wankerjake
Member
Big fan of Barnes, specifically the TTSX
FL-NC
Member
I was unimpressed with lead free Barnes in 300 Win mag. I used it in California on a blacktail hunt to be in compliance with state laws. The round/rifle was plenty accurate, but the effects on the deer and how far it ran considering perfect shot placement was concerning. This is only a sample of 1 instance of using these lead-free rounds on game, so not a whole lot of data to work with- but I know the locals out there on that ranch with more experience didn't have a whole lot of good to say about the mandatory use of lead-free in that state.
JimKirk
Member
You mind telling what grain bullet and what type(TSX, TTSX, other)?
FL-NC
Member
I wish I could. Wasn't my rifle or ammo- it was all loaner stuff. Between the PITA of transporting guns/ammo into the PRC, and the fact that none of our guns were zero'd for the lead free ammo which none of us had in the first place and probably wouldn't even be able to find, we just borrowed guns and ammo from the locals.
jmorris
Member
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2005
- Messages
- 24,172
I tried them upon suggestion for one caliber because I couldn’t find anything else that perform to my expectations. The only bullets I use anymore, in that round, for killing stuff.
JimKirk
Member
Reason I asked was ... there are multiple grains weight bullets(copper) and styles in the same caliber...
I deal with Barnes ...there are TSX and TTSX... I don't care at all for the TSX... those seem not to expand like the TTSX will.
Then you have bullet weight... take .308 caliber ...the TTSX range from 110 grain to 180 grain. The 110, 130 & 150 grain would be considered whitetail worthy... The 165, 168 & 180 grain would be more worthy of large Mule deer, elk and even moose.
What I am saying is ...there are copper bullets suited for most every type game animal... the main complaint I hear is not the bullets fault ...but the poor choice the hunter made with type and weight... the 110 TTSX is a fine bullet for whitetail but a bad choice for moose.... the 180 grain is fine for moose but a poor choice for whitetail....
As I stated earlier... Copper bullets need speed and they are usually towards the lighter end of bullet range for caliber....
Can't lump all copper bullets into the same pot and call them bad ...
alsaqr
Member
Yes.
Nearly all my deer hunting is with muzzleloaders. i do hunt hogs with .30 caliber centerfire rifles. My .30-06 handloads using the 180 grain TSX bullet were abysmal failures on wild hogs, they failed to expand: All the hogs i located had tiny exit holes.
Stopped loading that bullet and returned to the 150 grain Sierra Game King. The Game King bullet sometimes fails to exit 200 pound hogs hit in the heart-lung area. The hogs seldom run more than 50 yards, about half are DRT.
brewer12345
Member
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2015
- Messages
- 2,751
I have seen them perform well on elk, as my buddy and his son shoot them. My impression is that if you are using a high enough velocity load to get good expansion, they work really well. TTSX out of a 30-06 drops elk very well. If you are using something slower, expansion can be a proble, (6.5 Grendel, for example). Personally, I don't think they are worth the cost.
41 Mag
Member
I've had some sort of copper only bullets on my shelf since the Barnes bullets first came out. After years of using the X and having mixed results my friend and I started our own sudo investigation into what the deal actually was with the appearance of them penciling through with no expansion.
What we found with recovered bullets was that nearly all of them did actually expand. More than half however had all of the petals either folded back completely or lost them initially upon impact, usually on a solid shoulder hit.
Granted this wasn't overly scientific, but was gathered through shooting several hundred hogs and dozens of deer at different ranges from almost point blank to 300yds. Throw in calibers from 243 up through 300 RUM and it gives a decent idea of performance.
As mentioned using a slight lighter bullet at a higher velocity helps but can also give the appearance of a failure to open as we saw with the petals rolled completely back against the shank. You will on most cases still get a complete penetration but the entrance and exit will be almost identical. We did have some of the original X bullets that did not expand but seemed to have tumbled, having been found bent like a banana. They still knocked the bajeebers outta a hog, but we figured the tough hair, hide, and probably the direction of impact probably had at least some contributing factors.
The newer comers from Hornady and others appear to have capitalized on the years of R&D from Barnes in their quest for the best balanced alloy and design. Most all now sport the polymer tip to assist in expansion and increased BC, the latter not really being a huge factor in typical ranges of hunting. However with the newer calibers being used along with the boom in suppressors and lower velocities every little bit helps I guess.
I probably have more bullet than I have barrel life to use up, 95% being lead core. I am however still stocked with some of the original X all the way up to the latest new comers that will be used on game in the coming years.
What we found with recovered bullets was that nearly all of them did actually expand. More than half however had all of the petals either folded back completely or lost them initially upon impact, usually on a solid shoulder hit.
Granted this wasn't overly scientific, but was gathered through shooting several hundred hogs and dozens of deer at different ranges from almost point blank to 300yds. Throw in calibers from 243 up through 300 RUM and it gives a decent idea of performance.
As mentioned using a slight lighter bullet at a higher velocity helps but can also give the appearance of a failure to open as we saw with the petals rolled completely back against the shank. You will on most cases still get a complete penetration but the entrance and exit will be almost identical. We did have some of the original X bullets that did not expand but seemed to have tumbled, having been found bent like a banana. They still knocked the bajeebers outta a hog, but we figured the tough hair, hide, and probably the direction of impact probably had at least some contributing factors.
The newer comers from Hornady and others appear to have capitalized on the years of R&D from Barnes in their quest for the best balanced alloy and design. Most all now sport the polymer tip to assist in expansion and increased BC, the latter not really being a huge factor in typical ranges of hunting. However with the newer calibers being used along with the boom in suppressors and lower velocities every little bit helps I guess.
I probably have more bullet than I have barrel life to use up, 95% being lead core. I am however still stocked with some of the original X all the way up to the latest new comers that will be used on game in the coming years.
WisBorn
Contributing Member
I'm going to give the copper impact a try in my Savage 308 win. If accuracy is ok, I will use it this year for deer hunting.
