These bullets seem to have a bad reputation in my area. People report poor grouping, great variations in velocity, and the list goes on.

What bullets do you prefer over another and why? What powder(s) do you use with your choice of bullet?

D, I've tried the 'X' in several of my hunting rifles & have never had the type of accuracy that inspires confidence. I had a Ruger #1H in .375h&h that shot the best w/ them, about 1" for three, but cleanup took longer & so I went back to the NOsler partition. That is what I currently shoot in all of my hunting rilfes & can routinely break the 1" mark w/o alot of load developement. Others have said it before, you either love them or hate them.
Powders of course vary w/ the caliber but here's a short list of hunting bullets/powders I use:

.280rem - 160gr Speer or NP & IMR7828
7mm mag - 160gr NP & RL22
.30-06 - 180gr Speer or NP & RL22
.338-06 - 210gr NP & RL15
.375 - 270gr or 300gr Np & IMR4320 or RL15

I tend to lean to heavier bullets, but that's just me. Good luck on your upcoming hunt. I would start w/ the Hornady interloks in 100gr & 120gr for your 6mm & .25-06.

[ 01-21-2003, 08:14: Message edited by: fredj338 ]

My 9.3x62 loves the 250gr x bullets,over 57gr of rl-15 I`m getting sub 1" for 5 rds,not too bad for a $45 barrel.the nosler bt`s shoot close to the same for me but,my rifle seems to like just about anything I feed it,from cast bullets over red dot to 286gr norma`s over rl-15,it shoots well with them all.too bad the x`s don`t work as well for me in my other rifles I`ve tried them in.(.223 rem & 45-70 govt)

I shoot 120 gr. Barnes X's in my 7mm STW and have had no problems with them. Haven't played with the loads that much yet, but it gets 5 in an inch at 100yds. I shoot whitetails between 100 and 150 lbs and needed a bullet that would hold together at STW velocities.

Fred... what kind of velocity are you getting out of the 7mm/160gr NP load?

Justin B what powder are you pushing it with and have you chronyed it. I am in the process of working up some 140 gr XLC's for elk this fall inn my 7STW and would like to know what to expect. Thanks.

In a nut shell Love 'em or Hate 'em. I've got a cheap 243 that just did under .7 at 200 yards. I'll experimnet with them once in each rifle and either call it quits or use that bullet combo exclusively. Generally need to be seated REAL short.

Outlawsix,

I haven't shot them through a chrony yet, haven't gotten around to it. I started off with the recommended load of IMR7828, then proceeded to up the load until I found the best group without too much pressure signs.

The loads are MAX loads for my rifle and I recommend starting much lower and working your way up until groups tighten. I don't worry much about velocity, just trying to find that sweet group.

85 gr of IMR7828 over 120 gr X's -- MAX
82.5 gr of IMR7828 over 140 gr X's -- MAX
I have also had some luck with H1000, but my rifle liked IMR7828 the best.

Hope the helps and good luck

Appreciate the info. Fo rthe 140 BT's used IMR-7828 did alright but because I'm heading west for elk I figured to try the extreme powders to keep things the same as when I worked up the loads. Was wondering if yours is a factory barrel or custom. Have heard that some people with factory tubes can get more velocity because of the barrel being not quit as percise. Mine is a Shilen tube for my encore. Have found that I can't load as hot as reloading manuals real tight barrel. Get the same velocity but with less powder. I guess not a bad trade off. Thanks again.

I've tried the 168 gr. .308 XLC in two factory barreled .308's, the 75 gr. X and the 100 gr. XLC in a custom .25-284 and the 120 gr. XBT in a custom .280. All of them shoot under one MOA, and a couple of loads in both the .25-284 and the .280 shoot under .5 MOA.
The "secrets" aren't. You need the barrel really clean. Sweet's or CR-10. Poke something white 1.5 inches down the bore and examine it under a strong light. If you see more than the fainest traces of copper, it isn't clean enough.
I have yet to find the best accuracy .050 off the lands. All of my rifles shoot best about .005 off the lands. All of them shoot best between 1-3 grs. under the listed maximum. E

Outlawsix,
My rifle has a factory 26 inch tube, but I believe that the gun came from Remington custom gun shop. I found it a small gun shop NIB. It has a blued bull-barrel with cinnamon laminated stock. Looks like a VLS, but it a long action. It has never been listed in a Rem catalog, every 7mm STW had a stainless barrel in composite stock, so I sent the serial # to Rem and they said it was a part of a special custom run. I guess some of the first factory 7mm STW came from thier custom shop. Go figure. My hunting buddy uses the same loads in a stainles sendero that was rechamber from a 7mm win mag.

I believe you need to load 'em short, like 50 thou off of the lands. Do that and they should group better. I was shooting 180 gr XBT's out of my 300 win mag, and I had to back them off 50 thou to make them shoot. Pressure spikes I believe.

I use different bullets for different applications. Here's my $.02 worth on the topic. On big game, if you want two holes go with the Barnes (I prefer this for the best chance of penetration and good blood trail which with most big game is needed, entry holes are not the best bleeders). The partition or a-frame come in a close second. If you want one hole your best chance is a ballistic type bullet (for .308 and smaller I think this works well on game no bigger than a large doe/small buck deer). I can get them all to shoot MOA or better so unless I am shooting rodents nothing else is needed. I truly believe that most peoples problems w/Barnes is poor technique. On the other hand I believe lots like the ballistic tips because in general they are very forgiving.

Deke.

Has anyone tried the 130gr. X bullet in a 7x57? I like the 120gr. loads, but I would like to try the 130's too.