Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Tough Game!

Well hell yeah, because NOBODY has ever posted a pic of a Barnes that didn't expand...

And your point is? If a bullet flattens out and fails to penetrate, the animal may be lost or in the case of dangerous game, only serve to turn a hunt into a dangerous situation. In contrast if a Barnes fails to expand (highly unlikely with the bigger bores) it still punches through and makes TWO holes, still leading to bleeding out and death. But quick, go roust the other Barnes haters....

I've shot a grand total of two buffalo - both with a 300gr Nosler Partition for the 1st shot and the rounds in the magazine were loaded with 300gr solids.

The first buffalo was shot at less than 40 yards facing me with his head up and the bullet struck at the junction where the neck joined the body. When the bullet hit his heads jerked higher and did his rear legs -- same moves used by rodeo bulls. He hid the ground hard and after 15 or 20 seconds he gave the death bellow. The bullet, which the skinner found and gave to me, had broken the neck where it dips down and then continued toward taking the heart. I'never seen anything hit the so fast or so hard.

The 2nd was a double lung shot taken at about the same distance. On impact the buffalo threw up his head spun away and ran about 29 yards and hit the ground dead.

I've only ever had two animals run very far = the first was a large zebra stallion that took two solid hits from the same .375 I used on the buffalo - the first shot was a running broadside at 100+ yards that was a solid broadside hit that rolled him over but he barely broke stride and the 2nd shot placed just behid the shoulder staggered him until we ealked up and I put a finishing shot into his neck.

The hardest to bring down from my limited experience was a large sable bull - 4 shots starting at a bit past 150 yards - the first one standing entered in front of his right hip and exited behind his left shoulder and knocked him to the ground - the next 3 shots were running and each was a solid hit that traveled the length of the body. I had to reload between shots and was reloading a 2nd time when the PH ran up and finished him off --- he gotten back on his feet and was trying to catch up with the herd.

I'm a real fan of North Forks. Two 300 grain NF soft points (not even the stronger cup point) I recovered from a buffalo were perfectly mushroomed and weighed in excess of 290 grains. One had broken the buff's spine and I could not tell the difference between it and another that had penetrated an impala stem to stern. I used their solids on elephant, hippo, and follow ons for buffalo.

As for shooting cats in the head, the chest is a much easier target and skull measurements are how trophies are judged. Besides, the skulls look cool if they're not blown to bits.

I watched a Barnes hit a whitetail in the ribs and then deflect up and exit out the neck. Was that due to it not expanding? The world will never know.

Yes the animal was obviously recovered. But I still consider it a failure. If that bullet had picked a different angle to go the buck might have ran off.

I'm not a Barnes hater. If I was, I wouldn't be shooting them in several rifles. I just don't buy into the whole thing about them being the worlds greatest bullet.

I don't either, and in fact most of the game I've ever taken has not been with either the TSX or the TTSX. I started using them for two reasons, they are the most consistently accurate hunting bullet I've ever uses (with the Partition on the other side of the spectrum), and lots and I mean lots of folks I know and respect, with literally hundreds of species taken, almost all swear by the TSX/TTSXs.
My 300 Weatherby and H&H, for example, like both the NPs (and I took at least a half dozen animals in Africa with them) and the TTSXs, but in contrast, my 375, 257 and 7mmWeatherby do not shoot them well.
So I go by either personal experience of advice from folks I know and trust. North Forks are also superb bullets according to all my friends who use them and they have indeed been accurate in the calibers I've used, so I would love to try them someday. Accuracy and consistent performance is what I look for, particularly on high dollar hunts, and in my observation, the Barnes' have proven to be the best.

Jorge,

It is a mystery why some rifles love NPT's, other don't. Same with the TSX/TTSX; some like'em, some don't.

I've heard it postulated that the relatively open base on the NPT can spread somewhat, expanding to obdurate into a slightly oversized bore; better engagement of bullet with rifling, better accuracy.

Not sure if anyone really knows, but it has and is being observed. The Barnes are very uniform and can be extremely accurate. I find that with Cutting Edge copper bullets, similar results with GMX and E-Tips.

Do you find mono's to be more consistently accurate than NPT's, or said another way, do more rifles across the board perform better with mono's than NPT's?

I guess that's what makes Loony stuff so loony (and interesting)...

DF

DF: I've only tried T/TTSXs and CBEs (in my 450 NE only) and I've found the Barnes' to be consistently more accurate than any other bullet in just about every caliber I've tried.

I am truly a Barnes fan, but it was strongly suggested to me that I consider Swift A-Frame for my 2015 Cape Buffalo hunt in the Free State of the RSA.

I was carrying a Dakota Model 76 in .416 Rigby with 400 gr A-Frame bullets.

The initial shot dropped the buffalo in its tracks, but I "paid the insurance" with another shot to the heart as it was lying there.



The bullet was recovered during the skinning process against the off side hide. The 400 gr A-Frame retained over 390 gr of its original weight.



It was a high shoulder shot, but it worked for me.

donsm70

Don: That is exactly the same combo I used on buffalo. My friend used a 375, also with A Frames. That is what surprised me about the link I posted, although the impact velocity explains the failure and that is where the Barnes shines. I think anyway.

Any thoughts on 250gr TTSX for buffalo?

It'll kill 'em.

The 270 TSX has such a following, I guess the newer 250 TTSX is the step child.

To me, the 250 TTSX makes a lot of sense, better B.C. for a long shot and classic Barnes penetration.

I'd have to give it a serious look if going for buf. I've read some accounts claiming the 270 TSX is more accurate. I'm gonna try them both pretty soon and we'll see what my M-70 has to say about it.

DF

Huh?

B.C.'s: 250 TTSX is .424; 270 TSX is .326.

Barnes tops the 270 TSX at around 2,800+ fps. They don't currently have data for the 250 TTSX on their web site.

Surely a 250 will fly a bit faster than a 270 out of the same gun.

Higher velocity + higher B.C.'s = flatter trajectory. Both will penetrate and kill stuff.

Just saying.

DF

I'm sitting at 135 buffalo now, spread across 3 continents. Most were taken with a .458, but plenty were with the .375 and some with the .416, .450 and some 30 cals as well.

If there's a better buffalo bullet than the A-Frame I sure don't know what it is. The Barnes is OK, and a darn sight better than many but its no A-Frame. Solids suck in general.

Damn what a beautiful ole hard bossed bull, Bob, what Hatari says would ring true with me, a 375 or 416 with three or four hundred gr Swift A Frames would be hard to beat imho.

That's really interesting....

ever try the woodleigh? just out of curiosity.

Gunner that IS a beautiful old bull!

They are impressive animals.