Has anyone used the XPB on game, and if so that were your impressions compared to lead cored bullets?

I'm shooting the XPB in my FA 654 41 mag and it shows superb accuracy! I've only killed one animal with it, so far. At 180 grains, it's not lacking in penetration. I was very surprised. I shot this buck with a frontal shot....



You can see a piece of lung protruding from the entry hole just above his brisket. The bullet broke three ribs on his left side (loosing one petal from bullet there) and still penetrated to the rear of his stomach, where the bullet was retrieved. It showed the picture perfect XPB expansion, as advertised...




I may end up trying the XPB in other calibers in the future.

Thanks KRal, that's the kind of info I was looking for. Any idea what your muzzle velocity was?

My data isn't handy, but if memory serves me, it's around 1550 fps out of my 7.5" FA.

Check out Whit's cat that he just killed in Utah. He used the 250 XPB in a 454.

I did a 8' brown bear with a 375 gr. X in a Taurus Raging Bull .500 S&W at 129 yds.-1 shot and a lioness with a 275 gr. X in a .475 gr. FA Linebaugh at 22 yds (2 shots in shoulder). All bullets were in offside shoulders expanded perfectly. (I couldn't get any of the photos to post!). I like handgun Xs for big, dangerous game.
Also did a 12' croc with a 185 gr. TSX in a .325 WSM XP. Like I said, Xs and dangerous game go together and they work perfectly well on non dangerous game. Done a bunch of groundhogs and deer with different calibers.

N-Frame, I have used the XPB on only one animal. Based on Doc Rogers' recommendation, I used the 375 XPB in my .500 S&W on my Alaskan brown bear. It worked great!

Can't argue with this.....

Can't argue with this either.....

I used Federal's 250 XPB load. They rate it at 1,530 fps but I suspect they are going faster. I will chronograph them soon. Here's my kitty cat.

Thanks guys. Very impressive.

Cant Go wrong with the XPB. I used them in Africa to take a lioness @ 18 yrds, a Kudu @ 45 yrds, and an Impala at 90 yrds. All out of a Ruger SR 454 Casull 7.5". It hits like a freight train.

Awesome trophies Kinger! Thanks for sharing the pics and details.

Very impressive, Kinger!

i still think the barnes does the most damage of any bullet. that lion ran only about 30 yards and was down for the count. granted the ph made ya put a couple in until she quit moving. that kudu was awesome, bullet layed the smack down. just a devastating bullet. i shot my cape buff with the swift, but the middle range federal barnes load when i did my post mortem penetration testing penetrated into the offside shoulder meat thru the scapula. DO NOT not use these bullets bc you may be hung up on the grain weight being light compared to lead containing bullets. they just penetrate much better than any bullet that opens up to .8" or more should and they do sooooo much damage you really won't mind a lack of an exit wound.


side note, they're tough and i shot my watusi thru the skull and it pentrated thru the skull and down thru the thickest part around the spine, thru the mandible and in the hide offside and expanded nearly perfectly.

I have started loading the 200grn XPB for my .460 MGM 15" barrel. So far, very accurate. Haven't taken game yet but it is ready. I need to run some through the chrono. I know they are going to do the job. They shoot very flat out to 100 yds.
Mike

Trademark. Being convinced by the heavy for calibre argument with conventional bullets, I was wondering how well the XPBs would penetrate on big game/tough heavy bodied animals. 250 grain max for a 454 sounded way too light for comfort. However your comments put that concern to rest. Thanks.

Now when Trump fixes the ITAR mess I can order some direct.

He doesn't typically use the 250s on really big game. His go-go .454 bullet of the expanding persuasion is the 325 grain A-frame, usually backed up with a heavy solid. I used the 250s on my mountain lion and I consider them perfect cat medicine, and while they certainly penetrated way more than adequately, I wouldn't use them on a big bovine unless I could slip one behind the shoulder. JMHO.

i prefer the swifts on big bovines, elk and smaller is better for barnes territory as my preferred though both will work. i would use on big bovines when i run em hard. when i had the failure with the 50 cal hardcast on the watusi, i went right back to my backpack and grapped the 10" 454 FA83 stoked with those running right at 1800 fps. wouldn't hesitate to use em, but the swifts are a better choice sooooooo unless you're over 1200lbs the barnes are awesome and i imagine we as an industry are missing the boat in the 475 linebaugh and 480 ruger by not using the 275gr xbp. might be the best of the best for anything under 1000lbs outta the 475. don't expect exits, but expect destruction and a quick death.

and when loaded full tilt in the 454, they are quite a bit more mild than pushing a 260 or 300gr lead bullet hard. Atleast that has been my experience thus far.

I need to play with the Barnes again. The ones I recovered from a mule deer I shot looked perfect like the others

I would agree. They do feel quite a bit more mild. The ones that i have recovered are all perfect expansion and i never wished they had gone thru cuz nothing goes far after i hit them. A perfect example is two oryx on the same ranch out here in borden county. First one a hardcast 475 to the rear of the lungs. Chased for seven miles. Similiar placement with a barnes out of the 454 went about 60 yards and went down. I feel those hits are the best comparison bc anything thru the heart or large vessels around it is down quickly no matter what ya hit em with.

Late to the party, but I've had great success with the XPB's, from the 140 gr .357 to the 250 gr .45

I haven't used the XPB (yet), but have had great luck with various TSX and TAC-TX in 25-06 (rifle), 30-30 and 45-70 (contender and encore pistols) and have taken deer with all (don't expect to recover a bullet with that much velocity behind them). A good friend is getting setup to use the 155gn TAC-XP from Buffalo Bore.
They are bloody expensive in factory loads, but much more reasonable as hand loads. Just make sure that you are using them above their recommended minimum velocity. I figure if you push them too fast then they loose their peddles then they act as a flat nose hard cast for the rest of the trip through the target, AND if you caused enough damage to strip peddles it's probably a DRT situation.

one thing for the handgunner is on bigger animals like elk and oryx, etc. do not expect them to exit. they may but not at all angles. you don't need them to either. it goes against our conventional wisdom but they aren't conventional bullets. sure they will on deer and smaller animals but the damage they do is well worth not getting an exit. i used to have offside video footage of an oryx getting hit with them on an extreme quartering away shot and the hide stretched over a foot to hold in that monstrous hollow point.

Would love to see that video if you ever find it.

X2

Me too.