Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Barnes X-bullet and similar copper bullets

Years ago I tried these in my 7mm-08 Browning A-bolt micro-medallian and after shooting a few the groups started opening up. The barrel also seemed to be getting excessively hot. When I checked the barrel the gun was severely copper fouled. It took what seemed forever to get that copper out of the barrel and I never used them again. Has Barnes changed the copper alloy they were using on these early bullets and did anyone else experience this in "the olden days"? I've stayed away from copper bullets but they seem to be getting popular. I see some are coated.

Give me some thoughts on the new copper bullets please. I don't re-load anymore but have been a lifelong believer in Nosler partitions.

My response is pertaining to Barnes only! How many years ago? Where these the “old” original Barnes X.....if so, the mono’s are a longer bullet with much greater surface area to barrel contact. The newer bullets, are grooved, much like a cast bullet! Less surface contact area, less friction.....less heat! Also, better accuracy, generally higher velocities, and much cleaner to shoot.....less metal fouling! Win- Win- Win! memtb

warbirdlover,

You're way behind the times. Barnes solved the fouling/accuracy problem when the introduced the Triple-Shock X-Bullet (usually called the TSX) in 2004. It has grooves around the shank of the bullet, which not only reduce fouling enormously, but allow it to shoot more accurately in most barrels.

But being a lifelong believer in Partitions also works. In fact, unless you hunt game bigger than deer--or deer at longer ranges than you typically shoot them in Wisconsin--I wouldn't bother switching.

They have gotten better, I still have some of the original Barnes X bullets, it was a Bit*h to clean the Sako after a range trip with them. Accuracy was pretty good, but the newer ones are much better.

The only way I could get the original X bullet to shoot reasonably well was to coat them with Moly.

Now that they have brought out the TSX and TTSX, I have not had any rifle I have tried them in not shoot well. Performance on critters from whitetails to eland has been great in calibers from 243 to 300WSM.

I never used the original ones, but have had nothing but good results with the tsx and the ttsx bullets in four different rifles.

I have always been puzzled by the fact that Barnes bullets were "pure copper", then kept hearing how the alloy was changed. (I was no whiz in chemistry.)

Design changes, and my understanding, they changed methods or degree of tempering! I can’t swear to that....I just know they work! memtb

If you decide to try Barnes in your 7mm-08, the 120 gr. TTSX is the way to go. It’ll do all that needs doing with that chambering and then some!

I tried Barnes X bullets in my Savage model 99 in, .243 Win. I loaded them rather tame, but to my surprise, they caused very high pressure so I only shot 2 out of my 20 loads. The primers were mashed totally flat, cratered, and one was pierced. I had ejection problems and nearly had stuck cases. I came home and pulled all the rest of that batch. The very same powder load in a Hornady lead core bullet, showed zero excess pressure and shot great.

That's because they are a totally different bullet. The original X was all copper and had no grooves so it was "stickier" in the bore because it had lots more contact area in the bore than lead core bullets. All of that changed with the TSX. Different alloy and grooves to lessen contact area. The TSX gives stellar accuracy, no more fouling than conventional bullets, and great terminal performance. As Memtb said, win, win, win.

The "pure lead core/pure copper jacket" ( Old School Barnes/Hawk Bullets, others) also had to be treated different in load workup. they worked just fine on game, but the were "sticky" and "bumped up very fast" . I was just as frustrated with the XLC as I was with the original X, ha. But heartily agree, the 'grooves" are a hit! I think the TTSX are the best.

My wife has had fantastic luck with the 90 grain tipped bullet in her 243. Factory loaded from Nosler!

Blacktailer,

The Barnes site says the TSX, TTSX and LRX are 100% copper, the same as the original X's--not a different alloy.

Whelenman,

The E-Tips are indeed another good monolithic--a little different than the Barnes bullet in that Nosler uses the same basic mild brass "gilding metal" they use in their lead-cored bullet jackets. They came up with them by making a coreless variation of the Ballistic Tip. My wife has used the 90-grain 6mm quite bit, mostly in the .240 Weatherby.

That addresses my original confusion - how can 100% copper be an alloy?

The 120 TTSX is a winner in the little 7mm-08. We've killed a lot of stuff with them and never recovered one.

The original X bullet was too picky for me, but I only tried them in a couple of rifles before I moved on.

Their Safety Data Sheet lists the following:
Lead 2-3%
Zinc 35-36%
Copper 61-62%
Don't know if this has changed but the old X bullets looked different, more like copper pipe. The newer bullets look more like gilding metal.

see
section 3
https://www.barnesbullets.com/wp-co...es_Copper_Alloy_Bullets_US_ENG_Final.pdf

Understand my confusion?

On a side note, long-time subscribers to the Wolfe publications know who to thank for the ring-tailed Xs.

I think "100% copper" and "Lead free" are marketing terms. ...grin....