Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only Barnes .458 350 grain TSX in .458 Win Mag Experiences

Has anyone had the opportunity to use the Barnes .458 350 grain TSX on game in a .458 Win Mag? I have some loaded for my .458 Win Mag and like the accuracy and realtively easy recoil, but haven't used them on anything in the field.

I don't have any concerns that it won't do well on the opportunistic shot at light skinned game, like caribou and such, but I'm thinking of carrying them on a Kodiak goat hunt and wonder about their effectiveness on a big brown if the accidental need arises. Their relatively low sectional density of .238 is what gives me pause.

I don't consider the .458 a viable choice for a goat gun, but that is not my decision to make.

I suspect the 350 gr. barnes would kill the biggest of grizzlys since the 180 30-06 is a viable Grizzly caliber.....The SD is short of desirable, but being a monolithic, that in itself, should make up for the low SD and bear are soft skinned for a DG animal...

That's my favorite bullet in both my 458 Win Mag and Ruger No.1, 45-70 Improved. Accurate in both.

MV for the 458 is 2700+fps

MV for the Ruger is 2380 fps (not maximum)

I load them for bear and moose, if that tells you anything. Though I have yet to shoot anything with them, they will be going to Quebec in May on a bear hunt.

I have retrieved some from the target backstop of earth, sand, gravel and thousands of remains of other bullets. On average they've held onto 97% of their weight and mushroomed perfectly. That was at 100 yds from my CZ550 in 458WM. They hold together better than the 500-grain Hornady Interloc at the same distance and into the same backstop.

BTW, SD is not an issue with those bullets as they hold onto most of their weight and have a lot of momentum. Also, they are very flat shooting.I have no doubt they'll work on anything in North America.

From my 458: +2" @ 100/0.0" @ 200/-8.5"@ 300

Bob

www.bigbores.ca

Mr. Atkinson,

If you don't mind answering, why don't you see the .458 as a viable goat rifle?

CZ550,

Have you done any penetration tests with the 350 grain TSX? I'm just curious about the numbers, as I know it will penetrate far enough for any N.A. game.

I'd actually like to try such a load in my .458, as just for fun this rifle will go into an elk camp with me in 2010 (When I'm finally back in the USA during a hunting season -- I'm on the complete opposite side of the world now).

I don't plan to use the .458 as my primary weapon on the hunt (I find it too heavy for steep mountain hunting--considering the number of miles I normally cover in the average hunting day), but I'll carry it at times and hope to hammer a large wapiti with it. We'll see.

Kay9cop,
The reason I don't think the 458 is a viable goat gun is obvious I would think inasmuch as it is a cartridge specifically designed for shooting big ugly creatures at very short range, re: buffalo, elephant, Lion about says it all...

It doesn't have a very flat trajectory and its very hard to make long shots with and even with those short stubby 350 gr. bullets that are fast to start with but velocity drops off very quickly and they loose any advantage they had if they had any to start with..

IMO a goat rifle is a 270 or 300 mag. but whatever you want to use is of no concern to me. I am only speaking for myself.

Mr. Atkinson,

I guess I misunderstood your first post. I agree it's not an ideal gun for the purpose I might use it. What I misunderstood was your claim it wasn't "viable", or having a reasonable chance of suceeding. I thought you were claiming a goat could not be taken with a .458 Win Mag. I do a lot of spot-and-stalk bowhunting, so I'm not concerned about being able to get within 200 yards of a goat.

The reason I'm considering carrying this gun, as opposed to my
Kimber Montana in .30-06, is because of the potential to meet a big brown bear up close. Bears on Kodiak Island are known to come to the sound of a gun being fired in order to find an easy meal. There's an excellent video on YouTube of just such an occurence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6ssEy4-z8g

I have fired this gun and bullet combo out to 300 yards and it is accurate enough. The drop at 300 yards is about 12" with my 100 yard zero. It sounds as not many people have used this bullet for longer ranges, so I may have to be the first.

Kay9Cop;

I gave the numbers above, and the 350 TSX is plenty flat shooting. If zeroed at 100 it's only down 12" at 300, then that's pretty flat shootin' in anyone's book! I don't know your speed (MV) but I could calculate it from those numbers.

As mentioned, I zero mine at +2" at 100; zero at 200; and -8.5" at 300. That's as flat shooting as a 30-06! I'd take mine goat hunting anytime if I felt in danger by a brown or grizzly bear.

There is also the 300 TSX which can be driven 150 to 200 fps faster, if wanted.

As you know, those bullets aren't "stubby", they are quite aerodynamic, with a BC much better than book values. I write on these things and have published a manual on the 458. So, I've discussed Barnes numbers with the top brass and they admit there are many variables in quoting ballistic coefficient numbers. It turns out that my values for the 350 TSX in testing is dead on with the numbers they published previously for their 350-X bullet!

As mentioned, mine was loaded for moose last October, didn't get a chance on one, but I had complete confidience that they would take a moose out at 400 yds if that opportunity presented itself.

Phil Shoemaker has taken moose and caribou with his 458 at over 300 yds, according to Barnes manual No.3.

As to penetration, I believe the 350TSX fired at 2500 to 2600 fps would penetrated a moose lengthwise. The only other bullets I've fired into backstops of mud, sand, gravel and stone mix, plus millions of fragments of schrapnel, and remain intact with 95 to 100% weight retention were solids for DG and the Barnes-X!

I'm a believer!

Bob

www.bigbores.ca