Barnes Bullets

[fishnfrank]

I have seen these bullets advertised and was wondering if anybody has hunted with these bullets, and how did they perform?

[Rocky Raab]

First, full disclosure: I'm a Barnes Field Rep, but I receive no pay or other consideration. The post is more of an advisor, where I answer questions from shooters. I'm not selling Barnes bullets. OK?

That said, I heartily recommend Barnes bullets. They are accurate - very accurate in some rifles - and almost completely reliable on game animals. The new TSX design solves most of the pressure/fouling problems of the original Barnes X.

Now, it is important to remember that Barnes bullets do not work the same way as traditional core and jacket bullets. They don't "mushroom" but rather open into what you can think of as the ultimate broadhead...they cut instead of smash their way through an animal. Usually all the way through. It's very rare to recover an X or TSX inside an animal, and there isn't usually a huge exit wound. Just a very dead animal.

Barnes isn't the only great bullet out there, but it IS a great bullet.

[L. Cooper]

Several years ago I tried Barnes bullets in three of my rifles, and all three shot poorly with them. Some tests with wet newsprint showed real promise in the terminal ballistic performance of the bullets, but they did not shoot as well as I wanted.

Rocky, have things changed? Is there a secret I didn't know at the time? Is it time I tested them again?

[Rocky Raab]

Some rifles, particularly those with loose or rough bores, will never shoot them well. All-copper bullets don't obturate like standard bullets, so they don't fit the bore or rifling. Awful accuracy and heavy fouling result.

You also should completely clean - and I mean CLEAN - a bore before you try Barnes bullets, and then shoot only Barnes during your trials. If you alternate between Barnes and regular bullets, you'll get awful fouling due to difference in hardness of the jacket metal.

But in most rifles, the new TSX design helps both the fit and the fouling issue. My guess is that they do obturate a bit better, and the grooves reduce bearing surface, which reduces fouling.

I'd try a box and see. Remember that you can drop one to two bullet weights and get similar results with higher velocity when you use Barnes. So if you use a 180-gr regular bullet, try a Barnes 165 or even 150. The lighter bullet will be about the same length as the heavier core/jacket bullet. Thus the same stability and usually the same accuracy as the heavier bullet but higher velocity and BC.

[fishnfrank]

Thanks Rocky. I appreciate all the help. I don't re-load myself, but I plan on it when I buy a new house. I'll have room then. Do you know where I can get any ammo for 300 ultra mag with barnes bullets?

[Cossack]

First, I'm NOT a Barnes bullet rep. Now then, they are fantastic and produce exceptional results ... if one know how to load and use them.
They are made of copper (no lead) so the original X bullets don't obturate (squeeze down) into the barrel as easily lead bullets.
For that reason, they have to be set off the lands a bit more to prevent pressure inconsistan spikes. I've had best luck setting them back about .050 to start, then work forwards to max accuracy if necessar.
(See their web site for this and other info).
They tend to work best out of a clean gun barrel. I mean really clean, as in get out all the lead first. Some folks complain about fauling. I only use them for hunting, clean my barrels after every use and have exoerienced no such problems.
Because they retain nearly 100% of their weight, you can load them lighter (140 instead of 150 or even 160) and still have great terminal performance. The higher velocity will increase kenetic energy and flatten the tragectory.
Because they don't flatten out or blow apart they tend to pass rith through the game animal. That produces a better blood trail ... IF the animal leaves the site. But it worries some folks who think that the bullet DUMPS it's energy into the animal ( a myth) and therfore prefer that the bullet not pass through.
The new Triple Shock X (TSX) has grooves cut around it's diameter.
That seems to have taken care of the fauling problem. And I get even getter accuracy with them plus the same incredible terminal performance that has produced 18 consecutive one-shot kills on large white tails plus one elk, with nary a lost animal and none that have gone more than 50 yards of kill.
Hmmmm, maybe I SHOULD be selling them!!!

[Cossack]

Opps, sorry Rock for duplicating your message...I din't fully read yours before posting. Wrote yours off as a sales pitch.

[Cossack]

yo fishnfrank,
PMS sells loaded Barnes in it's Gold Line- but don't know if they switched to TSX- for most "popular" calibers ( which leaves my 260, 7/08 and 280 out). Give 'em a try. I also hear (but can't confirm) that Federal is planning on loading 'em this year.

[Rocky Raab]

No sweat, Cossack. We said almost the same things.

I checked the Federal website, and they do load some Barnes bullets, but they don't show any in the 300 RUM - yet.

[Catfish]

I`ve used the Barns X bullets in my muzzle loader with sabots. Terminal preformance was terffic, a 2 1/2 in. dia hole clear through. But the thing that really puzzled me was that there was no blood shot meat, a big hole that had ragged cut meat all around it, but no lost meat to blood. Is this normal? or did I just get lucky?

[BILLY D.]

6,5 SWEDE M- 96, 48 GRS OF RL-19, 120 GR BARNES XFB, HARVESTED ANTELOPE AT 200 + YARDS = PRICELESS.

[Dutchboy]

Lack of bloodshot meat is one of the reasons I love using solid copper bullets (including Barnes). I've shot deer at impact speeds above 3300 fps, and you can still eat up to the hole.

The new TSX configuration does take a lot of the "issues" Barnes had (inconsistent accuracy, fouling, pressure excursions), and fixes them. They have been very easy to achieve field accuracy with, and terminal performance is consistently excellent. HTH, Dutch.

[Cal Sibley]

I just received the August edition of Field & Stream yesterday. There's an interesting article in it by David Petzal comparing US made hunting bullets. The article covers Nosler, Remington, Barnes, Hornady, Sierra, Swift and Winchester. While the article addresses factory rounds they are all bullets we can buy and reload if desired. There seems to me to be little written on this topic, and it is informative. It cites the strengths and weaknesses of each brand. Might be worth a read. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

[Terry Blauwkamp]

I have used them, and loved the results.

If you will send me your e-mail address, I'll send you a report and some pictures.

Terry Blauwkamp

tblauwkamp@superior-sales.com

[Trapper7]

I'd always used Nosler Partition bullets, which I might add I still consider to be a great bullet. I thought I'd give the original Barnes-X bullets a try. In comparable tests I found the Barnes-X bullet penetrated better than the Nosler Partition. Also, the Barnes bullet retained all of its 150 grains. While the Nosler retained 118 grains on one test and slightly more on another test.

I use 150 grain Barnes bullets for elk in a 30-06. Every elk I've shot with the exception of one has been shot through the front shoulder. Every bullet passed completely through the elk. Six elk ran off after being hit, with the farthest running about 100 yards. One elk was shot in the neck and dropped immediately.

Last year I used the new TSX bullet and like it better than the X or the XLC. Both of my rifles shoot all the Barnes bullets real well.