I've been moving in the other direction. I have found that a heart shot animal is closer to death than a lung shot animal. Sometimes only one lung is clipped and you may never find the animal. The heart, on the other hand......

I've been away for the last few days so I haven't weighed in on this discussion, but here it goes.

I'm not a "hater" as that denotes some sort of emotional attachment to an inanimate object. I am however someone who evolves when he sees patterns developing from the use of certain equipment (bullets, guns, optics, etc.). I have used XTPs to some success, but have always had my concerns as they did not perform as advertised. For example, and expanding bullet that doesn't expand. When they don't expand they do a poor impersonation of a non-expanding flat-nosed solid. That's just a fact.

I personally think the OP used the wrong bullet on a Texas heart shot. It's just the wrong tool for the task at hand, favoring a bullet that provides uncompromising penetration. That said, as Zee pointed out, until the animal is recovered and dissected, all of this discussion is speculation. That said, I have experienced first hand poor results from the bullets in question, which is not up for speculation. I have no qualms against the shot the OP chose as I have used it successfully in the past, but I typically load for maximum penetration.

Below are a few examples of the bullets that have failed that I have witnessed.

Facts to consider.......

All animals react differently when hit.... one or two or whatever accounts of something not going the way you like with a bullets is still more than likely left in the guessing realm and not necessarily the fact side.

A bullet in the vitals will kill the animal. Shot placement trumps all else.

If you don't want to track....punch both shoulders...

The bullet, gun, scope, rings, bases, and other things are all the easy scape goat for shooter error.

I have been fortunate enough to take a lot of fair chase game. Used sierra, xtp, barnes, cast, and Im sure some others along the way. As long as I did my part meat was in the freezer. If I didn't have meat in the freezer 99.9% of the time it was my fault.

I'd take the shot again, same bullet and load, given the chance. Primarily because every hog we kill is one less to take out of the woods. They are vermin.

That being said, I learned (emphasis on learned) the limitations of the XTP through my experience and your input. I originally chose to shoot it because of availability and previous success with their rifle bullets. So now I'm tasked with finding another bullet to shoot. Appreciate all the input and guidance.

There have been enough recovered unmushroomed XTP?s to cause concern. Greg Richter moderator here recovered a 400 grain .475 XTP from a mule deer that didn?t expand. That is bullet failure even with a recovered deer.

See below
http://www.handgunhunt.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=1339&ppuser=2724

Hornady 300 XTP fired from a G2 Contender at roughly 1200 FPS. This bullet passed through a 200 lb +/- hog sholder and stuck in the skin on the far side. Pig dropped in its tracks. These bullets will do their job properly placed.

ALTHOUGH I HAVE SUCCESSFULLY USED XTP's IN THE PAST IN HEAVY 454/45 COLT LOADS, AND STILL USE THEM FOR HEAVY PRACTICE AMMO, YEARS AGO I DECIDED THAT I PREFER TO KNOW WHAT THE BULLET WILL LOOK LIKE WHEN IT HITS AND PENETRATES THE ANIMAL BEFORE I SHOOT THE BULLET! TOO MANY VARIABLES WHEN YOU RELY ON A BULLET TO MUSHROOM, etc., THAT IS WHY WITH THE LARGER BORES, e.g. .429 AND UP, I PREFER TO USE FN BULLETS WITH A GOOD SIZED MEPLAT AND BULLET INTEGRITY TO THE MAX.

More for me.

Win!!!

;-)

Sorry zee, but i have a couple thousand to reload, so ya cant habe em
All.

45MAN,
What WFN bullet do you prefer, if one over others?

FOR DANGEROUS GAME MY 1st CHOICE IS THE PUNCH BULLET. I USED A 45 BARNES BUSTER ON A BLACK BEAR LAST YEAR AND IT DID WELL BUT THE MEPLAT MAY BE A LITTLE TOO SMALL, DO NOT HAVE ENUFF EXPERIENCE WITH THEM OTHER THAN TO SAY THEY ARE WORTH A TRY. THE LEHIGH 300 gr. 45 CAL. WFN BULLET LOOKS VERY GOOD BUT I HAVE NOT USED ANY YET. FOR DEER, PIGS AND SIMILAR SIZED GAME, IN 45 CAL., CAST WFN's IN 260 gr. ON UP SHOULD ALL DO WELL, BUT I WOULD NOT USE THEM ON LARGER GAME BECAUSE THEY CAN BE DEFICIENT IN BULLET INTEGRITY. A CAST 260 gr. WFN @ 900 - 1,400 FPS SHOULD BE MORE THAN ADEQUATE WITH WELL PLACED SHOTS ON DEER. IN THE 900 - 1,100 fps RANGE THEY ARE ALSO PLEASANT TO SHOOT AND DO NOT WEAR YOU OUT. AS FAR AS BRANDS OF CAST WFN's, I HAVE NOT USED ENUFF DIFFERENT KINDS TO SAY ONE IS BETTER THAN ANOTHER.

IN A PRIOR POST THREAD UNDER, AS I RECALL, "THE ORIGIN OF FMJ FLAT POINT BULLETS", WE HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSION RE BULLETS.

Would the punch bullet or the Barnes buster be considered a full metal jacketed bullet? If so they would be illegal here in Ky.for game animals.

All handgun Bullets sold in the United States meet the legal definition of ?expanding bullets?. Non expanding handgun bullets are not legal in the US.

I WOULD CONSIDER THE PUNCH AND BARNES BUSTER AS FMJ's. IN KY. THEN YOU MAY HAVE TO OPT FOR CAST WFN, WLN, TYPE BULLETS. THE BUREAUCRATS IN KY. WERE OBVIOUSLY TRYING TO OUTLAW MILITARY BALL BUT IN DOING SO OUTLAWED SOME INCREDIBLE HANDGUN KILLING BULLETS, TOO BAD.

That may be true in theory, but I'd rather not take a chance arguing that theory with an officer. Bullets used in MN must have some exposed lead or a hollow point.

Rey, ive been very pleased with the lehighs

It is not a theory it is a fact. The Punch Bullet is technically considered a hollow point by BATF

Just priced them and Punch bullets aren't going to happen here. So I just ordered some Cast Performance WFNGC bullets this morning.

They're not really necessary until really large animals (with correspondingly large trophy fees) are on the menu. JMHO.

If I get the opportunity to pursue something that large I won't worry about bullet price!

If only more people thought the way you do! Many want to cut costs in all the wrong places and in my humble opinion, this is the last place to cut cost when your hunt is costing you five figures. You are an enlightened and logically thinking individual!

Easy there, flattery will gain you admiration.

I no longer spend $100s on camo clothing, even for bowhunting. The pricey gadgets, next-best-things and "game changers" (good grief I hate that phrase) don't interest me. I DO use quality killing devices and appropriate components--thus, I'm changing bullets because the cast bullet will offer more penetration than my XTP.

How I look is less important than how my equipment performs.

MAX: CORRECT, CORRECT, CORRECT. THE PUNCH BULLETS ARE NOT EVERYDAY BULLETS, BUT IF WHAT YOU ARE HUNTING IS DANGEROUS AND/OR BIG AND/OR EXPENSIVE, THE PUNCH BULLETS HAVE NO EQUAL.

IF, I ever hunted something that big, I wouldn't use cast, but I would use a punch bullet.

Haha! Seriously, I know folks who will try to cut bullet costs at every opportunity and it is often a recipe for disaster. It's just nice seeing someone follow a useful trail of logic.

There`s no doubt that the Punch bullet is the best penetrating bullet for a handgun on the market, but I`ed like you to look at the dead boar that I shot using these bullets in preparation for an African hunt. It was on this boar that I learned about midrange trajectory with heavy bullets and with the load sighted for 100 yards I hit him around 50 and the bullet stricking a couple inches high in that "no man`s land" just below the spine but above the lungs... Knocked him down.... He got up and I chased him through a swamp until I placed the shot you see. The point being... a bad miss with a $100 bullet is not worth a good hit with a $.10 one..........Experience is the best teacher.........Man O Man that is a big handgun... I should have tripped him then beat `em to death

I've stayed out of this post, but let's think about this, there are definitely better bullets out there than XTP'S. I've had great success with them, and I've also seen them slip their jackets and loose their cores. In all of these cases, if I did my part, I cleanly killed the animal

I have never made a good shot on an animal where I made a good hit that I didn't find a little blood. I've made a lot of poor hits or clean misses, but in every case, I was the problem

I'm not a fan of the Texas Heart Shot at all, but in all of my experiences, there has been a lot of blood and other bodily fluid mixtures 😉 left behind when I made those shots. That part of the animal is very visceral to say the least

And that is what had me perplexed. Admittedly, I expected more penetration (guessing what I got was not much) and better results from the .454. At this point I'll never know what, why or where exactly. the terrain was thick and dry sloughs with a lot of hog sign. Que sera.

U wont know if ya dont recover the animal. We video most of our hunts and it helps to see the bullet hit and know ya made a good shot.

It must be great when you can video most of your hunts

I know I`ed be my biggest fan....

We have it so much better now than when I first started hunting with a handgun.Better scopes bullets and guns. The internet and this site allow us to compare notes and discus guns, loads,scopes red dots,bullets in real time.Bullets and loads have gotten better because of this, both cast and jacketed.It has also killed the myth of the MAGIC BULLET or gun caliber that hits him anywhere and knocks him down DRT. The bullet has to be placed thru the vitals,and get to the vitals with enough force to disrupt them and make them leak. [shot placement is still everything] But as the size of the animals get bigger the bullet integrity takes on new meaning and [nearly but not quite ] matches placement in importance. Remember no magic bullets,and a close miss on the vitals is still a miss. That's where perseverance comes in ,once you start the fight,if he's still standing keep shooting.

That makes two of us, ha

Haha. Im my biggest critic

You and me both!

I am jumping in a bit late to this party however I would like to add my experience with XTP performance on game. I have had 3 instances where an XTP failed to open on deer.
All shots were a 300gr XTP (44 mag) pushed at about 1250 fps.
Shots ranged from 2 yards to 50 yards.

The 50 yard shot went through the spine, just above the front shoulder. The bullet turned around and was found base forward just under the hide on the opposite side.


A followup coup de gras from 2 yards went through the heart and was also found backwards under the hide on the opposite side. The bullet looked similar to the first one but with more pronounced slumping.

On a side note, I guess I can join jamesfromjersey's backwards bullet club

I also had a 20 yard shot where the hit was right in the crease behind the front leg. The bullet penciled through, getting both lungs in the process, resulting in a ~200 yard tracking job. The lungs showed a nice clean caliber sized hole in and out. It didn't look like the bullet opened up at all.

Both animals were found and I made what I believe to be decent shots.
I think that I will go back to cast (WFN) style bullets or maybe give the Barnes XPBs a try.

After much deliberation and many sleepless nights thinking about this I've come to this conclusion: the bullet simply bounced off of him.

After a decent, yet harmless hit in the ?nads. 😂😂😂😂

I would go solids for big stuff but I would like to know if the Swift 280 or 300 might be a good alternative to the 300XTP ?

The best alternative imho.