XTP for SD?

[358156hp]

One brand of bullet that didn't seem to get high marks from Doc GKR was the Hornady XTP, which sort of surprises me because of its popularity for handgun hunting and also as a non-SD general handgun bullet design. This seems especially true in the case of semi-auto calibers. The Critical Duty and Critical Defense seem to be acceptable but Hornadys flagship appears to have run aground in the SD market even though it's often loaded by other ammo manufacturers for some of the higher velocity caliber combinations like 357 SIG & Underwood. What do you believe is holding the XTP back? I have seen some iffy expansion in some of Lucky Gunners gel tests but there has to be more to the situation than that.

[diananike]

It doesn’t handle barriers like auto glass very well. The more modern offerings like gold dot and HST offer better barrier performance and expand better to boot.
I think a XTP driven a bit faster then the factory loadings is a pretty deadly bullet and they are quite accurate.
I load my 124gr XTPs to about 1250 fps in the 9mm and they expand quite well at that speed.

[Navin Johnson]

One brand of bullet that didn't seem to get high marks from Doc GKR was the Hornady XTP, which sort of surprises me because of its popularity for handgun hunting and also as a non-SD general handgun bullet design. This seems especially true in the case of semi-auto calibers. The Critical Duty and Critical Defense seem to be acceptable but Hornadys flagship appears to have run aground in the SD market even though it's often loaded by other ammo manufacturers for some of the higher velocity caliber combinations like 357 SIG & Underwood. What do you believe is holding the XTP back? I have seen some iffy expansion in some of Lucky Gunners gel tests but there has to be more to the situation than that.

So why would you ask this as a general question when the most knowledgeable and experienced tester here or likely anywhere does not recommend it?

It is an old design. Why doesn't Underwood load Gold dot or HST or FTX? They would if they could and would likely overdrive them for the internet commandos who think energy numbers in service caliber pistol rounds is meaningful

Hand gun hunting has different requirements than a "duty" type round

[03RN]

I think they work great when pushed to .357 mag speed

[SwampDweller]

So why would you ask this as a general question when the most knowledgeable and experienced tester here or likely anywhere does not recommend it?

It is an old design. Why doesn't Underwood load Gold dot or HST or FTX? They would if they could and would likely overdrive them for the internet commandos who think energy numbers in service caliber pistol rounds is meaningful

Hand gun hunting has different requirements than a "duty" type round

I think it’s a valid question in a world where there are stretches of time where the latest tech expanding loads like HST and Gold Dot are not necessarily available to non-LE, especially in calibers like .357 Magnum. I believe Darryl Bolke has spoken highly of the .357 XTPs in 125gr and 158.

[358156hp]

So why would you ask this as a general question when the most knowledgeable and experienced tester here or likely anywhere does not recommend it?

It is an old design. Why doesn't Underwood load Gold dot or HST or FTX? They would if they could and would likely overdrive them for the internet commandos who think energy numbers in service caliber pistol rounds is meaningful

Hand gun hunting has different requirements than a "duty" type round

Because I don't assume anything. Noslers ASP is also commonly used by ammunition makers, and so are some Sierras, but nothing widespread. Black Hills has had a lot of offerings with Hornady too, and Hornady often leads the pack with handgun hunting use. I'm not a cheerleader for any particular bullet maker.

[WDR]

IIRC, the Hornady XTP in its various calibers was one of the original bullets designed to try to meet some of the early FBI requirements (maybe before barrier testing came into play?). For it's day, it was a pretty good bullet. But its pretty dated at this point when found in service calibers. Like most, there are certain bullets/weights/calibers/loads that still do pretty well. I wouldn't feel too bad carrying XTP's in a .357, but you will likely get excess penetration with any weight above 125gr. For some folks in some places, that's a feature, not a bug.

[diananike]

The 200gr .45 in +P pressure does pretty well too.
10mm XTPs in full power guise are quite effective rounds.
And the .380 xtp has been the gold standard for decades for moderate expansion while still meeting FBI 12” gel penetration.
The XTP underperforms at .38 speeds or weak sauce off brand loadings in 9mm.
Jack up the speeds in something like a .357 or a 9mm +P and the bullets start to perform better then the other conventional cup and core designs.
They hold together well and expand reliably.
A pretty good bullet and easily available for handloaders to develop custom loads.
I’ve got hundreds loaded up in .357, .45, .380 and 9mm as my end of the world ammo stash as it’s a lot cheaper then the prerolled stuff that comes in boxes of 20 the internet tells you to buy 1000 of.

[358156hp]

The 200gr .45 in +P pressure does pretty well too.
10mm XTPs in full power guise are quite effective rounds.
And the .380 xtp has been the gold standard for decades for moderate expansion while still meeting FBI 12” gel penetration.
The XTP underperforms at .38 speeds or weak sauce off brand loadings in 9mm.
Jack up the speeds in something like a .357 or a 9mm +P and the bullets start to perform better then the other conventional cup and core designs.
They hold together well and expand reliably.
A pretty good bullet and easily available for handloaders to develop custom loads.
I’ve got hundreds loaded up in .357, .45, .380 and 9mm as my end of the world ammo stash as it’s a lot cheaper then the prerolled stuff that comes in boxes of 20 the internet tells you to buy 1000 of.

I was going to ask you earlier what powder you were using in the 9mm load you mentioned above.

[diananike]

I was going to ask you earlier what powder you were using in the 9mm load you mentioned above.

I based my load on the one that the author of the highpowersandhandguns blog used as a hunting load on pigs to great effect.
Unique powder and a 124gr XTP loaded up to 1270 fps out of my Glock 17. It’s likely in the +P pressure range. I won’t get into the exact amount as each gun is different and it’s over book max. My load is slightly less then his was.