The Accurate Reloading Forums
Are barnes bullets overkill on deer size game??
13 January 2004, 13:06
hvyw8tAre barnes bullets overkill on deer size game??
Next year will be my first year using barnes bullets on big game. i found a sweet heart load in my 300 ultra magnum. 168 grain triple xxxs going 3500ish. do you guys think that barnes bullets are overkill on deer size game?
13 January 2004, 13:15
tradewindsYes
13 January 2004, 13:27
Hot CoreQuote:
...168 grain triple xxxs going 3500ish. Do you guys think that barnes bullets are overkill on deer size game?
Seems like a fine bullet to use to me - because of all that Velocity.
A Standard Grade bullet would be hard pressed to provide good performance on a fairly close shot, which would be the worst case situation for it. Here the Barnes will work extremely well.
If you are taking really l-o-n-g distance shots where the Velocity has dropped below say 2000fps, then the good old Standard Grade bullet "might" actually perform a bit better than the Barnes.
If they shoot well for you - enjoy the Hunt!
13 January 2004, 13:51
KuduKingI disagree. They are underkill.
13 January 2004, 15:15
Mark R DobrenskiOverkill--hmm I guess that is not a term used here in Big Sky Country.....
To the point my wife and I shot 2 elk/5 antelope/2 deer with the new TS bullets this year. We used both the 270 and the 6/06--all 9 critters went down to one shot. Shots ranged between 50 yards to 488. On her elk at 111 yards the 130 TS had some shock tissue show up-other than that none was encoutered for the most part.
All 9 of the critters went down between instantly to darn quick.
Personally I've used a lot of soft bullets for years--now I am kind of in the stage of using a hard bulet. Personally I feel I'll get a bit cleaner (less shock tissue) kills, and the bullet will go end to end without a doubt whereas others may or may not, and I will get 2 holes and excellent weight retention.
So I'd say go for it--to me I feel you have a superb combo going for you.
"GET TO THE HILL"
Dogz
13 January 2004, 15:42
InfoSpongeI disagree. Seems like a poor bullet to use to me - because of all that velocity. At an impact velocity over about 2850 fps, a Barnes bullet will shed its petals. That will result in a very deep but very narrow wound channel -- essentially a guaranteed pencil hole through a deer. For a hyper-velocity, short-range impact (which I don't like at all in the first place, but that's another issue...), I think an A-Frame, Northfork, or TBBC is a much better choice. You're giving up a lot of BC that way, but the only high BC bullets I'd trust with hyper-velocity impacts would be Lost River J36s.
13 January 2004, 15:44
PathfinderI don't think that barnes X bullets are necessary for deer sized game. But then I don't think a 300 ultra anything is necessary either.
13 January 2004, 15:50
DutchLet the keyboard shooters talk. I've shot deer with very fast X-bullets at short range.
Eat up to the hole (after the deer drops on the spot). With any other bullet, you will be looking at wasted meat and a big mess. Wanna know what a 300 wby with ballistic tips does to a cow elk at 250 yards? You DON'T want to miss the ribs, I assure you.
It'll be the best 50 c. you'll spend on your hunt. Or, you COULD listen to those that have never used one...... JMO, Dutch.
13 January 2004, 16:06
OldFartI have never shot the triple shock, however, the reports I have been getting are favorable. I am a premium bullet convert. I would rather shoot 100 animals where the bullet was an overkill than 1 animal where the bullet under performed.
13 January 2004, 16:44
RMillerMy buddy uses 185 X's in his 340 weatherby for deer and they work great. They are not overkill at all. They don't make a big bloody mess either.
Never have recovered any part of a bullet either to see if the petals fell off or not.
13 January 2004, 16:46
JohnTheGreekPathfinder is right . . . an x-bullet is no more overkill (in technological terms) on deer sized game than are any of the .30 calibre hyper-velocity rounds. That said, I wouldn't use anything but an x-bullet with these rounds. When the choice is losing petals given an unexpectedly close shot but still having the back half of the bullet fully penetrate OR having the bullet blow apart completely on impact and wounding/losing game, I think the choice is obvious. I have shot a lot of game with monolithic solid and expanding Barnes bullets and, frankly, won't use anything else unless the round is already borderline with regard to powder capacity (eg. the .458 Win) and thus hindered further by the longer x-bullet or solid.
JMHO,
JohnTheGreek
13 January 2004, 17:53
mhoI've used X on both light and heavy game with good results. X are not my favourite bullets for light game, but they do the job. With a load as fast as yours, you'll need a bullet with guaranteed structural integrity, X provides that. Not sure what your meat is going to look like afterwards, but you have most likely considered that already.
- mike
13 January 2004, 18:31
x-manhvyw8t
Those that say that the X bullet makes a little hole at high speed have never seen them at work!
A 168gr. at 3500 is going to make a big (BIG) hole all the way through your deer!
Deer be dead...You be happy!
Jamie
14 January 2004, 00:48
TRIGGERHAP2yes
14 January 2004, 01:57
Jay GorskiQuote:
I don't think that barnes X bullets are necessary for deer sized game. But then I don't think a 300 ultra anything is necessary either.
Like he said, Jay
14 January 2004, 02:12
Johnny RingoI think THAT bullet at THAT velocity will work very well.
However, if you weren't using the .300 Ultra on deer, you wouldn't need THAT bullet.
I think it a sound choice for your caliber.
14 January 2004, 03:37
W. WilsonHvyw8t, I might be shooting the closest to your intended load of the ones posting so far. I have killed 14 whitetail with a 175x in my 340 at around 3300. I could go to 3400, but haven't found it necessary. From 15 to over 300 yards, at any broadside angle, it produces a half dollar sized exit hole, a good blood trail (if it went anywhere at all), and a dead deer. Lighter, faster bullets of other construction caused much more bloodshot meat, in my experience. If you want to hunt deer with your 300 Ultra, the X is the way to go. Let us know how you do.
14 January 2004, 03:49
Chuck NelsonNo. And just for the record, I watched a 200gr nosler partition shot from a 300 ultra fail to completely penetrate a large whitetail buck with an angling away shot (I really like two holes). Previously, I would have bet the farm that no whitetail would stop that bullet at any angle. In defence of the partition, I shot a big bull elk with a 150gr partition launched from a 280 and with near identical shot placement it went right through.
I'm a one bullet, one load for one gun kind of guy and if that is the bullet for that gun...... use it on deer. I have seen three deer this year shot with the X bullet. Two didn't twitch when hit in the shoulder/lung area and the other went about 40 yds with similar placement. Could you get by with a different bullet? Of course. But the X will do the job nicely.
14 January 2004, 03:54
SloPokeHeavy,
Just curious if you have noticed any copper fouling problems with the X at ultra velocities? Are you shooting the coated or non-coated X's?
I shot a whitetail with my 338 and 175 grain X's once. Sure killed him quickly. Made a HUGE hole going in and coming out. Standing broadside shot at under 100 yards. I think he was dead on his feet before he even heard the shot.
14 January 2004, 05:54
RSYYes.
14 January 2004, 05:57
sheephunterI agree with the statement that the 300 RUM for deer is overkill but of course that depends on the situation.
I build a 300 RUM to tackle long distance,desired flat shooting.
My load is the 168gr XLC,very nice accuracy in my rifle.
I "researched" suitable bullets for the 300 RUM before.seems that is not an easy task because you have 2 different situations:
1 close shots < 100-150y you will have a very fast speed that will shatter all soft bullets.Beyond that speed come down to allow convential bullets.Barnes need some speed to open up at all,dont know whether open Barnes are any different than "closed" ones.I always am getting a narrow wound channel but with traume inside,probably because of "hudrostatic shock" or whatever you like to call it.
Bottom line:
in a 300 RUM that has to shoot from 50 to 400 -500y
monolithics seem the only safe choice.My 2 cents
sheephunter
17 January 2004, 19:24
pickI have taken over 20 whitetails using 7mm 120g X bullets. The shots have ranged from 20 feet to 185yrds. ALL have droped once hit. None ever got up and I only remember one ever moved once down, and that was for less then a minute, and it was dead by the time it took me walk to it.
Call that overkill if you will, but it is sure effective and final. The X bullet is the one one that I have ever used that has always droped them where they were. Not that other bullets do not work or that I do not use other bullets, just that the X seem more definate about it.
If the X's shoot in a rifle I use them for hunting. I sure would go with what you got.