10mm Ammo for Deer

I would go with the Hornady XTP for deer. I would want expansion in the boiler room.

You’re not going to get much expansion out of hard cast unless you hit bone.

Any and all of those will do just fine on deer. For similar reason to @BreechFace I would probably go with the XTP. Accuracy and comfort shooting them cannot be ignore since terminally they will all do the job.

I used the 200 gr version of the XTP in my 10mm Auto with satisfactory results.

Experience has shown me that what you have listed all 3 will do the job. Choose the one you shoot best.

In my 41 mag I’m loading very similar xtp bullets. I plan to hunt deer as you described with it. I know 41 mag and 10mm are different but the bullets are very similar. I think those will work fine, elsewise I wouldn’t be using the 210gr version.

I don't care for XTP's and would choose a hardcast over it. First choice would be a bonded 180-200gr JHP like the Gold Dot.

BreechFace said:

I would go with the Hornady XTP for deer. I would want expansion in the boiler room.

You’re not going to get much expansion out of hard cast unless you hit bone.

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I don't want my cast bullets to expand. Unless they're hollowpoints.

On thin skinned deer I’ll take an expanding bullet.

I've wanted to deer hunt with a 10mm since I saw Uncle Ted do it with an STI a few years ago. I hope your hunt is a success.

Captains1911 said:

I’m planning to hunt deer this season with my G20. Of the following 3 factory ammo loads, what would be the best choice for this task? I already have all three of these in my possession. I’ll probably limit my range to 30-40 yards.

Hornady Custom 180gr XTP
Doubletap 200gr Hard Cast
Buffalo Bore 220gr Hard Cas

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I've killed many white tail with Hornady 200 gr xtp around 1200 fps. Killed several with 180s too. Never had one get away. Big mountain whitetail not puppy dog sized coastal deer. Lol. Ive used the Glock, D &D, old and new Delta elites, and sig 220. Used 10mm for 20 years.

ms6852 said:

Experience has shown me that what you have listed all 3 will do the job. Choose the one you shoot best.

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Agreed. Shoot the one that is most accurate out of the handgun.

LD

I've hunted deer with a .357 revolver for many years and have taken several deer with it. 10mm has similar terminal performance. What I have found is I prefer two holes to one, so I look more for ammo that will get me thru the deer. There is no real hydrostatic shock at 10mm velocities and extreme expansion only dumps energy on deer and 10mm does not have that much to dump. This is even more important if one is hunting from an elevated stand where only one hole leaves the leak at the top of the body cavity. It also matters much more if one is looking to take a mature deer with heavier muscle and bone structure. JMTCs.

In the gel tests I have seen, the XTP when loaded a little lighter will still expand well but will penetrate deeper than if it is pushed in a fullpower round. You see expansion and penetration of 18+ inches. When you load it to the limit like Underwood it still performs well but it dumps its energy sooner and penetrates less.

I have no doubt that any of the listed 10mm loads will take deer size game. 10mm handguns are indeed suitable for Whitetail deer as are carbines and rifles loaded with blackpowder .38-40 or .44-40 cartridges. All deliver approximately the same power and penetration with like bullet type and weight. Ballistics that worked in 1881 still work 140 years later.