dig4gold

What do you all think about the new trend in some bullets to not have any lead? Like the Barnes Triple Shock, and the Winchester XP3's.
How are they doing harvest wise?
Must be because of the reputation some ballistic tip bullets have gotten for seperating and coming apart?

Pygmy

I love Barnes Tsx bullets ... They are very accurate in my rifles and kill game just as quickly as any other bullets I have used, including Nosler BT..

Having said that, I have killed a significant number of game animals, including whitetails, mulies, antelope and caribou with ballistic tips...I never had any complaints with them..

However, the Barnes TSX seem to shoot as accurately and kill just as quickly, and don't rpoduce as much bloodshot meat as the BTs...

White Duck

I love the TSX also thats all i load with now

Nalgi

Barnes are not new out west, they are just expensive. Since CA went nonlead, 4 years ago Barnes had all the market for a couple of years. We have had EXCELLENT success with converting to Barnes. Sub 1" groups in all calibers is the norm. However, the Varmint Grenade is a bust. the Nosler BT non lead is the best bullet we have found in the under 60 grain bullets (40 gr. .223 and the 55 gr. .243 are sub 1/2" shooters). One other thing. You have to use the Barnes reloading data or you will not get good results.

npaden

I really like the E-tip. Here's one that I recovered after shooting it head on into a mule deer's chest last year. It traveled nearly 3 feet through the deer and ended up just inside the hide before it entered the hindquarter.



99% weight retention and it petals out perfectly if it doesn't hit bone. The petals are much stronger than you woud think, you can't bend it short of putting it in a vice and using a pliers (or hitting bone at 3,000+ fps, this bullet was shot out of a 7mm Rem Mag at approx 50 yards).

It ended up with 2 petals extended and 2 folded back so it probably tumbled while it was going through the deer. I didn't open up the chest cavity (I use the gutless method), but I would bet everything inside him was torn up pretty good.

dig4gold

Good to know guys. I guess I'm too old school. I always thought that you needed lead in a bullet to penetrate and do the damage. I'm trying the XP3's at the range this week. And I guess they do have a lead pocket much like the Nosler, but with a solid copper nose and ballistic tip. I'm shooting elk with this and was just curious about knockdown on "BIG" game? I don't like chasin' them bastards!

Pygmy

Gold..Those Barnes bullets penetrate like crazy, but in my experience they also expand and leave a good wound channel...

I haven't shot an elk with one, but I have shot several caribou, a moose, and a good number of deer with them... They nearly always exit, leaving a half dollar size exit hole and seem to produce less bloodshot meat than lead bullets.. I am confident that they would work great on elk....

Silver_Wolf

Can't speak for the XP3's but the barnes as stated already are anything but new. They have evolved some, but the basic bullet it the same. I am a firm believer in a good bullet, and Barnes TSX is the tops of my short list of bullets I use on elk. Have shot Elk with both the .338 225g( 338 Win Mag) and 185g.( 338 Federal) Was equally impressed with both. I don't hesitate to suggest them above all else if they will shoot in your rifle.

o_O

Besides the basic ballistics and effectiveness I think it makes sense to use them if you think if anyone who is pregnant, or young kids, might be eating the meat you harvest. Here's an article relating to how the lead fragments in discarded carcasses are poisoning wildlife.

http://www.lemarssentinel.com/story/1607106.html

Taylorman

The Barnes are excellent bullets. Lead free bullets are now required in some states because studies have shown that the lead in the bullets are affecting animals that eat the carcus of animals that have been shot with lead bullets. I has nothing to do with bullets coming aparts. If your referring to the Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet coming apart, they are desiged to fragment. I have had very good results with ballistic tips in deer and elk. My opinion is this, if you have bad results with a bullet when shooting big game animals, it usually the shooter not doing his job, not the bullet not doing its job.