Barnes Question

[Vince]

In my last two rifles, and soon to be a third, I've been shooting the Barnes TSX and TTSX bullets.
While I know this is a Nosler site I can't help but wonder why the Barnes bullets don't get more mention? Surely I'm not the only bloke using these bullets. I've seen mention of Speer, Hornady, and various other non Nosler bullets but why so little mention of the Barnes bullets here?
What say you all?

Vince

 

[Thebear_78]

Read some of my posts, I talk about barnesbullets all the time [emoji12]

 

[Guybo]

The only Barnes bullet I've ever loaded was the 130gr TSX in my 30.06, they shot good. I worked up a good load and harvested a couple deer with them. Nothing at all wrong with Barnes bullets i just don't use them much. Mike

 

[ScreaminEagle]

Ive used the 140gr ttsx in my 280 with good results. I just prefer lead core bullets

Sent from my SCH-S738C using Tapatalk

 

[HeathSexton]

I use the 130 TTSX from my 30/06 Titanium and the 80 TTSX and 80 GMX from my 243 Winchester.

 

[lanman]

why so little mention of the Barnes bullets here?
What say you all?

Vince

I was a Barnes only shooter for several years. I hunted a lease in north Florida and we were mostly overrun with hogs. My experience with Barnes bullets is they are easy to make shoot well and that they kill hogs like a bolt of lightning. I finally migrated away after shooting 6 deer with them and having less than spectacular results. All six ran a significant distance and some bled well and some not at all. It is my opinion they work well when you are shooting game large enough to transfer some energy to. I don't think that 150# south east whitetails I shoot are sturdy enough to give the deep penetrating barnes bullet mass enough to do there job properly.

Again, they are my FIRST choice when hunting a large hog.

No jugs where harmed in the making of this picture.

Dan-O

 

[DrMike]

I've used Barnes TSX for quite a few years (and XLC and X-bullets before that). They have worked for me and still work. I've been gravitating to the E-Tip in the past several years, and they are performing well for me in the smaller calibres. I have no doubt that the TSX would still work equally well.

 

[Guy Miner]

Used the 100 gr TSX happily in my .25-06 for a few years. Took two or three mule deer with it. Zippy muzzle velocity at 3340 fps, decent accuracy and outstanding penetration.

I did question if the TSX actually opened up on one of my deer, but I shot it through the ear and out the eye, so it didn't really matter I suppose...

About the only two things I wasn't real impressed with were:
1. The question if the small caliber hollow point actually opened, or just passed through.
2. Excessive barrel fouling in my admittedly rough factory Remington barrel.

Those all-copper bullets can leave a barrel pretty badly fouled. On the other hand, my .308 Win with the hand-lapped Krieger, barely fouled at all with the 168 gr Barnes TSX.

Years ago I swore off the old Barnes X bullets because of accuracy and fouling problems. The TSX was a vast improvement.

For deer, I prefer a bullet that opens up faster/bigger and even fragments. Like a Nosler Ballistic Tip, or a Partition. The deep penetration of the mono-metal bullets really seems to make sense to me on heavier game.

I believe Nosler has fixed the issue with their E-Tip, by going away from pure copper and using gilding metal instead, for greatly reduced bore fouling.

There ya go, my take on Barnes TSX's. :grin:

Regards, Guy

 

[PJGunner]

Well so far I've has mixed results with the Barnes TSX bullets. The 225 gr. .35 caliber has been a winnere froom the get go with three for three on cow elkfrom my .35 Whelen. One did need a finisher but the other two were DRT.
I've been doing load work ups with the 100 gr. .257 bullet in a .257 Robt, and am tweaking with seating dept at this point. Still slight over one inch. Rifle is a Winchester M70 FWT. My ex-son in law has the same model rifle and load work up was a breeze for his gun with sub MOA group right from the start. Mine has acted more like a scattergun but I have gotten groups down to 1.25" on a regular basis. The other bullets I'm testing are the 120 and 140 gr. TSX in a 7x57 Mauser and .280 Remington. Results so far have not been all that great but those cartridges are more or less beginning reload projects. It's been awfully hot lately which never used to bother me but this year it's and the fact it's been quite windy in the AM has made me reluctany to drive to the range. Looks like we're in an El Nino weather pattern which IIRC means a very hot and very dry summer. Frankly, before I blame the bullets, that .257 hasn't shot very well since I bought it and even after a glass bedding job, trigger job and other tweaks perfomed by my gunsmith it hasn't been all that cooperative. I'll play with it a bit more but it just may get a rebarrel job or just go on down the road. A .257 Bob won't be hard to sell.
Paul B.

 

[SJB358]

I ran the Barnes on mostly bigger than deer animals. 160 X bullet running out of my 7 Rem Mag, couple of deer, a moose, caribou and a black bear. A 300 Win with 180 XLC on bull elk and Muleys, a 35 Whelen on bull elk and Muleys. In all cases they have worked but in none of the cases did the animal look hit at all except for the bear that struck the front leg and traversed the body to break the hip. That was a DRT. I didn't believe, even on those bigger animals that I was getting enough shock or disruption. They all died but some of them made me wonder till they actually tipped over. Exit holes don't mean much and the organs looked to be thoroughly maimed just not the hard hit I've gotten with PTs and ABs. I think they are very good bullets but I wonder how well the X petal arrangement works at transferring energy. They are relatively thin compared to even a modestly mushroomed lead core.

If I had to run them again, I'd have no issues as they do work, and work fine.

 

[rodell]

My experience with the mono metals (and a LOT of Barnes) is they need to be run fast and impact within their "sweet spot" for velocity. While they will expand at the low end it isn't as "reliable". You also have to hit something fairly hard to initiate expansion. (I've had the same problem with 6.5 AB's that pass through the lungs on whitetails - minimal expansion)

Some of my barrels foul quickly with them, others not so much. I'm going to do the Dyna Bore Coat thing that John Barnsness recommends and see if that helps on those that foul quickly.

You can run the Barnes at a lighter weight that will control the length and let you get the velocity up.

Barnes will remain on my list, along with my shelf full of Nosler products.

 

[Horsethief]

The 100gn TSX is the most accurate bullet for my 257 Wby. Copper fouling is not a problem. I have heard not to shoot Barnes' in new barrels until they've have 50ish bullets down the pipe in order to smooth the bore out a bit. I'm getting full bloom of the bullet so opening up into the classic Barnes pedals is not a problem. Now I just have to be a better marksman and I'll have more meat in the freezer and maybe racks on the wall.

 

[Vince]

I thank you all for the replies.
I've never been much of a fan of mono metal bullets. I had one drive a pencil thin hole through a coues deer about four or five years ago when it failed to open. I'm leery, to say the least, to use them on a deer no bigger than my St. Bernard. Maybe on elk or moose they'd be different. My buddy swears by them for everything, deer, antelope, and elk.

Vince

 

[Guy Miner]

Vince, I've read that the tipped version, the TTSX, is an improvement in that area.

Apparently it's got a wider hollow point under that plastic tip, and expands readily.

I don't know, have not used the TTSX's yet.

 

[Elkman]

Vince I have used the TTX on two elk, both required a second shot. One was broadside and bullet went through, and did require a second shot, but I believe that most bullets would have done the same thing, I needed her down in a hurry. The second one would not have required a second shot if I had been using a PT

 

[Thebear_78]

The tsx and Ttsx bullets have become a standard for me with faster cartridges. Anything over 3k fps I try the tsx/Ttsx in lighter than normal bullet wieghts. 100gr in 257, 130 in 277, 120 in 7mm, 168 in 30 cal, and 250, 270 in 375.

The 168 tsx/Ttsx has proven an excellent performer in my 300 Rum. Running at 3340fps it flies flat and hits hard. I haven't gotten anything to stop them yet. Obvious expansion and unbeatable penetration. I
Even put one stem to stern thru a bull moose a few years ago 5+ foot of penetration!

I even use the Barnes muzzle loader bullets. I shot a large cow moose with a 250gr mz expander a couple years ago. 70 yards slight quartering to shot, punched the shoulder and still exited far side, I did find one petal at the shoulder joint.

Anything sub 3k fps gets an AccuBond or Partition. They work with boring regularity.

 

[FOTIS]

I have heard of no issues with any TTSX bullet and expansion.