I was prompted to go through my recovered bullet box by the “Impact velocity that causes TSX petals to shear off?” thread, but since these are neither 300gn nor TSX bullets, I thought I would start a separate thread. I found some recovered 250gn Barnes X bullets that I hand-loaded for my 375 H&H around the mid 1990s.

The top photo shows bullets a top and side view of bullets fired into dry phone books at 100 yards. Not an ideal test media, but someone I know had them at the range and I was interested to see the result. Muzzle vel on this load was 2930fps.

The bottom photo shows the only 2 bullets I recovered on a plains game hunt in SA in 1996. The left bullet was recovered from a red hartebeest after it shot through about 1” of a 6” wide tree that was about 6 feet in front of the animal’s shoulder (and about 80 yards from the muzzle). I was shooting into the setting sun, and simply did not see the tree trunk in line with the animal. The bullet deflected high, entered sideways and spined the hartebeest, dropping it on the spot and allowing me to finish it. Kind of a bad news – good news story for my fist trophy of the trip. The right bullet was recovered under the skin of the off side shoulder of a zebra after going through both shoulders, and everything in between at 100 yards. Muzzle vel on this load was 2900fps.

The right hand bullet is pretty much the standard for all the bullets Barnes X bullets I have shot on game, except when trees jump in to the line of the shot.

I have recoverd a lot of X's and TSX's from game from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Alaska and would say that they show the most consistant performance of any other brand. Including Partitions, A-frames and Woodleighs.

I have had very limited experience with the TSX, but I like how they perform.

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:
I have recoverd a lot of X's and TSX's from game from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Alaska and would say that they show the most consistant performance of any other brand. Including Partitions, A-frames and Woodleighs.

Here are some of mine ranging 570gr (500NE) from a Giraffe Bull, 350gr (416 Ribgy) from Cape Buff Bull at 30 yards point of the shoulder, 2 X 300gr (375H&H) from Brown Bear, and 225gr (340WBY) from Bull Elk.

Must be a fluke.
Everyone knows Barnes bullets are no good!

quote:

Originally posted by Blacktailer:
Must be a fluke.
Everyone knows Barnes bullets are no good!

These actually are flukes! Most of the time, they don't get recovered!!

Looks like you had some bad luck as they are not exactly what we all want - but since you recovered them I imagine the animal died. ? That is better than completely coming apart too early.
In one of my many boxes of recovered bullets I have isolated examples of Nosler partitions, Trophy Bonded,south African GS and Remington Corelocs that look pretty much the same as the center one - but they all still managed to kill game.

quote:

Originally posted by Todd Williams:

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:
I have recoverd a lot of X's and TSX's from game from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Alaska and would say that they show the most consistant performance of any other brand. Including Partitions, A-frames and Woodleighs.

Here are some of mine ranging 570gr (500NE) from a Giraffe Bull, 350gr (416 Ribgy) from Cape Buff Bull at 30 yards point of the shoulder, 2 X 300gr (375H&H) from Brown Bear, and 225gr (340WBY) from Bull Elk.

Todd, do you have 570g TSX's recovered from buffalo? By the way, great pictures, thanks!

Todd, I've got a couple of 270 grain TSX's that look just like your 300 grainers that didn't open. But mine were recovered from the sand berm at 425 yards. I've got a 250 grain TTSX .375 recovered from the same berm shot at the same distance of 425 that looks like a Barnes advertisement. Powder charge was the same, 73 grains of R15. I'd really like to see Barnes go to the TTSX in both the 270/300 grain weight.

Well Phil and I have been argueing this subject for years, and he has about as much experince as anyone I know and I sure respect his opinnions about most but on this we have never come together..

Like Just A Hunter I have had too many such experiences on game...but I have to qualify that, Every buffalo, Eland, Hippo, Lion, I have witnessed shot with them was picture book expansion..And I have shot many deer, antelope and culled plainsgamw with my 6x45 and the 75 gr. BX (discontinued) was perfect every time..

The promblems I had were all with the 308, 30-06 and my 300 H&H in other words 30 caliber, and the problem appeared to be non expansion as all animals were recovered but with a degree of difficulty, exits were caliber size.. From the one recovered bullet I suspected the noses may have pinched shut on bone, based on that one recover bullet from a Texas Heart shot Eland, and it was slightly bent and the nose was pinched shut...My failures were all on deer, but I also witnessed a failure on elk in the 7 mag. with 150 or 160 gr BX

My conclusion was that when they worked they were awesome, but when they failed the failed miserably, so when I used up my supply of discontinued 75 gr. 6mm, I went to GS Customs monolithic 75 gr. HP and they work great.

I later tried one of the newer Barnes triple xs right after they hit the market, that was about about three or four years ago and lost a deer that I shot with my 308 at 75 yards..I found a piece of shoulder bone and very little blood, but managed to track him for about two hours and it was incredibly slow tracking with a drop of blood about every city block, then he got into a bunch of deer and I lost the his tracks, I heard a shot in the next canyon and walked to the shot and the fellow had shot him, my bullet had shattered the shoulder bone turned and came out in the upper neck without much damage..He offered me the deer but I told him to keep it if he wanted it as I would have lost him, and he did..

Right or wrong, it just left a bad taste in my mouth on Barnes bullets even though I know many well informed shooters and hunters who have had spectacular luck with them..I won't knock the bullet for that reason, but they are not my cup of tea I suppose is the best way to put it.

quote:

Originally posted by chuck375:

quote:

Originally posted by Todd Williams:

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:
I have recoverd a lot of X's and TSX's from game from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Alaska and would say that they show the most consistant performance of any other brand. Including Partitions, A-frames and Woodleighs.

Here are some of mine ranging 570gr (500NE) from a Giraffe Bull, 350gr (416 Ribgy) from Cape Buff Bull at 30 yards point of the shoulder, 2 X 300gr (375H&H) from Brown Bear, and 225gr (340WBY) from Bull Elk.

Todd, do you have 570g TSX's recovered from buffalo? By the way, great pictures, thanks!

Chuck,

No 570 grainers from Buffalo. I've pumped a few into buff but they have all exited except for one which despite a great effort, was never found. That one on the far left however is a 570 from a Giraffe bull which is a hell of a big animal with some tough body structure. That one penetrated both shoulders and was found under the skin on the far side. Shot from about 40 yards IIRC.

Interesting posts by some of the other guys here. Especially Todd's pics of the TSX's that didn't open. I really don't know how many critters I've shot with TSX bullets but it's been A LOT. With the exception of Elephant and Hippo, I haven't shot anything with other than TSXs since sometime around 1997. I've never had one fail to open, never had one come apart, never lost an animal shot with one. In fact, with the exception of a few buff, and 2 Brown Bears, I can only recall a couple of plains game and deer/Elk types that were not 1 shot kills. Most were Bang/Flops.

We may forget that these are hollow points. How many are left in the magazine box to rattle back and forth and damage the tip. I have made it a practice to always look at the open of the TSX's and make sure no closed or damaged tips arenin the rifle. For cats I use new ammo (reloads) right out of the box. My last leopard died with a shot high in the back down at 62 yds. and passed diaginally down thru chest and out thru liver area DRT.

Mike