My favorite 44 cal XTP is the 300gr. It expands just as well as the 240 but with more bullet shank behind it. When cranked up to MZ loader speeds it is way good. I never recovered one. I like this bullet so much that i tried to use it in 54 cal inline Remington MZ. Accuracy was not good with a sabot. So i had to move on to 45 cal version 300gr. which works but sectional density is worse.I have not shot anything living with the 44 cal 300 gr XTP from a pistol. The XTP is a good bullet for the money.
I have to concur with this. We shot about a million wt deer with 80 grains of pyrodex or 777 under a 240xtp and they are really reliable killers of normal size wt at normal ranges.
That said, we've found more than a few seperated from jacket and not complete pass throughs, including one pretty miserable failure on a shoulder of a very very large buck.
So there deer is dead, how can you complain? 1lost deer (on good hits) out of literally hundreds... cant say thats a bad record.
But with the 300 grain you get the same deadness and we've never trapped one inside of a deer. in 1-28 twists they seem ot be as accurate if not maybe better/more tolerant of powder charge variation.
To the OP, I used th 180 and 200 xtps in sabots way back in... late 80's very early 90's? Like many, I was chasing speed in a ML rifle. I hit 2 deer with them... hoestly dont recall if it was 180 or 200 grain.
one was a lung shot at about 45 yards on a110lb doe. She ran 20 yards and died. The other was on a wounded deer (not my shot) and I hit it in the head from about the same distance and it was predictably devastating.
So, thats a sample of two, which is about worthless.