Some cold hard facts about Muzzleloader bullets.

[Grouse]

I've been very fortunate to be able to shoot alot of Deer in alot of different zip codes. When i look back at all the different bullets that i have tried and used what really worked the best? First, what is better for me? I live in Pennsylvania. So i very rarely get to hunt in snow. I hunted all this week and only had a 1/2 a day of snow. So a good blood trail is very important to me. So now i will list bullets that i shot more then one Deer with.

Powerbelts 245, 295, and 345grn. DeadCenter 220, 260, and 300grn. T/C Shockwaves/ Hornady SST'S hard tipped, 200, 250, and 300grn. T/C bonded SW'S, 250 and 300grn. Hornady SST'S soft tip. 250grn only. Hornady XTP'S. 200, 250, and 300grn. Barnes 195grn, and 300grn with the hollow point. I forget the name. and the 300grn Originals. I did shoot a couple with some nossler bullets as well, i dont remember the weights. Parker 275grn Ballistic Extremes

Out of all these bullets, two of them pretty much stand at the top in performance on Deer for me.
Cecil Epp's DeadCenter bullets all weights mentioned, and Hornady XTP'S in 250grn. These bullets provided good clean kills and very little tracking if any with plenty of blood.

Both bullets are a pain in different ways. The all lead DeadCenters you need to stick a piece of cotton between each bullet in the tube you put them in for hunting so they dont touch each other and start deforming the tip. They require special care at the range and storage as well. They do have about the best packaging in the business. That does help.

The Hornady XTP'S are so flat and round at the top, a good bullet starter doesnt fit around the bullet. Atleast none i got. Of course the QLA in T/C Muzzleloaders make this bullet alot easier to load.

I do want to mention, that all bullets above shot at a Deer in the shoulders will pretty much drop the Deer in its tracks. I cant always rely on being able to make a perfect shot to do that. Shooting off the bench at 50 and 100yds is totally different then shooting off hand when it's show time in the woods. Those people who hunt and shoot alot know exactly what i'm talking about.

Please keep in mind these are my experiences in the woods. My results only. If my choices arent yours, thats no problem at all. Shoot what you like and enjoy it.

I do want to mention some bullets were shot with Smokeless Muzzleloaders.

 

[flint head]

Just ordered some of Cecil's 240 grain Extreme Elites for my .45 Disc Elite... I was thinking they may just do the trick on these southern whitetails and hogs. Probably going to load them with 90-100 grains of BH.

 

[funman]

Nice post on the bullet info, i have only shot animals with xtps, so i have nothing to compare. The xtp in 240, & 300gr have done excellent on all the animals i shot. I want to try the hornady fpb (think thats right the one that dosent require a sabot) 350gr i bought some of these but havent shot them at an animal yet.

 

[loadbreak]

Thanks for the post. I think that as someone that is new to muzzle loading, bullet choice is one of the harder choices to make. I know that out of my Omega it seems like I can get any bullet to make a nice group but I want a bullet that performs well ( doesn't explode or fragment on impact, will go through a shoulder if need be, pass through and blood trail ). This way if something goes wrong it's not my equipment, IT'S ME.

 

[Bucker]

bullets

Grouse, I was cleaning the ML's for storage (until February Coyote Hunt) and thinking the same thing about the areas I hunt and the blood trails I want when I shoot a deer. I killed a whopper this year w/ a 200 grain 10mm bullet. Yes I killed it but it had no blood trail in the woods. I was fortunate enough to watch it's progress. UC said every time you shoot/hunt w/a new bullet oit is an experiment. That one for deer is concluded. Your post is going to bring a lot of discussion and points for/against your chloices but the heavier bullets are where i am going to move. I will use that 200 grain coyote,ground hog and target shooting. I notice you did not list the Parkers in your extensive list, is there a reason or just haven't had the time to use em' yet? Great post and thoughts.

 

[Grouse]

Re: bullets

I notice you did not list the Parkers in your extensive list, is there a reason or just haven't had the time to use em' yet? Great post and thoughts.

Thanks for the reminder. The 275grn Parker BE has been excellant on Deer for me. The last three years i used this bullet in Texas. A little better BC then the XTP'S so it flies flatter for me. I need to edit the top and add this bullet. You really cant go wrong with the 275grn at all.

 

[Okie Hog]

and Hornady XTP'S in 250grn.

+1
XTPs are really good bullets.

i use the 240 grain .430 XTP in my CVA StagHorn. The sabot is either the short black one or the Knight. Have used that bullet since 2000 and it has killed about 20 deer and dozens of wild hogs. Over 90 percent of those kills have been bang flops. Had a very good record until this year, when i made bad shots on two deer and a hog. However, all animals were recovered.

A hog can be considerably harder to kill than a deer of the same size. One needs to drop a hog right there because the blood trail of a wounded hog is not good, especially a gut shot one.

Used to use either two Pyrodex pellets or 100 grains of Pyrodex RS. They shot to the same point of aim with my gun. Now i use 90-110 grains of 2F Goex Pinnacle.

 

[prostreetcamaro]

Man you missed the best performing bullets made.


BARNES

Perfect expansion every time and 99.9% complete pass throughs. I dropped 2 deer with 1 shot with a barnes expander and it almost made it through the 2nd deer. They both dropped in there tracks. I do agree with your choices though.

 

[Grouse]

A hog can be considerably harder to kill than a deer of the same size. One needs to drop a hog right there because the blood trail of a wounded hog is not good, especially a gut shot one.

I shot a Hog one year with a 300grn XTP. Talk about no movement. That thing didnt even twitch. I was only about 10 steps from it.

I agree hogs are pretty tuff. After seeing many hogs shot with big heavy connicals and running all over the place tracking them. I agree they are pretty tuff animals to kill. XTP'S and harder bullets like Barnes and even Parkers are good medicine for them.

 

[MOdeer]

Grouse, thank you for taking the time to share your extensive experiences with actual live game harvests. I finally had the chance to use a 250 XTP on a deer this year, and was very pleased. Pass through, and a Ray Charles blood trail of about 50 yards. I have taken quite a few deer with a 200 grain XTP, it does kill them, but no pass through with this bullet. I think I'll stick with my XTPs, less expensive than most other bullets, and solid proven perfomance on game.

 

[Grouse]

I think I'll stick with my XTPs, less expensive than most other bullets, and solid proven perfomance on game.

That a good decision. You ever need a long range better BC bullet just switch over to the 275grn Parker Ballistic Extreme. They have been proven in my book at all ranges.

 

[Lee 9]

Grouse
I have had the best fit for XTP's by using my old PRB jag. You might look it over. Lee

 

[Grouse]

Grouse
I have had the best fit for XTP's by using my old PRB jag. You might look it over. Lee

Do you have a pic or a link?

 

[Okie Hog]

The Hornady 240 grain .430 XTP bullets work very well for me and i am not changing to anything else.

 

[alphaburnt]

Okie Hog, the short blacks you mentioned with the .430/240gn- I thought these were for the .451 and .452 bullets- do they load really easy?

 

[Okie Hog]

I thought these were for the .451 and .452 bullets- do they load really easy?

No, they are made for the .430 bullets. Not sure who made them. Someone on one of these sites, maybe Sabotloader, said that they are no longer being made: So i am carefully hoarding the hundred or so i have left.

They do not load easy. I like them for their superb accuracy with the 240 grain .430 XTP bullet.

There is a short black sabot for the .452 bullet.

 

[Skopia]

Have to second the Hornady .430 240gr xtp in a green crush rib sabot. 90 gr 777. Have not had to take a rakeing shot with it yet, but all boiler room shots have been devastating, all pass throughs, blood everywhere.

 

[Okie Hog]

Have not had to take a rakeing shot with it yet,

I have made quite a few of them, especially on hogs. The gray sow in the photos was shot at about 50 yards using the 240 grain .430 XTP and two Pyrodex pellets. That is the entrance hole. There was no exit hole.

The bullet must have struck the animals brain because she went into the air several times. One time she was four feet off the ground and head down. She then kicked for about 30 seconds and died.

http://s290.photobucket.com/albums/ll268/alsaqr/

 

[Banerbird]

I thought these were for the .451 and .452 bullets- do they load really easy?

No, they are made for the .430 bullets. Not sure who made them. Someone on one of these sites, maybe Sabotloader, said that they are no longer being made: So i am carefully hoarding the hundred or so i have left.

They do not load easy. I like them for their superb accuracy with the 240 grain .430 XTP bullet.

There is a short black sabot for the .452 bullet.

The short black for .430 is made by Traditions. I use them currently and love them. Side by side, I can't notice any difference from the green MMP other than the color.

 

[Banerbird]

Here is the link.

http://www.traditionsfirearms.com/eshop/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=A1500