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Posted: 6/9/2015 9:00:08 PM EDT
| In my research on these two bullets, I noticed a theme for both. Numerous comments said XTP's will lose the jacket, but are great for hunting bullets. On the flip side, many comments about how Gold Dots will not shed the jacket (bonded), but are better for SD (people). This does not make sense to me. I would think if you are hunting animals, you would want the bullet that penetrates better with the jacket attached. Does anyone have thoughts on this? For my application I am wanting to load 124 gr 9mm's for sd. Will it matter which bullet I use for this purpose? |
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The XTPs penetrate further before opening, but don't open as much when they open.
The GDs open earlier, so don't penetrate as much, but penetrate enough on human targets. The XTPs can over penetrate. Still, I Like the XTP in the 230gr for my 1911, and @900fps it will drive deep enough into anything, and most times will expand to 1.5 times it's on average @.678. I have several that I recovered from feral dongs, coons, and one to finish off a deer. All of those expanded to @.720, with the one on one dog entering the front sternum , and lodging in the rear hip, almost a clean pass through. The deer was a pass through from about ten yards from just behind the shoulder to the other shoulder, where it sort of dropped out or plopped out. I've seen some really nasty .44magnum Ruger loads and what they do to deer. The one thing is they sometimes do have problems with a lot of denim as far as shedding petals going through it, or not expanding as much, but the ones I shot and measure were still in the .560 range. Penetration would be deeper. |
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The XTPs were designed to achieve the FBI's 12" minimum penetration while expanding to 1.5x their original diameter. They do that through slower and more controlled expansion, and the really good news is that they do it in some calibers where other hollow points will badly under penetrate. .
In comparison, other designs like Golden Sabers, Gold Dots, etc expand more rapidly and to a larger diameter - along the lines of 1.6x to 1.65x their original diameter. That limits penetration, making them poor choices in marginal calibers. I'll use 90 grain XTPs at MVs of 1000-1050 fps in the .380 ACP, and 125 gr XTPs at 1050 fps in .38 +P loads in a 2" snub nose. I'll also use 125 gr XTPs at 1250 fps in a 2" or 3" .357 Magnum. If you look at an expanded XTP, it will have more of a smooshed shape than the now classic full blown mushroom with jagged jacket edges you see in Gold Dot's etc. As for over penetration, it's an issue that is over rated. In part because skin is very flexible stuff and punching through skin from the inside out is equivalent to about 4" of ballistic gel, so you've got to penetrate the torso plus what amounts to four more inches to get over penetration. In terms of a game bullet for a pistol caliber cartridge like the .357 Mag, .44 Mag or >45 Colt, when it comes to out and out penetration I prefer a heavy lead bullet as soft as I can make it without encountering leading issues. |
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