The last couple of years I got into ballistics and punching paper groups at longer ranges with my ML. I switched from the XTP to the poly tipped bullets. I'm currently shooting the T/C shockwave. Here is my own observations. At the range the poly tipped wonders shoot great and they work very well on deer, but I've had better results with real world hunting with the Hornady XTP. I've got nothing but positive things to say about shockwave or SST but the good ole XTP just seems to work better on game, less tracking and bigger holes. Just my 2 cents.