Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders MZ pistol bullets for whitetail

I've killed a lot of deer with 300 Gr XTP's in 44 caliber.
I've only ever recovered one that went nearly 3 feet lengthwise through and stopped under the hide on the off side.

I was getting around 1600 FPS.

Shot another buck yesterday with my 90 Gr BH209 240 XTP load. This one was broadside, about 80-90 yds out. Much better bullet performance, less mess. I think I just need to slow this load down a bit for the close shots. Going to try 80 grains for speed and accuracy when I get bored this winter.

Try DRT bullets and 110 grain of 209 Blackthorn. Devastating

My V2 likes 70 gr weight of BH209, Harvester Smooth Sabot, and a Hornady 4305 pistiol bullet. That 265 gr FTX bullet did a great job on 4 whitetail and 2 hogs so far.

As others have said, 300 grain bullets tend to hold together a little better. I haven’t tried any of the solid copper pistol bullets, but I imagine they would do very well.

They work fine in a Ruger Deerfield. Never tried them in a muzzleloader. In the Deerfield my wife killed a 300 or so pound boar on a Women's NRA commercial hunt in Tennessee with the 270gr factory load. One shoulder shot and down. Bullet not recovered. I've loaded them with I think 22gr H110 but might have been 21gr, I'll have to check. Killed a 150something pound buck down thru the right shoulder blade and found it well expanded low just behind the left rib cage. He was maybe 15 yards out and staggered off another 20 or so. Killed another about the same size thru both shoulders but missing bone and he ran maybe 50 yards. Rib cage and innards showed good expansion and complete penetration. Doe at maybe 75 yards in the neck down and dead, bullet thru and thru. Pretty sure you can get .44 mag velocity with that bullet in a muzzleloader without much trouble.

Thanks for the input.

I like the 44 cal. 300 gr XTP's

They've given good accuracy in every gun in which I've used them, and I've never recovered but one, which went most of the way lengthwise through a deer and stopped under the hide. It was perfectly mushroomed.

Ordered up some 300 XTP’s and crush ribs, we shall see how they do after I get the leaves blown and trapping slows down. Thanks all for the input.

I mistook your question / subject. I was going to say we're not allowed to hunt deer here with muzzleloading pistols. Kinda pisses me off. I hope to cheat on that a bit and "game" the rules: I want to pick up a Ruger cap and ball (I see them once in a while), swap in a .45 colt cylinder, and load the ammo with round balls and black powder.

As to your question, we're not allowed to use saboted bullets during muzzleloader only season but we can use them in a muzzleloader for hunts where a centerfire rifle is legal. Back when I shot a TC Big Boar I had some sabots for .45 cal bullets and launched some 270 grain SWCs. Accuracy wasn't all that great and I never "made meat" with them. I have a couple boxes of .45 cal sabots with 10mm / .40 cal plastic tipped bullets which I hope to try to shoot a cougar with and I have some loose sabots and 135 grain 10mm hollowpoints that might do for a coyote .. time permitting.

Tom