[huntr-]

O.k I see that we have beaten the nosler ballistic tip bullet thread to death now I would like any opinions on the solids, like barnze or any other experiences good or bad.

 

[Guest]

i've always thought i'd like the fail safebut got no idea if any of these are any good. now onehorse is the man when you are talking barnes bullets.

 

[Karl.Luhr]

Solid construction non-lead core bullets

I have not loaded any yet but I see that they are longer then the comparible lead core bullets. I wonder if reloaders are not going to get into trouble using the data from conventional bullets or their past loading data. A load that is safe using a .308 165gr Nosler BT or Partition in say a 30-06 will have alot more pressure if you subsitute a solid core bullet like the triple shock also in 165gr.

Karl

 

[onehorse]

Just want to give my thoughts on the Barnes bullets. A couple of years ago,I started reading articles in the gun journals about these solid coppers and also checked the Barnes website. Their promos made a lot of sense. Until the Barnes coppers, most bullets either worked by employing high speed and devastating shock OR slower speed and a pass-through that made a big wound and blood trail. Basically, that was the choice that hunters were faced with. If handloaders got one of these lighter faster bullets going too fast, or the manufacturer didn't get the core and jacket bonded just right, or maybe if the bullet hit heavy bone, the bullet would fragment before getting to the vitals. Also, it was generally believed that the best scenario was for all the bullet's energy to be transferred into the body of the animal in order to get a quick kill. So, the big heavy bullets that went right through were not the total answer either. Barnes has done tests on the amount of foot pounds that remain in bullets after passing through animal-sized blocks of gelatin at hunting distances, and it's astonishingly low - literally only a couple of pounds or so. Because their bullets just don't disintergrate, at any speed, they just tend to keep going right through anything they hit - including bone. This means speeds can be jacked up as high as safely possible thus increasing shock AND passing through at the same time. A wildcatter shot a 100 grain Barnes .257 caliber bullet with a MV of 4200 f/s through both shoulders of a 2500 pound bull bison, dropping it in it's track! That's impressive. So, I decided to try them for myself. So far, my experience has been good, however, I haven't seen the dramatic kills that I expected. In the last two years, I've killed two bucks with .30 Barnes handloads in a .300 WSM. Both shots were directly through the hearts. One, straight on at about 40 yards; the other broadside at about 200. Neither deer had any idea I was in the vicinity - so there was no adrenalin rush happening before the shots. Even so, both animals ran about 30 - 40 yards before cashing in. So, for me the jury is still out. I'm not disappointed, and have a friend who shot an elk "way out there" and got complete penetration with a Barnes 130 grainer out of a .308. The elk took about two steps and dropped. Just have to keep shooting more animals to check this out for myself - it's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it.

 

[Karl.Luhr]

Your testing continues...

I would be honored to tag along on any of your field tests. It's a tough job but someone has to do it.....

Karl

 

[huntr-]

I have loaded barnes and have had good results and kills nearly like onehorse. The thing that I did not like was the amount of copper fouling left behind and it wouldn't clean up with average copper cleaner . I have harvested one bull moose (650lb dressed) and two bucks . I only recovered one round and its in the center of the picture that I posted under the nosler post.

 

[guppy11]

onehorse, what about blood trails? I know you didn't need one but i've heard the solids leave such little holes that if an animal doesn't go down right away that there is little to no blood trail. What were your observations?

 

[Karl.Luhr]

Copper fouling..

I was noted that the Barnes bullet will leave a lot of copper fouling. Has any of the group tried the Hornady GMX, it uses gilding metal (jacket material) throughout the bullet. This not being pure copper is harder and supposely will not leave as much fouling. The bullet has two groves in it to help lower pressure similar to the 3 groves in the triple shock.

Karl

 

[onehorse]

I can't speak about blood trails with the Barnes. Just haven't had the experience yet. I know that these bullets usually go right through everything, so one would think there would be some sort of trail. Another point I would add to this discussion is that of bullet placement. In the past, I have always favored the "high lung" shot. Man, this really drops game! I can't even count how many antelope and deer I've knocked right off their feet with this shot - even a couple of bull elk. Anyway, this was before switching to Barnes, so to be fair, I need to shoot some game with the high lung to make a more reasonable comparison. Having said that, and in view of my past experience, the Barnes won't be able to kill any quicker or make the animals any more dead.
I haven't had any noticeable problem cleaning my rifles with the copper bullets. Hey, maybe we could start a whole new post on cleaning methods and supplies.

 

[Guest]

sounds like you need to shoot more critters onehorse.

 

[Southern Man]

I haven't had any noticeable problem cleaning my rifles with the copper bullets. Hey, maybe we could start a whole new post on cleaning methods and supplies.

That would be a good discussion. I have had problems in the past with that.

 

[guppy11]

i agree the high lung shot is the best regardless of bullet type or caliber. This what i always say when caliber, bullet weight etc. comes up...by far the most important part is shot placement the rest is insurance for a poor shot.

 

[onehorse]

i agree the high lung shot is the best regardless of bullet type or caliber. This what i always say when caliber, bullet weight etc. comes up...by far the most important part is shot placement the rest is insurance for a poor shot.

I couldn't agree with you more. Shot placement is the "whole ball of wax" no matter what you are shooting.