XXXtreme failure

Wile E Coyotie

New member
Looking for some feed back --
what went wrong ?
2 sluggs fired from the same gun bang bang -into bull moose - 2 holes
1 rnd found perfectly mushroomed on outside of shoulder -the -other found only after meat cutter was done with shoulder bone and buddy boiled it for soup found the unexpanded rnd? in bone
300 Win Mag
165gr Barnes XXXtreme
68 grs -4350 -
how does one with so much energy not expand ?
both r .4 off their original weight
Barnes r slow to respond

 
Not any kind of a ballistics expert at all, but it appears to me in the picture that the bullet that did not expand hit the bone on just such an angle as to close the tip/hollowpoint rather than initiate expansion. Not sure exactly how that could happen, but kind of the way it appears the way that the whole bullet looks bowed. Just my opinion, and its worth what you paid for it.
 
I think it is very common with Barnes bullets usually the bullet passes all the way through not to be found, so the shooter does not realize it.
 
Here's my take. How close were the holes? I think the first one expanded, destroyed the tissue to the point there wasn't nearly as much resistance for the second one. If they were pretty much in the same area.
 
Dead moose , failure....
unsure.gif
 
Originally Posted By: 204 ARHere's my take. How close were the holes? I think the first one expanded, destroyed the tissue to the point there wasn't nearly as much resistance for the second one. If they were pretty much in the same area.
Less resistance should make for more penetration ie; exit.
 
It looks like the bullet yawed or tumbled upon entry and ended up stopping where it hit bone sideways. It didnt take a solid enough hit on the nose to initiate expansion. Just a WAG.
 

I had the old X-Bullet do that one time. Still got the deer, but the bullet looked like that under the hide, after it entered between two ribs, quartering away, smashed the far shoulder, and lodged under the skin. I switched to Barnes TSX bullets, and never recovered another one, and the exit hole looked like expansion had happened. I have since switched again, to tipped Triple Shock(TTSX) Barnes bullets, and these things shoot better groups, and leave even larger exit holes.

I would try the tipped TSX bullets next time. If you recover a tipped bullet. looking like that, it didn't enter tip first.

Squeeze
 
Originally Posted By: Squeeze
I had the old X-Bullet do that one time. Still got the deer, but the bullet looked like that under the hide, after it entered between two ribs, quartering away, smashed the far shoulder, and lodged under the skin. I switched to Barnes TSX bullets, and never recovered another one, and the exit hole looked like expansion had happened. I have since switched again, to tipped Triple Shock(TTSX) Barnes bullets, and these things shoot better groups, and leave even larger exit holes.

I would try the tipped TSX bullets next time. If you recover a tipped bullet. looking like that, it didn't enter tip first.

Squeeze

+1

I have had nothing but dead animals with both, but the tipped versions give me that "feel good" sensation and added protection on not opening up. That tip creates a mechanical opening of the petals...hopefully!

A real good comparison is the 243 shooting the 85g non tipped version vs the 80g tipped version. I never had a 85g fail to kill, but the 80g tipped creates some massive damage on deer.

120g tipped good to go in 6.5 caliber
127g Long range tipped Barnes is a mack daddy 6.5 deer killing bullet

7mm, 120g non tipped is an elk bullet

7mm, 120g and 140g tipped versions wreak havoc on the gut sack of a deer in 7 mags and 7 STW's with benchrest quality accuracy

my gut feeling is that speed(rpm's) is critical for the non cup and core bullets to perform they way they are intended. If I were intending to shoot solid copper bullets, I would go fast twist for a particular caliber, and we may see changes in this in the future.
 
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Thank you to all - it looks like time to step back from Barnes-TSX --
i have seen it smash moose shoulders into blood soaked jelly ---- but pencil through was not on my radar scope - and creates a sick feeling
I like the idea of A-frame- and- looking at Swift Sirocco -as well
--creating the ultimate game eater now -
how would u do it - this is a field ready weapon- my go to big game choice
Rifle is Jerrett No 46 Classic - Bean Field Rifle Rem 700
300 Win Mag - 165 gr TSX
shoot 3" group at 500 yrd -off bench/ bags
lots of good advise here- on a serious issue
 
Wile E Coyotie, just shoot a tipped version Barnes, you will be good to go.

I shot some unbelievable groups with the 120 tipped Barnes in my
STW, 3850 fps, bug holes smaller than a bumble bee in several different nodes.
 
I shoot Barnes TSX and TTSX exclusively in my 7mm RUM and have never had an issue with animals not dropping where they stand. I have only recovered one bullet and that was from a Blue Wildebeest I shot through both front shoulders and it hung up on the opposite side just under the skin. Two of the 4 petals were missing but the other two mushroomed nicely. He dropped immediately. I have nothing but good experience with Barnes bullets. My main go to bullet now in the 7mm RUM is the 145 gr LRX.
 
I use the 180 grain TSX out of my 300 win mag on elk and only this year did I recover the bullet. It expanded textbook. I never had an elk take a single step after hit with the bullet. I load all my other rifles with the TTSX, and again, nothing ever walks away. All are DRT. A lot of things can effect bullet expansion with any bullet; angle, distance, etc. I recovered a Sierra Game King, and while it expanded nicely, it lost 43% of it's mass. The Barnes I recovered lost 0.2 grains. I'd switch to the TTSX keep going.
 
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