Barnes LRX/TTSX Success and Failure...

[Wedgy]

This deer was shot at 618 yards with a 127 grain LRX at 3030fps from a 6.5x284, a pass thru with 3/4" exit hole and no bullet recovered. I heard it hit but the deer barely moved, slightly turned his head to the right, but still sitting there. I got back on the spotting scope and after what seemed like forever he rolled down the hill. Not a huge exit hole or blood but massive damage.

 

[WyoHunter1]

This deer was shot at 618 yards with a 127 grain LRX at 3030fps from a 6.5x284, a pass thru with 3/4" exit hole and no bullet recovered. I heard it hit but the deer barely moved, slightly turned his head to the right, but still sitting there. I got back on the spotting scope and after what seemed like forever he rolled down the hill. Not a huge exit hole or blood but massive damage.

Need I say say more?
618 yards!
That looks like perfect bullet performance to me. I bet that bullet would have done the same thing if the Deer was hit in the shoulder, passing thru the far side.
Dead is Dead and that Deer wasn't going any where.

No disrespect intended to those posts about the bullets bouncing off of shoulder blades, but I have never seen that happen. I dont see where a copper bullet would deflect off of a bone more than a lead bullet or any other bullet. In fact I think it would normally be the other way around.
A solid projectile that does not easily deform is more likely to continue it's momentum forward than a softer projectile like a lead based bullet that will deform, loose weight and can be more easily deflected.
JMO - I don't claim to be an expert.

 

[bigngreen]

I'm not the least bit surprised by poor shot placement and lack of bullet performance. "Only breaking her shoulder" what else did you want it to do?? w/ an arrant shot like that? Now if you found it completely intact under the entering side I'd call that a problem.

The neck shot cow, what was the angle causing the ricochet off the shoulder? B/c that is some Kennedy magic bullet stuff right there.

I would expect a Barnes bullet to penetrate a shoulder and put a wound channel through the lungs and aorta. Not exactly and errant shot if your bullet hits where your aiming. The bullet that hit the cow in the neck was broadside with maybe a slight quartering away, entrance wound in the center of the shoulder, smashed shoulder so the bullet opened and made it part way through, exit on the front of the neck shoulder junction going forward out of the elk then hitting her in the neck because I hit her when she stopped and put her head down to eat other wise it would have been a running elk with a broken shoulder.
The second the shot was broadside, bullet flat out did not have the omph to over come it's frontal area on an elk shoulder so it quit.
I shot a bull at 825 with a 140 CEB, center of the neck, bullet turned half way through the spine and exited the tip of his neck, very clear bullet path! Shot placement killed him.
I can kill deer all year long with a Barnes without a hint of an issue but take that same bullet and put it on heavy game and your going to have an issue eventually, or take a Barnes and run them way slow and heavy and go punch an elk through some bone and you'll be hating life. I didn't stop shooting elk with them because it was all roses and daisies, it was very hard to put the cool aid down and find another bullet but it was the best thing I ever did!!

 

[TXAoudadKlr]

Pulled these out of two aoudad shot at 115 yards. I don't recall the damage done but both were shot in the shoulder. The "big" one went 10-15 yards and pilled up the other DRT. Both were 297 grains. 458 socom 300gr TTSX doing 1800FPS.

 

[Wedgy]

This is a 200 grain TTSX cutaway

 

[rharfo]

Tipped for the better BC

 

[ohiohunter]

Pulled these out of two aoudad shot at 115 yards. I don't recall the damage done but both were shot in the shoulder. The "big" one went 10-15 yards and pilled up the other DRT. Both were 297 grains. 458 socom 300gr TTSX doing 1800FPS.

Impressive.

 

[ohiohunter]

I would expect a Barnes bullet to penetrate a shoulder and put a wound channel through the lungs and aorta. Not exactly and errant shot if your bullet hits where your aiming. The bullet that hit the cow in the neck was broadside with maybe a slight quartering away, entrance wound in the center of the shoulder, smashed shoulder so the bullet opened and made it part way through, exit on the front of the neck shoulder junction going forward out of the elk then hitting her in the neck because I hit her when she stopped and put her head down to eat other wise it would have been a running elk with a broken shoulder.
The second the shot was broadside, bullet flat out did not have the omph to over come it's frontal area on an elk shoulder so it quit.
I shot a bull at 825 with a 140 CEB, center of the neck, bullet turned half way through the spine and exited the tip of his neck, very clear bullet path! Shot placement killed him.
I can kill deer all year long with a Barnes without a hint of an issue but take that same bullet and put it on heavy game and your going to have an issue eventually, or take a Barnes and run them way slow and heavy and go punch an elk through some bone and you'll be hating life. I didn't stop shooting elk with them because it was all roses and daisies, it was very hard to put the cool aid down and find another bullet but it was the best thing I ever did!!

The more you use a bullet the higher the odds it will fail some day, or at least you will perceive as an equipment failure. No bullet nor piece of equipment is 100% fail safe. As you said you've shot a metric ton of these and only sited 2 "failures". Crunch the numbers and tell us your batting average, it sounds like its probably better than most.

I've read failure stories about bergers, barnes, nosler.... if I based my usage upon a few negative comments I wouldn't have any bullets to shoot.

 

[Pdvdh]

Pulled these out of two aoudad shot at 115 yards. I don't recall the damage done but both were shot in the shoulder. The "big" one went 10-15 yards and pilled up the other DRT. Both were 297 grains. 458 socom 300gr TTSX doing 1800FPS.

Alaskan hunters can tend toward larger caliber cartridges for hunting, due to the size of our moose and bear. As a consequence, I've seen some of the large caliber Barnes TSX bullets expanded. Most memorable being the .458 caliber bullets, generally recovered from a sand bank - all petals intact. A hunter isn't going to retrieve many bullets shot from .458 Win Mags into a game animal, unless they're shot lengthwise. The petals on the large caliber TSX bullets are substantially thicker than the petals on the .270 and 7mm and .308's, and more likely to remain attached to the core, in my estimation. I would not want to be on the receiving end of an expanded .458 caliber Barnes TSX bullet. The expanded .458's I've seen with all petals attached look like a buzz-saw - nasty. Even the .375 bullets have some pretty stout petals.

 

[Rich Coyle]

I know an African guide who says there is no bullet as good as the Barnes TSX 270 grain from a .375 H&H and the Barnes TSX 165 grain from a .30-06. He participates or observes scores of kills every year. He told me, "At first the Barnes were junk." He went on to say, "Within a couple years they were the absolute best bullet as far as I'm concerned. I have my hunters use either of my rifles on any size game when I can get them to. I have many returning customers who used magnums come back the next time .30-06 and Barnes 165 grainers. "

 

[bigngreen]

I know an African guide who says there is no bullet as good as the Barnes TSX 270 grain from a .375 H&H and the Barnes TSX 165 grain from a .30-06. He participates or observes scores of kills every year. He told me, "At first the Barnes were junk." He went on to say, "Within a couple years they were the absolute best bullet as far as I'm concerned. I have my hunters use either of my rifles on any size game when I can get them to. I have many returning customers who used magnums come back the next time .30-06 and Barnes 165 grainers. "

I have talked to two guys about building rifles who hunt africa regularly and their PH's both started recommending Accubonds over TTSX because their loosing more game, though that was interesting.
Barnes in a 375 and larger are a much different animal that the lighter cals, though you hit an animal with a 520 gr solid lead bullet out of a 45-70 vs a Barnes and the lead will scare you what you'll shoot through!

 

[TXAoudadKlr]

Alaskan hunters can tend toward larger caliber cartridges for hunting, due to the size of our moose and bear. As a consequence, I've seen some of the large caliber Barnes TSX bullets expanded. Most memorable being the .458 caliber bullets, generally recovered from a sand bank - all petals intact. A hunter isn't going to retrieve many bullets shot from .458 Win Mags into a game animal, unless they're shot lengthwise. The petals on the large caliber TSX bullets are substantially thicker than the petals on the .270 and 7mm and .308's, and more likely to remain attached to the core, in my estimation. I would not want to be on the receiving end of an expanded .458 caliber Barnes TSX bullet. The expanded .458's I've seen with all petals attached look like a buzz-saw - nasty. Even the .375 bullets have some pretty stout petals.

Ive recovered 3 of those bullets, the expanded diameter is in the .850-.950 range and is always 297grs. funny thing is with the slow velocity of the socom meat damage is quite minimal. Even the exits aren't all that dramatic looking but the vitals will have a massive hole in them that looks like a drill bit went through.

 

[JohnnieB]

I live here in CA, so no-lead is the rule for me.

i've been using Barnes for the last 10 years and have had exceptional performance from 60 lb pigs up to 1,000 elk and Kudu. My wife and I both shoot the Barnes. I have on one occasion experienced a "pencil through." This was on a very big sow at over 300 yards, 200 grain .30 call TSX, bullet went in between the ribs, through both lungs, and out the other side between the ribs. Entry and exit holes were .30 cal., no expansion. The pig ran about 60 yards and piled up dead, had a pretty good blood trail, but I'm positive the bullet did not expand. I would call that a bullet fail, but 4 holes through the lungs, internal lung damage, and nothing is going to go to far...period.

The remainder of our animals, have all succumbed to Barnes copper poisoning, sometimes pedals break off, most of the time the bullets exit, and we've had about 5 bang flops, mostly on pigs and one very big Axis buck. Distances have been from 35 yards to 520 for the longest.

We're both very pleased with these bullets and will not use any other bullets for hunting. For reference, key loads are 7WSM - 160 TSX 2900, 300WSM 180TTSX 2950, 7WSM 168LRX 2925, 340Wby 225 TTSX 2950.

 

[Pdvdh]

I have on one occasion experienced a "pencil through." This was on a very big sow at over 300 yards, 200 grain .30 call TSX, bullet went in between the ribs, through both lungs, and out the other side between the ribs. Entry and exit holes were .30 cal., no expansion. The pig ran about 60 yards and piled up dead, had a pretty good blood trail, but I'm positive the bullet did not expand. I would call that a bullet fail, but 4 holes through the lungs, internal lung damage, and nothing is going to go to far...period.

I think your bullet expanded. Not betting my life on it, but I've seen two dall sheep shot thru the ribs with bullets that didn't expand. The first one was dead centered thru the ribs from a distance of 12yds. 150gr Nosler Ballistic Tip from a 280AI. The ram turned 180* and stood still for a good 3 minutes. After about 60 seconds, I saw a little red dot form in the white fur on the exit side of the ribcage. Long story short, the ram was still well enough 15-20 minutes later to get to his feet and run.

2nd sheep was ~335yds and he stayed on his feet for 3-4 minutes looking no more sickly than the other 4 rams standing beside him. This ram being the 3rd game animal in my hunting history hit with an unexpanded bullet, I had a good idea the bullet must not have expanded so I shot him in the lungs again and he was down quickly after charging off 30yds.

Unless you hit the heart or an aorta-sized artery/vein, my experiences lead me to believe a non-expanding bullet thru the lungs that doesn't tumble will result in an animal that lives much longer than the time it takes them to run 60yds. 60yds and down is what I've seen from expanded bullets thru the ribs. Or sharp broadheads thru both lungs.

You state there was a pretty good blood trail. Neither of my two sheep bleed any amount out the holes in their ribcage on the first shot. Little to no external bleeding and obviously a low rate of internal hemorrhaging. If your bullet passed thru the ribs behind the front shoulders, I believe it expanded.