Forgot to say actual velocities yesterday. With 23.8 of H110 compared to hornady custom both with a 240xtp I got 1710 vs 1735 from a rifle and 1210 vs 1280 from a 4.25” revolver. Handloads slightly slower across the board but no noticeable change in accuracy or point of impact. Consistently held sub 2” groups at 50 from both with a rifle and 3” groups at 20 with the 4.25” s&w
@@garrettschienschang7898 pretty good stuff👍🏻. These have such a big spread from min-max velocities that they operate in. It leaves a lot of room for adjusting for different powders and seating depths to get the best accuracy out of a particular barrel.
Great video. I saw an article where a group of hunters were using the 200 gr XTP 44 bullet at the carbine velocities shown on deer at 200 yards. The load worked perfectly.
This is the reason I've used xtp in my muzzle loaders so many years. you proved what I already know.im excited, I can hunt deers with pistols starting this Saturday through January 1. I've never taken deer with pistols/ revolvers in my lifetime of hunting . I'm going to try to hunt when I fell up to it. I will say lung shot , my favorite because bigger target, if you hunt with those bullets it's not uncommon to see on the ground a strand of pink cottage cheese excited on lung shots around 2+ feet long about 11/2 to 2or so inches thick. I greatly enjoyed and appreciate your videos. papa wishing you well. 😊
@kentuckyrangetime each hunt a new day ,a new journey, a new learning experience. after nearly 47 years and much success ,I'm still learning. it's not always what we get out of the hunt but what we put in to the hunt. Papa
@ Absolutely. I’ve headed out many a trip and ended up just enjoying being out. Even passedzon some good shots because the rest of the trip was better than the work of processing the kill. 😂😉
I learn a lot from your presentations, though not a handloader myself. You demonstrate just how important bullet construction is, and why a person needs to consider bullet construction when deciding what to use for this game or that, at this range or that. Keep the velocity at the point of impact to ~1300 fps, and the bullet will do what it was designed to do. That said... The lever-gun velocities mean that the bullet will be at it's best, at a range where the bullet had slowed down from ~1700 fps, to more like ~1300 fps, say ~100 yards. Likewise, the handguns used in the video, also are at their best, with this load, at various ranges, say, 10-20-30 yards. The lever-gun, to my mind, is for ~30 - 100 yards. Anyway.... Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the video. I took my first handgun deer last year with a 240 gr Nosler soft point over a near-max load of IMR4227. The expansion wasn't great and the deer managed to run about 140 yards after being hit with a double-lung shot (my buddy kicked him up from where he bedded down). So this year I switched to the 200 gr XTP. Accuracy is excellent, but I won't be able to go afield til after Thanksgiving. I have high hopes for this load if I get presented with the right shot.
The lead bullets sure produce more velocity then the Barnes coppers. Monolithic bullets have so much bearing surface that pressures spike before the lead. For the cost difference and added velocity I'd stick with cup and core. Thanks for the testing.
I use the 200 XTP exclusively in my 8-3/8" S&W 629 Classic and have taken deer out to 100 yards with this load. I am getting 1650 fps with H110 in my reloads and accuracy is fantastic. I have used the 300 XTP bullets as well, but I had a stability issue with these longer bullets where if I hit a rib, it would turn back into the gut of the deer. Never had an issue with the 200 grain XTP.
Good stuff. Many thanks. Great data & demo. Though I have never used the 200 XTP it looks great and viable. I loaded the 200 Speer traditional JHP years ago hot with W296. In my crude test medias I was not pleased or impressed with performance. It typically deformed without proper expansion. But the XTPs never disappointed in the 240s. All the best.
Looks like you have the chronograph sorted out pretty well. I suspect that a home invader that took one of those from the rifle would quickly reasses his cost benefit analysis. It would be really interesting to see what the minimum impact velocity for expansion is for this bullet. I have a box of those and a pound of Tite Group on order. The last load that I am curious about is a 240 grain LSWC at about 600-650 fps. Why you ask. I am glad you asked. 😊 It resembles the old 44 Russian and 455 Webley man stoppers.
Wow, I just checked the energy power on the tracker with the 200xtp at 935 ft/lb and the smith 23/4 barrel 782 ft/ lb energy power. wow that's awesome. papa wishing you well 😊
Good morning and good test and appreciate your efforts. My loads are 1800 to 1900 fps out of my cva 20 inch barrel rifle. Always wondered if I needed to push it faster but the results say I'm good for the 200 gr. I've not shot the 240. The 200 is very accurate
On point as always, Matt! I think that the star of the show, or at least best supporting actor, is Lil Gun. Have you used it with the 240 grain pill, and did it outshine H110 like it did in .357? Appreciate your insight.
@@tombraley3212 I have not tried the 240gr with lil-gun yet, but the Hodgden RDC shows a 60fps velocity gain with Lil-gun over H-110 so it’s worth checking out at some point. 😉
Great velocities and in the rifle very good trajectory numbers. I think the penetration may be somewhat lacking for big game with this bullet. It may get the job done but you'd have to be very careful about where you place the bullet. It may work well as a self-defense load using slightly less powder to get just a little less velocity
Hornady 44 Mag XTP Bullets; 180 and 200 grain are best for Pistol home defense. 240 grain best for Deer size Game pistol and rifle. 300 grain for bigger stuff.
Following this 44 mag series; I think I will be switching over to the 200 grn xtp over the 180s. I have a lot of 180s but I think I will get better performance out of the 200 grn. out of a S&W 1854.
Some reports out there saying g light weight bullets and max loads of Lil-Gun does some damage to the forcing cone in the form of gas cutting. The reports say MAX loads lighter bullets. I am not convinced yet but I shoot heavy cast moderate velocities. Love these tests good explanation of what your doing and what your using. Those little Rossi are fun little guns I have two in 480 Ruger .
@@michaelrocole7174 I’ve heard the reports about the little gun flame cutting. I’d say it depends greatly on how many rounds your shooting. Competitive shooters might see it but 99% of us will probably never run enough rounds in 1 gun to ever notice it. 😉
@ I agree I have an 8lb jug and use it allot. I shoot mostly heavy to moderate speeds but the performance and accuracy is fantastic. I would love to see you test more Wide Flat Nose cast bullets in gel. Both hardcast and same version in pure soft lead. If you want me to cast some later this winter and send them to you let me know I have a nice 270 grain 44 WFN GC mould.
Send me a private message and I will get you my cell phone number so we can coordinate I have some already cast up hardcast all I need to do is lube them and add the gas check. Can do that tonight maybe.
Forgot to say actual velocities yesterday. With 23.8 of H110 compared to hornady custom both with a 240xtp I got 1710 vs 1735 from a rifle and 1210 vs 1280 from a 4.25” revolver. Handloads slightly slower across the board but no noticeable change in accuracy or point of impact. Consistently held sub 2” groups at 50 from both with a rifle and 3” groups at 20 with the 4.25” s&w
@@garrettschienschang7898 pretty good stuff👍🏻. These have such a big spread from min-max velocities that they operate in. It leaves a lot of room for adjusting for different powders and seating depths to get the best accuracy out of a particular barrel.
Great video.
I saw an article where a group of hunters were using the 200 gr XTP 44 bullet at the carbine velocities shown on deer at 200 yards. The load worked perfectly.
@@robertseafield5810 I took a white tail last year at 120yrds with the 180gr. It worked very well.
This is the reason I've used xtp in my muzzle loaders so many years. you proved what I already know.im excited, I can hunt deers with pistols starting this Saturday through January 1. I've never taken deer with pistols/ revolvers in my lifetime of hunting . I'm going to try to hunt when I fell up to it. I will say lung shot , my favorite because bigger target, if you hunt with those bullets it's not uncommon to see on the ground a strand of pink cottage cheese excited on lung shots around 2+ feet long about 11/2 to 2or so inches thick. I greatly enjoyed and appreciate your videos. papa wishing you well. 😊
@@johnnymccann5607 Good luck on your hunt!!
@kentuckyrangetime each hunt a new day ,a new journey, a new learning experience. after nearly 47 years and much success ,I'm still learning. it's not always what we get out of the hunt but what we put in to the hunt. Papa
@ Absolutely. I’ve headed out many a trip and ended up just enjoying being out. Even passedzon some good shots because the rest of the trip was better than the work of processing the kill. 😂😉
Absolutely impressive. Good morning
@@randyadams03 👍🏻. good morn’n..
I learn a lot from your presentations, though not a handloader myself.
You demonstrate just how important bullet construction is, and why a person needs to consider bullet construction when deciding what to use for this game or that, at this range or that. Keep the velocity at the point of impact to ~1300 fps, and the bullet will do what it was designed to do. That said...
The lever-gun velocities mean that the bullet will be at it's best, at a range where the bullet had slowed down from ~1700 fps, to more like ~1300 fps, say ~100 yards. Likewise, the handguns used in the video, also are at their best, with this load, at various ranges, say, 10-20-30 yards. The lever-gun, to my mind, is for ~30 - 100 yards.
Anyway....
Keep up the good work.
@@nickpaglia543 exactly!!👍🏻 👊🏻. Thanks!
Thanks for the video. I took my first handgun deer last year with a 240 gr Nosler soft point over a near-max load of IMR4227. The expansion wasn't great and the deer managed to run about 140 yards after being hit with a double-lung shot (my buddy kicked him up from where he bedded down). So this year I switched to the 200 gr XTP. Accuracy is excellent, but I won't be able to go afield til after Thanksgiving. I have high hopes for this load if I get presented with the right shot.
@@cristianespinal9917 👍🏻. It’s hard to beat these XTP bullets. Keep me posted on how they work! 😉
The lead bullets sure produce more velocity then the Barnes coppers. Monolithic bullets have so much bearing surface that pressures spike before the lead. For the cost difference and added velocity I'd stick with cup and core. Thanks for the testing.
I use the 200 XTP exclusively in my 8-3/8" S&W 629 Classic and have taken deer out to 100 yards with this load. I am getting 1650 fps with H110 in my reloads and accuracy is fantastic. I have used the 300 XTP bullets as well, but I had a stability issue with these longer bullets where if I hit a rib, it would turn back into the gut of the deer. Never had an issue with the 200 grain XTP.
I think the 200 grain XTP is the most slept-on bullet for 44 mag. It may be the best do-it-all weight there is.
@@locomike102 👍🏻 it definitely fills the void between the 180 and 240gr. Great expansion and moderate penetration.
Interestingly that is apparently what Winchester thought in 1873 when they brought out the 44 WCF AKA 44-40. 😇
Good stuff. Many thanks. Great data & demo. Though I have never used the 200 XTP it looks great and viable. I loaded the 200 Speer traditional JHP years ago hot with W296. In my crude test medias I was not pleased or impressed with performance. It typically deformed without proper expansion. But the XTPs never disappointed in the 240s. All the best.
@@guardianminifarm8005 👍🏻
I'm a huge fan of the XTP and that test shows that one will perform all the way out to 200yd.
It’s very interesting, the shorter barrels give deeper penetration
@@russelljones1986 yes, with less expansion, and frontal area generating resistance, they don’t slow down as fast. 😉👍🏻
Xtp are just a great hunting bullet have used them since they came out in 357 and 44 mag and 454
Looks like you have the chronograph sorted out pretty well.
I suspect that a home invader that took one of those from the rifle would quickly reasses his cost benefit analysis.
It would be really interesting to see what the minimum impact velocity for expansion is for this bullet.
I have a box of those and a pound of Tite Group on order.
The last load that I am curious about is a 240 grain LSWC at about 600-650 fps. Why you ask. I am glad you asked. 😊 It resembles the old 44 Russian and 455 Webley man stoppers.
Wow, I just checked the energy power on the tracker with the 200xtp at 935 ft/lb and the smith 23/4 barrel 782 ft/ lb energy power. wow that's awesome. papa wishing you well 😊
Good morning and good test and appreciate your efforts. My loads are 1800 to 1900 fps out of my cva 20 inch barrel rifle. Always wondered if I needed to push it faster but the results say I'm good for the 200 gr. I've not shot the 240. The 200 is very accurate
On point as always, Matt! I think that the star of the show, or at least best supporting actor, is Lil Gun. Have you used it with the 240 grain pill, and did it outshine H110 like it did in .357? Appreciate your insight.
@@tombraley3212 I have not tried the 240gr with lil-gun yet, but the Hodgden RDC shows a 60fps velocity gain with Lil-gun over H-110 so it’s worth checking out at some point. 😉
@ Thank you, Matt!
Great velocities and in the rifle very good trajectory numbers. I think the penetration may be somewhat lacking for big game with this bullet. It may get the job done but you'd have to be very careful about where you place the bullet. It may work well as a self-defense load using slightly less powder to get just a little less velocity
@@frankbrowning328 👍🏻. The 180gr will be out tomorrow. It’s probably going to make an excellent self defense load too 😉
Hornady 44 Mag XTP Bullets;
180 and 200 grain are best for Pistol home defense.
240 grain best for Deer size Game pistol and rifle.
300 grain for bigger stuff.
Following this 44 mag series; I think I will be switching over to the 200 grn xtp over the 180s. I have a lot of 180s but I think I will get better performance out of the 200 grn. out of a S&W 1854.
The 180's are good for a .44 special plinker load.
Some reports out there saying g light weight bullets and max loads of Lil-Gun does some damage to the forcing cone in the form of gas cutting. The reports say MAX loads lighter bullets. I am not convinced yet but I shoot heavy cast moderate velocities. Love these tests good explanation of what your doing and what your using. Those little Rossi are fun little guns I have two in 480 Ruger .
@@michaelrocole7174 I’ve heard the reports about the little gun flame cutting. I’d say it depends greatly on how many rounds your shooting. Competitive shooters might see it but 99% of us will probably never run enough rounds in 1 gun to ever notice it. 😉
@ I agree I have an 8lb jug and use it allot. I shoot mostly heavy to moderate speeds but the performance and accuracy is fantastic. I would love to see you test more Wide Flat Nose cast bullets in gel. Both hardcast and same version in pure soft lead. If you want me to cast some later this winter and send them to you let me know I have a nice 270 grain 44 WFN GC mould.
@ I would love to test some of those. Let me know when they’re ready and I’ll get you an address. 😉👍🏻👊🏻
@ absolutely will do
Send me a private message and I will get you my cell phone number so we can coordinate I have some already cast up hardcast all I need to do is lube them and add the gas check. Can do that tonight maybe.
Any chance for the 180gr XTP 44 mag loads and gel test ?
@@user-ti7uj4dq5n👍🏻 Yes!! A really good chance, it’s dropping live at 6am tomorrow!! 😉👍🏻👊🏻
Wonder how sierra 180 210 240 would do I've never loaded any it's always been hornady in my 44mag
@@waynemayle865 same here. Lol. Sierra is harder to find in my local shops and usually a lot more expensive.
@kentuckyrangetime you ain't lying sierra is way to high on bullets these day's