Give me some feedback on Barnes bullets.I normally hear or read negative feedback.I know they do a tremendous job as far as killing power,but what about copper fouling and barrel damage? Also,has anyone tried both the coated and regular bullets to compare them?

Don't use them in double rifle....! I've friends who swear by them but I have NEVER had a rifle that would shoot them with any kind of accuracy (2"+ at 100 yards) plus they really plated copper onto the barrels of the rifles I've shot them in and these were premium barrels like Pac-Nor, Schneider and Hart.

How about this for Barnes X accuracy?

375/404, 300 Barnes X, 2700 fps, 100 yards, 3 shots.

We used this load in Africa last year, never missed a shot

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saeed@ emirates.net.ae

www.accuratereloading.com

Saeed, have you tried the HV bullets from Gs custom yet? I have been simply in aw at the performance that I have gotten out of these bullets at the range. In October I will test them on a Nevada mule deer. At the range I have gotten extremely high velocity's and unbelivable accuracy. My custom 7STW will shoot vertualy everything under 1 MOA. But it shoots the 130 HV Bullets in the teens. The only other bullet that shoots this well is the 150 grain balistic tip at 3450 fps. The strange thing is that I can vary my seating depth by .010 and velocity from 3700 to over 4,000 fps and still shoot sub .25 for three shots. I finally decided on 3827fps for my velocity. I have a SD. of 7 fps and my 100 yard 3-shot group average is .179". I have shot 2 groups at 300 yards, avg. .78", and one group at 600 yards, 2.19". Gerard recommended that I use the G5 curve with a BC of .550, but with a 300 yard Zero my Impact was still 2 inches high for what it should have been. These bullets are truely amazing. This fall I will be testing them in a 338 Lapua AI, and a 300 Ultra mag. And I will shoot a mule deer in October with the 130 HV. Then I will truely believe in them. At this point they seem to good to be true. Even though I have seen what they can do. They cost more then barnes, but they are much more bullet for the money, so it seems. Another interesting thing is that I get almost no copper fowling in my Krieger barrel. Even less then a Moly coated Balistic tip going 300 fps slower. Gerard seems to know his bussiness.
Vince

sII -- The Barnes bullets perform to a level I consider to be number ONE on game. I have shot the coated and uncoated bullets in all my rifles and will shoot the coated if it is produced in the size bullet my barrel likes. Don't go on what someone else says about the Barnes, try them yourself. I get groups like Saeed's with my 7mm STW with a 160 gr. SLC bullet, session after session if I do my part in the aiming department. If you shoot much you will learn you need to clean your barrel regularly, therefore fouling does not become a problem. That is why I like the coated bullets, less fouling, less cleaning. My STW can go 40 rounds between cleaning and I shoot it hot. Other barrels shooting non coated bullets or non Barnes bullets have to be cleaned more often than that. I have heard some gunsmiths say the Barnes bullets are unforgiving on the barrel. I have shot that STW approximately 1000 rounds and have not seen that, or lost any accuracy. Try them for yourself, if your barrel likes them, you will certainly like their performance on game. I also shoot a .340 Wby and with the 225 gr. and the Barnes XLC at 3150 fps. it is an awesome Elk, Moose, Bear chambering, with those one hole groups. Good Shooting.

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[This message has been edited by phurley (edited 08-12-2001).]

ss8541,

I have a few of Gerard's bullets here, but have not had the chance of trying them yet.

My rifle seems to like the Barnes X, so I am sticking to them.

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saeed@ emirates.net.ae

www.accuratereloading.com

Hi sll,
this is my second box of barnes in 2506 100gn and like the first I couldnt get them to group at all, I read that you had to set them back 50-70 thou but that didnt matter one bit, used 4831 and rel 19 in varying loads, really dissapointed. tried but failed!
Griff

I am in the process of loading some ammo for my upcoming hunting trip.

I received some of the new Barnes X bullets. These seem to have a bigger hollow point, and have a crimping cannelure in them.

I loaded up a few rounds to check them out, using the same load as I did in the group above with the old style bullets.

The 3 shot group was slightly better than the one above, but the group shifted about 8 inches to the left!?

The elevation was fine, the group just moved to the left so far.

I will let you all know how these perform on game animals compared to the old style bullets.

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saeed@ emirates.net.ae

www.accuratereloading.com

I have only had sucess in with the 30 caliber rifles and the barnes.

I have loaded them in 243, 270, 270 wby, 280, 7 Rem, 7 STW, 308, 3006, 338, 340, 375 and have only had them shoot in two of my 3006's.

SS8541,
What loads are using for you STW? Sounds great. GS bullets are working in everyones rifles so far.

Good Hunting
Steve

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Every man dies, but not every man really lives!!

I�ve shot the Barnes X in my 8x60, and it performs superbly. POI about 1 inch at 100 yds - over iron sights. The game have fallen in the track. Fouling hasn�t been a problem, but I clean the bore after every hunt.

Best regards

Fritz

Let's see now, I shoot them in 25-06, 7mm-08, 7mm STW, 30-06, 300 Weatherby, 375 H&H, 416 Rigby x2, 45-70 x2, and .458 Win. All shoot MOA or better, mostly better. I do not find that they foul, really foul, a barrel any more so than Partitions or Hornadys. Having a trace of copper color on the rifling does not mean the barrel is fouled, and a lot of people mistakenly believe this often repeated critisism. I usually put 20-25 rounds down the tube before the barrel is actually fouled enough for accuracy to start falling off, or about the same as with any other bullet I've put down the tubes.

Saeed:

Question on Barnes accuracy please. Whose barrel did you shoot that impressive group with? I am trying to find out whether any manufacturers barrel shoots the Barnes bullet better than another.

Thanks,

Jordan

Jordan,

This rifle has a Dan Lilja barrel. I've used barrels made by Dan in many calibers, all of them shot exceptionaly well.

While on the subject of barrels, I have used barrels from Shilen, Hart, Douglas and Krieger, and never found one that did not shoot well.

We always buy the best quality available, and all the work in done here by myself.

As you probably know, I do not do this work for money, and I do not have any delivery time to meet. So I try to do each job as well as I can.

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saeed@ emirates.net.ae

www.accuratereloading.com

I�ve shot the Barnes X 120gr in my 6.5x55 and the did not group. I was ready to give up. Then by misstake seated the byllet 1mm deeper. An then 12mm group @ 100m.

I had hesitated to try these bullets because of all the stories of poor grouping and copper fouling...

Then at the suggestion of my friend John Campbell, I tried the 250 grain X bullet in my CZ 550 in 9.3 x 62......

It shoots three shot groups of around half an inch, and the barrel seems to clean up as quickly as with other jacketed bullets I've tried ( Nosler and Speer)......

I intend to try them in some of my other rifles......

Some of my guns will shoot them and some won't..Most will, but my problem is I have had them fail on about 3 ocassions, and I have to say when they work they are marvelous and when they fail they fail marvelously....

I like the GS monolithics better I believe but my use of them is very limited but I will be changing that very soon.. Northforks are my favorite along with Woodleighs and Noslers.

GS solids are my all time favorite bullets in double rifles and big bores whereas I prefer solids for all big stuff except cats.

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

I have used Barns Bullets for over 10 years and found them to be an excellent bullet. I have loaded everything from a .270 win to a .375JRS. The "X" bullet has always performed outstanding on game and have been excellent on the range. remember these are not a match grade bullet and they don't advertise to be.I found with their molys that I would have to shoot about 5 fouling shots after cleaning to get them to my zero.But I have also found if you are willing to try different powders and seating combos it is possible to get any where from .5" to .75" 5 shot groups

I too have had great success with Barnes X bullets in all my single shot rifles. I have a custom made falling block in 30-40 Krag that shoots them very well and an inexpensive NEF 30-30 that I use exclusively for whitetail deer. I have found the highest velocity with Barnes as well. I mainly use the 140 grain X and am going to try the 130 also in .308 dia.

I have NEVER had a whitetail "get away" when hit with an X bullet.

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"�and I believe further, that [our new Constitutional government] is likely
to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in
despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become
so corrupted as to need despotic government, being incapable of any other."

-from Benjamin Franklin's speech upon signing the Constitution.---------Chainsaw

I have also tried the resgular Barnes bullets, and just lately the coated ones. I have had no success with them at all. I am shooting them in a 7mm Rem Mag that will shoot 5-shot, 0.600" groups with ballistic tips, and am getting 4"+ groups. Anyone have some data for a 140 gr coated bullet that works for them? I am using RL 22 right now, although RL 19 would be better. Some data for both would certainly help out. Thanks in advance.

Try some imr 4831 in your 7mm rem.My 7 mm weatherby gets better results with this powder and the 140 grain Barnes x and the Nosler Partitions.It likes the 160 grain Barnes X with RL25 the best of anything that I have tried so far.I load for a .270 Weatherby and it shoots RL22 and 140 grain Barnes real well.I have tried the coated XLC bullets in both of these guns,and they did not shoot worth a crap,but they both shoot the uncoated X bullets good.