Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Hornady 240 XTP on Deer

Have any of you folks use Hornady 240 XTP HP out of A 44mag rifle on deer?

Oh yes. It’s the only bullet I use in my .44 mag rifles and my muzzleloader. Works great.

not out of a 44 Mag.... but a 444 Marlin instead...

its more than lethal...

but I've upgraded to the 300 grain XTP for that kind of service..

just more of a good thing...

Thanks, did you get exit wounds?

used the 240 XTP on one mature whitetail buck ,it broke both shoulders and lodged under the off side hide. It was one of the quickest kills that I've ever seen! They're accurate out of my Marlin 1894 44 mag.

I’ve never recovered one from my 44 mag rifles. A buddy uses the 300 grain XTP out of his and he’s had pass throughs as well. We are talking probably fifty deer between us.

The only 240 grain I’ve recovered was a buck I killed at 125 yards, a hard quartering away shot with my muzzleloader, and it was just under the offside hide and pretty as a picture.

Not on deer, but hogs. They were launched from a 444. DRT.

Do you shoot them with top end loads ?

And what is your load if you don't mind .?

Don't have load data off the top of my head, but we have used the 200 grain XTP in multiple handguns and rifles. I do know it's a mild-side load of H110. Shoots good out of everything except my 4" Mountain Gun. Great results on average sized Pa. Whitetails. So far it's been used out of:
Redhawk 5.5" and 7.5"
Smith 629 6" (my 4" Mountain didn't like them, use 305 grain cast in it...)
Marlin and Ruger Levers
Ruger 77/44

Not out of a modern rifle, but have shot MANY deer with a muzzleloader, with that bullet around 1800 fps. Not real reliable for exits, but they kill very well. 300's are much better, if you need an exit. You are probably going faster than I am. Not sure how much difference that makes.

My Ruger 44mag semi-auto likes 23.5gr H110 or Win 296, right at 1/2 way between Min & Max from Hodgdon website. Have had some pass thru's & some just under far side fur on other side.

I've been using the 240's with great success since Ohio opened it up to rifles with my 1894. Last year both myself and my buddy killed nice deer using them. I shot mine THROUGH a tree and still killed him. I love the XTPs

I used TAC, 50 some grains. I sold the rifle, dies, ammo and brass to fella here.

I have seen then work well on hogs. I hand load the Speer 270 grain Gold Dot Soft Point myself. Only load I have ever used in my 1894S

I have killed deer and hogs with the 240gr SP. They work well

I've used them in my muzzleloader. They've worked very well.

I've loaded them for my 444 Marlin and a 44 mag with good results. I have a Ruger #3 that shoots the HSM 305 gr factory ammo in tight cloverleaf groups at 60 yards.(I have three stands with max shots at 60 yds).

I used it on a few with a SuperBlackhawk and a Handi-Rifle. Still use it in the BlackHawk, didn't se the need in my Handi, as I got good results with a JSP 240 on deer, and didn't see much difference in how the deer reacted when shot.

Dead is dead.

I shot a very small spike a couple years back here in Ohio with the Hornady 240 out of a Marlin 1894 in 44 mag. I got a perfect pass through with a large, maybe one inch, exit hole. I had five deer come by where I was sitting, maybe 70 yards away. There were three smaller deer and two larger. When one of the larger separated from the rest I assumed it would be a larger doe seeing how it was the late gun weekend here in Ohio. Needless to say I was wrong. I submitted the deer for the "dink-a-thon" and was chastised for "posting a monster like that" with spikes maybe an inch long that were laid flat against the skull and were lower then the hair.

A friend of mine has neatly killed numerous deer with 44 mag handguns and the 240 grain XTP. It works well.