Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Barnes bullet... are you completely sold?

Blah blah blah

Completely sold that they can work in the right conditions and those conditions are as good or better than what you get with Lead core bullets - Sure....

They are not magic bullets that fix bad shots, or bad choices shooters make for shots (too long), or a lack of loading work to find a load that’s accurate in your rifle.

Maybe a better question is - are they your prefered hunting bullet... for me, that’s a yes.

I’ve always wanted to see how a partition with a boat tail and a plastic tip would do.

The first paragraph has been pretty much proven to be past history. Long ago past history at that.

To more recent history. Pics? How many examples? Animals were/were not recovered?

Did not read all posts or pages so apologize if what I write reflects that but will give my experience ranging from the original Barnes X to the TSX and TTSX’s.

Original loading with the “X” was soon abandoned because of erratically high pressures and so-so-to-poor accuracy in my and a friend’s rifle. I still question the bullets compositional consistency at this time.

The TSX’s were found to be extremely accurate in a 30/06 and my 340 and 375; took ten plains game in Africa with them in the 168-gr 30 cal and the 270-gr 375 versions. One shot each. Recovered two, one turned askew by brush before hitting the waterbuck, yet still was under the offside hide. The other was stopped by a very stout mare zebra.

The TTSX’s were again very accurate in a 340 and later, in a 284 in both 210-gr and 140-gr’s respectively. About eight bull elk taken between the two also including mule deer, white tails, and black bear. One recovered after entering the mule deer buck head on at the brisket and found near the scrotum. I’m guessing but that was about 4’ feet of penetration.

Recovered TSX (zebra) and TTSX (mule deer) were “classic mushrooms.” Accuracy was excellent including several less than 2” groups (five shots each) at 400 yds with the 284 and several 3-shot (I know, but several) 100 yd 375 groups in the .3’s.

So, yes, sold. But not to the complete exclusion of others.

The 150 TSX is fantastic. I shot this bull with that bullet and the Mashburn. Results were decisive.

Another favourite picture. This is the heart of a bull moose and a 210 TSX. Guys that say they pencil through don’t look close.

Very accurate in ever gun I have used them in... never lost an animal I have shot with them... Great bullets... am I convinced... Yes

So, OP, how did the hunt go? Inquireing minds and all of that... :-)

That's a horse.

Well I’ve been back home from my Kentucky elk hunt for a few days. I was going to post my hunt details but seen the thread was still rolling so I held off.
Hunt details... I hunted unit 5 for cow elk second season. I did not see an elk and only seen one elk track. Seen and spoke to seven other hunting groups. They had seen nothing and all were depressed about their hunts. I hunted all five days.
Very depressing hunt. It’s a very difficult hunt.
So no Barnes LRX bullet was harmed during this hunt.

However I want to thank everyone for their experiences and input on the Barnes bullet!

Cool experience nonetheless. That must have been a tough tag to draw.

.338-06AI, 185 gr.TTSX, two shots, two elk, one at 345, the other at 423 approx. Both DRT, I use the same load on whitetails, you want rib shots but it is like you pull the ground from underneath them, running 2946 fps average.

WOW... what a DRT Combo....WOW

I’ve had great luck with the Barnes TTSX in many calibers. They do great for me!

I hope I get the same speeds ( or very close) with a 20" 338 RCM/185TTSX!

This is one of my most interesting recovered bullets. It’s a 225 grn TSX fired from my .35 Whelen. It hit a bull elk quartering away. I can’t remember if it broke a rib, but it passed through the lungs and far side shoulder. Shot was about 75 yards and he never took another step. Found the bullet after I got home and was skinning the quarter. As you can see it lost one petal. Recovered weight was 222.5 grns.

The only other animal I’ve shot with one was a mule deer with a 165 grn bullet from a .30-06. Passed through and made a decent exit hole. I think he ran about 30 yards. Two data points isn’t much but I thought I would add it to all he others here.

In my experience Sierra Gamekings can be more forgiving in the accuracy department with regards to powder type and charge, and seating depth. But if you have the patience to get the right combination Barnes accuracy can be excellent.

If penetration is paramount, yes. If quick death is, maybe not. For deer I Would go more frangible. That said, my ‘quick death’ score with TTSX and big deer is 100% slobberknocker DRT.

How about an 80gr ttsx out of a 257 Robert's at 550 yards on an antelope doe, length wise !
Knocked her down 2 out of 2 shots.
Fellow member Huntr, and I were about to get up and get her, when he says her heads back up.
Well the shot was from south to north.
Took it, and her head went down.
Got to her, and when we started skinning her, found only 5 holes !
Found the bullet under the skin in the brisket area.
This is penetration !

I’ve shot one Elk with Barnes bullets. 150 TTSX out of a 7mm Rem Mag. Average Vel is 3226. The bull was shot slightly quartering to me at 125 yards or so. He took three or four staggering steps and dropped dead.

Shot a lot of Mule and WT Deer with this combo. My last and largest Mule Deer was shot at 220 yards. Stayed on his feet after the shot so long I questioned if I hit him so I shot again. He jumped the fence and went out of sight. It was getting too dark to shoot so I went back the next morning and found him dead in under a cut bank 30
Yards from the fence.

They do penetrate very well. I recovered one 150 TSX out of a .30-06 which went through a hip joint and stopped under the hide on the opposite side of a WT buck at 320ish yards.

I think they work well and I have never had a problem getting them to shoot well. I have also used the 7mm 150 ballistic tip and 162 ELD-X on Deer and Antelope. I would use neither on Elk, personally.