I just read an artical about how the pedals come off barnes bullets at low and high velocity
and that would make them like a solid going streight threw the animal. Also it said how barnes bullets also put alot of copper in your barrel and that needs to correct this problems.
This artical is in the Gun Digest 2006

I just read an article where they said that Barnes are the greatest bullets ever invented. I guess it depends on who is paying the bill for that particular author.
I shoot the Barnes in two calibers but have very limited experience on game animals (2 so far). I'm happy with their accuracy and terminal performance so far.

I have seen them use a lot on game, they work good on buffalo and big animals, but I have seen them fail many times on lighter game...I know a lot of folks have used them and never had a failure, guess I am snake bit with them, at least on light bodied animals.....that is why I don't use them at all...I am an unforgiving soul when it comes to bullets...

I have had wonderful succes with the GS Custom monolithic HP in several calibers with no failures...and the Northforks have always been the best monolithics I have used...

Mostly it seems with barnes its a love'um or hate,um thing.....

i use barns bullets in every thing but my doubles.

.375 h&h 416 rigby 458 lott ect and lotve em

iv used them on little fallow deer right up to moose with no complaints and will continue to use them.

I never could get any of the old style Barnes bullets to shoot well in any of my guns. As mentioned, they would usually foul pretty badly to boot. However, the new Triple Shocks are a whole different story. These bullets shoot good to very good in every gun I have loaded them for. They don't foul much, and you can usually squeeze a few more fps. out of them without raising pressures.

Geronimo

back off on your charge, seat them back at least .065 and they will shoot in any gun that doesn't keyhole them.

just a little more fouling than a conventional bullet.

jeffe

IMO I really like the new TSX. They shoot sub 1/3 inch in my 300 and almost as good in my 375. Best bullet I have tried on tough game as well. Much better than the old Barns X.

Ditto,
The TSX bullets groups are great in my .378 and .257 Weatherby Magnum. Looking forward to try them on Deer and Elk. Good-Shooting.

Scratch

Accuracy is good with the 250gr X out of my 9.3x62, I´ll be using it in Namibia in Oct, with some luck I´ll try it on whitetail before that.

I have shot 50+ head of African game with 300 and 250 gr X bullets with excellent results on large and small game. There was good penetration and awesome tissue damage in all cases except one. I shot a zebra which was quartering away. I don't know if the angle was too steep or what but the bullet expanded as it was supposed to but it didn't penetrate the rib cage until it was in behind the shoulder and the zebra required a second shot. The bullet had the expanded "fingers" of an X bullet but the bullet was flattened in the front with the same angle as the rib cage as it traveled along the ribs. I saved the bullet and I have never seen anything like it, X bullet or otherwise. The zebra had a 6 inch gash where the bullet slid down the ribs but didn't penetrate. I guess strange things happen in Africa.

I have never been able to get any of so-called X bullets to shoot worth crap in any of my rifles. So I simply don't use them. There are many people who sware by them for everything, and it evident they have good luck with them. IMO, if they shoot in your rifles then there is no reason not to use them, other than in a double rifle, which I consider to be chancey at best. For solids, I have used lots of Barnes super solids in my bolt rifles, and Ruger No1s, and have not had a problem with them. They shoot very well in my rifles, but I do not use them in my doubles.

Haveing said all the above, let me express an opinion here. I now consider the North Fork Cup point solid to be a better bullet for just about anything than the X-bullets. The only thing is, now I'm told they will no longer make the bullets for the 470NE, and so I will have to use Woodliegh softs, and solids for it, but for the smaller rifles I'll still use the NF CUP points for everything else. The North Forks solids are the only mono-metel bullets I consider to be safe to shoot in a double rifle.

MacD37:

Check the thread on this forum on 470NE vs. 500NE. Mike at North Fork said the .470 is in the works.

RCG

The Barnes TSX are a significant improvement over the standard X. The TSX haved proved to be very accurate in every rifle we have tested...from 308win, 7mm Rem, 30-378, 338-378, 375H&H, 416Rigby, and 458 Lott. Performance in the field has been excellant from Bobcat, Whitetails, Muleys, Zebra, African Antelope, and Cape Buffalo.

To date I have only recovered one bullet from a slightly quartering/ straight on facing shot with a Buff. That shot hit front shoulder penetrated the entire length of the Buff breaking the back leg and stopping against the hide. The bullet was a perfectly mushroomed "X" that weighed 499 grains. The TSX's are worth a try....

I've taken over 40 game animals with TSX in various calibers like the 270 Win, 300 Win, 7mm Mag, and 338 Mag.

Also recovered a few, and they are all 100% perfect.

The real question concerning Barnes bullets is why they have discontinued making all the originals I liked so well. The old Barnes originals were great bullets and they should have continued making them like Nosler did with the partitions.

I really miss their 175 gr 7mm's, and I think they were just about the only manufacturer of the 190 gr 7mm's, and that is a void nobody seems to be filling.

What was wrong with and I quote from their website:
"This is the bullet that started it all. Produced by pressure forming pure copper tubing around a pure lead core, this highly reliable bullet was the first custom bullet available to American handloaders. Introduced in 1939, it was long the favorite of professional hunters who demanded performance they could depend on, each and every time. On impact, Barnes's Original bullets typically expand to more than 200 percent of their original diameter and retain 70 to 90 percent of their original weight.

The Barnes Original is a true hunting bullet generations of sportsmen have relied on.Available in a full range of rifle and handgun calibers for hunting almost any kind of game."

My reloading bench needs stocking and I for one miss these.

I use Barnes bullets in everything from .22 to .458(.22 Hornet to .450 Rigby) and never had a problem with the petals coming off, keyholing, etc. Shot everything from Ground Squirrels to Brown Bears and no problems. I'm getting the best accuracy and penetration using lighter weight bullets than you would with other bullets. According to Barnes they are bringing out the TSX and Banded Solids in .470, .50 and .577 calibers next year. Must be doing something right. Lawdog

quote:

I have had wonderful succes with the GS Custom monolithic HP in several calibers with no failures...and the Northforks have always been the best monolithics I have used...

Ray,

Could you please explain your views so we can better understand what you mean by ... "and the Northforks have always been the best monolithics I have used". Do you refer to Solids against Solids. If so, are they superior in performance to GS-FN's and Bridger Solids? Or any other feature that you like better. Curious to know the basis of your opinion/experience.

Then on expanding monolithics what is your view .... the stronger constructed Barnes-X or the GS-HP that is more prone to shed its petals. Have you had instances where the GS-HP's did not open up. Katte Katzke just had such an instance where 3 GS-HP bullets would not open up in the stomach of a buffalo (.416/380 grainers).

I have seen criticizm lodged against Barnes-X bullets, for example 500 Grains isolated the .416/400 grainer and the .458/500 grainer. Have you had similar bad experience with these two combos or any other for that matter?

Much appreciated.
Chris Bekker