1gr8bldr
Senior Member
I have been shooting the Underwood 180 XTP in the 10mm and they have worked ..... ok.... getting the job done although they have not given a instant blood trail. I recently shot 4 midsize does. 3, I shot perfect behind the shoulder which mushed everything inside and passed through. These three running about 35 yards before expiring. When passing through, it's hard to tell how much energy is being wasted and not transferred to the deer. And exit holes usually don't give recovered bullets. Another doe, the 4th, I purposely pulled up higher hoping the bullet might shock and drop getting the nerves at the spine area due to the briar thicket I was hunting in so I would not have to track her. She dropped in her tracks. So I got good results with the xtp's yet the blood trails were not found until after 25 yards. But once it started, it was very good, lol, for 10 yards. Apparently it almost requires the cavity fill with blood before it "overflows". This is not ideal and requires that you pay close attention to where the deer runs. So I wanted to try something different, to start with the xtp as the standard of what works and move to a bullet that would create a larger exit wound channel. So this weekend I tried the Underwood "bonded" jacketed hollow point in the 180. A jacketed hollow point, not bonded, would for sure do the most damage but was assumed that it's fragmentation would give extreme shock but never penetrate deep, and for sure not give a pass through needed for a good blood trail. The "bonded" jacked hollow point, [speer gold dot] would not fragment and the petals would not separate thus maintaining it's weight for knetic driving in hopes of a pass through. So, I shot doe 5 this weekend. I did pull up higher again due to that same briar thicket. She also dropped in her tracks. However, rather than wait for her to expire the amount of time it would take for her to bleed into her lungs and basically drown, I finished her off with another shot to the head. I was surprised that the bonded JHP did not have enough shock to kill her with this bullet placement. I'm used to ballistic tip bullets with a rifle and I have never seen a deer not killed instantly from this shot placement. So, I realize now that this ain't no rifle. Yet it, the 10mm gets the job done. It's just a matter of learning it's capability and staying within it's parameters. Knowledge is key and this is why I share my experience, and.... someone might save money not having to buy to try as I have done.
Back to the BJHP. The bullet gave me the exact info I needed. At first look, I had a entry and exit hole. 2 holes. However, I took a close look because I wanted to see the size of the exit hole. The XTP overexpands meaning the pedals fold all the way back flat only giving a max size hole at a point during it's pass through. The BJHP was supposed to pedal back and hold it's pedals out to as much as double it's 10mm size, in theory. Upon looking at that exit hole, just inside the hole, there was the bullet. It punched a hole, yet did not follow through it. It held together good and was impressively twice the width of the unfired round. Yet another inch passing and I would have never known the results. The deer was about 100 pounds, shot higher where the deer is not as broad as a dbl lung shot. So...... It would not have passed through a dbl lung and especially not through any buck. I give it 7 to 9 inches of penetration. This would be ideal on thinner animals, but not deer. The deer got 98 percent of the bullets knetic energy. If I were not guaranteed a pass through, I had rather shoot the JHP rather than the BJHP to give more shock due to bullet fragmentation channels, which may have killed the deer instantly. However, I do want an exit hole for better blood trailing.
A good argument could be made that if they were not going to produce a good blood trail anyway, that an exit hole was not as valuable. Makes me wonder if a JHP might make a better bleeding entry hole than a 10mm sized entry and exit hole. This is worth testing and may be my next test since I'm confident it will make quick humane kills.... it's just a matter of best recovery.
So, the XTP may be the best bullet. I'm not sure. I could tell more if I had a 180 pound buck I wanted to take out. The nature of my prescribed doe thinning this year does not produce many chances at mature bucks. However, this lazy mans feeder hunting has been lots of fun with the Glock. I left the BJHP bullet at the cabin but will get it and post it's picture here next week. It is as I said, surprisingly bigger than double it's unfired size, at least as big as a dime. I wish it could penetrate 18 inches like this.
Back to the BJHP. The bullet gave me the exact info I needed. At first look, I had a entry and exit hole. 2 holes. However, I took a close look because I wanted to see the size of the exit hole. The XTP overexpands meaning the pedals fold all the way back flat only giving a max size hole at a point during it's pass through. The BJHP was supposed to pedal back and hold it's pedals out to as much as double it's 10mm size, in theory. Upon looking at that exit hole, just inside the hole, there was the bullet. It punched a hole, yet did not follow through it. It held together good and was impressively twice the width of the unfired round. Yet another inch passing and I would have never known the results. The deer was about 100 pounds, shot higher where the deer is not as broad as a dbl lung shot. So...... It would not have passed through a dbl lung and especially not through any buck. I give it 7 to 9 inches of penetration. This would be ideal on thinner animals, but not deer. The deer got 98 percent of the bullets knetic energy. If I were not guaranteed a pass through, I had rather shoot the JHP rather than the BJHP to give more shock due to bullet fragmentation channels, which may have killed the deer instantly. However, I do want an exit hole for better blood trailing.
A good argument could be made that if they were not going to produce a good blood trail anyway, that an exit hole was not as valuable. Makes me wonder if a JHP might make a better bleeding entry hole than a 10mm sized entry and exit hole. This is worth testing and may be my next test since I'm confident it will make quick humane kills.... it's just a matter of best recovery.
So, the XTP may be the best bullet. I'm not sure. I could tell more if I had a 180 pound buck I wanted to take out. The nature of my prescribed doe thinning this year does not produce many chances at mature bucks. However, this lazy mans feeder hunting has been lots of fun with the Glock. I left the BJHP bullet at the cabin but will get it and post it's picture here next week. It is as I said, surprisingly bigger than double it's unfired size, at least as big as a dime. I wish it could penetrate 18 inches like this.
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