Yeah, the first Barnes Xs were not all that accurate--and didn't open reliably. I tested my first, both on targets and game, in 1989--if I recall correctly. They didn't group very well, even in otherwise very accurate rifles--and didn't open reliably.
I got to now Randy Brooks around 10-12 years later, and he acknowledged the problems. He said the major problem he had early on was getting consistent copper--often supposedly "pure" copper was harder than it should have been, which not only caused expansion but accuracy problems.
He couldn't afford to buy more consistent copper until the late 1990s--and that's when I found X-Bullets (not the present TSXs) started grouping better and expanding more reliably. This included the 120-grain X-Bullet started at around 3000 fps from a 6.5x55--which grouped three shots into 1/2" or so at 100 yards--and expanded very well on a pronghorn buck at just under 400 yards. (There were some other animals taken along the way.) Also has great luck both in accuracy and expansion with the 250-grain 9.3 around that time.
Anyway, the accuracy and expansion problems were totally solved with the introduction of the Tipped Triple-Shock X-Bullet in 2007. Eileen and I have used a bunch of them since then, and I've also seen around 100 more animals taken with them by fellow hunters. They work very well but it took a while to work out the details. Just as it has with various other bullets.
Have a big tackle box filled with bullets recovered from big in calibers from .224" on up to .40+--and hunting notes that describe how each worked, along with the specific animal, range, muzzle velocity, etc.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
