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

Good because I have 100 of them molycoated and ready for my 7-08. Also have 100 140gr AB's. They're squaring off....

Back in the late 80's I read about a shooting trip to Australia Ross Seyfried took and another article by an Aussie guide and outfitter that was part of a culling operation that shot the heck out of over 20,000 critters. Water buffalo, feral donkeys that were big and other big critters were shot. One thing stood out in my opinion, their praise of the performance of Barnes X bullets. They drew conclusions from a bunch of gut piles, more then any other source I am aware of. Very few places left on earth have the "opportunity" or need to harvest that many critters. When you shoot so many critters you are replacing barrel's on a .308 you are getting after it!

I think some of the calibers were .308 WIn, .338 Win., 340 Weatherby and 375 H&H, maybe more. The 225 X bullet out of a .340 Weatherby gave stellar performance, better then the Woodleigh in the opinion of the Aussie author. This was a killing report, not a accuracy or barrel cleaning report. Any way, I tried them in our .338's and 30-06 rifles and eventually left the Nosler Partition. But, I could easily go back to that bullet if I was shooting deer and antelope, but the X bullet is a great bullet for Alaska's big game. Eventually I went from 250 to 225 grain TTSX in my custom .338 Winny and 180's in our 30-06 rifles. But, the 200 grain Nosler Partition was a great performer in our 30-06 rifles. I now load 175 grain LRX and 168 grain TTSX bullets in my two 30-06 rifles.

I had one Pre-64 .338 that was a copper fouler and my old Pre-64 30-06 takes longer to clean then my other barrels. Lapping and Dyna Bore Coating has helped the 30-06 and the old .338 was traded off. Other then that our barrels clean up with out to much effort. My custom Mod. 70 has a stock barrel and it loves every X bullet I stick in it, from the original 250 grain version to the blue coated 225 grain version to the current 225 grain TTSX. In fact the rifle has only shot some flavor of X bullets since I put it together. Our 30-06's also shoot the X bullets well, as did the .243 and my 6.5 Creedmoor.

Most of my hunting friends shoot X bullets and I don't see them switching. Some experimenting with seating depth often helps to shrink groups. They are not the only good killing bullet, but they are a great killer of big game. Bullets and their performance on paper and on critters has always been the subject of many a conversation and I doubt that will ever change. One thing is for sure, just as smokeless powder forever changed our thoughts on cartridges, so has the Nosler Partition and Barnes X bullets.

They are accurate in the rifles I use them in. If I had to get down to one bullet, it would be a TTSX.

The ones that gave me the pressure spikes in my 99 were the new style TSX bullets. That's why I was surprised. They might be great in other rifles, but not in my Savage.

As one WI. 7mm-08 deer shooter to another, why do you want to switch from something that is working to something (in my experience shooting TSX bullets) that doesn't work as well? We don't get to shoot very far here and I am way more concerned about getting a quick humane kill than glint edge accuracy in a paper target. I too thought that my deer deserved to be shot with a premium bullet, but they ran away farther and bled less with those TSX's than they did with Core-Lokt's, Partitions, Accubond's, Interlock and SST's. In fact the only deer that ever got away was with a TSX. Reading here has me using 140 grain Ballistic Tips currently. Never again a Barnes TSX. Maybe a TTSX, but why? Barnes wouldn't have invented the TTSX if the TSX was a great deer bullet.

Read the SDS. For Barnes Banded Solids and MPG and MLE frangible bullets not TTSX or tsx.

So, now that the note about the Students for a Democratic Society () has been brought into the discussion, I am once again confused: are the TXS and TTXS bullets pure copper or are they an alloy? To clarify my quandary, way back when, I remember reading numerous articles about how the original X-Bullets, which were advertised as being pure copper, had been improved by tweaking the alloy.

I don't recall any talk about changing alloys, but I do recall that Barnes changed copper suppliers to get more consistent product, in an effort to increase expansion reliability.

Their site claims 100% copper but the newer bullets don't look the same as the X bullets. The X's were more red like copper pipe and the newer ones look more brassy. Also their is no SDS for 100% copper bullets? Whatever, they work for me.

The mule deer I got this year, I shot it with my 6mm rem shooting a 85 TXS . Went 50 yds. Food him belly up on a pile of rocks.

My experience with the original "X" and "XLC" mirror above. Difficult to get to shoot, and excess fouling.

Ran into one of the guys from Superior Ammo at the local range when they were still based out of Sturgis. He told me to try the TSX's and I would not be disappointed. He was spot on. Easy to develop loads, great performance.

Have not had any of the dreaded non expansion issues like some have reported. So now, when I am working on a hunting load, I start with Barnes T/TSX. Whichever shoots the best is my load. My latest endeavor is with a couple of 338-06's. Tried 185gr TTSX, GMX and 210gr TSX. Both of the Barnes outshot the GMX. 200gr Ballistic silvertips, accubonds, and SST's all outshoot the GMX too.

In going head to head with GMX's, the Barnes usually come out on top in the accuracy dept. I have one 270 that prefers GMX over Barnes and my 222 also likes the 55gr GMX over any of the Barnes offerings. I really wanted to start using GMX's as a go to, but the Barnes have performed better.

After this last round, I am done "trying" the GMX. I will go to it if I cannot find a Barnes that shoots.

Whenever I have used any Barnes, in any caliber under 30, I try to take out a shoulder, or even High shoulder or base of neck. Now, I did shoot a 80 pound shoat tight behind the shoulder with a 50gr XLC in a 221 fireball CZ 527. Right at 75 yds, made a 50 caliber hole all the way through. It dropped and kicked a bit, done. If the LRX ( that I have never used yet) are softer nose, easier opening as they claim...then I'm in love! I have some 129 LRX for my 270 and waiting on some ordered 175 LRX for the 300WM. Jazzed.

Jordan, that's exactly what Randy Brooks told me.

I mentioned that I'd found the standard, ungrooved shank X-Bullet had consistently started shooting well during the last few years of its existence. Randy said that as the bullet became more successful, they could afford to buy more consistent copper--which I understood to mean the older bullets were made of copper that wasn't nearly as pure, containing traces of other metals. As a result, the later X-Bullets were more consistent in both diameter and expansion. I had great results with them in several calibers--except for fouling. They still fouled barrels quite a bit, though more in some barrels than others.

That was probably during the half-dozen years before the TSX was introduced in 2004.

Partitions, or really any cup-and-core lead round, are categorically inferior to quality copper monos for hunting when said copper is used correctly. Basically, run them at 2200 FPS or faster and there are no downsides.

Pictured: 168 gr. TSX @ 2850 FPS

John,

Thank you. That’s what I was referring to. I wonder if some confused that with tweaking the “alloy”.

I remember the original Barnes "X" bullet fouling so bad it prompted Barnes to introduce their own line of copper fouling remover. Industrial grade ammonia worked too, just use in a very well ventilated area, don't leave it in the bore too long and don't get it on the finish of the firearm if you had any interest in keeping said finish! Only tried the industrial stuff a couple times. I've been using the Barnes bullet since the originals and now, pretty much, use them exclusively in everything from 223 Rem to 338 WM, coyotes to moose.

That Barnes copper remover was nasty stuff!

I still keep the old Barnes copper cleaning solution. Sometimes I buy a used gun that was neglected. The CR-10 works wonders. But mostly I use Ed's Red because I keep up on my own guns. Run a wet patch immediately after shooting at the range. Or when I get home from hunting. I like the Barnes TTSX for most shooting except in pistols. I like to use a bit of everything in my short guns. Be Well, Rustyzipper.

Guess again.

"I still keep the old Barnes copper cleaning solution."

I still have the bottle of the industrial grade stuff. Made the mistake of opening it in my shop, I think it's getting stronger as it ages! LOL! Now what to do with it...