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Joined: Jun 2011
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jun 2011
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I have a friend who owns a 20,000 acre ranch in NM who sells Elk tags and has hosted big names in the hunting and shooting industry
He won’t allow a customer to hunt with a Barnes bullet Then your friend is an idiot. Sorry, don't know a nice way to put it. Sure I have a friend who owns a 20,000 acre ranch in NM who sells Elk tags and has hosted big names in the hunting and shooting industry
He won’t allow a customer to hunt with a Barnes bullet Then your friend is an idiot. Sorry, don't know a nice way to put it. Must have had a bad experience, blamed the bullet. Would be interesting to hear the story. DF Multiple experiences with elk shot with Barnes that turn into a rodeo
The people wringing their hands over Trump's rhetoric don't know what time it is in America.
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Campfire Outfitter
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I have a friend who owns a 20,000 acre ranch in NM who sells Elk tags and has hosted big names in the hunting and shooting industry
He won’t allow a customer to hunt with a Barnes bullet Then your friend is an idiot. Sorry, don't know a nice way to put it. Sure I have a friend who owns a 20,000 acre ranch in NM who sells Elk tags and has hosted big names in the hunting and shooting industry
He won’t allow a customer to hunt with a Barnes bullet Then your friend is an idiot. Sorry, don't know a nice way to put it. Must have had a bad experience, blamed the bullet. Would be interesting to hear the story. DF Multiple experiences with elk shot with Barnes that turn into a rodeo I’d also like a bit more info! Estimated velocity @ impact, caliber of rifles, and where were the animals hit and from what angle. Any bullet can fail to do as advertised …..but numerous failures with a bullets that has proven to be very effective by many other users is very suspect! There seems to be a lot left unsaid! JMO I’d love to hear “The Rest of the Story”! memtb
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
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Joined: Jun 2011
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The story was just a conversation with him while I was on the ranch hunting and shooting.
Conversation steered to bullets used by his customers over the years to which he said he won’t allow Barnes on the ranch from that point on due to the pathetic performance and rodeos over the years
Penciling
The people wringing their hands over Trump's rhetoric don't know what time it is in America.
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,125
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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Barnes TSX, TTSX and LRX have all performed consistently well for me and mine.
I've seen more well-shot game lost with TSXs than any other premium bullet.
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,312
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,312 |
The first few models of Barnes were not impressive. The x & xlc were quite commonly found to behave like an fmj. Very narrow wound channels and exits.
Most ranchers aren't big gun guys. They use them often and if it works well they don't go buying different just to try them out. When I was in high school the guy I worked for used a 30-06 for everything. Literally
Likely this fellow developed his distaste for Barnes based on the first few tries before they figured out how to make them expand. Most likely he won't be changing his mind easily.
“You never need fear a man, no matter what his size. When danger threatens, call on me, and I will equalize.” Samuel Colt.
�Common sense is genius dressed up in work clothes.� - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 5,210 Likes: 5
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 5,210 Likes: 5 |
I have seen where all Barnes TTSX bullets don't expand into a mushroom. I'll be trying a different bullet this year. But it'll still be a Barnes, in 175, 190 or 200 LRX. If the bullet doesn't mushroom, I want a exit hole. Pathetic performance Well looks can be deceiving. First elk went about 40yds the other 15yds. I never expected to find a Barnes bullet and was surprised with the performance. The fact is, put the bullet where it belongs and you have a dead critter.
Life is good live it while you can.
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,229 Likes: 9
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,229 Likes: 9 |
The story was just a conversation with him while I was on the ranch hunting and shooting.
Conversation steered to bullets used by his customers over the years to which he said he won’t allow Barnes on the ranch from that point on due to the pathetic performance and rodeos over the years
Penciling Once someone has had a bad experience it’s hard to convince’em otherwise. DF
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,532
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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I have seen where all Barnes TTSX bullets don't expand into a mushroom. I'll be trying a different bullet this year. But it'll still be a Barnes, in 175, 190 or 200 LRX. If the bullet doesn't mushroom, I want a exit hole. Pathetic performance Well looks can be deceiving. First elk went about 40yds the other 15yds. I never expected to find a Barnes bullet and was surprised with the performance. The fact is, put the bullet where it belongs and you have a dead critter. If I remember right from another post, both elk were over 600 yds?
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 11,047 Likes: 6
Campfire Outfitter
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If there is a weakness in the Barnes bullets, it’s their lack of expansion at extended range due to “expected” velocity drop. If the hunter wants/expects full expansion…..the hunter must know the maximum range at which that will occur!
All of that said…..every bullet is range limited for expansion! memtb
Last edited by memtb; 04/10/24.
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
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Most critters I killed with TTSX (300 WSM and 168s, or 257 wby and 100s) were DRT.
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Joined: Nov 2010
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,229 Likes: 9 |
If there is a weakness in the Barnes bullets, it’s their lack of expansion at extended range due to “expected” velocity drop. If the hunter wants/expects full expansion…..the hunter must know the maximum range at which that will occur!
All of that said…..every bullet is range limited for expansion! memtb If using monos and are concerned about expansion, check out Hammer, Cutting Edge and Lehigh. These people are working on mono technology and have some interesting products. Not cheap, but they work. I like Barnes, but also like the newer mono technology. Check'em out. DF
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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If there is a weakness in the Barnes bullets, it’s their lack of expansion at extended range due to “expected” velocity drop. If the hunter wants/expects full expansion…..the hunter must know the maximum range at which that will occur!
All of that said…..every bullet is range limited for expansion! memtb If using monos and are concerned about expansion, check out Hammer, Cutting Edge and Lehigh. These people are working on mono technology and have some interesting products. Not cheap, but they work. I like Barnes, but also like the newer mono technology. Check'em out. DF Thanks DF. I’m aware of the Hammers and been a forum member over there for several years. The Hammers appear to be a great bullet, and apparently very easy to find an exceptionally accurate load quite easily/quickly. They are in constant research and development. They have two or three guys over in Australia killing hundreds of animals of all sizes, while using different weights and calibers of Hammers. They do a lot of field autopsy work to determine how the bullets performed. I know at about what velocity my bullets will not give complete expansion, which is a few hundred yards farther than I’m comfortable shooting…..so, I don’t fret about expansion. But, for those shooting at extreme ranges…..it should a concern to note! I haven’t tried them yet, as I’ve a bunch of Barnes bullets on hand and have a great load (it seems) with them. If I were doing more hunting, and components were more readily available and maybe less expensive …..I’d probably try them! memtb
Last edited by memtb; 04/11/24.
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,467 Likes: 5
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As expected, a variety of experiences and opinions but mostly very favorable of the TTSX which was the OP's inquiry. I'm an old guy with lots of experiences with c&c bullets, Interlocs and Partitions. My first experience with the Barnes-X was mixed and I never tried them again on flesh and bone. Then came a trial with a 350gr TSX for my .458 Win. That too was a crash regarding expectations. I shot a smalish bear frontally at 100 yds just in front of the bait barrel (lasered at 100). Impact velocity would have been +2450 fps and the "little bear" took off like I'd missed it! ( I didn't) It circled around for awhile somewhere behind the bait barrel in dense bush and then "went to sleep" (died) about 40 yds directly behind the bait setup. The bullet made exit just in from of the right hip with no evidene of expansion. Further testing of the bullet in media convinced me it had never expanded in the bear but zipped right on through! That bear went the farthest I'd ever shot in forty years! In further research in discussion with a fellow Canadian who had finished a cull of over 100 Asian Buffalo in Australia using his .458 and 3 bullets: 450 AF, 420 CE and 350 TSX, it worked as well as the others, and better than the 420 CE! He said it's too tough for black bear. Generally, I've come to the conclusion - that apparently some others have also - that we need to drop down in bullet weight for the TSX in particular from what we'd normally use. Then, there's the matter of the length of these bullets that rob space in the case that should be reserved for powder. For that reason I'll not use them in my .35 Whelen and 9.3 x 62 which are already limited for powder ratio to bullet weight and caliber. So, recently, I've had to switch from the 250gr Sierra/.375 to the 250 TTSX because the Sierra appears unavailable. What a difference that has made in performance! The 250 TTSX is nearly 1/2 as long again as the Sierra, and not as accurate! So, my general conclusion is that depending on who's hunting where and what, the TTSX may work "best" or maybe NOT! My .375 H&H is loaded for bear using the 250gr TTSX, I just hope it works better than that 350gr TSX/.458" did. BTW, I used a 350gr Speer Mag Tip on another bear going away (from a previous .458). At 70 yds it took out liver, spine and back of head. . . bang flop! Bob www.bigbores.ca
Last edited by CZ550; 04/29/24.
"What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul" - Jesus
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Bob, sorry to hear of your bad luck. I haven’t killed nearly as much game as most of you, but have had nothing but good performance with Barnes’s in my .375 (AI version) since ‘91… from the original X 270 grain, to the 270 TSX, the 250 TTSX. Finally trying the 270 LRX this year! Wish me luck!
Oh, the wife has been using 225/TSX’s in her .338 WM since ‘96, so far so good…..from 30 yards to a bit over 400 yards…. Pronghorns to moose. memtb
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
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Joined: Apr 2018
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Barnes bullets are garbage. Memtb swears by them.....all you bed to know
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Joined: May 2008
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I'm not pessimistic about the 250 TTSX in my .375 as it was chosen to replace the 225 Sierra on the recommendations of several here whom I highly respect, including memtb. Yet, like in everything else, I just need a positive result. Bob www.bigbores.ca
"What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul" - Jesus
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Joined: Jan 2001
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I'm not pessimistic about the 250 TTSX in my .375 as it was chosen to replace the 225 Sierra on the recommendations of several here whom I highly respect, including memtb. Yet, like in everything else, I just need a positive result. Bob www.bigbores.ca I’m moving them a bit faster than you, but a high, shoulder hit (misjudged distance near dark) on a Pronghorn @ approximately 300 yards (held for 400) made a very impressive exit wound. You could barely cover the removed tissue/hide on the exit side with an open hand. Granted the bullet hit bone…..but the exit wound rivaled any cup and core exit I’ve ever had. memtb
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,297 Likes: 17
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,297 Likes: 17 |
If a TTSX doesn't kill what you're shooting at, you're either a reloading retard or a piss poor shot. The tip makes all the difference in the world IMO/IME regarding Barnes bullets.
It is irrelevant what you think. What matters is the TRUTH.
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Joined: Apr 2018
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I'm not pessimistic about the 250 TTSX in my .375 as it was chosen to replace the 225 Sierra on the recommendations of several here whom I highly respect, including memtb. Yet, like in everything else, I just need a positive result. Bob www.bigbores.ca I’m moving them a bit faster than you, but a high, shoulder hit (misjudged distance near dark) on a Pronghorn @ approximately 300 yards (held for 400) made a very impressive exit wound. You could barely cover the removed tissue/hide on the exit side with an open hand. Granted the bullet hit bone…..but the exit wound rivaled any cup and core exit I’ve ever had. memtb #retard
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Joined: Jun 2001
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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Here is a 270 gr. Barnes TSX bullet, recovered from a bull Nilgai taken at 200 yards with my .375 Ruger. Bullet was just under the hide on the off side, entrance was tight against the shoulder. Bull dropped in its tracks. Later in the evening at dinner, another hunter asked about my bullet and shot- when I told him it was a Barnes TSX, he stated that he doesn't use them because they just 'pencil through' game. I then reached in my pocket and showed him the bullet- the conversation quickly shifted to other topics. I have used Barnes bullets, both TSX and TTSX, on a variety of game for a number of years, with never a complaint about performance.
I'd rather be a free man in my grave, than living as a puppet or a slave....
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