Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Bullet choice for handgun caliber carbines

Home cast softnoses.

Heat treated shanks, LFN or WLN designs.

They expand, will go lengthwise or broadside without deflecting or changing angles.

Larger calibers/larger noses expand easier with less impact speed, FWIW.

I simply prefer to make my own for handgun/carbines.

I have loaded 357 Magnum, 357 Maximum, 44 Magnum, and 45 Colt ammo for carbines since late 2008. Some pistol bullets are not designed for the velocities obtained in carbine and rifles. I had 225gr Barnes XPB fail on a 15yds chest shot of a medium sized deer. The MV was just over 1700fps. After spending half a day searching for the deer I finally discovered it dead. It had run over 500yds with a small thru and thru hole.

Later that week I spoke with Ty Herring at Barnes. He told me that bullet was designed with a maximum velocity of 1400fps.

All this is to say, consider how pistol bullets are designed before launching them at higher than their normal velocities.

The Hornady 250gr and 300gr standard XTPs work well in 45 Colt carbines at speeds of 1500 fps and less. The Speer 300gr DC bullet behaves very well at 1500-1600fps from my carbines.

The Hormady 240gr standard XTP operates across a wide band of 44 Magnum velocities but I found it's best kept under 1800fps. Over that and it comes apart quickly but that usually equates to a quick kill.

The Hornady 158gr standard XTP might be fine at low end 357 Magnum speeds but it fails to penetrate deeply and doesn't seem to kill quickly at 357 Maximum speeds. The 158gr XTP-FP is a better bullet at higher speeds.

I have extensively tested hundreds and maybe even more than 1000 bullets in a plastic corrugated bin filled with soaking wet newspapers. While it may not be the best media to test bullets I have gleened some valuable data from my tests.

"The Hornady 158gr standard XTP might be fine at low end 357 Magnum speeds but it fails to penetrate deeply and doesn't seem to kill quickly at 357 Maximum speeds. The 158gr XTP-FP is a better bullet at higher speeds."

And that's how they were designed.

Exactly my point. Use the right bullet!

Glad to hear. I have a B92 that shot Lever Revolutions well but I didn't like the on game performance and switched to a load with these.

I tried lighter bullets but it flinged them everywhere. I wonder if that is common with handgun caliber carbines?

You will NOT be disappointed with the XTP’s nor the 45 Colt. I have two Winchester 92’s in 45 Colt. I have yet to work up a load for them. Looking very forward to it though. It’ll be 250 or 300 XTP’s.

XTPs are what I use in mine. They work great on deer.

400 gr jsp out of a 20” katahdin barrel at 1700 fps should work well .

Just a follow up. I included AA#9 test loads to go with H110 and Lil'Gun. I was finally able to get to the range and tested those three loads with the Henry 45 Colt. I posted a range day thread in the lever gun forum, but I'm adding the link here to give further info on how the loads worked out.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...372/henry-45-colt-range-day#Post18903372

Yeah XTPs smoke deer reliably.

It's a darn shame that Nosler quit making 44 and 45 cal Partitions. Swift A Frames would be a good choice for someone who wants expansion and penetration. They aren't cheap and are hard to find though. I loaded some up for my 327 Federal. I want to try them out on a doe this year.

Thought I would post a follow up on the loads my brother and I used this season.

I loaded the 250gr. XTP in 45 Colt for my Henry X and in November took a doe at 78 paces. Impact was on the base of the neck and exited the right rib cage. The deer dropped at the shot. At the skinning shed I found a good exit hole. Very happy with that combo and will continue to use it. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures, but it did happen.

Last Thursday, my brother took a young buck between 70-80 yards with his Henry .357. The deer dropped about 10 yards from where he was shot. He used the load I made up for him using Starline brass, H110, WSPM primers and the Hornady 158gr. XTP-FP. The bullet took the deer in the left flank and exited the right side just behind the shoulder. Upon exiting the shoulder, the bullet entered the right front leg and was caught. When skinning the deer, he found the bullet and forwarded a couple of pictures. I thought I would post them to show how well the .357 performed.