Barnes changes small bores atitudes

[jmort]

Barnes TSX, TTSX, whatever are game changers. The haters never tried them. I will continue to use lead alloy, if only for cost, with the biggest possible meplat. The Partition and A-Frame are not going away. There are a lot of good choices. Nothing is perfect or eternal.

[Rick Hodges]

I tried Barnes all copper bullets (before the relief grooves where machined in them) following their instructions about seating depth and long leads....never could get them to shoot near 2 1/2 moa out of an extremely accurate 7mm Rem Mag. nor could I get reasonable velocity without pressure signs. I even tried moly coating them....they just would not shoot well for me. That rifle didn't like partitions very well either. I ended up using Hornady 162gr. BTSP's and never looked back. That experience left a bad taste about solid copper alloy bullets. Inaccurate, slow and overpriced...that is three strikes and they are out for me. I will use the mouse guns on appropriate game and use bigger calibers for medium and big game hunting rather than trying to stretch the little guns capability.

[Lloyd Smale]

same thing here rick. for the most part thin jacketed bullets outshoot heavy jacketed bullets. Its why sierras and nos bts are usually the choice if accuracy is paramount. Ive had guns that shot a certain load great with x bullets but in my experience its after ive spend quite a bit of money buying those expensive test bullets. Add to that that theres not a deer on earth that needs a barnes bullet to sent it to heaven. What they excel at is the ability to use a smaller then normal gun to kill a bigger animal. Me i just grab the right gun. there are probably millions of deer bear elk and moose that have been killed cleanly by cup and core bullets. Like ive said in my opinion on light skinned light boned deer sized game cup and core bullets ARE THE PRIEMIUM BULLET.

I tried Barnes all copper bullets (before the relief grooves where machined in them) following their instructions about seating depth and long leads....never could get them to shoot near 2 1/2 moa out of an extremely accurate 7mm Rem Mag. nor could I get reasonable velocity without pressure signs. I even tried moly coating them....they just would not shoot well for me. That rifle didn't like partitions very well either. I ended up using Hornady 162gr. BTSP's and never looked back. That experience left a bad taste about solid copper alloy bullets. Inaccurate, slow and overpriced...that is three strikes and they are out for me. I will use the mouse guns on appropriate game and use bigger calibers for medium and big game hunting rather than trying to stretch the little guns capability.

[Tatume]

We use Barnes all the time in the kids 243's after we lost a deer due to common core cup bullet failure.

In what way did the bullet fail?

[jmort]

It seems that monolithic is lost on some members

[MT Chambers]

My results mirror the op on moose, elk, deer, and bear only I'm using cast flat points without the Barnes hype.

[Lloyd Smale]

he probably found pieces in a DEAD deer that piled up where it was shot.

In what way did the bullet fail?

[white eagle]

have to try them out when I get my 224 tth barrel back from mgm
I used a 55 gr speer trophy bonded bear claw on a whitetail doe
in mt 220 swift and you couldn't differentiate between that kill
and a more traditional deer rifle cal

[Gunners Mate]

I use Barnes TTSX 120 Gr in my 6.5 Rem Mag over a liberal dose of H4831sc running a shade over 3200 fps over the chrono out of a 22 inch barrel and they are hammers killed 2 deer 2 bobcats and a pig one shot each and they were DRT in their tracks, accuracy is submoa

[nekshot]

In what way did the bullet fail?

The deer was about 50 yards broadside and was hit slightly behind front leg. The wound was only a surface type bullet blow up as if it was a ultra lite varmet bullet. Very little blood loss and fortunately a neighbor killed the buck. It was a messy surface wound and that was it.

[nekshot]

he probably found pieces in a DEAD deer that piled up where it was shot.

Lloyd, I have not harvested as many deer as you have but i can account for all "my" deer that I shot. She did shoot the next deer that came along (after I spent time tracking the deer till no more blood) and got better penetration but still was a total bullet blow up.

[nekshot]

that is awesome! I did not know bobcats had tails like that. I have never saw a bobcat in the wild.

[Jedman]

I have used Barnes X, TSX, TTSX, and XPB in 243,270,308 & 357 on deer and antelope with great terminal performance. The one time I had a failure with a Barnes with a 350 gr.TSX out of a 416 Rigby ! I shot a adult antelope doe with it and hit the front shoulder at about 100 yards and to my surprise the antelope ran off and piled up about 75 yards later. The bullet never penetrated the small antelope, it near blew off the front leg and I found pieces of the bullet as far as the rear hams and never found the main bullet core ? After skinning the animal what was left of the front leg just fell off and there was a hole you could easily put your fist in to but no strait line penetration.
I have some newer TSX bullets in .458 to try in the 45-70 but haven't yet used them. I gave a friend some Barnes XPB bullets I had in .452 that were to long for the 45 Colt lever gun I wanted to use them in. He shot a buck with one of them loaded in a 450 Bushmaster out of a Ruger ranch rifle and the deer was DRT with a high shoulder shot and the bullet was recovered on the off side under the hide and looked near perfect mushroomed but lost 2 of the 6 pedals.
So overall they work great but why I had one blow up in .416 cal. is really a mystery. ��

Jedman

[Moonie]

I really continue to be amazed how Barnes performs in smaller calibers. I took a buck today at 240 yards with a 223 and 62 grain Barnes tactx. Went in right behind leg and out came out with hole that looked like a shot gun slug went thru it. A couple lunges and the rest was history. We use Barnes all the time in the kids 243's after we lost a deer due to common core cup bullet failure. I felt a little ashamed going to the stand with a 223 but it was at a grass field so I did not have to worry about unseen brush or vines. I have other stuff for in the woods but I am impressed what the solid copper and designed petals can do. Any other solid copper fans?

Last year for deer season I loaded some of these up in 22 Nosler for a deer hunt, I did not get one on our hunt but I have no doubt they will do the job.

[Texas by God]

Gunners Mate, I like that cartridge and that 673 Remington and way to go!

[crankycalico]

I have used the monolithic and don't like them. To much erratic in the performance.

They DO have an impact velocity restriction. Issue is, it varies between bullets.

The stuff federal uses, well use the NON POLYMER tip at short range, under 50 and the stupid things over expand. I mean the bullet hits, the petals expand, and keep peeling back to the base of the bullet.
Use the polymer tipped stuff, and it performs like its supposed to do. However these tend to angle downwards on impact, regardless of range.

Now I have used the barnes tsx in .223 on many deer. It ALWAYS leads to a very long tracking session. sometimes 4-500 yards. With no blood trail. Sure they hit, leaving a .223 diameter entrance hole, hit say lung and do a small amount of tissue damage, and leave a caliber size exit hole.
IF you get on youtube you can possibly find testing videos of the barnes 357 magnum load into gel blocks. This load was meant for rifles, but in a 4" handgun at 10 feet hits, and after a few inches into the gel block the petals fold back and make a nice wadcutter. That I believe happens to the .223 bullet.

I much believe the PPU THUNDER line is much better. monolithic copper solid with a hollow nose cavity filled with small touch of lead for expanding.. every time. That bullet expands in ICE... shooting snowbanks can be fun.

[Gunners Mate]

Took another Whitetail and a pig this weekend with the Barnes 120gr TTSX in the 6.5 Rem Mag shot the hog about 4 inches behind the ear and completely severed the spinal cord and the bullet exited through the opposite shoulder, shot the deer behind the shoulder and the bullet traveled through and came to rest about 6 inches below the ear on the opposite side in the neck, I recovered that slug and would guess it retained upwards of 90% of its weight, I have included a picture of the recovered slug, it mushroomed perfectly and killed that buck dead in its tracks at 115 yards the hog was was 219 yards and DRT also, if you look at the neck below the ear on the buck you can see a lump thats where the bullet stopped here is the recovered slug I have taken 3 bucks 3 pigs and 2 bobcats with the ole 6.5 Rem Mag 8 shots fired and 8 DRT in their tracks all shot with 120 gr Barnes TTSX over 59Gr of H4831SC and a BR2 primer from ranges of 107 yards to 219 yards all but one were complete pass thru's.

I have hunted with and owned countless different rifles in a multitude of different calibers from 223, 22/250, 243, 270 7mm Mag, 6.5x55 swede, 6.5 grendel, 6.5 CM, 270 WBY Mag, 308, 3006, 3006AI, 30/30, 300 wsm, 300 win mag, 350 Rem Mag, 45/70 and can honestly say in 40 years of shooting and hunting, I believe the forgotten 6.5 Rem Mag is by far the most versatile chambering I have ever hunted with, the recoil is mild somewhere between a 243 and a 308 the velocity and accuracy are extremely impressive. My search for the perfect rifle is over.

[EDG]

You can take all the game you want with monolithic bullets. But anything including a .22LR will kill deer and bobcats. I had about 40 years of success using cup and core bullets. They are accurate, proven and I already have experience and loads for about 40 different calibers. Why would I want to switch to some small caliber unless I could not take the recoil? As a long time skeet shooter I got over recoil long ago.
I am a shooter first and foremost so claiming monolithic bullets are better for hunting means little to me. A cup and core bullet will shoot a paper target and small groups better than a mono. I probably shoot 100 cup and core bullets for every mono that you shoot on big game.

[jmort]

For accuracy in shooting contests EDG is correct
For hunting it is a matter of choice
Monolithic bullets of lead, lead alloy, and copper have proven to be very effective.
The point of the O/P is well taken in my opinion, that in small calibers, the Barnes bullets allow the small caliber to punch above its weight class, so to speak.

[Hickok]

I really continue to be amazed how Barnes performs in smaller calibers. I took a buck today at 240 yards with a 223 and 62 grain Barnes tactx. Went in right behind leg and out came out with hole that looked like a shot gun slug went thru it. A couple lunges and the rest was history. We use Barnes all the time in the kids 243's after we lost a deer due to common core cup bullet failure. I felt a little ashamed going to the stand with a 223 but it was at a grass field so I did not have to worry about unseen brush or vines. I have other stuff for in the woods but I am impressed what the solid copper and designed petals can do. Any other solid copper fans?

Nekshot, can you tell me the rate of twist, 1/10, 1/9, 1/8 etc. of the .223 rifle you are using? Have any estimate of the velocity of your load? I am very interested in this for a good deer load on my .223's.