Adamantium
New member
So since I have started shooting and reloading I have liked the XTP. It is no frills, better than a generic JHP and a lot of times cheaper too. Not much not too like. 200 grains for a 45 is your middle of the road weight for that caliber which is what I like so I chose that round for my personal defense cartridge. I rarely keep my 45 loaded (wife prefers 9mm) but it is always there when if I needed it. This bullet has also reviewed well online.
Hornady themselves sells a +P cartridge using this round which they clain goes 1055 fps and a standard pressure round that claims 900 fps at the muzzle. Fiocchi also sells a cheaper version of the XTP which claims 925 fps. There are also other places that sell the 200 XTP in their loadings as well.
The test format was very simple. I loaded up a bunch of milk jugs with "wet-pack", about half water and half shredded paper clippings and shot the bullets into them and through 4 layers of denim into them as well. To save on milk jugs I used 2 jugs and a backstop made of about 2 inches of dry printer paper. To me by that point the bullet is either going to expand or not so there is no need to burn through extra milk jugs. The cartridges themselves are reloads (to save money) but were loaded to have a muzzle velocity of 933 fps and 1050 fps using 2 different powders. I don't own a chronograph but from other peoples experience muzzle velocity figures are always slightly optimistic, whether it be factory ammo or reload data. The gun used is my Government model 1911 with a 5 inch barrel.
Shot 1 was a 933fps XTP into bare wet-pack. It made it through both jugs and hit the paper backstop, bounced off it and remained in jug 2. An indent at the back of jug 2 was made where it hit. It expanded to .835 at the widest and .710 and the smallest and weighed 198 grains. Exactly what you would want to see basically.
Shot 2 was a 1050fps XTP into bare wet-pack. It also made its way to the back of jug 2, left an indent where it hit the paper backstop and remained in jug 2. It expanded to .760 at the widest and .696 at the smallest and weighed 190 grains.
Shot 3 was a 933fps XTP shot through 4 layers of denim (a pair of jeans from Goodwill which were essentially brand new) into wet-pack. It went clear through both jugs of wet-pack, off the backstop and into the Rubbermaid container below it which was catching the water. After extensive searching I wasn't able to find it (but I heavily suspected it did not expand) so I took Shot #4 next. Afterwards I found it and it indeed had completely failed to expand.
Shot 4 was a 933fps XTP shot through 4 layers of denim into wet-pack. It stopped in jug 2 but indented the back where it hit the backstop. It expanded to .823 to .723 and weighed 195 grains.
Shot 5 was a 1050fps XTP shot through 4 layers of denim into wet-pack. It went through both jugs and buried itself into the paper backstop. It completely failed to expand. After 2 of 3 failed to expand through denim I didn't feel the need to try again. I didn't think the first one was a fluke at that point.
Conclusion: In a full sized pistol the extra velocity from a +P round (or mine which wasn't +P pressure but had the velocity commonly associated with it) is not needed. In fact the bullet petals folded back on themselves more because of it and a small amount of weight was lost as well. It didn't make a difference through denim either. I don't own a short barreled 45 so someone else will have to look into that. As for me I will probably shoot through what I've got left and switch over to something else in the future.
More pictures in my next post.
Hornady themselves sells a +P cartridge using this round which they clain goes 1055 fps and a standard pressure round that claims 900 fps at the muzzle. Fiocchi also sells a cheaper version of the XTP which claims 925 fps. There are also other places that sell the 200 XTP in their loadings as well.
The test format was very simple. I loaded up a bunch of milk jugs with "wet-pack", about half water and half shredded paper clippings and shot the bullets into them and through 4 layers of denim into them as well. To save on milk jugs I used 2 jugs and a backstop made of about 2 inches of dry printer paper. To me by that point the bullet is either going to expand or not so there is no need to burn through extra milk jugs. The cartridges themselves are reloads (to save money) but were loaded to have a muzzle velocity of 933 fps and 1050 fps using 2 different powders. I don't own a chronograph but from other peoples experience muzzle velocity figures are always slightly optimistic, whether it be factory ammo or reload data. The gun used is my Government model 1911 with a 5 inch barrel.
Shot 1 was a 933fps XTP into bare wet-pack. It made it through both jugs and hit the paper backstop, bounced off it and remained in jug 2. An indent at the back of jug 2 was made where it hit. It expanded to .835 at the widest and .710 and the smallest and weighed 198 grains. Exactly what you would want to see basically.
Shot 2 was a 1050fps XTP into bare wet-pack. It also made its way to the back of jug 2, left an indent where it hit the paper backstop and remained in jug 2. It expanded to .760 at the widest and .696 at the smallest and weighed 190 grains.
Shot 3 was a 933fps XTP shot through 4 layers of denim (a pair of jeans from Goodwill which were essentially brand new) into wet-pack. It went clear through both jugs of wet-pack, off the backstop and into the Rubbermaid container below it which was catching the water. After extensive searching I wasn't able to find it (but I heavily suspected it did not expand) so I took Shot #4 next. Afterwards I found it and it indeed had completely failed to expand.
Shot 4 was a 933fps XTP shot through 4 layers of denim into wet-pack. It stopped in jug 2 but indented the back where it hit the backstop. It expanded to .823 to .723 and weighed 195 grains.
Shot 5 was a 1050fps XTP shot through 4 layers of denim into wet-pack. It went through both jugs and buried itself into the paper backstop. It completely failed to expand. After 2 of 3 failed to expand through denim I didn't feel the need to try again. I didn't think the first one was a fluke at that point.
Conclusion: In a full sized pistol the extra velocity from a +P round (or mine which wasn't +P pressure but had the velocity commonly associated with it) is not needed. In fact the bullet petals folded back on themselves more because of it and a small amount of weight was lost as well. It didn't make a difference through denim either. I don't own a short barreled 45 so someone else will have to look into that. As for me I will probably shoot through what I've got left and switch over to something else in the future.
More pictures in my next post.
