Re: barnes 300 and 350gr XFB in a single shot 45/70

15 September 2004, 02:24

PC

I would seriously look at the woodleigh 405 gr 45/70 bullet...I have used it and it is a bullet that both expands and hangs together, best 45/70 bullet I have used.

14 September 2004, 18:27

Thebear_78

I was going to use it in my 24" Encore. I will try emailing them about it tonight. A guy I know also highly recomended the Remington bulk 405gr RN @ 1800-1850fps. He said the are devestating to moose under 150 yards.

07 October 2004, 18:21

MartytW

Quote:

I clearly stated the Spire point 300gr X bullet. The email that I got from barnes said that the FN X was made expressly for 45/70 lever guns and the 300gr SP X was used for bolt guns in high power 458 cal rifles. I was told that the 300gr SP X would expand down to 1400fps and that if I started out with a MZ of 1900fps it would expand out to 250 yards.

OK, just wanted to be sure because we had a bit of confusion when we asked CorBon to load our 458 SOCOM with the "300 grain Barnes X". I had sent them an example with the Spitzer, the factory loaded ammo came back with the Flat Nose. Just wanted to spare you the same fate

As far as expansion goes, if you go to our website and look under Products, 458 SOCOM, and pan down, there is a picture of the 300 gr X Spitzer fired at 1800 fps into a clay berm at 50 yards. It gives you an idea of what the expect. Now, this was back in 2000/2001 and some changes to the bullets may have been made as I have noticed a small change in bullet length and location of the cannelure.

I have received feedback from at least one customer for whom the 458 X Spitzers did not expand well at the 1800-1900 fps muzzle velocity but need to dig to get the details. I still believe the 300 X S will be good choice. Another one, if you can find them, might be the GPA bullets, a similar concept to the Barnes X, but in a heavier bullet.

02 October 2004, 03:26

Sauer 150

I have tried almost all bullets out there in premium configuration in 45-70.

Woodleigh, Kodiak, Swift, BX, NP's etc. I have stopped looking after trying North Fork 350grs FN. It expands from 1200f/s and still holds more than 90% recovered weight from full throttle 458Win mag loads. It outpenetrates everything I have come across and opens to about 2x diameter from about 1500f/s.
see http://www.northforkbullets.com/458-350fp.htm

One gun- one load for everything from roe deer to big bears. Can't beat that!

02 October 2004, 12:07

Paul Libby

I aksed a similar question of Randy Brooks at Barnes last December. I was looking at their 350 "X" .458 spitzer to shoot a Bison with my Browning 1885 45-70. I cannot remember the lowest velocity he said that bullet would open, but it surpirsed me how low it was. Randy only cautioned me to make sure there wasn't anything behind the Buffalo that I didn't want shot also.

I bought a couple of boxes, did some load development (very easy, since they shoot very well with a stiff load of Reloader 7) and went hunting, shot a Bison three times through the lungs and all three bullets exited. I believe that the second and third shots were not needed, but there was some concern about the Bison getting further into the trees or across a wash that would require quartering and packing rather than simply wenching the carcass onto the truck.

E-mail Barnes Bullets, they are very helpful and will give you the specifics of their bullet performance.

03 October 2004, 21:16

Thebear_78

I got an email back from barnes that said the 300gr X bullet would reliably expand down to 1400fps, if launched at 1900+fps it would still expand out to 250 yards.