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Barnes Bullets

I have harvested about 10 deer with TSX/TTSX bullets this season. Starting with .308 win 130 TSX then 338 federal 160TTSX and 260 remington 120 TSX. All were DRT save one. Ranges were all inside 200 yards and weights from 175 to 90 pounds live.

The only one that moved after the shot was a 90 pounder shot in the neck with a 120 TSX the bullet made a 1" exit wound in the neck and the deer was able to get up and travel about ten yards where it required dispatching. All the deer hit in the chest hardly moved after the shot.

The most impressive were the .308 win 130 TSX 175 pound whitetail range about 50 yards fell at the shot behind the shoulder picked his head up and that's it. Shot one with the 338 federal range about 150 weight about 160 live the deer laid down quartering to me at a steep angle the bullet went through about 8" of neck into the chest and stopped in front of the offside hind quarter penetrating hide 3 time through 30" of whitetail leaving a 2" wound channel throughout. The bullet recovered was text book barnes performance 159.5gr.

No complaints whatsoever I would not recommend the small bullets on big necks though.

Good luck and shoot straight

Bob
 
Been using Barnes for 20 years and have always had great luck. Shot Antelope in the neck at 40 yards with a 300 WBY and almost took his head off. My son has shot Elk at 560 yards with his 270WSM and 130 Gr TTSX and dropped him fast and as close as 100 yards and knocked them right down.
I have recovered 4 bullets. 2 from a Moose at 350 yards went thru front shoulder and stopped at the hide on the other side he turned and the next bullet did the same thing. One Bull Elk At about 400 yards right thru the chest and stopped by the hide on the far side. One Bull at about 200 yards facing me. Shot in the center of the chest, went the full length of the body breaking the back hip and stopped at the hide in the hind quarter. All of them retained nearly 100% of their 180 grain weight from the 300WBY.
 
My friends and I shoot a lot of Barnes bullets. TSX, TTSX and LRX in a lot of different calibers. We have never had a Barnes bullet not penetrate or fail. I also shoot Bergers. Never had a Berger fail either.
I have been using Barnes for years, 22 through 375 . Never had a failure with any game. I do not like Nosler copper bullets and I had a failure with the Nosler's bullets. California now requiring the uses of copper bullets and I do not lead in my diet.
 
I have used the 145 LRX, in my 7stw, and I can tell you, it is certainly one of the most impressive killing bullets I've ever used, bar none.
I've used 100 grain, TTSX, 25 cal, in my 25.06. Again, no tracking required.
In thirty cal, 150, and 168 tsx, or TTSX, nothing walks.
Questions? They are my go to bullet, never failed me yet.
 
....The Barnes bullets seem to have a lot of love/hate out there.

My experience with the Barnes is they are inconsistent. I have no doubts they are working great for some people. I also have no doubts about those whose experience isn't positive.

.........Finding the 99.8% pure copper alloy that has enough elasticity and softness to perform equally well at high and low vel (below 1800fps tested on all of our bullets) was much more difficult than we anticipated. ......

This is where Barnes fails for me. The inconsistency is in bullet hardness, it's all over the map-even from the same box/lot. I don't know if it comes from material selection, or manufacturing process, but it's there.
 
I have been using Barnes for years, 22 through 375 . Never had a failure with any game. I do not like Nosler copper bullets and I had a failure with the Nosler's bullets. California now requiring the uses of copper bullets and I do not lead in my diet.
Can you tell us about your E-tip failure? Only animal I've killed with one was a 125lb pig with my .243. Two shots, both expanded and both stopped in the pig. No complaints from me though.
 
Love Barnes (Thor) muzzleloading bullets — In Colorado must shoot iron sights and full bore diameter projectiles (no sabots). This is the only bullet that the rifle will shoot well. Lucky for me they kill really well with good shot placement.

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300 grain Thor muzzleloading bullet from my THompson Center pro hunter FX. Smaller elk Shot at 140 yds. Can see I didn't have ideal energy at that range even though elk died within 10 steps. With that load, Would not take that shot at a large mature bull elk (well any elk, past 125 after seeing that bullet's performance as it didn't open like they reliably do with higher velocity). It needed more velocity to do what they have done so well for me several times now. See below.


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Typical 300 grain Thor muzzleloader bullet (Barnes is the core bullet) was recovered from 5x6 bull at 115 yards if I recall. Bull took a couple of steps and lay down. Killed him with following shot to be humane.

Have shot 5 elk with that bullet and none went farther than 20 yards. 5x5 Bull shot at 40 yards was complete pass through. Shot a pronghorn also. Didn't recover that bullet. May or may not have expanded which is irrelevant as it left a huge exit hole for a very ethical kill at 130 yards.

I know you're mostly talking standard rifle bullets. Took two pronghorn with 168TTSX from .30-06. One killed well. Other needed up close finishing shot. I've switched to bullets that will leave more energy in the animal for pronghorn.
 
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I've been using Barnes projectile for about 6 years. I started with the 110 ttsx in a 270 win. That bullet hit like a **** big magnum and shot bugholes from a factory abolt. I did have one failure with same bullet in 270 wsm at a 200 yard shot on a big 6 point buck from head on, feeding. Hit it just 2 inches right of spine and about 6 inches down. It hit the ground like it was struck by lightening. It got dark in the next ten minutes after I shot, so when i went to retrieve game it was nowhere to be found. Drops of blood for 40 yards then nothing. Found 2 days later 3/4 mile away. The bullet ran length of spine and exited buttocks, tiny entrance and exit. I chalk that up to a bullet that was bad, because I never had it happen again and I run barnes in 7 different calibers. Love the lrx in my 26N, it's seriously a **** hammer!
 
That is some faith in a bullet, to continue to use it after a loss like that. Probably not ideal shot placement, but not bad. As a hunter turned bullet maker, it is my biggest fear to get a call from a customer with your story.

Steve
 
One thing I have noticed about the Barnes bullets, is that they work better, the harder you drive them. In my STW, they were traveling at 3460. I drilled a large doe with it about for years ago, at about 560 yards. She jumped four feet in the air, and landed on her side, stone dead.
Got a complete pass through, the long way, on another doe, on another ocassion, at 490. Never recovered one. Badass
 
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