Barnes Bullets

[IndianaMatt]

Im looking for someone with some experience with Barnes bullets. I was looking through their online reloading manual and found some stuff that interested me. An old friend of mine that is very old school told me to stay away from them. I'm just looking for a different opinion and results from someone who has actually shot them.

 

[rlspahn]

I've used the 120 TSX in a 260 Rem on south Texas whitetails and hogs. Results were devastating. Typical lung shots on deer with the bullet exiting; blood trails easy to follow when deer didn't drop in sight. There's lots of thick brush in south Texas, so the deer can disappear with just a couple of steps. A 315-lb hog fell to a single shot as well.

 

[JohnnieB]

I use Barnes exclusively for hunting and will likely never use anything else. Everything from little pigs to 900 lb Elk and Kudu. Can't tell you how many head of game we've taken with the Barnes.

 

[Shortmagman]

I have loaded and shot Barnes TSX and TTSX bullet in many different guns over a 10-15 year period. I have found they are very accurate bullets in all the guns I have loaded them. You need to play with the seating depth.

I have also shot some game with them. I have found that you need to load bullets that have less weight than lead bullets and you need to drive them faster in order for them to open up. Example I loaded a 80 grain TTSX in a .243 Win for my grandson and he shot a buck at about 45 yards that never took a step, this bullet was traveling at about 3300 ft/ sec. I have shot a couple of deer with my 260 Rem using 120 TTSX bullets and they performed fine. However, I shot a small deer with my 7mm Rem mag with a 160 grain TSX and this was not the load for small deer. It was my elk load but it shot so well I tried it on deer and the bullets just penciled through without opening up. I got the deer but it took more than one shot.

What specific things do you want to know and what does your friend say for the reason to stay away from them.

 

[Blacksnake0]

I began reloading a few years ago specially to load Barnes TSX when I could not find them in factory loads. Their performance on game is excellent in my experience.

 

[trumperman]

You friend told you to stay away from Barnes bullet but you didn't mention the reasons why he said so.

 

[bigngreen]

Shot them for a lot of years, will never shoot them again for heavy game like elk but for deer and small game they are OK just so many better options these days!!

 

[stx]

I've loaded them for as long as I can remember and always had outstanding accuracy and DRT kills. I agree that speed is important with them......I always drop down a size from what I'd normally shoot to up the velocity! I'm loading 127 LRXs in 264 WM and 26 Nosler, 100 TSXs in 25-06, 145 LRXs in 280 AI, 120 & 140 TTSXs in 280 Rem, and 150 TTSXs and 180 TSXs in 300 Wby.....all with near .5 MOA accuracy or better seated between .030-.050" off the lands! I've yet to have a Barnes bullet fail me and have even had quite a few of my hunters convert to them, also with Excellent Results.

 

[memtb]

Im looking for someone with some experience with Barnes bullets. I was looking through their online reloading manual and found some stuff that interested me. An old friend of mine that is very old school told me to stay away from them. I'm just looking for a different opinion and results from someone who has actually shot them.

The "only" Bullets my wife and I have used since the mid-90's. She in her .338 WM, and I in my .375 AI. We've "never" lost an animal properly hit, and almost all we one-shot kills... from less than 30 to over 400 yards. My first kill (a small bull elk) with a Barnes was in '93, I believe. From that elk I recovered my only bullet. It was a small bull elk, shot from behind, bullet found under hide of upper front leg. Full length thru an elk, there hide penetrations, shattering hip/pelvis of animal on entry. The bullet lost one petal, recovered bullet weighed 257 grains (as best I remember). The Barnes Bullets, have "only" improved since then.

We've made kills from a Red Fox up to Shiras Moose, and many things between! memtb

 

[IndianaMatt]

I'm really not sure why he doesn't like them. Possibly just because they are different.

 

[Garycrow]

My deer rifle is a 6.5x47L shooting 100 TTSX's at 3100 FPS, my elk rifle is a 7mm rem mag shooting 145 LRX's at 3225. They're all I use on big game any more, I've tried just about everything else and the Barnes just flat work better. I only use the plastic tipped ones, the early X bullets wouldn't always open & got a bad reputation. The plastic tipped versions always open.

 

[Stihlntime]

I've shot numerous elk, nilgai, literally hundreds of hogs, close to 200 whitetails on high fence Doe reduction hunts, and many exotics on population control hunts. Barnes X is my favorite hunting bullet. Never had one fail. The 7 STW demands a tough bullet when using full throttle loads, after having Noslers literally fail at close ranges, Barnes was the ticket. Used them in 6mm, 7Mm,30 cal,.338 and .375. I shot an elk several years ago facing directly away from me and the bullet took out 15" of spine and lodged under the hide on his neck. Nilgai are notorious for their toughness, and thick elastic hide. Full broadside penetration crushing shoulder. For the high velocities of ultra mags and similar calibers can't be beat.

 

[bigngreen]

When we were seeing 100-300 plus elk kills a season the first two seasons we saw a third of the bullets placed on front shoulders not penetrate into the chest cavity but stop or turn, I've done a mag dump on more elk when I was shooting Barnes than any other bullet, I though it was normal to have to hit elk repetitively till I started shooting heavy for cal cup and core or even heavy for cal copper in faster twist barrel, it was a stark change when I quite Barnes, every time I pulled the trigger elk just started wobbling and dropping no more running with front legs packing or windmilling, no more shooting and having them stand there like your just making noise. I still shoot them sometimes for deer and varmints but never again on heavy game!!

 

[Garycrow]

What type of Barnes were you shooting? The early ones wouldn't always open & would pencil through. The TTSX has fixed that. I've had blowups with thinly constructed cup and core bullets, never had anything but perfect performance out of a TTSX.