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.