Does Barnes still recommend setting the bullet so that it does not touch the rifling? Does anyone remember how much off the rifling?

Just going to try the TSX in my .338 Win. Mag.

Yes, .005" Sorry, I am justly corrected it's 0.050" Thank You R Flowers for noting my Bad!



DLH,

With the Barnes TSX or TTSX that I've tried in various calibers (and that's many, .224", .243", .257", .284", 308" & .323"); I've simply crimped the case into the front relief groove with a Lee Factory Crimp Die and never looked back. I've received more than adequate hunting accuracy with all Barnes bullets right from the Get-Go and my accuracy criteria is set pretty high, meaning less than 1" 3-shot groups. The overwhelming majority of my loaded Barnes cartridges will pretty much cut that in half, too.

Bye-the-Bye IME they also prefer a squeaky clean barrel compared to Cup n' Core bullets to deliver top accuracy as well. So if you've been busting caps with alot of vanilla-flavored bullets I'd give her a good scrub with a copper remover prior to testing as well.

Have Fun wth your .338" bullets.

Actually, I think Barnes recommends 0.050" off the lands not 0.005".

I, for one, find the Barnes TSX bullets like lots of jump to the lands to shoot best. In several of my rifles I am a long ways off the lands just to meet magazine length restrictions and they still shoot quite well.

I use TTSX's in my 6.8 & 30-378 and I'm superstitious about them over say accubonds. No joke, we've shot quite a few moose & and all kinds of caribou with the TTSX's, they work; yet I have had caribou stand there and take those accubonds and moose also not go right down on the spot. Never, not once with the TTSX's; now, if I could only figure out why.

Yet, I luv Nosler Partitions for my 7 mag, 338 fed, 338 win mag, ect. Why do certain bullets work so well with certain calibers; probably all in my head, but I'm a firm believer in such things from years of subsistence tags here in Alaska.

I've also found the best distance off the lands seems to vary in all my guns too.

Barnes recommends starting at 0.050" during intitial development, then working from 0.030" to 0.070" for best accuracy.

None of these replies would work with a Weatherby chambering. It's all in what spec is for a given cartridge.

Ken....

In the early 90's I loaded a 243 with the old Barnes XBT 85 gr bullets & took it to the range. I had used less than max powder to be safe but had seated the bullet close to the lands.

Shot No 1, perfect. Chronograph clocked 3300 fps! Shot 2, into the same hole, Similar velocity. Shot 3 - poof. Smoke! Wierd recoil etc. I tried to open the Rem 700 classic and it would not.

After tapping and banging the bolt opened and the case came out, sticking to the bolt. Primer blown, pocket errupted, case head imprinted mirror image on bolt face. I had the real shakes. I went home.

I talked to a lot of people & then I read an article in a gun magazine about the same problem being frequented with reloaders around the world. Barnes quickly put out the instruction to seat bullets 0.050 inch from lands.

Since then I have had great results with the TSX which replaced the old X & XBT bullets.

I still find that my TSX loads take less powder to achieve recommended max velocities.

HEY HEAT!!! How did you know that I was using a Weatherby??? S2 to be exact!

quote:

Originally posted by DLH4570:
HEY HEAT!!! How did you know that I was using a Weatherby??? S2 to be exact!

I didn't really know. I was simply referring to Weatherby chamberings (i.e. 340 Wby with about 3/8 inches of freebore). A Winmag chambering would be a completely different ball of wax.

Ken....