How does the 350 Grain Barnes X work on buffalo? How was the penetration and have you used it on smaller game? On the smaller stuff, how was expansion?

My 416 Rem seems to like the bullet, so I'm seeking feedback. Of the dozen or so groups I have shot with the bullet and 81 grains Reloader 15, the smallest has been .459" and the largest was 1.200". Most have been right around 1.010" I figure that's good enough for anything I'm likely to shoot with a 416.

My only concern is how the bullet works!

Thanks, Joe.

JMac,
They work fine. However, as I posted a while back, I'll use the 400 X on buffalo from now on. Simply put, I lost all 4 petals and about all possible bullet weight, other than the shank: This on a 10 yard shoulder side shot, with the bullet recoverd from the interior of the offside legbone. No complaints, really, but I think the 400 grainer would have also broken the offside shoulder and perhaps even exited. If you use the 350 X, I suggest you not exceed 2,500 fps on buffalo.
I found it excellent on warthog through sable. It's definitely a candidate for a one gun safari and possibly also a one load safari with the 400 X.

[This message has been edited by Nickudu (edited 01-21-2002).]

JMac.
One of the guys that I am going with this Sept. has in the past used a .416 WBY and 350gr. Barnes. He always shoots light for calibre. The first shot on the BUFF went through both shoulders. When it presented a second shot,chest on, the bullet exited the rear. He shot 2 Elk with it. Both through the shoulders. None of the bullets ever recovered. I am with most on this, go with max normal weight for calibre. Tye has loaded 300gr. Barnes in his .416 Rigby for his "Light" gun. It shoots one nice hole at 100yrds. His haevy will be a .458 LOTT. With that said, thats all I have to offer but suggest the 400gr. bullets.
Good luck in you search.
SAM

Ross Seyfried likes that bullet for buffalo, and has reported very good results in many of his 416 articles...

Antonio

A friend of mine uses the 350gr Barnes for buffalo. He likes it because it is flat shooting and works better on buffalo than anything else he has used. (458Win down)
He is loading it in a Ruger 416Rigby at Weatherby ballistics (hot load). The 350gr bullets make a nice all round bullet in the 416s.
Regards,
Terry

I shot a buffalo in Tanzania with the 350 X at 161 steps.
Broke left shoulder into like hinge on barn door, blew out bottom of heart and lodged in skin on off side. It was sticking up so high we knew it was the bullet. Perfect mushroom and bullet still weighs 350 grains...I have weighed it 3 times to make sure.
Buffalo ran about 70 steps in a figure 8 and died the opposit way in which he came.
Mr. Hoffman was most impressed. He was the one who told me to load it and he had been talking with Seyfried about the 350's.
It is my only experience with the bullet and my only buffalo to date.
I would do the same thing again.
It was a 416 Hoffman cartridge in a Rem 700
that belonged to Geo.

Thanks everyone for your comments.

I guess the basic problem is that I have generally used the heaviest bullet commonly available for a given caliber and am having a little problem with using a lighter weight slug. If I was getting some velocity advantage, it would be different, but I am getting 2450 with the 81 grain load and can only get 2550 with a max load. I think I can probably get 2400 with a 400 grain bullet.

The Barnes is a good bullet, I'm sure, but I am traditionaly minded enough (old-stick-in-the-mud!) that I like the idea of a shorter, lead cored bullet.

I guess I should just try something like the Nosler or Swift and see how they shoot.

Ah, testing, testing.