Barnes Bullets

[dougduey]

The Barnes bullets aeem to have a lot of love/hate out there. When we designed our bullet we addressed the issues that come up with Barnes bullets and other mono copper bullets. The first thing we were after is the unpredictable preasure issues that are inherent with mono bullets. Barnes addressed this years ago by putting relief grooves in the bearing surface to reduce pressure. That helped but did not cure it. Then terminal performance without massive blood shot meat was top of our list.

Terminal performance was done by lots of trial and error. 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. Once we found this life was good.. We always want the nose of our bullet to open to the depth of our hollow point and shed the petals. Our bullets will peal like a banana in usually 3-4 petals. Then the retained shank must have a flat fontal area that displaces soft tissue perpendicular to the direction of the bullet travel creating a pemanant wound channel all the way through the animal.

Our patented design that we named PDR (parabolic drag reduction) addressed the pressure issues that come from mono bullets. Copper is a harder material than lead and does not form to the bore of a rifle like lead to seal the bore. So the million $ question has always been what dia to make a mono bullet so that it will seal the bore but not create too much pressure. This is not a fit that can be close with copper bullets like it can with lead. Lead bullets squish when pressure builds in the chambe and makes them fit the bore. Easy. Not so easy with lead free bullets. Because of our PDR we can cut our bullets large enough to seal the varied bore dia, due to machining tolerances, and not have undue pressure increases. The radiused design creats a very finite contact in the grooves and creates enough rifling engagement to properly spin the bullet. The valleys in Hammer Bullets leave plenty of space for displaced copper to deposit.

Our parented PDR design straight up is the best design out there. Keeps pressure consistent and low. Eliminates seating depth intolerance that is typical with all other bullets and is super accurate. Hammer Bullets make factory rifles shoot so well it is difficult to justify the cost of custom rifles. Sounds like an outlandish car salesman statement but it isn't. We will back it up with a satisfaction guarantee or your money back warranty.

Steve

Steve makes one hell of a product. I've switched over to his bullets in 5 of my 6 calibers (once he makes a 1:10 twist bullet for my 243, he'll have all 6!!). Super accurate and higher velocity than other similar bullets. And he has a money back guarantee........who does that nowadays!!

 

[RockyMtnMT]

We got em. Should be loading them on the site in the next day or so.

Steve

 

[dougduey]

We got em. Should be loading them on the site in the next day or so.

Steve

Really?!!!???
What grain 6mm bullet for the 1:10 twist?? About 70-75 gr??
Looks like you'll have all 6 of my rifles now!! Guess I'll be doing load development for the .243 soon

 

[RockyMtnMT]

70g Hammer Hunter, 82g Sledge Hammer.

Steve

 

[WyoHunter1]

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.

View attachment 89556
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.


View attachment 89553
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.

A black powder rifle/ bullet is not made to the same specifications as a high velocity rifle bullet. You can not compare the two.

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.

 

[WyoHunter1]

Your experience with black powder bullets is totally different then then high velocity rifle calibers.

 

[1Moose]

Your experience with black powder bullets is totally different then then high velocity rifle calibers.

They've done really well on elk. Only one elk went to run after being hit, and while I had a moment of panic b/c it disappeared quickly behind a terrain feature, turns out he was right there.

 

[Engineering101]

Love Barnes bullets. I do think light for caliber is the way to go. As an example, I run the 210 TTSX in my 338 RUM. That bullet leaves the muzzle right at 3,200 fps and it kills elk and deer pretty quick without undue meat loss. The low meat loss is important to me. That load grouped 2.15" on 1st try at 600 yards and consistently groups 0.75" at 200 yards so they are plenty accurate. I don't normally go after whitetail with my 338 RUM but I did shoot a relatively small Montana doe (220 yards) just to see what it would do and the results were interesting. It did the same thing as a 6X6 bull elk (348 yards) shot earlier in the year - it hunched up, stumbled for 20 yards and went down. Both those were double lung broadside shots. Out past 600 yards I'd be concerned that expansion would drop off and I think there are better choices for true long range such as the ELD-X. I think you need a little more explosive bullet when you get way out there. But since most game is NOT shot at long range Barnes is pretty useful. Case in point, I've shot a few animals - both elk and deer - that were 1 yard away. A soft bullet in that situation would not be good as you could cut an animal in half when up close. But since I've yet to shoot anything out past 400 yards, if I had to pick just 1 bullet, Barnes would be it.

 

[HARPERC]

Looking at the muzzle loader bullets, the profile, and hollow point size make it much more likely to expand. Good looking bullet.

I'd be curious to know if the material is the same as in the regular line.

 

[7stw]

The lite for caliber really works well with the Barnes bullets. You get the speed of the lite bullet, and the mass of a bullet twenty, or thirty grains heavier. Moreso, in the get calibers. Love um

 

[joep17]

The early X bullet was hit or miss. Since the TSX and TTSX that is all I use for hunting. With my hunting group I have never seen an animal not be harvested. When I buy a new caliber that is all I start with Barnes.

Every animal I have ever squeezed the trigger on has expired quickly. I have always found a load that will shoot well. They punch outside their weight.

Usually they go right through and the animal drops and you don't find the bullet. The few times I have recovered the projectile they look exactly like the picture on the loading manual and are within a grain or two of the original weight.

For example, a 130 TSX from a 270 WSM broke both shoulders of an elk at 430 yards and stopped just under the skin on the far side. A 270 gr from a 375 HH shot a Cape buffalo from the front made the bull snort out chunks of lung and as he turned to run I spined him. Found the first bullet in the hip bones and the second bullet in his brisket. Both looked like the picture on the manual. One weighed 270gr and the other 269 gr. The same load flattened a kudu with a front brisket shot and got the bullet back from the hip bones. The only other retrieved bullet was a 150 gr from a 7mm Rem mag on a 15.5" warthog where it flipped in the air and died where it was standing. Broke both shoulders and turned the boiler room to jelly. The bullet stopped under the skin on the far side and weighed 149 gr. The 50" moose at 176 yards folded like a cheap tent with a 168 gr out of a 30-06. Broke one shoulder and then passed through.
Dozens of deer, several more elk and several more moose and multiple African plains game with no bullet recovery but quick kills. The black faced Impala did do a summer sault before it died.

I use them exclusively in 264 WM, 270 Win, 270 WSM, 284 Win, 7 RMag, 308 Win, 30-06' 338WM, 35 Whelen, 9.3x62, 9.3x73R, 375 HH, 416 Rigby, and 458 WM. Have yet to not be able to get 0.75" 3 shot groups in any of the above with high velocity loads.

A big BUT though. Shot placement on game is paramount. Gut shoot an animal with a 50 BMG and it will run away. There is no "magic" bullet that will be effective unless you place the shot.

Also I have witnessed many disasters with Nosler Ballistic Tips and Berger Hunting bullets. Nosler Partitions and Swift A Frames are the only bullets that perform even close to a Barnes.

Sure I use other brands for varmints and Lapua and Berger for F Class. But when a trophy is on the line, Barnes is the only place I go. All animals drop like they were struck by the hammer of Thor.

And no I don't work them. As I reread this before I posted it, I thought it might sound like I did. However I have 100% faith that I do my part, the Barnes will do their part.

 

[snox801]

I think it has been covered here but we have much better options than Barnes now. Cutting edge and hammer are far better at the mono game than Barnes. That coming from someone who liked Barnes. Hammer will be providing the bullet for my .338 as soon as it's done. Never had a better experience with a manufacture than with steve. Always listens to customer and willing to make changes.