Barnes Bullets Experience

[farmer]

I while back I mentioned Barnes Bullets in an article and Yooper mentioned that they might not expand in a deer and just "poke a hole." Well as I was reviewing some of the old posts I came across this exchange and it reminded me of something my father did last year. He bought a 220 Swift and decided he was going to play around with it and see exactly what was the fastest velocity he could get out of it. He got some of the Barnes X-Bullets (not the new Triple Shock) and played around with them. He then decided to try then out on a deer and they did just what Yooper said they might. But at the same time I got some and loaded them in a 7mm and they appear to work just fine.

So my two questions are:
Is there some caliber at which the bullets begin to consistently function in regards to opening up creating a wound channel?
And do any other members have any field experience with Barnes Bullets?

[nash1519]

I Use Barnes X Bullets And Love Them I Hunt Big Game In Montana And They Have Produced Well. My Cousin Also Uses X Bullets And Just Shot A Moose This Year The Bullet Left An Exit Hole ,the Size Of A Fist And That Was At 140 Yards. I Have Also Used Them On A Big 6 Point Bull Elk, The Bullet Broke Both Shoulder And Lodge On The Outer Skin Opposite Side. I Weighed The Bullet And It Still Was 179 Grains The Shot Distance Was At 275 Yards. I Hunt With A 300 Win Mag.

I Have Also Done Some Research On The Spec's Of X Bullets And They Need A Energy Level Of About 1500-1600 To Expand At Full Capacity.

I Think The X Bullets Are A Very Good Bullet. I Will Continue To Use Them Until Barnes Comes Out With Something Better. I Do Like The Triple Shockthough!!!!

Nash1519

[Yooper]

Here's my experiences. I have used X-bullets in my 30.06 and while they shot wonderfully, it took an extra round to bring down a doe. I got one lung with the first hole and the other with the next one. Not great. My best friend used them in his 7mm and they were outstanding. Deer didn't stand a chance. I do have some for my 7mm so if I get the chance, we'll see what they do. My cousin lives in Alaska and uses them exclusively in his .375 for big critters. For moose and other big game, they are a suberb bullet. He shot a wolf with his .375 at 345 yards and it poked a hole (no expansion).

Barnes designed the X for big game. Will it work on deer? Sure. Is it the most effecient bullet choice for deer? Probably not.

But they do shoot nice.

[turner1978]

I have used the barnes tsx bullets for the past three years in my 270wsm. I shoot 140 gr. tsx bullets at about 3200 fps and they have performed exceptionaly well in most surcumstances. I have killed 3 mule deer bucks and three bull elk with 140 grainers and all but one dropped where they stood with complete penetration in every situation. The one exception was a deer that I shot at 522 yards. The bullet just popped a hole and it it recquired a finish shot to kill it. So I think that they work verry well at higher velocity but not so well when the bullet starts to slow down. The elk were shot at 322, 291, and 154 yards and the bullets performed good with decent sized exit holes. The other mule deer were both under 100 yards and performance was excelent. All of my shots were chest shots. Hope this info was helpful. Happy hunting.

[turner1978]

I just saw an ad in a magazine that showed a new bullet that barnes is gonna release soon. It is similar to the TSX but has a plastic/polimar tip and tungstun rear end for weight. The bullets on average will be shorter with the same weight and the plastic tip should help open up the copper pedals at lower velocities. Looks like a good bullet and can't wait to try them. It will still have the grooves in the sides of the bullet just like the TSX.

[farmer]

I searched for the add and now I can't wait to try them out. Deep penetration combined with guaranteed expansion.

[turner1978]

I think they are called something like "MX8" or something like that. Did you find the add and where did you see it at?

[turner1978]

I just got the dec. issue of American rifleman and it had an article in it about the new MRX (Maximum Range X-bullet) and it is gonna be a good bullet. You should buy one when you see them come out on news stands or your local book store unless you get a subscription. Interesting article. The author took the new bullet to Africa and wrote about its performances.

[turner1978]

I just wanted to add that I tried loading some 85 gr tsx bullets in my 243wssm and I shot them into a rolled up piece of carpet with a wet phone book in front of it. I didn't chrono the bullets but I assumed that they were going over 3,000 fps and none of them expanded at all. But on the other hand they expand reliably in my 270wsm. My 300wsm shoots them well with good reliability also but the 270's seem to expand into perfect mushrooms more often. I think that there are certain shape bullets and vellocity combos that work best when it comes top thwe tsx's. It says in the barnes reloading manual that if you normaly use a 180 gr then you should try the 165 gr. The lighter and faster they are the better they seem to work except for really light bullets like 243's and smaller. Hope this helps.

[Handloader]

Big fan of Barnes X's. My favorite Whitetail caliber is a 6.5 X 55 and when loaded with 120gr X's, the little guy seems like a monster. BIG FAN