Recovered Barnes bullet

I still use a lot of bergers and smk's for targets and varmints, I have not had much success with Barnes past 500. I really like the bc's of the cup and core bullets out there these days. With the rare exception my deer are killed inside of 100 yards in western PA. The only deer harvested with a Barnes past 100 yards was a doe at 432 yards with an 80 grain ttsx fired from my .243 win. A friend of mine that never shoots past 100 yards said "you can't hit way out there", I ranged it made slight correction for wind and put the bullet through both lungs. (Bullet not recovered but wounds were indicative of good performance)
Funny stuff. I had to keep a log book when I shot control. That got me in the habit and so I have data from about 18 yrs of control, guiding and hunting with friends and family. I hunt on the plains and gear everything towards LR. Including 24 deer shot with bows, 32 with muzzleloaders and 11 with pistols, our AVERAGE shot distance was 574 yds. The last three yrs with 3 bow and 1 pistol the average was 743 yds. Hard for us to imagine hunting in heavy cover. Funny part is I think being under a 100 yds can produce just as many issues as being at 800. Shoot a deer in heavy cover and you better drop it quick. Shoot a deer out here and just sit back and watch where it goes. Really lets you see things you never would in heavy cover. Takes a lot of the MYSTERY out of bullet performance and animal behavior.
 
Except California legislature. I fear the days of cup and core are waning. ("I have shot a lot of monos and have yet to find one I like as well as a lead based rig"). Unfortunately many people want to act like one or the other doesn't work. Poke anything thru a deers vitals and it will croak. Even my crummy hand knapped flint points from a 43lb selfbow.

Huh, there it is.
 
You guys are making me look like Miss Manners.

What's up with that??? :)
Evidently over whether an animal can survive 130gr of lead and copper passing thru its heart or not. Personally, I'm on the side of it being fatal.
 
Still time for some levity... Let the good times roll...
I'd rather argue with Waynzee than **** on a flaming Hillary supporter. We are all brothers in arms even when we spar a little over silly internet stuff. There's a lot of ways to skin a cat and I'm sure we have all skinned a few.
 
I'm old as dirt, what's IBTL? Usually after 5 minutes even I can GET most interwebs shortcuts but IBTL has got me.

I'm the same age but have been "doing computer" and "internet stuff" for 50 years. I was a real nerd and I had to look it up.

It's because we are old that we don't know what "In Before The Lock" means much less the TLA.
 
I'm the same age but have been "doing computer" and "internet stuff" for 50 years. I was a real nerd and I had to look it up.

It's because we are old that we don't know what "In Before The Lock" means much less the TLA.
OMG ya did it again. I had to look up TLA but thanks for the idea of looking it up. I'm such a dullard.
 
To bring this back toward topic, I think lighter for caliber premium bullets at higher speeds work better, and I have no science trying to back this up, just experience on my side from this year's deer.

I went with a 180gr Accubond in a 338 Federal. I have plenty of 338 bullets choose from, 160ttsx up to 225 Accubonds, and everything in between. I didn't have time to work up a 160 load, so I went with the highly accurate 180 Accubond load at 2735fps. It's a bit over 125fps over a 308 with a 180gr bullet, with a larger frontal impact.

I shot a good sized 10 point white tail, quartering towards me slightly, behind the shoulder. It literally blew a large chunk of lung out of the entrance hole, bullet was recovered opposite side in front of rear leg, 146 gr retained. Worked amazing.

I will try to upload pictures.

SHM
Thanks for trying to bring it back to my reason for posting. Is the 168 TTSX to heavy, and to "tough" a bullet for light game at a muzzle veil of 2550? Most seem to agree I should at least drop my buddies loads down to 150 gr. Jus sayin
 
Thanks for trying to bring it back to my reason for posting. Is the 168 TTSX to heavy, and to "tough" a bullet for light game at a muzzle veil of 2550? Most seem to agree I should at least drop my buddies loads down to 150 gr. Jus sayin

Sorry for any of my involvement in a derailment. I think either way would be 6 one way 1/2 dozen the other. The bullet you recovered looks like every other Barnes I have ever seen recovered. The design is meant to form petals up front and have a long shank driving it which is pretty much what you ended up with. Also if he had hit large bones in the back and not made it thru to the vitals then it might be a totally different thread about a lost critter.
I'm a frangible bullet guy as I just hunt deer. I have never felt the need to run a bonded or mono bullet as I also hunt short grass and our average shot is long by design.
Any bullet is a COMPROMISE in many ways even shot against the same class of game. I feel fine shooting anything at deer because I always keep in mind what I have loaded. I had a lot of customers shooting a lot of different bullets at deer. When I saw HOW they shot and WHAT they were shooting, I would decide what I wanted to happen.
With those Barnes I would shoot for bone on deer. With a SMK or Berger I would go high shoulder or ribs depending on the range.

Either way you go CAN work or be a disaster. Depends on shot placement really. Personally the Barnes IDEA has always been to run lighter for caliber at higher velocity and rely on bullet construction to BOTH penetrate AND disrupt. Not my cup of tea but a lot of dead critters have had Barnes run thru them. If a gun shot both equally well I would probably tip toward the 150 or even lighter, that's what Barnes had in mind when he designed the line.
 
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