168 Barnes TSX at Long Range
- Thread starter Mr. Ed
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the444shooter
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- May 8, 2001
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no experience with the 168 TSX, but do have LR experience with the 165 XLC-was shot out of a .308 Warbird--hit yearling doe perfectly behind the shoulder...small exit wound, but somehow managed to blow a fist sized chunk of lung out that little hole---one shot, dead deer. I'm using the 180gr TSX out of my 300RUM this year...excited to see how they perform.
Ian M
Well-Known Member
My partner shot a few deer last year with that bullet - nice clean kills. Longest was a yearling at just over 700yards and it dropped in its tracks. Relatively small exit but lots of internal damage. This is usually a very accurate bullet in any rifle we try it in. Loaded by Federal now.
I have great faith in the Barnes X bullets. I have never recovered one from an animal. That is including trophy size bulls. The 175's out of my 7 stw don't get stopped. It doesn't really count, but the 405 grain out of my 458 are the same way. The 510 soft points go all the way through big browns and so do the Barnes. The 405 grain is one shot deer hunting also. On a classic near sidways heart lung shot the exit wound was 8 inches
The problem most people have with Barnes is they do not seem to expand as well as lead core bullets when the velocities start to dip.
I love Barnes X bullets, and I use them in several calibers; however, they do need, imho, to be fired at 'magnum' velocities and more reasonable ranges. I am shooting 140 Barnes X in my 300 SAUM this season. It shoots the best and shoots flatter than my 150 ABs, but out past 350 yards or so, the AB have performed much better in expansion tests.
I know the shortcomings of expansion tests compared with live animals; however, this is a means to get an idea or a peek to the bullet's tendancies at these ranges. If I had a camera I would show you the proof.
My personal limit is to keep impact velocities over 2400 fps or so. That seems to be the bare minimum I have seen to get the expansion I require of the bullets. I have taken game with Barnes X with impact velocites of 3400 fps, and the performed flawlessly. I recovered one from my 25-06. I use 75 gr X loaded to 3550 fps. I shot a mature buck at about 45 yards. The retained weight is 74.8 gr. For comparison, 100 gr NP fired at 3400 fps, impact velocity of about 3340, bullet weighed 40 gr. Both bullets broke both front shoulders, dropping the buck, but the deer shot with the Barnes had less meat dmg.
The Barnes will kill just the same as lead bullets, but typically, lead core bullets give better/bigger exit wounds for trailing game. The Barnes do massive dmg to the vitals, they just don't seem to make big exit holes, but they do tend to always make an exit hole.
I love Barnes X bullets, and I use them in several calibers; however, they do need, imho, to be fired at 'magnum' velocities and more reasonable ranges. I am shooting 140 Barnes X in my 300 SAUM this season. It shoots the best and shoots flatter than my 150 ABs, but out past 350 yards or so, the AB have performed much better in expansion tests.
I know the shortcomings of expansion tests compared with live animals; however, this is a means to get an idea or a peek to the bullet's tendancies at these ranges. If I had a camera I would show you the proof.
My personal limit is to keep impact velocities over 2400 fps or so. That seems to be the bare minimum I have seen to get the expansion I require of the bullets. I have taken game with Barnes X with impact velocites of 3400 fps, and the performed flawlessly. I recovered one from my 25-06. I use 75 gr X loaded to 3550 fps. I shot a mature buck at about 45 yards. The retained weight is 74.8 gr. For comparison, 100 gr NP fired at 3400 fps, impact velocity of about 3340, bullet weighed 40 gr. Both bullets broke both front shoulders, dropping the buck, but the deer shot with the Barnes had less meat dmg.
The Barnes will kill just the same as lead bullets, but typically, lead core bullets give better/bigger exit wounds for trailing game. The Barnes do massive dmg to the vitals, they just don't seem to make big exit holes, but they do tend to always make an exit hole.
