Saeed,

Many shooters here and elsewhere report that they have had quite bad results from Barnes X bullets. These bullets have a reputation for giving poor accuracy in many rifles and for giving heavy copper fouling. Yet they seem to be your favorite hunting bullet. How is it that you achieve good accuracy with them, and are you plagued with heavy copper fouling from them?

I get great "Hunting" accuracy from them, and since I use them for hunting it good enough. Copper fouling, who cares as long as the one shot kill streak is going. I'll clean the copper after the hunt. It aint a bench rest shoot out there its hunting.

LE270, I use Barnes X bullets with good results also. In my whitetail rifles they are the most accurate, and do a good job for killin and grillin.

I use Hornady, Nosler, Sierra, and Speer bullets as well.

Seated .075" off of the rifiling or to 2.80"col, I have been able to get the 130XLCs and 140XBTs with a home moly impact coat to shoot under an inch for 5 shots at 100yds in a Win M70 300WSM. Win cases 72.0 grains of RL-19, CCI 250 primers. One 130 grainer blew through 3 White-tail shoulders exited behind the 4th at 130 yds neither doe took a step. That will do for me in both the accuracy and terminal damage detpartments. Cleaning is not a problem in a moly coated barrel.
Dave

The fouling problem is BS. Probably started by one of the competitors. As for accuracy I've no problemas long as I seat them deep for my gun.

Once a King always a King but once a night is enough

Since Coni Brooks posted I've noticed several newly registered members who have nothing but good things to say about Barnes X's... very curious.

Anyone who thinks Barnes X's don't foul more than other bullets... well, I've got a terrific .com you can invest in.

I've had one rifle that shot X's very well and several that can't abide them.

Still, I think they're a terrific bullet if they'll shoot in your gun and can only hope the new generation will be better.

Continued sucess to Barnes and all its employees posting here

BA

In some rifles they shoot well and others not so you just have to try them

I have not found a single big game bullet that shoots well in all rifles. I try various ones until I find one that gives the accuracy and velocity I require. In my experience some of the most consistently accurate bullets (in all guns) are not very good big game bullets.

I used to prefer Speer bullets when I could get the accuracy, but since most of my hunting has been for deer or antelope size game, I use Sierra or Hornady if they give the best accuracy. One doesn't need the more modern premium bullets for deer size game.

For bigger game the old original Nosler partition was the best. The 175 gr out of a 7MM mag was especially good. Today I would use the Barnes XLC for elk and bigger game.

Jerry

If you are going to use X bullets (uncoated) you'd better start with a chemically clean bore.... because cupronickel fouling from conventional (?) bullets WILL accelerate fouling.

.5 groups from my Rem Classic 6.5X55 (rechambered with a "short throat") is all I need to take W/T out to 350 yads over NY cornfields.

Of course, I NEVER see a "recovered" bullet so the only proof of their performance is in the dead deer laying at my feet.

Below is an excerpt from the Barnes Website regarding recommended seating depth of their bullets. Basically, they recommend starting at 0.050" off and seating deeper from there.

Starting this month and continuing every month from here on out we will be bringing you topics that we find interesting or maybe just useful to you, our customers. We get a lot of phone calls and e-mails daily regarding certain topics and this column will give us a forum to cover these items to a broader range of re-loaders. We will be updating this section monthly with new subjects or tidbits of information that might be of interest to you. So please tune in each month to find out what new area is being covered.

This month we will be covering the seating depth of the X-bullet. This is one topic we get calls on a daily basis and quite frankly I feel like a broken record. The X-bullet can be quite accurate but the seating depth plays a major role in finding that sweet spot. Due to the solid copper construction we have found through our testing that the X-bullet prefers to be seated further from the lands than conventional bullets (lead core, copper jacketed bullets). A big mistake made by re-loaders who are first timers to Barnes Bullets is that they try to seat the X-bullet to close to the lands. They try seating the X either touching the lands or .010" from the lands. This has proven time and time again to destroy accuracy, spreading groups all over the place. Furthermore, higher pressures will most likely have devastating results when maximum loads are being used.

We do all of our function and accuracy tests with the X-bullet seated at .050" from the lands. This distance has always provided the best accuracy in our tests and we recommend this seating depth to all of our customers. To determine this overall length we use a Stoney Point Overall Length Gauge. This is a real simple tool to use and is very accurate in determining the distance from the lands for your particular rifle. This tool comes with a modified case of your choice for your particular application. Simply attach the case to the tool, insert the bullet you plan on using into the case, and then slide the entire mechanism into the chamber of your gun. Once the tool is inserted into your chamber you will then slide the rod forward pushing the bullet up to the lands. Once the bullet touches the lands it will stop moving forward, you can then tighten the set screw on the rod and remove the tool. Sometimes the bullet will stick to the lands so you may need to knock out the bullet. Insert the bullet back into the case and with a pair of calipers measure the entire cartridge. This will give you your overall length touching the lands; you will then want to subtract (-) .050" from that measurement. You now have the correct overall length .050" from your lands, set your dies to this seating depth and you are ready to load.

During our testing we have found that there is a range to experiment with. This range is between .030" and .070" from the lands, somewhere in that range you will find a sweet spot that your rifle likes. We still recommend starting at .050" from the lands (on average this usually gives the best results) and then try shooting a group to see what this distance does. If the groups are terrible or if you just want to improve upon them then we recommend moving the bullet closer or further away in .010" increments. Try a group at various settings to see if it tightens up or if they start to spread out. For example, if you try the .050" off and the groups are erratic, try seating the bullet .010" deeper (.060" from the lands). Try shooting a group at this depth to see if they tighten up or spread out, if they do get worse then you know you probably need to move in the opposite direction (.040" from the lands). Doing this in .010" increments will help you find the best possible seating depth for your rifle. The X-bullets has the potential to shoot very accurate groups. Its terminal performance is unmatched by any other bullet on the market today.

Weatherby owners on the other hand will end up going about it differently. Trying to seat the X-bullet .050" from the lands on these rifles is virtually impossible with their deep throats. For these rifles we recommend seating the bullet deep enough to fit in the magazine and then shoot a group. Move the bullet in or out in .005" to .010" increments to improve upon the accuracy.

Take your time with X-Bullets when working up a load. They are quite capable of achieving amazing groups in your rifle with a little work. If the seating depth does not remedy the problem then by all means try a different powder charge, type or even a different bullet weight. Make one change at a time so you know which element is affecting your results. When switching to the X-bullet it is common knowledge that you can drop down one bullet weight because of its excellent weight retention. In any case, by finding a powder that achieves the velocity you are looking for and playing with the seating depth you can achieve phenomenal groups and experience the terminal performance X-Bullets are known for.

I hope this article benefits you in your reloading of X-Bullets. Please check back next month to see what is covered then. Thanks for choosing Barnes Bullets and the best of luck to all of you.

Anyone ever try the 45g BarnesX out of a .220 Swift or other .22 ceterfire on deer? Plateau Hunter

Hello all. Newbie here. FWIW, I've had outstanding results on game (whitetails) & paper w/ the Barnes 250gr X (which I know is more than nec)in my 1903 Sporter 35 Whelen. The advice given by Barnes re seating depth worked for me. I believe it is also critical to start w/ a very clean bbl when changing to the X from any other bullet. Since I'm not a survival hunter, I can afford to be picky about range, target presentation & shot placement, so the otherwise needlessly powerful combination hasn't been a venison waster for me, and has regularly resulted in pretty immediate kills if I do my part.

One is always limited by the narrowness of his own experiance.

But the bullet I have found to be hit&miss accuracy wise.....is the Nosler Partition. Of my rifles I've tried it in, only one would shoot the partitions anywhere close to the point of impact of other bullets. Some would group tightly off in their own "little world", but some were horrible.

My experiance with the X bullets always finds them grouping generally with conventional bullets - giving me hunting accuracy.

The reason the Nosler Partition bullet tends to be a poor grouping bullet in many hunting rifles is it's internal design. The two compartment internal design of the Nosler Partition bullet places the balance weight of that bullet to far forward. Cut one in half length wise and look at the inside of that bullet, you will then see why they perform poorly in so many hunting rifles. Some hunting rifles shoot them very well but the majority tend to produce larger groups than desired by the shooter. All bullets must maintain their balance weight at the rear of that bullet for best flight stabiltiy. The Nosler partition bullet does what it was designed to do and that is mushroom properly and retain eighty percent of it's original weight. None of my hunting rifles produce the groups I desire with the Nosler Partition bullet and I don't use them for that reason.

I have had nothing but great success with them also. I have never had fouling with the rifles. I shoot them and then clean up with Sweets after. This is my standard practice for my big game rifles. I don't shoot tons of these as a target bullets. So very few are shot except for load development. After the load is developed then they are just to double check the sight in impact and to make sure that powder lots are the same. The key is that with the X bullets is to follow the guidelines for the seating depth. People love or hate these bullets. It seems the same way with the Nosler Ballistic tips.

Hcliff

It's hard for the barrel to foul when they only require one shot for a kill.