Barnes bullets in.30-06

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Interesting, we have limited our bullet weights to 150g in the 300WSM. How is your 308 with the 130g GS customs on impala etc

I'm pretty sure that the GSC's are softer than the Barnes, but there is no doubt that the lead core bullets does substantial more damage. There is a difference in reaction from the animals as well.
The GSC dont create a lot of trauma, hence why I use them on specific species where shot ranges are not too far, and where shot placement can be precise.

 

[R.M.C.]

I've got a tikka t3 30.06 that shoots about a 2" group with 180 grain triple shocks at 100 yards. I used them up on wild hogs but would have definitely preferred them to group better lol
My gun doesn't like them much

 

[SFRanger7GP]

I've got a tikka t3 30.06 that shoots about a 2" group with 180 grain triple shocks at 100 yards. I used them up on wild hogs but would have definitely preferred them to group better lol
My gun doesn't like them much

Interesting. My Tikka loves 165 and 180 Barnes TTSX. I have only used Barnes factory ammo in it. All of it shoots sub MOA.

I am a big Barnes bullet fan. I prefer a bullet that will penetrate to vitals regardless of the animal's presentation. I have always been able to break 1 or both shoulders on all game and most of the time I get pass throughs that leave a blood trail that I could follow at night without my glasses.

Your mileage may differ,

Safe shooting

 

[R.M.C.]

I was kinda surprised myself about how crappy they shot lol
They definitely penetrate well!!! I've been using federal trophy bonded tips the last few years and they shoot much better. Maybe a little less penetration than the triple shocks but they open up a bit more from the 30.06 velocity.
Both bullets are excellent

 

[R.M.C.]

Interesting. My Tikka loves 165 and 180 Barnes TTSX. I have only used Barnes factory ammo in it. All of it shoots sub MOA.

I am a big Barnes bullet fan. I prefer a bullet that will penetrate to vitals regardless of the animal's presentation. I have always been able to break 1 or both shoulders on all game and most of the time I get pass throughs that leave a blood trail that I could follow at night without my glasses.

Your mileage may differ,

Safe shooting

Sort of off topic but my tikka truly loves Remington Blue Tip ammo in 165 grain. It's just a soft point bullet but it shoots half inch groups for me

 

[meigsbucks]

I use Barnes in more rounds, than any other bullet. In the .30/06, I use both the 165 TTSX and 180 TSX. Both have given good performance on game and give 1” or less groupings in my rifle. Penetration is outstanding.
That said, I have to concur with what some have said about animal reaction to the shot. I don’t believe I get as many “drop to the shot” kills with Barnes as say Hornady. On the other hand, I’ve never had a Barnes blow up or totally come apart. I’ve recovered few Barnes from game, as most were pass thru. Also, what some describe as “penciling thru”, I’ve found to be that the Barnes doesn’t have a lot of expanded frontal area.
I used the 180 gr in Namibia. I shot two springbok, both a little over 100 yds. One was down within a few yards with a relatively small exit. The other, turned it’s head, just as I fired, the bullet entered the opposite side of the neck, traveled down the spine and exited where I would have anticipated it exiting based on my hold. I also shot a gemsbok, steinbok and zebra, all exits. The gemsbok was down almost immediately and I almost blew the steinbok in half. The zebra took a second shot.
A friend of mine is also a Barnes fan, he hunts elk with a .308 using the 130gr TTSX and a .270 using the 130gr TTSX. Both, according to him, have given full penetration. He of of the opinion that they need to be thrown FAST and thus uses lighter weights.

 

[CJW]

Going to be honest here. We get to see a lot of different equipment come through camp, whether its optics, rifle brands, calibers and different ammunition, factory and loaded. Many here know my dislike for Barnes on Buffalo since we had a few not opening and zipping through bulls, but I still stayed in the supporters camp for Barnes on plains game.
My perception lately has certainly changed. I used to be a big supporter of the mono metal bullets, and still feel that they have a place. My 308Win are still loaded with light for caliber 130gr GS Customs, but I keep that rifle for many of the Tiny 10 such as Common Duiker, Cape Grysbuck, Oribi etc. Animals where I want a quick pass through with minimal damage. This rifle with this combination has also taken countless Eland, so will certainly get the jog done on the biggest of them.
During this season, I have had quite a few hunters hunting with Barnes TTSX. The bullets are zipping through the animals so quickly, that sometimes it was even hard to tell if the animal was hit, most of the time resulting in me telling my hunter to shoot again, only to get to the animal and finding two bullet holes. One from each shot. One of these rifles was a 300 Win Mag, and happened on almost every animal. Subsequently, the rifle picked up a problem, which reminds me to follow up on what the problem was, which resulted in the hunter using my 300Win for the last two animals of his package which was a Waterbuck and a Zebra. My rifle is loaded with 180gr Game Kings. Even the hunter commented on the difference on the reaction of the animals.

My question is, is the Barnes TSX/TTSX only good for a good shot? Can we always guarantee a good shot? I don't mind a lead core bullet losing 40% of its frontal weight, because I know that the 40% of shrapnel lost, is causing massive internal damage to the animal making for a quick recovery, even on less than perfect shot placements. There is always a chance of a piece of copper jacket cutting a liver or nicking a lung. The 60% will be more than enough for straight line penetration.

Let me know your thoughts on my opinion.

I understand the good of the mono bullets but the more I read of them the less interested I become. If they won't open reliably with a 300 WM, what chance is there for any other cartridge? Surely it cannot be that difficult to make a more reliable mono bullet.

I agree with you on lead core bullets. People can say what they want but I had great outcomes with Accubond's and I think they saved my butt on an oryx. A 45 degree quartering away shot that was I'm sura a little too far back. The bullet apparently devastated his insides because he collapsed after maybe 40 yds and didn't appear to thrash at all. Would I have found him if I had been using a mono or even a tough bullet like an A Frame? These were 180 gr bullets out of a 30-06.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Forgot to post this yesterday.
My ancient rust spotted and beat up Rem 78 using the Barnes 150 TTSX. JMO, but only a cold bore first shot in the right spot is what counts.

Marcus I have used the 300 gr Barnes in my 375 H&H on 1 buffalo. It was the only 300 gr I have retrieved and quite honestly I was underwhelmed at its expansion, ie, lack there of that is. Perfect petals, but not very large compared to others. I only take my 375 to Africa, so it’s not really fair I comment on lesser cartridges in Africa. But I used my 300 WM using a 165 TTSX on a mangy coyote at 181 yards that left close to a 2” hole in the exit and was a bang flop shot. It chronoed at over 3,200 fps, so it had plenty of velocity to expand at the yardage.
I personally don’t think the 300 TSX has deep enough hollow point to expand enough from what I have seen. The TTSXes seem to expand a lot better than the TSXes IME.

 

[jdemocko]

Just finished a safari in SA. My youngest son brought a Blaser 30-06 loaded with 160 grain Hammer Hunters. I saw one poster here who was not happy with the performance of Hammer bullets but my experience this trip was very good. 2 warthogs never made it out of the pan, one Wildebeest dropped in its tracks and one Wildebeest went 70 yards. My oldest son shot a 12 foot croc with that combination and stoned it. One impala ram went about 20 yards. The bullets we recovered showed the front half lost its petals and the remaining half worked as a solid. I chronographed these bullets at 2820 fps. The Blaser has a 1:11 twist rate and Hammer designed this bullet for a 1:11 twist. Accuracy was .5 at a 100 yds.

 

[ofbiro]

I switched to Norma203C powder. The groups are much better.

 

[jwp475]

I shoot the 168 grain TTSX in my 30-06 @ 2950 FPS, with zero complaints. Accuracy from my Kimber Classic Select is 1/2 MOA @ 200 yards.
Zero complaints with terminal performance

 

[JMM]

I do a lot of whitetail culling. One of my favorite loads is a 110 grain Barnes TTSX in my 06 traveling at 3500 fps.

In my experience, the TTSX has to be going fast to work correctly.

I have guided numerous whitetail hunters in West Texas that used factory Barnes ammunition. Small holes going in/out and very limited blood trails. It appears they are not expanding on the relatively small deer.

Years ago, I did some testing with 168 grain TTSX on wildebeest culls in Namibia. The results were that it was the poorest performing bullet out of the 10 or so tested.

Summary: I am a fan of light for caliber, fast TTSX bullets. Standard velocity, plains game/deer, not a fan.

 

[jwp475]

I do a lot of whitetail culling. One of my favorite loads is a 110 grain Barnes TTSX in my 06 traveling at 3500 fps.

In my experience, the TTSX has to be going fast to work correctly.

I have guided numerous whitetail hunters in West Texas that used factory Barnes ammunition. Small holes going in/out and very limited blood trails. It appears they are not expanding on the relatively small deer.

Years ago, I did some testing with 168 grain TTSX on wildebeest culls in Namibia. The results were that it was the poorest performing bullet out of the 10 or so tested.

Summary: I am a fan of light for caliber, fast TTSX bullets. Standard velocity, plains game/deer, not a fan.

Unless you hit bone on the way through then exits in the hide are small. This doesn't mean they aren't expanding, pay attention to the internal damage, in my experience it looks like a blender went through them.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Last Saturday I tried a new load for Barnes bullets in .30-06.
I used:
-TTSX 150 grs bullets
-Norma 203 B C 51,5 grs
-CCI BR2 primers.

The accuracy was good: 6 holes within 40 mm at 200 m. However the recoil was very heavy and the neck was regularly but completeliy blackened.
Tomorrow I will try a lighter load (49,5 grs) with the same components as well as TSX 130 grs propelled by 54 grs.
According to Quickload all recipes (including the first) are below the max. pressure.
Any suggestions and comments?

@ofbiro
Instead of lowering the load if you are not at maximum you will be better off.
The blackening is caused by the case not fully expanding to the chamber. A lighter load will possibly make the matter worse

 

[mdwest]

All of my .30 caliber rifles love Barnes 168gr TTSX... 3x .308's, 1x 30-06, and 1x 300 H&H all shoot them at 1 MOA or better at 100..

I typically load 180gr TTSX for the 30-06 and the 300 H&H... but if all I have is 168gr on hand.. it gives me no worries at all.. they produce great groups and are plenty sufficient for anything shy of big bears in NA.. and great for all PG in Africa (except maybe eland.. I wouldn't choose 168gr intentionally for eland)..

 

[dneaster3]

In my experience, the TTSX has to be going fast to work correctly.

This. If you want to shoot the tipped Barnes bullets on thin-skin game, go light and fast in order to get them to open up.

I used to load 180gr TTSX in my .30-06 over IMR4064 with great accuracy, but after several whitetails did not react as though they were convinced I moved away from that load.

I am now loading 150gr TSX over IMR4064 and am very satisfied with both the accuracy and the terminal effect on game.

Also, you should go to the trouble to find the right seating depth for those long bullets. Once I found the right distance off the lands, the consistency was very good. CZ makes fine shooting rifles, but all chambers have their own idiosyncrasies that need to be figured out.

 

[Inline6]

Having used both Barnes and Berger bullets, unless it is a heavy game animal I'll stick with Berger bullets. They just shut the animals down faster in most scenarios. Know of several Eland taken with 6.5 140 Berger without a problem. (6.5X284 and 6.5 SAUM).

 

[ofbiro]

Ok colleagues, thakns for the suggestions. The hunting season is in full swing and I haven't the time to go again to the range.
I'll keep you informed about the developments.

 

[Nhoro]

Going to be honest here. We get to see a lot of different equipment come through camp, whether its optics, rifle brands, calibers and different ammunition, factory and loaded. Many here know my dislike for Barnes on Buffalo since we had a few not opening and zipping through bulls, but I still stayed in the supporters camp for Barnes on plains game.
My perception lately has certainly changed. I used to be a big supporter of the mono metal bullets, and still feel that they have a place. My 308Win are still loaded with light for caliber 130gr GS Customs, but I keep that rifle for many of the Tiny 10 such as Common Duiker, Cape Grysbuck, Oribi etc. Animals where I want a quick pass through with minimal damage. This rifle with this combination has also taken countless Eland, so will certainly get the jog done on the biggest of them.
During this season, I have had quite a few hunters hunting with Barnes TTSX. The bullets are zipping through the animals so quickly, that sometimes it was even hard to tell if the animal was hit, most of the time resulting in me telling my hunter to shoot again, only to get to the animal and finding two bullet holes. One from each shot. One of these rifles was a 300 Win Mag, and happened on almost every animal. Subsequently, the rifle picked up a problem, which reminds me to follow up on what the problem was, which resulted in the hunter using my 300Win for the last two animals of his package which was a Waterbuck and a Zebra. My rifle is loaded with 180gr Game Kings. Even the hunter commented on the difference on the reaction of the animals.

My question is, is the Barnes TSX/TTSX only good for a good shot? Can we always guarantee a good shot? I don't mind a lead core bullet losing 40% of its frontal weight, because I know that the 40% of shrapnel lost, is causing massive internal damage to the animal making for a quick recovery, even on less than perfect shot placements. There is always a chance of a piece of copper jacket cutting a liver or nicking a lung. The 60% will be more than enough for straight line penetration.

Let me know your thoughts on my opinion.

I have always had misgivings on pointy copper bullets with a small cavity at the front.Something like a peregrine flat nose soft is much better for opening but has the bc of a brick.I think that animals are not uniform or flat. Especially if the animal is at an angle. I think there is a real chance of the cavity at the front getting deformed sideways and closing, effectively making it into a fmg solid. And work hardened copper bullets are also less likely to open. I wonder if they anneal the ttsx after manufacture.Does anyone have similar experiences with hornady gmx ? It has a similar design.

 

[JohnCZ]

My Mauser M12 30-06 Expert likes the TTSX 168gr bullet but shooting with a 2MOA Aimpoint those bullets are more accurate than me.
Forget the benchrest groups, if it's under 2" your good to good hunting at stalking ranges.