Chronographed my Henry loads

[TNman]

Got out my chronograph and checked my hunting loads in my BBSC .357 and .41 mag.
The .357 is loaded with 180g Hornady XTP bullets over Lil’Gun powder and the velocity averaged 1410 fps. I was figuring it would be a bit faster but that’s what it showed.
The .41 was loaded with 210g xtps over Lil’Gun and it is smoking right along at 1795 fps . That should work for TN whitetails.

[GunnyGene]

Got out my chronograph and checked my hunting loads in my BBSC .357 and .41 mag.
The .357 is loaded with 180g Hornady bullets over Lil’Gun powder and the velocity averaged 1410 fps. I was figuring it would be a bit faster but that’s what it showed.
The .41 was loaded with 210g xtps over Lil’Gun and it is smoking right along at 1795 fps . That should work for TN whitetails.

Thanks for posting that. I was expecting right around that for mine for the 210gr .41 just working the numbers for the carbine barrel, but hadn't actually gotten around to borrowing a chrono yet. Guestimate was 1810fps based on 1560fps out of a 6.5" Ruger.

[JEBar]

nicely done .... both should do the job .... we use 158 gr in our 357, this is the first time I've seen actual numbers on 180 gr'ers .... the 41was really impressive .... don't know if you have a ballistics program to feed your data into so as to know the trajectory of your bullets .. .. if not, here is a link to the one we use .... at first glance it looks complicated but you don't need to fill in anywhere near all of the blanks

http://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmtraj-5.1.cgi

[GunnyGene]

nicely done .... both should do the job .... we use 158 gr in our 357, this is the first time I've seen actual numbers on 180 gr'ers .... the 41was really impressive .... don't know if you have a ballistics program to feed your data into so as to know the trajectory of your bullets .. .. if not, here is a link to the one we use .... at first glance it looks complicated but you don't need to fill in anywhere near all of the blanks

http://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmtraj-5.1.cgi

Should get about 3" drop and around 900 ftlbs at 100yds, depending on the weather. I use the Hornady calc. https://www.hornady.com/team-hornady/ba ... lculators/#!/

[JEBar]

thanks for the link .... I've bookmarked it

[Slugnut]

TNman, remember, the max velocity for the 210g XTPs is 1450fps as per the Hornady reloading, 8th ed. You might not get the penetration you expect, the bullet might even fragment on contact. Keep us posted on how you make out and good luck. PS, I spoke to a Hornady rep about the factory specs. posted on a factory box of 210g XTPs. ( those are pistol specs he said) . I said if they are fired from a rifle, you'll be over the max velocity for those bullets and he agreed and wondered himself. Rule of thumb- +/- 300fps. for rifle velocities.

[Ojaileveraction]

TNman, remember, the max velocity for the 210g XTPs is 1450fps as per the Hornady reloading, 8th ed. You might not get the penetration you expect, the bullet might even fragment on contact. Keep us posted on how you make out and good luck. PS, I spoke to a Hornady rep about the factory specs. posted on a factory box of 210g XTPs. ( those are pistol specs he said) . I said if they are fired from a rifle, you'll be over the max velocity for those bullets and he agreed and wondered himself. Rule of thumb- +/- 300fps.

The Terminal Ballistics Research website gives very detailed real world (as in hunting situations) studies on the terminal ballistcs of many calbers and cartridges. He discusses the history, available over the counter ammo and reloading. All the time giving details on wound channels, downing, and poi choices.

https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase.html

Here is one paragraph:
In contrast to the lighter weight bullets, the 180 grain XTP produces very fast killing from a rifle out to ranges of around 75 yards (1450fps). If hit through vitals, animals do not move far and move off either in a drunken manner or bunched up, showing the hunter an indication of a solid hit. As ranges exceed 100 yards (1350fps in rifles and now heading towards pistol velocities) kills can be slightly delayed and game hit through vitals tend to move off slowly then succumb in a drunken manner. As the XTP (and others) approach 1000fps performance tapers off further. In order to cause rapid killing, the hunter must keep shots well forwards and try to break bone.

[TNman]

Yeah Slugnut I never thought about shooting them at too high a velocity out of a carbine. I will see what happens...hopefully there will be several deer to evaluate their performance. Looking at the box it does say for velocities between 700 and 1500 fps.

[JEBar]

it might be worth running your loads through a ballistics program that gives you the drop in speed as the bullet goes down range .... most revolver ammo isn't aerodynamic which causes them to lose speed relatively quickly .... the numbers that really need to be considered are the bullet's speed at the distances a person anticipates shooting

[GunnyGene]

it might be worth running your loads through a ballistics program that gives you the drop in speed as the bullet goes down range .... most revolver ammo isn't aerodynamic which causes them to lose speed relatively quickly .... the numbers that really need to be considered are the bullet's speed at the distances a person anticipates shooting

This is what the Hornady program spit out for me. MV is estimated and could be +/-50fps. 16.5" barrel, 1:18 twist. BC (G1) is from Hornady for .41 mag, 210gr XTP.

[JEBar]

your chart confirms the fairly rapid drop in speed .... one of the great things about loading your own is (within a given range) you can adjust the powder charge .... doing so allows one to develop the most advantageous speed at the range they anticipate firing ....

as a side note, based on my hunting experience, if hit in a vital / kill area, deer aren't hard to kill .... nowhere near as resilient as larger bear and boar .... our family has hunted with 357 and 44 Mag revolvers for decades .... from the start, we max loaded our ammo which pushed the bullets at muzzle velocities considerably in excess of Nosler's speed recommendation for their JHP and JSP revolver bullets .... they show expansion data from 800 to 1350 fps .... their reloading manual offers revolver load suggestions that, depending on caliber and bullet weight, develop up to 1800 fps muzzle velocities .... in all cases, they have performed flawlessly .... I've noted many times that our preference is for Nolser bullets .... that said, I suspect, but can't prove from personal experience, that the same would be true for bullets from other solid companies that have withstood the test of time ....

[GunnyGene]

your chart confirms the fairly rapid drop in speed .... one of the great things about loading your own is (within a given range) you can adjust the powder charge .... doing so allows one to develop the most advantageous speed at the range they anticipate firing ....

Yep, start to drop like a rock past 100yds.

[TNman]

JEBar...yeah I expect the 41 XTPs will perform perfectly if I do my part. Expected ranges will be about 25-75 yards. GG—-thanks for the chart with velocity and energy at different ranges..

[GunnyGene]

JEBar...yeah I expect the 41 XTPs will perform perfectly if I do my part. Expected ranges will be about 25-50 yards. GG—-thanks for the chart with velocity and energy at different ranges..

You're welcome. Btw at that range you oughta be able to hit it in the head with a rock. Or just rope it.

[Oksrt]

My .41 carbine will shoot the xtp through a deer at 100 yds. All three.
50 yds +2, 100 yds -2

[TNman]

Yeah a red dot on a lever carbine in a pistol cartridge with my eyes is a short range proposition no doubt...but that’s the enjoyment of the process. I figure the 210g XTP will shoot through on broadside shots at these woods distances despite the higher velocity. The .357 with 180g Swift aframe did not shoot through on the 3 deer last year at ranges of 50-80 yards...one was an angling shot into the chest cavity. These little Henry carbines make deer hunting great again!