I get tired of the occasional "zipped through without expanding" comment on X bullets.

I know there were some problems with early bullets and changes to alloy and nose cavity design but I think they have nailed it with the Triple Shock Design.

My opinion based on my experience is that an X bullet expands in the first couple of inches of penetration and then keeps right on going, I've yet to recover one. This past fall I took 2 whitetails with the 30 cal 180 gr TSX and one was an 80 yard neck shot on a button buck. Very impressive exit wound even though the neck could have been only 5 inches thick at that point. Went on to take blesbok, springbok, and kudu in April and again all nice exits animals expired very fast.

Yesterday I went to the range to shoot the rest of the loads I brought home from South Africa offhand at a cardboard deer/impala cutout I made. When I walked down to put it up a caught a woodchuck feeding off to the side on a pistol range used for IPSC, I made note and went on to shoot. Of course after I took one round and made a quiet stroll down to the edge of same pistol range(sand pit) I made an offhand 40 yard shot at him and he just flopped down. Bullet caught him broadside in the chest and left a huge exit on offside. Now I know a 180 grain bullet from a 300 mag is a bit of overkill on a woodchuck but I really don't think it would have made a hole like that if it had not opened up.

One guys opinion based on my own experience. But a bullet that works on woodchuck to kudu is pretty handy, its a one load gun.

Kevin, I agree. With an XLC I experienced what I though was a "no-expansion-pass-through" on a small mule deer. There was a 6.5mm hole in and a 6.5mm exit hole. After more consideration and consultation with Barnes, I think now I may have been trying to push them a bit fast (120 grainer from my 6.5X55 at full throttle), which resulted in shearing the petals off at close range (about 60 yards) and leaving only the shank to exit - ala Nosler Partition.

I used 225 .338 TSXs in Africa this year and found that they expanded on everything from a ~70 yard shot on a jackal to a 315 yard shot on a kudu. Although I did recover more bullets than I expected (one from zebra, one from hartebeest, one from oryx, and three from kudu), they performed flawlessly. They did the same in my dad's .270 WSM on a variety of critters. Bullet recover rates of the two cartridges was similar, though I expected fewer recovered bullets from the .338. Most of the recovered bullets were at relatively long range though, and penetrated a lot of critter before stopping.

This topic is a good expample of why bullet testing in media is very useful. In particular bullets that penetrate very deep are going to be almost impossible to recover.

For instance I knew that the 165 gr X bullet would loose it's petals when fired at close range from a 300 WM. This was in 1996. The bullet does really blow up the inital water filled cartons just like similar bullets do but the remaining slug is not of very large diameter at all.

On my sample of one kill with a 130 gr Barnes X bullet,
out of a .308 Win chambered Savage Striker(14" barrel), I
found a .30 hole going in, and a jelly bean hole(bullet
exited tumbling), on the way out of a whitetail buck fawn.
This load is chronographing at an average of 2775 fps,
out of that 14" barrel. The shot was made at 40 yards, and
the whitetail stumbled about 50' before dropping. When I
field dressed the animal, the lungs, and heart, were pulp,
with some bone fragments mixed in. What I found when I
skinned the carcass, for processing, was even more
impressive. There was some serious energy transfer just
under the skin, on the entry side. My elderly uncle,
whom has seen his share of rifle shots on whitetail,
stopped by while I was processing the carcass, and he
scolded me for using too much rifle...I explained it
was a handgun, chambered in .308 Win. He replied, he
didn't care what fired that bullet, it was still too
much for whitetail

So I have yet to see the non expanding Barnes X bullets,
and in my case, I could use maybe a little less
expansion.

Squeeze

Doesn't Barnes recomend using a lower bullet weight with the "X" bullet than with a regular bullet? Never tried them myself.

Terry

If you don't want the front end of a Nosler to blow off and you want mushrooms, then use the next heavier bullet..thats why I shoot 200 gr. Noslers in my 300 H&H and 180s in my 06 and 308....not that it makes much difference in killing effect...

I am trying the Barnes Triple Xs as we speak, but I can't get them to shoot as well as other bullets so far...I got some in 375 and 416 Rem....

Kevin,

My only experience with the Barnes X bullet is in the 35 Whelen and 225 gr weight. I have recovered one bullet thus far on 8 head of plains game shot to date and that was on a waterbuck. Of the game taken, I believe good or at least adequate expansion took place. The impala is a good example, shot at about 225 yards the ram took right off, I thought I had missed him, went to where he was standing and a bright splash of pink blood was evident. Followed the heavy blood trail 50 yards and here was the ram with part of the lungs hanging out the exit wound. To me that says that we had good bullet expansion, on a light animal, at an extended distance. I'm not sure if you can expect more. I cannot speak for all X bullets, but the 225 gr 35 caliber are very good.

Just started working with the 350 gr. 416's, hope they perform as well.

BigBullet

The tests conducted that Ive seen have shown that the expansion window for a Barnes X is actually quite similar to standard bullets. Beginning to open up at 1600 fs and begining to loose their petals at about 2900 fs. Not a very wide margin for a so called "premium" IMHO.

The X bullets that I have used or seen used on game leave two holes, fantastic, and do a pile of damage between those holes, wonderful.

Chuck

I've never known such a controversial bullet as the X bullet from Barnes....

I have seen them fail on more than a few ocassions on lighter game yet I never have seen less that perfect performance on heavy animals...

I know very knowledgable experts who have shot tons of game and swear by them, I know other experts just as knowledgable and who have shot just as much game who hate Barnes X bullets with a passion...

In a conversation with a well know expert, gun writer, whom I consider a real expert with a world of hunting experience from one end of the globe to the other told me that the bullets were of sound design but that Barnes had a real quality control problem, and with the production sales that they were not inclined to accept his advise on the subject...I'm inclined to think maybe he hit on something there, ever tried to discuss a bullet problem with Connie?...

If I can get these new 375 and 416s to shoot, they do look a bit better and they have a larger hole in the front which may solve a lot of problems..I have always gotten the impression that from time to time the hole pinches shut ands that is where the problems begin and end with Barnes X bullets, maybe so, maybe not..

I have had excellent luck with GS Custom HV and the Groove Bullets I began testing last week sure shoot well in all the calibers I tried them in....

As to Barnes X I don't know, they keep me confused...When they work they are magnigicent, when they fail the fail miserably is my experience with them...Hope the new Triple XXX will cure all that....

I wouldn't swear by anything I've said, its just the way it appears to me and I don't know for sure one way or the other but as a result of all thes mixed reviews and mixed experiences with them, I am suspecious I suppose....Where there is smoke there is fire.....

the problem with bullets is they work most of the time and that impresses folks...long term use by a lot of people with only a very few failures is the only real proof of good bullets..Nosler and Rem. Corelokt come to mind...