Bullet Performance Database

[Art Lambart II]

I just found one of the many failed Barnes X bullets I have seen over the years, this is a 300gr .375 H&H I think it was a Federal Premium Factory load.

From a Buffalo I had to back up on, normally the Barnes are Ok in .375 H&H on Buffalo but some times they fail, never have had a Swift A Frame or Trophy Bonded Bear Claw fail.

Saying this I had just bought some TSX in 9.3 286gr as I couldn't find anything better (had trouble even finding these) for my hunt that might include a Dwarf/Forest Buff so was trusting them enough for that.

Unfortunately I will now be using a open sighted 7x64mm.

At this years SCI convention in Nashville I bought every 9.3 286 grain bullet Swift had at the show, I ended up with 4 boxes of Swift A frames. I also got some 250 Grain TTSX from the Barnes booth.

 

[Sarg]

Well @Art Lambart II you are well heeled then.

I did manage to sweet talk a deer hunter out of his 300gr 9.3 A Frames but now I have SAF & TSX that I’m not going to use on my coming hunt next month.

I might just shoot a few smaller Red Stags to see if 9.3 TSX set up on them, as I said most of our hunters that use the 300gr in the .375 H&H on Buffalo have success with it, I’m not a fan of the TSX on smaller game it has proven a slow kill.

Again using old mind set, I suspect very light & fast may work but there are plenty of better bullets for that.

 

[Kevin375]

From the left to the right :

1) Degol Starkmantel .375" 350 gr out of the box

2) Degol Starkmantel 350 gr recovered in a giraffe bull shot at ~ 150 meters. The bullet hit the shoulder and was recovered underneath the skin on the other side.
Weight retention : 289.9 gr = 82.8 %

3) Degol Starkmantel 350 gr recovered in a eland shot at 20 meters with a quartering toward shot. The bullet hit the base of the neck and was recovered pretty deep according to farm workers.
Weight retention : 270.6 gr = 77.3 %

4) Degol Lion Load 350 gr out of the box.

5) Degol Lion Load 350 gr found in a eland shot with almost a frontal shot at 50 meters.
Weight retention : 244.4 gr = 69.82 %.

5) Barnes TTSX .264" 120 gr out of the box

6) Barnes TTSX 120 gr found in a kudu bull with a quartering toward shot at 40 meters. The entrance wound was in the left shoulder and the bullet was recovered underneath the skin, in the middle of the body.
It didn't lose any weight, except its tip.

Degol bullets were shot with my Blaser R93 in .375 Holland & Holland magnum. I reloaded them with Reload Swiss Powder 60 and the muzzle velocity was ~ 705 m/s (2312 f/s).

The Barnes TTSX was shot with my Blaser R8 in 6.5 Creedmoor. I reloaded them with Vihtavuori N555 and my muzzle velocity is 880 m/s (2887 m/s).

How do you keep your bullets recovered and their own historic ?
I use a little plastic bag and a paper where I write all infos possible : the bullet, its weight, the rifle, the powder, the animal and its weight retention.
My collection :

 

[Osama Mahdi]

From the left to the right :
View attachment 681376


1) Degol Starkmantel .375" 350 gr out of the box

2) Degol Starkmantel 350 gr recovered in a giraffe bull shot at ~ 150 meters. The bullet hit the shoulder and was recovered underneath the skin on the other side.
Weight retention : 289.9 gr = 82.8 %

3) Degol Starkmantel 350 gr recovered in a eland shot at 20 meters with a quartering toward shot. The bullet hit the base of the neck and was recovered pretty deep according to farm workers.
Weight retention : 270.6 gr = 77.3 %

4) Degol Lion Load 350 gr out of the box.

5) Degol Lion Load 350 gr found in a eland shot with almost a frontal shot at 50 meters.
Weight retention : 244.4 gr = 69.82 %.

5) Barnes TTSX .264" 120 gr out of the box

6) Barnes TTSX 120 gr found in a kudu bull with a quartering toward shot at 40 meters. The entrance wound was in the left shoulder and the bullet was recovered underneath the skin, in the middle of the body.
It didn't lose any weight, except its tip.

Degol bullets were shot with my Blaser R93 in .375 Holland & Holland magnum. I reloaded them with Reload Swiss Powder 60 and the muzzle velocity was ~ 705 m/s (2312 f/s).

The Barnes TTSX was shot with my Blaser R8 in 6.5 Creedmoor. I reloaded them with Vihtavuori N555 and my muzzle velocity is 880 m/s (2887 m/s).

How do you keep your bullets recovered and their own historic ?
I use a little plastic bag and a paper where I write all infos possible : the bullet, its weight, the rifle, the powder, the animal and its weight retention.
My collection :
View attachment 681377

Well, perhaps you tell us about your big collection. Many things to learn from it. Thank you for sharing

 

[Kevin375]

I have already shared some photos of my datas and I will continue later. Most of my collection are bullets found in game shot by myself : mainly in african big games, but also in some european games. A little number of bullet come from tests, and were shot in water jugs, or are from fellow hunters.

 

[Kevin375]

A little feedback about the (in)famous 6.5 Creedmoor with a bullet that is very often related to it, the Hornady ELD-X 143 gr in Africa.
The first time, I bought a box of them in Windhoek, as well as a can of Hodgdon 4350. The load developement was very easy and I had quickly a good accuracy, the half MOA at 100 meters with 5 shots.

The second time, I loaded them at home with the Vihtavuori N160 and I had the same accuracy. Before, I tried with the Vihtavuori N555, but the accuracy was not as good as the N160, the SD was awful, and the velocities were bad too.

From the left to the right :

1) Hornady ELD-X 143 gr out of the box.

2) Young Kudu bull shot at 377 meters (412 yards) with the Hodgdon recipe ! Unfortunately the animal moved when I shot, and I hit it in the guts. It stopped in the thick bush not far from the first shot. I approched it and I finished it off with a head shot. The bullet was recovered under the skin on the other side.
Weight retention : 110 gr = 76.9 %

3 and 4 ) Big eland cow shot with a frontal shot at ~ 180 meters ( 200 yards) with the N160. Unfortunately, the shot was not in the center of the chest, but it destroyed one shoulder. The humerus bone was destroyed, but the bullet stopped just behind it.
Weight retention of the rear part (n°4) : 33.1 gr = 23.1 %
I haven't weighted the fragment.

I finished off the eland with my good old .375 H&H magnum the next day.

5 and 6 ) Bullets recovered in a big spotted hyena shot at about 60 meters ( 65 yards).
The first bullet was the n°5. It touched a little tree before to hit the hyena. The animal dropped on the spot and stoud up. It started to turn and I put another shot with a texas heart shot.
My first bullet was recovered under the skin on the opposite side, while the second bullet was recovered in the chest and passed through the liver.
5) : 45.4 gr = 31.7 %
6) : 46.2 gr = 32.3 %

The bullet clearly tumbled.

I have killed several big games with that bullet (Kudus, waterbuck, wildebeests) but it is too soft for my liking. Here is why at the end, I used Barnes TTSX 120 gr.
However, for warthogs, impalas and springboks, the ELD-X works well.

 

[CaribouLu96]

Newbie here!

308 Win - federal trophy bonded tip 165gr 2700fps- 70 ish yards on a waterbuck - 93% weight retention - shot was just above the heart and was 3/4 of an inch away from a complete pass through.

 

[ftrovato]

Newbie here!

308 Win - federal trophy bonded tip 165gr 2700fps- 70 ish yards on a waterbuck - 93% weight retention - shot was just above the heart and was 3/4 of an inch away from a complete pass through.View attachment 685009

Hard to argue with those results! It really is amazing what bullet quality has turned into over the last 50 years! But in the end, nothing like a well placed shot!

 

[CaribouLu96]

6.5 Creedmoor Federal Terminal Ascent 130 Gr 2800 fps. Recovered from a blue wildebeest at 150 yards. 87% weight retention. This is what my brother brought to Africa and myself as well as the PHs were very impressed with the performance of the 6.5 on plains game including Eland.

 

[CaribouLu96]

6.5 Creedmoor Federal Terminal Ascent 130 Gr 2800 fps. Recovered from a blue wildebeest at 150 yards. 87% weight retention. This is what my brother brought to Africa and myself as well as the PHs were very impressed with the performance of the 6.5 on plains game including Eland.

 

[Esoteric Junkie]

Are Degol projectiles being imported to the USA and if so, who is the importer?

EJ

 

[Kevin375]

My friend from Belgium spoke with mister Degol last year, and it seems he exported quite often to the USA, but I don't know more about it.

Here is another feedback with the Degol Starkmantel 300 gr in .375 Holland & Holland magnum.
I helped a friend who went to Mozambique to reload his ammunitions. He had no knowledge about reloading and components.
Th recipe was simple : Federal cases, Federal 215 GM primers, Vihtavuori N150 powder and Degol Starkmantel bullets. Muzzle velocity : ~760 m/s (2493 f/s)
He also uses a Blaser R93 Professional but topped with a Swarovski.
First, I tried in 10 liters water jugs. The bullet was recovered in the 4 th

18.45 g ( 284.72 gr)

My friend went to Mozambique and he killed a buffalo and a hippo with these bullets

Both bullets were recovered :

1 and 4 : bullets out of the box

2 : Buffalo bull with a frontal chest shot at around 80 meters. The animal ran away and didn't go far before to expire. Weight retention : 17.825 g (275.07 gr) = 91.7 %


3 : Hippo bull shot at around 70 meters with a quartering away shot. We can see on the photo the entrance wound. Weight retention : 15.15 g ( 233.8 gr) = 77.9 %

 

[Kevin375]

Here is another feedback about the 6.5 Creedmoor in Africa. Little harvest made in 2023 :

I used different bullets and all performed well. The good thing was also, they all had the same POI at 100 meters with my rifle.

I started with Swift Scirocco 130 gr bullets reloaded with Reload Swiss 62. My muzzle velocity was ~ 838 m/s (2750 f/s). That's a great bullet, but I found it a bit tough on "small" games, like impalas or springboks, over 300 meters. In such conditions, they gave a very small wound channel at these distances, and therefore acted more like a FMJ bullets. I saw a hartebeest cow, pretty slender, shot at 352 meters with a good chest shot walking 20 meters and going down. However, the time we arrived on our prey, it was still alive. The bullet didn't hit any bones and just went through, leaving a very small wound channel behind.

For short range shooting, less than 150 meters, I also used Hornady Interlock 160 gr reloaded with Reload Swiss 70 at around 760 m/s ( 2493 f/s). Very deep penetration and extremely effective for such shots on wildebeests, waterbucks and impalas.

At the end, I reloaded Barnes TTSX 120 gr with Alliant Reloader 17 at 927 m/s (3041 f/s). Very good bullet too, and with a deep penetration.

1) Hornady Interlock recovered in a waterbuck shot at ~ 100 meters : 98.8 gr ( 61.75%). It broke bother shoulders and the animal dropped on the spot.

2) Hornady Interlock recovered in a wildebeest at ~ 100 meters : 101.9 gr ( 63.7 %). Behind the shoulder and again recovered under the skin.

3) Barnes TTSX 120 gr recovered in a big blue wildebeest bull again at ~ 100 meters : 119.4 gr ( 99.5 %). The animal ran maybe 100 meters and dropped.

4) Swift Scirocco recovered in a donkey (shot for meat because workers love them) at 342 meters : 126.6 gr ( 97.4 %). It's a tough animal. It was hit in the shoulder, the animal ran 30 meters and died. We recovered the bullet under the skin and behind the opposite shoulder.


My PH was impressed by this little caliber.
At the same time, we had clients who wounded many animals with bigger calibers like .30-06, .338 Winchester magnum and .375 Holland & Holland magnum. As usual, the problem was bad shot placements and of course the lack of practice with a rifle.

 

[AckleyHunter]

156gr Norma Oryx
7mm-08 mv 2760 fps
Took 12 animals
1. Blesbok
100ish yards, quartering away, entered mid ribcage and exited the off shoulder.
Went about 50 yards.
2. Blue wildebeest
1st shot 40 yards, center of the shoulder

153 grs
limped slowly about 200 yards. Second shot at 200 yards, about and inch lower, exited and dropped him.
3.Blesbok
120 yards, high shoulder with exit. DRT
4.Nyala
200 yrds, lower shoulder with exit. Ran about 100 yards, stopped and shot again in same shoulder. Bullet recovered halfway up the offside neck.

139 grs
5.Bushbuck
150 yrds, shot behind the shoulder with exit, DRT
6.Warthog
200 yrds, hard quartering away, entered mid rib cage and stopped in the offside hide in front of the off shoulder. Ran 40 yrds and went belly up.

136 grs
7. Bushbuck
150 yrds, shot mid shoulder with exit. DRT
8. Kudu
280 yrds, shot mid shoulder, burised offside hide but did not find the bullet. Kudu went 50 yrds downhill and died.
9. Zebra
100 yrds, shot mid shoulder quartering towards, no exit. Rodeoed his last 8 seconds and was done.
10. Red Hartebeest
120 yards, quartering toward, entered crease in front shoulder, no exit, no recovery. Went about 20 yrds and died.
11. Impala
150 yard heart shot with exit. Jumped up and down a few times and expired.
12. Gemsbok
1st shot 310 yrds broadside mid ribs with exit. He stumbled, then stiffend, shot again, also 310 yrds, just below the first shot and dropped. Recovered offside hide 129 grs

 

[ftrovato]

156gr Norma Oryx
7mm-08 mv 2760 fps
Took 12 animals
1. Blesbok
100ish yards, quartering away, entered mid ribcage and exited the off shoulder.
Went about 50 yards.
2. Blue wildebeest
1st shot 40 yards, center of the shoulder
View attachment 687974
153 grs
limped slowly about 200 yards. Second shot at 200 yards, about and inch lower, exited and dropped him.
3.Blesbok
120 yards, high shoulder with exit. DRT
4.Nyala
200 yrds, lower shoulder with exit. Ran about 100 yards, stopped and shot again in same shoulder. Bullet recovered halfway up the offside neck.
View attachment 687975
139 grs
5.Bushbuck
150 yrds, shot behind the shoulder with exit, DRT
6.Warthog
200 yrds, hard quartering away, entered mid rib cage and stopped in the offside hide in front of the off shoulder. Ran 40 yrds and went belly up.
View attachment 687976
136 grs
7. Bushbuck
150 yrds, shot mid shoulder with exit. DRT
8. Kudu
280 yrds, shot mid shoulder, burised offside hide but did not find the bullet. Kudu went 50 yrds downhill and died.
9. Zebra
100 yrds, shot mid shoulder quartering towards, no exit. Rodeoed his last 8 seconds and was done.
10. Red Hartebeest
120 yards, quartering toward, entered crease in front shoulder, no exit, no recovery. Went about 20 yrds and died.
11. Impala
150 yard heart shot with exit. Jumped up and down a few times and expired.
12. Gemsbok
1st shot 310 yrds broadside mid ribs with exit. He stumbled, then stiffend, shot again, also 310 yrds, just below the first shot and dropped. Recovered offside hide 129 grsView attachment 687977

Consistent Solid Performance is spelled 'Norma'!

 

[dchum]

Barnes TTSX factory
30-06 168gr, 2780fps, 1-10 twist.

It broke one petal off so probably 92% weight retention if not more.

Bull oryx, 80 yards, through front shoulder and found in offside skin penetrating through both front shoulders.

Bull went 25 yards and collapsed.

 

[Osama Mahdi]

Barnes TTSX factory
30-06 168gr, 2780fps, 1-10 twist.

It broke one petal off so probably 92% weight retention if not more.

Bull oryx, 80 yards, through front shoulder and found in offside skin penetrating through both front shoulders.

Bull went 25 yards and collapsed.

View attachment 688446
View attachment 688448

Out of curiosity, where and who was the outfitter when you took that nice bull?
Barnes is the best.

 

[dchum]

Out of curiosity, where and who was the outfitter when you took that nice bull?
Barnes is the best.

This was taken last week with forum sponsor Khomas Highland Hunting Safaris. A nice Central Namibia cattle ranch oryx. Better to be lucky than good.

 

[Novice Huntress]

Hi All, I thought to post two older designs now, the good old Sierra Game King and RWS KS.
Sierra
R8 308w 22in std barrel.
2670 fps at the muzzle handload.
2500 fps est at impact.

Impala Ram at 75m stood directly facing the rifle, hit into chest area.

The retained weight is 126g so roughly 76%. The ram dropped straight away.

The next 8x68s RWS 224g Ks
Heym SR21 23 in barrel 2740 fps
2500 fps impact speed est
Blue Wildebeest Bull 380kg
This was a quartering on shot left shoulder.

This one weighs 166g so about 74% retention,

The Blue Wildebeest ran about 100m then straight down, a Oryx was hit with the same rifle and dropped to the shot.

We went on to shoot some more animals with the Game Kings no other bullets recovered.
The 8x68s packs a good punch, this loading hasn't been available corn some time now.

 

[BeeMaa]

Hi All, I thought to post two older designs now, the good old Sierra Game King and RWS KS.
Sierra
R8 308w 22in std barrel.
2670 fps at the muzzle handload.
2500 fps est at impact. View attachment 688455
Impala Ram at 75m stood directly facing the rifle, hit into chest area.

View attachment 688456

The retained weight is 126g so roughly 76%. The ram dropped straight away.

The next 8x68s RWS 224g Ks
Heym SR21 23 in barrel 2740 fps
2500 fps impact speed est
Blue Wildebeest Bull 380kg
This was a quartering on shot left shoulder.
View attachment 688467

This one weighs 166g so about 74% retention,
View attachment 688471


The Blue Wildebeest ran about 100m then straight down, a Oryx was hit with the same rifle and dropped to the shot.

We went on to shoot some more animals with the Game Kings no other bullets recovered.
The 8x68s packs a good punch, this loading hasn't been available corn some time now.

Congratulations. Like to see some pictures of the game.