Barnes Bullets

[hunter1026]

I can't get Barnes to group any better than 2" out of my 223 anybody had better luck than that?

[firstcoueswas80]

Just dont shoot too far with barnes. I think they are good up to a certain point say around 400-500. After that they dont open, dont retain much energy, go in and out with little to no damage.

 

The deer I killed that rolled down the canyon at 525 thought they worked fine

[10Turkeys]

Thanks for all the replies! I have never got the kind of group out of any bullet like these with them seated so far off the lands.

[firstcoueswas80]

I can't get Barnes to group any better than 2" out of my 223 anybody had better luck than that?

 

Try seating them shorter, and also make sure you scrub your barely down as far as you can. I dont know what it is about Barnes bullets, but they DO NOT like being shot after there is other fouling in the barrel. I have tested this many times over and 10/10 times, they shoot better when starting from a clean barrel.

[AverageJoe]

Just dont shoot too far with barnes. I think they are good up to a certain point say around 400-500. After that they dont open, dont retain much energy, go in and out with little to no damage.

 

The deer I killed that rolled down the canyon at 525 thought they worked fine

 

525 getting towards the end of the the range of those but within reason. A deer should die at that range. Now out a little further (600 and beyond) and a bigger animal, i would choose a different bullet.

[firstcoueswas80]

To a point, I would agree.

 

TTSX do need to be driven fairly hard to expand to their maximum but at the same time, because they penetrate and retain their weight so much better, one can step down a weight and get the same performance as the heavies. ie use a 130 instead of a 140 through the .277 cailber, so thus extending your range.

 

I think a lot of emphasis is put on the small exits offered up buy the Barnes bullets. In my experience and opnion on this, it is because the bullets to not open a huge amount. They open to an 'X', absolutely hammer the game they hit and then exit. Leaving a small entrance and exit, but causing massive damage and, more often than not, leaving the animal dead on the spot. When I was in Africa, I shot 10 animals. Nine of these animals were shot with a .300 wsm and 168 TTSX, one was shot with my .257 wby and 100 TTSX. Of these animals, only 4 took another step. An impala was double lunged and made it about 40 yards, a mountain reedbok was shot through the heart, with a 1 inch exit and made it about 50 yards, a black wildebeest was double lung hit and made it 100 yards, and a red hartbeest made it about 20 yards before laying down and getting another bullet put into him (the first shot was a gut shot at 340 yards).

 

All other animals have died on the spot.

[STOMP442]

Give me a bullet that dumps all of its energy into the animal any day over one that passes through especially with these little coues deer.

[ultra300mag]

I know that everyone has their own opinion about bullets and just about everything else. I have shot Barnes exclusively for over ten years starting with the original x. I live in the same town that they were in until a couple of years ago and know Randy and Connie well. I am on their field advisory staff and have enjoyed great success with their bullets. Almost everyone has had good and bad with any bullet but usually it is not the bullets fault. If I put the bullet where it should be it results in a great kill. If not well then we all know what happens then. So I guess the best thing to say here is use what you like and make good ethical shots. AS far as limiting the range, I have shot a bull elk over 700 yards with the TSX and it took about three steps and was done. As far as the accuracy goes, Barnes tend to like a little deeper seating depth than a lot of other bullets. My 300 Ultra shoots sub minute of angle groups very consistantly. I just worked up a load for a guy and his 300 Win Mag and it is shooting three quarter inch five shot groups at 100 yards. One very important part of shooting is having confidence in what you shoot, both gun and bullet. If you don't you will make a poor hit or possible miss totally. My rifle (Christensen Arms) tends to shoot great groups until I have put about 25 down the barrel and then the group opens a little. I just then use Barnes CR10 and clean until no copper comes out on the patch. I recently shot a Desert Sheep with 168 TSX at about three hundred yards and shot quartering toward me. The bullet traveled full length and did not exit. A few months ago I was eating some tasy sheep roast and when I went to cut a piece I heard a metalic clink and dug out my very nicely expanded 168 grain TSX, Oops I guess I should say my 155 grain TSX. The shot took out the front shoulder and traveled full length losing only about 13 grains because it sheared off one and part of another of the x petals. I couldn't have asked for any better performance. Like I said earlier, whatever you shoot just shoot it a lot and get very good with it so that bullet placement is correct and you will be able to take home the trophy, if not you may be tracking blood for a long time. Enjoy the sport and try not to be to judgemental of others and their choices. As for me I will be shooting Barnes for a long time to come!!!