Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Any Barnes X failures?

Thanks kappa, Idmay, and Dean. That was nine years ago. So, the glory has faded, though it still guards my front doorway.





It scored 229-1/4 B&C.

IIRC, we measured its extreme spread at around 71” on the day of its demise. After drying out, the B&C guys measured it as 69”.

We recovered around 1,150 lbs of meat on the bone. Most of that went to an Anchorage charity. The backstraps weighed around 25 lbs apiece. Those were tasty.

Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable.

I picked up some 180 ttsx for my 358 win. Totally unnecessary for whitetail but they shoot great and I don’t figure on a failure. Hopefully I get a chance to test them.

I hope the 130gr ttsx out of a 270win is sufficient for elk. I just checked the zero on my 270win and leave next Tuesday for new Mexico.. I've taken many with 150gr partitions, but this will be my first with a Barnes.

Provided that, you stretch the range too far and your impact velocity drops to a point at which expansion is “iffy” and you put the bullet where it needs to go……you should do just fine!


Good Luck on your hunt! memtb

[quote=hotsoup]I hope the 130gr ttsx out of a 270win is sufficient for elk. I just checked the zero on my 270win and leave next Tuesday for new Mexico.. I've taken many with 150gr partitions, but this will be my first with a Barnes.[/quote

I've killed a few moose with em. If you're loading, take a look at RL16. I used for 4831s for a half century but much prefer RL16.

165' in the 30 caliber magnums, 120's and 127's in the 6.5 guns, and 180's in the 358 norma, pure death to anything it encounters, put the sneak within 150 yards last week of a montana mule deer, one 165 thru the neck with the 308 norma mag. and it was looking for a spot to collapse. The 180 in the 358 norma are devastating on pigs, hold the front third of the pig touch trigger dead pig. I now have 200 grains for 358 wsm they have yet to encounter meat but will shortly can't imagine any less whallop

Both 145 LRXs, both from this year and the only two I've recovered.

Left elk, 433 yards... Right deer, 466 yards.
Retained 143.9gr... 144.2gr
Expanded to .583"... .575"
Impact ~2380 fps... ~2340 fps

Thank you all

150ttsx from a 308

I sure hope so! lol

The bullet on the left weighed 156.9gr, the bullet on the right weighed 154.1gr. Honestly I'm not sure which bullet was shot at 628yds and which one was shot at 614yds. Both bullets were fired from 300wm rifles starting at 3250fps. The Burger app says the bullets should of been over 2000fps at 600yds. They worked but I don't think a 168gr Barnes TTSX is a very good long range elk bullet. Personally I
don't think that one bullet can do it all.

Barnes says 1500 fps for the 168. I think what they consider expansion and what hunters want are 2 different things. I would not shoot my .30-06 past 400 yards on a Elk with one. MV is 2850 fps.

My son shot a mature cow with it last week at 350 yards and it worked really well.

At 350 yards impact velocity is 2160 fps

At 400 yards impact velocity is 2072 fps.

I bought 100 of the .284 150 grain TTSX a couple years ago and just got around to working a load up for them this fall. It was the most accurate bullet I have ever shot through this particular 7rem mag. I shot 1 deer with it and it was in a bad spot if it ran because it was at the edge of a hell hole so I shoulder shot it and it punched a hole clear through and dropped it on the spot. I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of blood shot meat. When the times comes I will rib poke one and see what the tuff bullet does there.

I wonder if the 175LRX would be better at range?

I have killed a semi load of critters with Barnes. Started with the old X bullet and they fouled and had crazy pressure. The TSX with the grooves came along and I used a bunch and NEVER had a failure as far as I know as I only recover a couple of them and they were perfect. The TTSX are really accurate and open at much lower velo. Yes I am a fan. YMMV

Ditto. I’ve killed a dump truck load of critters with Barnes TSX and TTSX 7mm and .308 caliber bullets. Never lost an animal and never recovered a bullet, either. Those who say otherwise have either never used them or didn’t hit a vital zone. Usual Fire bullscheit.

Of course it would, a 190LRX will be even better if there's enough velocity at the target for the bullet to open? Been happy with Barnes bullets and still are. But the lack of expansion at longer ranges is a little troubling.

With due respect, I’m not sure anyone should be shooting a .30-06 at any game animal past 400 yards?

I have only had one pencil through in a behind-the-shoulder shot at a broadside roedeer buck at 245yds shot from a 6,5x57R at 2,935 fps.
I can tell because my Bavarian Mountain Bloodhound retrieved it after a long and difficult tracking job.
Otherwise, I have never ever had one fail.
I do not shoot speedy magnums and favour the use of the LRX because it seems to open wider at longish, lower speed impact, shots.
I have recoverd a few and while most of them look book perfect, in my experience that is not and indication of how fast a bullet kills.