Thread: 44mag hornady FTX or XTP for hunting

As title guys anyone have realworld experience with either out to 100m on pigs and deer

Cheers

300 grn XTP have a hard horrible lead core. They are made for protection from grizzly's - sleep with your 44 under your pillow etc.
They are crap for deer and pigs in NZ and will penetrate with zero expansion. The only slight expansion you see is when you dig them out of the dirt. They still kill with totally precise shot placement but are a disappointment in the expansion department
The 300grn Noslers are soft pure lead cored.

The 240g xtp is a good killer on everything I have shot with them,all under 50m tho .

240 grain xtp's are good even at sub sonic speeds they open up nicely.
300 xtp's don't stabilise very well sub sonic in my suppressed 44 and also don't expend or penetrate as well as the 240s .... figure that.
FTX don't penetrate or expand as well as 240 xtp either

Thanks guys.
Are the factory 44mag handgun loads same as "rifle loads" im picking theyre the same as its a pistol cartridge
Might be a silly question but new carrridge to me

Norma loaded a carbine load back in the day not recommended for pistol use,it was very potent in pistols if you were game, The current loadings are to pistol pressures
not much point in going hotter just wears out your brass without gaining much, I have 260HP 270HP 280FP cast bullets if you want to save some money

Originally Posted by shooternz

I have 260HP 270HP 280FP cast bullets if you want to save some money

Are any of those better than the others for feeding in a lever action?

250 FTX 100 yards into a spiker.


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@BRADS 250grain ?
Handloads what sorta muzzle velocity?

Originally Posted by Tommy

Are any of those better than the others for feeding in a lever action?

Check my listing on TM for pictures they have the same profile as jacketed but the hollow points expand better than the 250 FTX
in Brads photo, the 280FP will pass though pigs at 100 metres with a muzzle velocity of 1000fps

My load in my ruger77/44 is 22g of 2205 240g xtp 1.6col ,easily shoot 1in group @ 50m and kills really well with minimal meat damage.i would shoot out to 100m with confidence with it.

Originally Posted by akaroa1

240 grain xtp's are good even at sub sonic speeds they open up nicely.
300 xtp's don't stabilise very well sub sonic in my suppressed 44 and also don't expend or penetrate as well as the 240s .... figure that.
FTX don't penetrate or expand as well as 240 xtp either

You must be running the 300's slower than the 240's. If they are not expanding as much and we know that they don't then that is the only conclusion.

Popped into my local and they only have the 225ftx leverevolution.
Is the 240XTP in hornady custom ?

Not custom just standard load from hornady.