Hornady XTP
Jacket serrations and varying jacket thickness help control expansion. The maker describes performance over a range of handgun velocities.
THE AMMUNITION EXPLAINERS
What are bullet skives?
Skives are deliberately formed cuts or weakened sections in a bullet’s nose or jacket that help guide expansion. The outward-folded jacket sections are called petals.
2A Ledger reference desk · Sources checked October 18, 2026
READ THE CONSTRUCTION
From a jacket cut to an opened petal
In Hornady’s XTP design, nose serrations divide the jacket into sections and help start expansion. Jacket thickness also helps control how it opens. Those features work together; counting visible cuts does not establish a load’s performance. Hornady XTP construction ↗
Before expansion
After expansion
These diagrams explain the construction terms. Winchester’s ammunition guide shows an actual expanded jacketed hollow point and identifies its petals. See the manufacturer’s photograph ↗
THE PRODUCT MATTERS
Similar-looking noses can have different purposes
Hornady HAP
This competition bullet was developed from XTP. Hornady removes the expansion-aiding skives because expansion is not its target-shooting purpose. An open nose alone does not mean an expanding design.
Federal Fusion Tipped
Skiving also appears in rifle bullets. Federal describes a polymer tip paired with a skived nose cavity and a jacket bonded to the core.
QUICK ANSWERS
Skives, petals, and other markings
Are skives and petals the same thing?
No. Skives are features formed before impact; petals describe jacket sections after expansion.
Are all skives visible from outside?
No. Manufacturers can describe internal skiving or a skived nose cavity. A photograph of the outside does not reveal the entire construction.
Is a cannelure another skive?
No. A cannelure is a separate groove around the bullet. Hornady describes its revolver-bullet cannelure as a crimping feature, distinct from the nose serrations.
Do more cuts guarantee more expansion?
The sources do not establish that rule. Use the exact product’s published test conditions and velocity range; these pictures are not a performance test.
TRACE THE FACTS
Sources
- Hornady: XTP — serrations, jacket thickness, and cannelure ↗
- Hornady: HAP — removal of expansion-aiding skives ↗
- Federal: Fusion Tipped — skived nose cavity ↗
- Winchester Ammunition Academy: Pistol Ammo 101 — expanded petals ↗
The supplied video screenshots prompted this article. Technical claims above are supported by the linked manufacturer publications.
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