tortured a few bullets...

[flint head]

From left to right: 295 PB Areotip, 338 PB Platinum, 270 PB Platinum, 300 XTP, 300 Barnes Expander. All shot were with a KRB7 at 30 yards,,, all shots were with a load of 80 grains of 2f 777 and shot into a plastic bucket packed with damp sand.

I was most impressed with the 295 Areotip, although it did pancake pretty bad it's still a tough chuck of lead... and given the fact that the Barnes, I knew would do well and the Platinum's are "supposed" to be a tougher PB,,, the 338 did do OK. Least impressive was the 270 Platinum, which pancaked badly and the 300 XTP which had a jacket and core separation.

 

[SWThomas]

Great info Mark!

 

[CarlV]

Shot with 80 grains of 777 means they weren't going all that fast.

THe only one of those I'd consider using on a live animal would be the Barnes.

Good test, thanks. I'll have to get my pickle buckets out and do some testing. My ML really likes the 300 grain Harvester PT Gold.

 

[flint head]

Oh no doubt, out of these the Barnes would get the nod on anything bigger than a whitetail... the 295 PB would be deadly on our southern critters and they load and shoot nice. The 338 PB's are tough but they have never shot well for me and I hate the new skirt they have,,, it's a real pain to load.

 

[Busta]

Flinthead,

Good stuff, but if you get a chance to try the 300 gr XTP/MAG, give them a try for an inexpensive tough bullet.

Here are some that went through my torture test, 80 gr BH209 @ 50 yards into white silica sand. I would rate them as one of the best in my test.

The Barnes bullets do not open well in my test, they need the fluid as they open using the hydraulic principle. This also means that when encountering something solid, such as heavy bone, they do exactly what I would expect them to do, plow on through instead of pancake. Then once encountering tissue/fluid will expand when you need them too.

 

[omegasmoke]

Boy, flintheads xtp's look horrible but busta's look great.

Flinthead, were those xtp's .430 or .452?

 

[flint head]

Those mag's do look good Busta. I know these tests don't necessarily correlate into on game performance... most of the time I can just run down a wet bucket of sand, but It does give a good idea on bullet toughness and performance if heavy bone or a thick hide is in your future.

 

[flint head]

Omega,,, Busta's are the XTP Mag's which are very tough and mine are the regular XTP... they both are .452 if I'm not mistaken. I know which one I want on a big gnarly boar hog,,, the real question is which is better on a 150lb whitetail shot broadside through both lungs?? I think good terminal performance on game is very subjective and probably beyond the scope of a sand bucket.

 

[frontier gander]

Mark, I am putting your Inserts in the mail today for the Powerbelts.

Heres a 295gr HP powerbelt fired into a deer at i believe 40 or 50 yards with 80gr 2f T7. Guy said the deer dropped in its tracks.

Can't wait to see some results this hunting season with the insert installed.

I also bought a package of 338 plats and will give them a try.

 

[flint head]

Thanks buddy! I believe the 295's with your inserts out of my Accura will prove to be deadly on the local deer and rooters... :wink:

 

[sabotloader]

flint head

Gotta agree with your finding on the XTP's. I had simular results with my torture test and on 1 deer shot in the shoulder...

I als otried some XTP mags but could not get them to expand well at close range when shot into a deer. Think they might work well with a thick skinned animal or a hog, but thin skin and close range - near pencil..

I know my torture test is far worse than most bullets shot into an animal will ever take. But I really believe it is an indicator...

These were shot and collected from a wet clay soil water bar @ 100 yards with 100 grains of T7-2f

 

[old/new]

Good info from all of you. It not only makes you want to match the bullet to the game (of course) but also take the proper shot with the bullet you have loaded.

 

[Bucker]

XTP

I shoot the 10mm XTP/Mag 200 Grain. I retreived it from my deer, it went threw the low shoulders and lodged under the skin on the other side. It looks exactly like Busta's expended bullet.

 

[Okie Hog]

Years ago I did a lot of testing of muzzleloader bullets and centerfire rifle against wet newspapers, ballistic gelatin and clay. The only thing that I learned was how those bullets behave on some artificial media. Besides the powder charge (velocity) can be manipulated to give any result that the shooter wants.

Show me some bullets that were recovered from game animals.

 

[frontier gander]

80gr 3f T7 @ 80 yards, 225gr Aerotip Powerbelt( My next mold will do .45 insert tips) This is the only Powerbelt that ive recovered so far. I did recover a 385gr HP Great Plains bullet but do not have any pics of it it.

 

[NorCalSkinner]

A HUGE THANK YOU!!!!!

Great work everyone! I was contemplating doing this type of comparison, but ya gotta love it when the pros take care of the experimentation for ya (and also do a far better job on top of it!)

It sure looks to me like you are zeroing in on just a couple different ones for me to try. A HUGE THANK YOU!!!!!

 

[Busta]

Years ago I did a lot of testing of muzzleloader bullets and centerfire rifle against wet newspapers, ballistic gelatin and clay. The only thing that I learned was how those bullets behave on some artificial media. Besides the powder charge (velocity) can be manipulated to give any result that the shooter wants.

Show me some bullets that were recovered from game animals.

Fortunately for me, I have only had just a few bullets stop in an animal, I like two holes.

Here is one that I have a picture of. This is a 200 gr Shockwave that was pushed by 100 gr BM'3, whitetail at 115 yards. This bullet went through both shoulders and was recovered just under the hide on the off side. While I was cleaning it up the core seperated, but it was intact as found.

Here are a few more that went through the torture test with 80 gr BH209.

350 gr Hornady FPB.

300 gr Hornady SST.

 

[funman]

First two from left (front and back) .430 300gr hornady xtp shot close range approx 35 yrds with 90gr BHorn / second two power belt 290gr (not positive it was a 290 if not close to it) shot with the same powder load. I like both the xtp, and the xtp mag i think they both have thier uses. i would use the mag for bigger animals for more penetration and keep the xtps on the smaller stuff. I forgot to add these were shot into a bucket of dry sand

 

[UtahRob]

Boy, flintheads xtp's look horrible but busta's look great.

Flinthead, were those xtp's .430 or .452?

i bet wet sand is pretty darn hard in a bucket .

 

[UtahRob]

I have seen two elk and one deer ( mine ) taken with 300 grain xtp and xtp mags . done recovered all went through . The deer was a straight on shot through the neck looking at me over a bush at 70 yard and the elk were shot behind the shoulder one at 90 and one at 140 yards . The deer dropped and the elk staggered 10-20 yards and dropped . I like them they are cheap , i can find them everywhere and they work . Tried 5 other bullets and went back to the XTP .

This elk the XTP entered in front of the right shoulder and exited behind the left shoulder . MY son was sitting in the shade under the brush on the hillside to the left and shot the elk beside the pine tree behind him. There was 32 elk in the herd , three bulls . He could only shoot the spike !!