Help from Barnes 177 LRX users

[DartonJager]

I am presently trying to decide on which bullet to choose as my do all big game bullet for deer and elk for shots from 75 yards to 700 yards for my newly acquired 300 wsm Tikka T3 Lite. My research has turned up enough positive information on the Barnes 175 grain LRX that it is among my top two considerations.

I have a VERY strong like for Barnes bullets because they have served me without fail and have proved 100% reliable on over 2 dozen whitetails I've killed, but that was using them in sabot shotgun ammo and using their all copper T-MZ and Spitfire muzzleloader bullets, Ive never used them in a CF rifle before.

Barnes claims their LRX bullet is designed to open up from a minimum of 1600 fps up to as fast as you can push them.

I will be looking to push the LRX as fast as they remain accurate and should have no problem attaining a or very near MV of 3000fps.

I'm looking for real world first had experience of what people have seen the 175 grain LRX do at beyond 400 yards as under 400 yards the 300wsm will easily push any Barnes bullet fast enough to get the job done. It's distances from between 400 and 600-700 yards I am most in need of information to make my choice.

Thanks,
Art.

OOPs my bad they are 175 grain LRX.

 

[PGJPJ]

Sorry I can't really help. I took aim at a cow elk at 400 yards a few days ago, but didn't like my shot. Ended up stalking into 185 yards, and took the elk.

168 grain 7mm LRX
MV 2900 fps
185 yards

the cow went about 20 yards and fell over dead.

 

[JohnnieB]

I'm from CA and use Barnes bullets exclusively for hunting in calibers from 270WSM, 270 Wby, 7mm WSM & WBY, most of the 300's, a 325 WSM, and 340 wBy. All up close shots have been devastating using primarily the TTSX, a use the LRX in one of the 7's and have taken game from pigs to cow elk up to 325 yards and never recovered a bullet. My wife took a quartering Kudu at 100 yards and we found that bullet under the skin on the far side of the animal after traveling over 30 inches through the shoulder, chest cavity, and various broken ribs. That bull ran 70 yards before piling up. With the 340 I've taken a nilgai at 277 yards and recovered that bullet after a quartering away shot, in the muscle of the far broken shoulder. Lastly with the 340 I took a bull elk at 520, both shots complete pass throughs with the lungs and heart destroyed.

I'm a big fan of the bullets and will be loading the 175 LRX in my wife's new 300 WSM. Currently using the 180 TTSX at 3020 in that rifle, she just took a 300 lb boar at 232, complete boiler room pass through.

 

[JohnnieB]

Forgot to add, I would not hesitate to use either the 175 or the 180 on Game out to 600.

 

[theodoreh]

Forgot to add, I would not hesitate to use either the 175 or the 180 on Game out to 600.

Would you hesitate beyond 600 yards?

 

[PGJPJ]

I would hesitate to use a Berger inside of 100 yards on an elk

For my 280ai, the 168 grn LRX would drop below 1800 fps at 725 fps (roughly, given environmental cond). That's probably as far as I'd go in my rifle.

The Barns Marketing team says you could go as low as 1600 fps, which would be 900 yards given the same conditions... but.... think I'd stick with the 1800 fps threshold. lightbulb

 

[JohnnieB]

Theo,

Only made that comment as that is as far as I have personal experience, plus a few yards.

 

[lancetkenyon]

My 14 year old daughter used my 6.5 SLR pushing a 6.5mm 127 LRX @ 3050fps MV on her deer hunt last fall. She took a good muley @ 637 yards.
`
Retained velocity should have been around 2077fps, and 1217 ft/lbs of energy. Bullet entered right onside shoulder and broke the shoulder blade, took out top of both lungs, shattered a vertebrae, and existed offside shoulder. Deer dropped in his tracks at impact.







Standing at the deer location, looking back towards the truck that we moved to where the shot was taken from.

 

[PGJPJ]

Nice! That's a heck of s shot for anyone to make.

And thanks for the report

 

[feelinducky]

For what it is worth here is my experience with the LRX.
I built a 270wsm with a Brux barrel to shoot the 129g LRX. I messed with that bullet off and on for a year. I could not get it to group anywhere close to decent. The big thing that I noticed is that I could not get the velocity to get over 3050 without signs of pressure. I built a 270wsm for accuracy but I also wanted some speed out of it. I tried IMR4350, H4350, RL17, 22, 26, Magpro and the highest velocity I could get without pressure signs was about 3100 but not consistent. Horrible groups!! I decided to switch over to the 130g TTSX and finally started to get velocity and groups. Right now I'm at 3400 and 1" groups at 200 yards with primers that look good and bolt lift is normal. If you look at the LRX and the TTSX side-by-side, you see there are 3 groves in the LRX and 4 grooves in the TTSX, in my opinion there is more bearing surface on the LRX causing a higher pressure. If I use the Berger ballistic tool the TTSX is running 1992fps with 55" drop and the LRX is running 1917 with 64"drop. (@600yds)

For me I'll stick with the TTSX until I get some Hammer bullets worked up.

LRX on the Left TTSX on the Right