So, I finally got around to doing a water jug test on these two bullets. I've used them for a few years in my .45 Colt Henry rifle for deer hunting, and have taken deer with both bullets. The loads are as follows:
250gr XTP - 23.0gr Accurate #9, WLP primer, Starline brass. This load gives 1762 fps from my Henry, per the Garmin.
240gr XTP Mag - 23.5gr Accurate #9, WLP primer, Starline brass. This load gives 1770 fps from my Henry, per the Garmin.
Both of these loads are very accurate in my rifle and will routinely shoot holes touching at 50 yards. More than good enough for deer hunting around here. The property that I hunt on is almost entirely hardwood ridges, hollows, and stream bottoms. Most shots are taken at about 50 yards, on average. Sometimes closer, but 100 yards would be a very long shot, given the terrain. Anything more than that is virtually unheard-of on this property, with only a couple places where you might take a shot out at 125 or so. I zero this rifle at 75 yards and have no concerns about keeping it in the vitals anywhere within these ranges.
The setup for the test was a series of water jugs, arranged within a wooden chute, at a distance of 50 yards. I know some guys do these tests at much closer distances, but my goal was to approximate the results that I might get on deer, under normal hunting conditions.
First up, the 250gr XTP. It shot thru the first 3 jugs, and pierced the 4th but did not enter. Bullet was found on the table between jugs 3 and 4.
Pictures of the jugs, in order from 1-4.
The bullet expanded completely, .772" at its widest, and the jacket folded completely back on itself. There was almost no shank left, indicating that it was near its maximum recommended impact velocity.
The bullet retained 202.8gr, or 81% of its original weight.
Although I didn't film the test, it was apparent to me that the 250gr XTP, being the softer bullet of the two, dumped more energy upon initial impact. The first jug went airborne and flew off the test chute from this bullet, whereas the XTP Mag penetrated without creating as much initial shock.
To be continued in another post...
Brian
250gr XTP - 23.0gr Accurate #9, WLP primer, Starline brass. This load gives 1762 fps from my Henry, per the Garmin.
240gr XTP Mag - 23.5gr Accurate #9, WLP primer, Starline brass. This load gives 1770 fps from my Henry, per the Garmin.
Both of these loads are very accurate in my rifle and will routinely shoot holes touching at 50 yards. More than good enough for deer hunting around here. The property that I hunt on is almost entirely hardwood ridges, hollows, and stream bottoms. Most shots are taken at about 50 yards, on average. Sometimes closer, but 100 yards would be a very long shot, given the terrain. Anything more than that is virtually unheard-of on this property, with only a couple places where you might take a shot out at 125 or so. I zero this rifle at 75 yards and have no concerns about keeping it in the vitals anywhere within these ranges.
The setup for the test was a series of water jugs, arranged within a wooden chute, at a distance of 50 yards. I know some guys do these tests at much closer distances, but my goal was to approximate the results that I might get on deer, under normal hunting conditions.
First up, the 250gr XTP. It shot thru the first 3 jugs, and pierced the 4th but did not enter. Bullet was found on the table between jugs 3 and 4.
Pictures of the jugs, in order from 1-4.
The bullet expanded completely, .772" at its widest, and the jacket folded completely back on itself. There was almost no shank left, indicating that it was near its maximum recommended impact velocity.
The bullet retained 202.8gr, or 81% of its original weight.
Although I didn't film the test, it was apparent to me that the 250gr XTP, being the softer bullet of the two, dumped more energy upon initial impact. The first jug went airborne and flew off the test chute from this bullet, whereas the XTP Mag penetrated without creating as much initial shock.
To be continued in another post...
Brian
