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Thread: Hornady FPB

  1. #1
    Boolit Grand Master


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    Hornady FPB

    I've been shooting this bullet for a few years in my muzzleloader, and both deer I shot them with died quickly, although I did notice the exit hole wasn't that big. They have proven to be fantastically accurate in multiple guns. This year has been different, and we actually lost deer. The first was a broadside at 45 yards, the buck ran all wobbly about 150 yards, then disappeared into the woods. We tracked for hours that night, it didn't start bleeding for about 50 yards, then it was just a drip here and there until it stopped. We came back the next day, looked some more, but never did find the deer. The next was a doe, quartering towards, about 20 yards. We looked for hours again, but never found a single drop of blood. The next day a buck stepped out, and was shot in nearly the same spot. Again no blood at all, but this time we found the body about 100 yards away. When gutted, it was hit in the left lung, and the bullet zipped right through with what looked like no expansion. Then tonight a doe was shot about 30 yards broadside, and again NO BLOOD. Realize we have had snow on the ground the whole time. Finally we found blood about 75 yards away, and managed to follow the trail easy enough. We have decided to leave it until morning, and fingers crossed we find it. I did not shoot any this year, and now that I think back, the two I've shot with FPB's didn't bleed either. The one was a double lung that died quickly, and the other blew its heart up. Obviously anything less than a perfect shot is BAD news with these. Has anyone else had problems with these expanding? The first buck was shot with 150 grains of 777, if that's not enough velocity to open up, nothing is.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
    triggerhappy243's Avatar
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    what is a FPB?

  3. #3
    Boolit Master Moleman-'s Avatar
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    Neat, didn't know they made them. https://www.hornady.com/muzzleloadin...l-350gr-fpb#!/ If they're not performing well for you I'd change bullets. I've had good luck with other Hornady bullets in sabots like the XTP, and flex tips. Here's a 265ftx that penetrated about 36" of a buck earlier this season from a rifle at about 2150fps muzzle velocity. I'm using them in my inline at around 2200fps.
    Last edited by Moleman-; 12-11-2017 at 12:18 AM.

  4. #4
    Boolit Grand Master


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    I'm definitely switching next year. I've been casting Lee REAL's, but they don't shoot well at all in my gun, but that's for another day. I just figured I'd pass this along if anyone was looking into the FPB's. I'm going to write an email to Hornady as well, as they clearly don't expand at 900+ fps as they claim.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master




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    what rifle are you shooting? if you are trying real boolits then I would try a maxi ball over about 90 grains of 777.

  6. #6
    Boolit Grand Master


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    I have a whole other thread about the REAL's.

    Did not find the doe today. This is a warning to hunters, Hornady FPB's are like shooting FMJ. No expansion at all.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
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    I've read great things about the Thor bullets.

    https://www.thorbullets.com/

    I've often wondered about the FPB's because of the high BC's but just don't care for the price tag as I like to shoot often. That would get expensive fast as I'm known for making a day out of range days.

  8. #8
    Boolit Grand Master


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    I don't care for the cost of any muzzleloader bullets. Ideally I will find a cast full bore conical that will shoot well, although I'm sure a cast bullet in a sabot will work well. Thor's are just over the top expensive.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master

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    I shoot the Hornady XTP 250 gr.. same as Thompson Center Shockwave. Dozens of Deer and none went over 30 yds.

  10. #10
    Boolit Grand Master


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    Again, thank you, but not looking for suggestions.

    These hornady FPB's are the only bullet I've ever used that a deer got away with a good shot. Obviously a deer is going down with a double lung, heart, spine, or other vital hit, but the only recovered deer was hit in a single lung after running some distance. I personally have not had a deer go more than 30 yards after a hit. Even deer gutshot with a shotgun slug usually lie down less than 100 yards away. For deer to be going as far as they are on lung hits is terrible, terrible performance. You can argue that the ones that we didn't find were bad shots, and they were, but a .50 bullet should not be wounding deer if hit anywhere in chest cavity. Every single one of us will be switching bullets next year.

  11. #11
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    A 1/2" hole should kill very well regardless of it expanding or not. I use patched round balls these days. A picture of the shot placement would be awesome if you have one. The thor is a beast of a bullet, I like the 250gr version. It opens up to just under 1" diameter on game we've hit and recovered the bullet on.

    Knowing what state you are from would also help us greatly on recommending a bullet. Some do not allow sabots, etc.

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master


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    I am from Minnesota, but prefer full bore bullets. I am not looking for a recommendation, simply passing along some hard earned info on Hornady FPB bullets. If I had recovered those deer, I wouldn't have posted this. Where I hunt, it's so thick, you will never find a deer without a blood trail. I'm sure those deer died at some point, but without any way to find them, I just hope it was quick. That's the problem, even if a .50 FMJ kills them, they leave no blood.

  13. #13
    Boolit Buddy


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    I use the xtphp's . Never had one go more than 30 yards. Good expansion

  14. #14
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    so no recovered deer to explain the issue? I know folks that use them on elk with zero issues and with blood trails. No recovered deer makes me thing they are either poorly placed shots or just flat out misses.

  15. #15
    Boolit Grand Master


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    We recovered one, a buck. It was a quartering shot, and the bullet entered just inside of the front shoulder, hit the lung about an inch from the back, went through the guts, then exited out the belly. That deer ran at least 100 yards. We only found it because it had collapsed in an open area, and the little blood there was, was just droplets. The deer I tracked this morning, was shot yesterday. I was not there, but there was a bunch of snow on the ground, and not a single drop of blood at the shot. This was an easy 20 yard shot in the open. After about 50 yards, it started to trickle blood. I followed it for at least 500 yards before loosing the trail in deep brush. Making matters worse, it had snowed last night making it very hard to see the blood from the night before.

    These deer were not shot by me, so I can't say for certain were the shot hit. I have shot 2 deer with these in the past, and looking back, they did not cause that much damage. I never lost a deer, because I hit them perfectly. Still, I've had to track down my share of bad hits, mostly shotgun slugs, but a deer gut shot with a shotgun slug is not usually going 500 yards, and there is a heck of a blood trail to follow. I've seen deer hit above the spine, or just grazed the ribs, but we are talking a 20 yard shot here, and an experienced hunter, sitting in a blind. Are they bad shots? Well, they certainly weren't double lung or heart hits. But we are talking just this year, 4 deer shot by 3 hunters, and the longest shot being 45 yards. After loosing the deer they all went back to the range and were still perfectly sighted. We all sighted in the week before, and the guns were fouled, so no oily bore shots. I feel bad myself because I talked all these guys (family members) into using these after having good luck myself.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by triggerhappy243 View Post
    what is a FPB?

    i had to look it up. another polymer tip bullet. the maker says expantion between 800 and 2000 fps. Perhaps the shots were faster than 2000?

  17. #17
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    I'm wondering, with the relatively short distances, if the velocities weren't higher than intended for these projectiles causing them to self destruct. And with their aerodynamic design it wouldn't give much of an entrance hole compared to the diameter, and if it exploded inside and left no exit there wouldn't be a good blood trail.

    I haven't read any bad experi ices with Lee REALs concerning anything but getting them to shoot, but still prefer a big meplat just because of the damage it creates regardless of expansion. I've been considering having my molds modified to widen that meplat.

    I understand from the other thread that you can't seem to get the REALs to shoot well for you. I'd look into the Lee .500 pistol bullet paper patched as I believe you have a fast twist if I recall. Seems it has worked quite for those who have tried it (a dozen maybe?).

  18. #18
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    Clipped a lung and went into the stomach. Even with a centerfire, that's not a good thing for a good blood trail to follow. You're lucky he only went 100 yards with one lung. They normally go much further with those kind of shots. I don' think its the bullets failing to be honest. These are a very hard lead alloy mix like the Nosler ballistic tip sabots. These bullets blowing up on deer would be a very very impossible feat due to their design.

  19. #19
    Boolit Grand Master


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    I've got a handful of ideas on how to get my rifle to shoot full bore cast bullets well. I like the idea of paper patching, but every time I look into it I just do not want to do that amount of tedious work. First I'm going to re-crown my barrel without the QLA muzzle. Then I'm going to try REAL's and Maxi balls again.

    I REALLY doubt the bullets are coming apart in the deer. The one deer we recovered showed zero expansion. A tiny hole going in, and a slightly bigger hole going out. The two deer I shot with them showed about the same thing. Even the heart shot, it was just a hole through the heart. The one hunter is shooting 150 grain pellets of 777, which should be pushing them close to 2000 fps at the muzzle. He shot the first buck at 45 yards, and the bullet was well below 2000 fps by then. My dad shoots with 100 grain 777 pellets, and he shot two of the deer. I've been shooting 90 grains of Blackhorn 209.

  20. #20
    Boolit Grand Master


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    Where I hunt, rifles are not allowed. You can use single shot handguns chambered in rifle cartridges, and I've seen enough deer shot with those. A T/C encore in 7mm-08 sends a 140 grain bullet at something like 2700 fps. It can ruin a lot of meat if you are not careful, but any hit in the chest leaves the lungs as a jelly mess. My family doesn't loose a lot of deer. Actually I only remember one other time in 10 years, and that was for sure a bad shot. I've made poor shots myself, but I've always found them. For a deer to run like that with a hit in a lung is bogus in my experience, that deer most likely would have dropped in it's tracks if it was a big shotgun slug, and surely and expanding rifle bullet would have done a ton of damage. A bullet either needs to A. cut a path (Ex. semi wadcutter/large meplat) or B. expand. These Hornady FPB's do neither. Perfect shots kill, but hunting isn't perfect.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
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LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check