Nothing really to add here. Sometimes I have shot Hornady's XTP in my .41 Mag and they make hell of a hole thru armadillo. But most of the time I shoot 215 gr cast SWC and it penetrates a big armadillo like he wasn't there.

I would be very afraid the XTP might leave a very pissed off boar looking to settle the score with me and I don't climb trees as fast as I one could.

If you KNEW all the porkers you were going to meet were going to be 100 pounders, I wouldn't worry. But Murphy's Law says you'll come face to face with a big one.

358,

I'll tell you a story about one of our boar hunts. There were six of us in the hunting party and four of those were strictly archery hunters, one was hunting with a bow but carried a Ruger 7.5" blackhawk in 41 Mag and then there was myself who only carried my Ruger 4 5/8" 45 Colt.

The owner of the ranch insisted that at least one member of the hunting party carry at the minimum a big bore revolver, so the two of us that had handguns were basically playing back-up for most of the hunt.

I was with three of the four archery hunters when they harvested their boars which ranged from 120 lbs to a tick over 300 lbs. All were taken with good enough hits to kill them rather quickly but I was always invited to lead the tracking sessions into the heavy river bottom brush, fun times, it was actually.

On the third day, the hunter that was carrying the 41 Mag came across a huge boar. THe ranch owner had told us that there were two boars on the ranch that had been attacked by dogs as weinners and they had been basically casterated from the attacks. They healed fine but had grown very heavy(fat) from teh lack of breeding activity.

Well, we did not realize how big they actually were until that hunter came back into camp basically white in the face. He said he had stuck an arrow into one of those big pigs and had lost it in the brush and wanted to know if I would come help him find his pig and I agreed.

Se got to where the pig had hit the brush and from the path he smashed into the brush I new this was the biggest pig I had ever tracked. We tracked teh blood trail until it ran dry and then we decided to regroup and find some higher ground and glass for the pig.

After about an hour we spotted a small heard to sows moving through the brush and the big pig was slowly trailing them. The arrow still sticking out of him. The shot was a bit far back and to high to do alot of damage.

The hunter who had shot the pig wanted to run down and hit the pig again but I talked him into giving up his bow and using his handgun. It looked like we could get within 25 yards or so. He agreed and we started out on the stalk.

We were about 200 yrds from the pig when I thought to ask him what he had loaded in his 41. He stated the 210 gr XTP loaded to 1400 fps. I quickly told him he was going to have a penetration problem if he hit heavy bone.

Before the hunt he ordered some 250 gr hard cast from me to load up with astout charge of H-110 just for these pigs. I asked him why he wa not using them and he said he did not have time to develope a load for them.

I asked him if he would be able to make a good hit behind the shoulder, missing the armor shield and shoulder bone of the pig. He said he could easily do that. I told him I would back him up with the 45 Colt which was loaded with the great 300 gr Speer Uni-Core SP loaded to a tick over 1200 fps.

We crawled though the brush until we came to the edge and found the big pig standing on the other side of the opening against the brush. Instead of 25 yards, he had moved across the opening and was now around 40 yards away.

Still the hunter felt confident that he could make the shot cleanly.

He rested over a branch of the shrub we had crawled into and let the 41 go. The pig dropped to the shot like he was hit by a bolt of lightening. It shocked me so much I almost slipped of a round through my 45.

I was very surprised to see the pig drop but aslo happy as well. We walked up to the pig and I asked him where he was aiming. He said behind the shoulder. We got to the pig and found the 210 gr XTP had sttruck the pig about 1" below and 1" in front of the pigs ear.

We took pictures of what turned out to be a 557 lb pig, flat out huge thing. We put the stick in the mouth to prop open the jaws to show off the tuskers for the camera.

About 7-8 minute after the hit, we were finishing up the photo session. The hunter had just laid the pigs big head on the ground when I heard a twig snap. It was the twig in the mouth of the pig. The hunter jumped back as the +500 lb pig started to move.

The hunter had his 41 in his hands for the photo and shot the pig twice before I could stand up, draw and shot the pig once with the Colt.

After we calmed our nerves and though about the condiditon of our underware, we realized the pig was finally dead.

When we got back to the ranch house and dressed the pig, we found two of the three rounds we had fired into the pig after it came to. They were both 41 Mag, 210 gr XTP that were mushroomed beautifully but had only penetrated into the onside lung of the pig, certainly not enough to stop a fight.

The 300 gr Colt had taken out the onside shoulder and vented both lungs before fully exiting.

Even more interesting was when we capped the head. We found the original 210 gr XTP. IT had hit the skull and simply rode under the skin for about 5" and was resting just under the eye. After boiling off the skull, we realized it had not even cracked the skull, it just knocked the pig out for a couple minutes.

The boar I harvested next was not nearly as large, only about 290 lbs but the Colt took out both shoulders at 30 yards and the pig fell on his nose to the shot. Again with full penetration.

Before that hunt, I new the XTP bullets were very accurate but poor penetrators except on light game. After that hunt, I will never recommend XTP to any of my customers for hunting anything over 100 lbs and even then I will now recommend a cast bullet from CPB.

Just some insight to boar hunting with the XTP. On that +500 lb pig, the three 210 gr XTP's panatrated a combined total of about 12". Not real impressive for three shots.

just keep that in mind when the XTP crosses your mind. I agree that it is one of the most accurate big bore bullets on the market, my 44 Mag in the Ruger SRH will drive a cylinder of the 300 gr XTP's into sub 4" groups at 125 yards. Still I use the 270 gr Speer Gold Dot SP which will shoot into 6" at 125 yards.

The lighter bonded bullet penetrate far better then the heavier XTP.

Good Shooting!!!

50

fiftydriver, Always enjoy the accounts of your stories with handguns. Good read.

I don't get good accuracy with speer sp I mean its acceptable but not what I like. But what I was wondering is what is your thoughts on sierra sportsmasters sp bullets. I like there 300 gr version of the soft point. Also what do you think of the sierra jhc compaired to the xtp for deer sized game or really just deer hunting? I am using my Dan Wesson 445 supermag with these bullets. I do have cast bullets from CP and beartooth bullets but for deer size game I want a jacketed bullet. Your thoughts please.

Thanks

Brian

Fifty, I agree with you 100%. I shot one deer with the XTP. It went between ribs, through the heart and stopped against the skin on the offside. What would happen with a quartering shot? I switched to LBT's and homemade moulds that are the same design. I am always amazed at how fast they kill deer. I use them in my .44, .45 Colt and 45-70 BFR. I have never recovered a boolit with these and deer go between 30 feet and 30 yds. I refuse to hunt with a condom bullet no matter what make they are since going to LBT's. I have a large box full of all calibers and it looks like they will corrode before I shoot them up. I hate to even practice with them because I have to make sure all the copper is out of the bore before going back to cast. I can shoot 200 cast boolits before cleaning and I will not find the slightest sliver of lead in the bores. So why buy bullets that do not perform as good as a good cast boolit?
I will admit that the XTP is the most accurate bullet for silhouette that I ever found. Since I quit IHMSA, I have no more use for them. Grease balls are the only thing to hunt with.

445 Supermag,

I would agree that the Speer SP Uni-Core bullets are generally no the most accurate bullts of the bunch but I have always found them to be up to the job of big game hunting. That of course is out of my handguns and we all know different guns like different bullets.

If you are not satisfied with the accuracy out of your revolver then I would not recommend or use them either.

As far as the Sierra bullets go. I used them alot in my 44 mag, at least the 300 gr version and found them to be a very hard bullet. THey are quite accurate, only slightly if any less accurate then the XTP but I found them to shed their jackets just as often as the XTP.

They do seem to penetrate better then the XTP though because they are so hard and rarely expand much over bullet diameter. Out of your stouter 445 SM, I would bet you could get decent expansion in a more controlled manor compared to the XTP but I also fear that with the increased velocity you may experience jacket seperation more often.

I know of hunters using the JHC on deer and they say they are getting good results, I also know they do not get a very high percentage of full penetration.

Personally, I like two holes for blood to pour out of. I hunt in some very thick river bottom brush and even if a buck drops within 50 yards of the shot, there will still be an hour of tracking if it is done correctly. Two holes leave a much better tracking trail then one in my experience, also, two bloodied sides rub alot more brush and grass as well leaving added tracking sign.

THe one thing handgun hunters actually do have going for them is penetration if they use the correct bullet. We have very little kenetic energy, no hydrostatic shock and relatively little tissue disruption compared to high powered rifles.

handguns work so well because they can drive a heavy, relatively slow bullet with a large flat frontal area deep through the vitals and with the proper bullet, through any bone as well.

I do not and can not recommend any conventionally designed HP for deer hunting. I am not saying they won't work because I know they will but when asked the question, I will recommend a bullet I know will work 100% of the time.

That is a heavy cast LBT design.

Good Shooting!!!

50

Bfrshooter,

I am sad to say I too have several thousand dollars worth of jacketed bullet just sitting on the shelf. I might sell the damn things to customers if I stopped recommending hard cast bullets.

Course, my customers success in the field is far more important then getting my inventory down.

Good Shooting!!!

50