loads towards the back of the manual for 357/44 mag. Do you suppose this loads could be used in a revolver as well. I think there for TV Contender. I will be trying some of the 357 loads out of my Rossi 357 and some 44,s out of my Henry BB..Anyone used any of this data. If so, we're you pleased with the results..

[John E Davies]

Do NOT use special rifle load data in a Rossi pistol, I am not even sure why there would be “rifle” loads for a short small case like a .357 or .44 Mag. The “rifle only” loads for actual rifle cartridges (large capacity) use a much slower burn rate powder because the long barrel allows a full burn instead of a huge fireball out the muzzle of a handgun. Like an 8” AR15….. yikes.

You could use different powders for a really long case like a .357 Max or .350 Legend, but I am not aware if they would actually perform better in a rifle than with pistol powders.

Be safe,

John Davies
Spokane Wa

[fortyshooter]

I hate the XTPs for .44 Mag, they are oversized at 0.430” compared to almost all other jacketed bullets and they are a 100% PITA to load with Lee dies. I can’t get consistent OAL, the bullets grab and jump instead of going into the cases smoothly. The OAL varies by up to 0.020”! Maybe my resizing die is undersized, I dunno, but I would be interested to know if other brands of dies have this same problem.

I absolutely LOVE the 220 gr Lehigh Extreme Penetrators (0.429”), they are a joy to load (they slide into the cases as smooth as silk) and are very accurate from my BBX. I do not hunt, that is my bear defense load.

John Davies
Spokane WA

What does your barrel slug out to? Mine is .431 !

[Johnnyjr]

The Rossi is also a rifle with 20 inch barrel

[Headhog]

I wonder where these tails originate about cast bullets not being good for game. Maybe the bullet manufacturers start this stuff to sell more of their fancy expensive jacketed bullets. I've taken several deer with a .50 cal muzzle loader using a cast lead round ball. It has less to do with the bullet type and more to do with shot placement. If you can't hit the heart-lung area of the animal then you shouldn't be taking the shot.

Paul

[fortyshooter]

Yep...cast bullets around a lot longer than JHP and not many went hungry about it!

[Headhog]

Yep...cast bullets around a lot longer than JHP and not many went hungry about it!

Forty, aint that the truth.

[220]

Forget about 180gr for anything other than small game and paper.
I tried them years ago and they just blow up, slip them between the ribs and they would probably be spectacular killers, hit any muscle or bone and they dont make it to the vitals.

[fortyshooter]

Forget about 180gr for anything other than small game and paper.
I tried them years ago and they just blow up, slip them between the ribs and they would probably be spectacular killers, hit any muscle or bone and they dont make it to the vitals.

Think I will try one in the ballistic gel and see what it does. Now when shot out of my Ruger SBH with 7.5 barrel I was getting 1500 FPS so that should help keep it together for more penetration. I believe the hot 10mm pistol rounds are 180's going around 1200 FPS?

[220]

Think I will try one in the ballistic gel and see what it does. Now when shot out of my Ruger SBH with 7.5 barrel I was getting 1500 FPS so that should help keep it together for more penetration. I believe the hot 10mm pistol rounds are 180's going around 1200 FPS?

Interested in your results if you do, I used them in a rifle and velocity was 600fps faster so may have been a contributor to the performance I got.