Hey guys, I haven't been on here much until today since last fall. I feel like a newbie starting all over again. I'm almost ashamed to admit I haven't fired a round since 2 weeks after Thanksgiving "08". Lots of things have been going on in my wifes and my lives. I had successful back surgery this spring but was laid up a while. My wifes father has cancer and is not doing very well plus we just put her mother in a nursing home. Its been a exstreamly difficult fall. Illinois deer season starts in about two weeks so my deer hunting this year may be put on hold due to my father in laws condition. I did however get out to shoot today. The first picture is with my CVA Wolf, Barnes 300gr Expander MZ, Crushed Rib sabot, 2 Pyrodex pellets, W209 primers at 100 yards. The second picture is with the same except I used a 300gr Gold Dot. With the Barnes the top group was shots 1,3,and 5. The bottom was 2,4,and 6. Top group was shot cleaning with a alcohol patch both sides and a dry patch. Bottom group was no cleaning just reload and shoot. Both shot pretty well however there was a couple of inches difference. With the Gold Dots the same thing happened only the shots taken not cleaning between shots where all over the place. The Gold Dot shot really well swabing between shots. "If" I get to go out this year and hunt I will be using my tried and true Barnes Expanders but the Gold Dot will be considered after more testing later.....maybe I'll get tired of spending so much on Barnes??........Nah. Anyhow, heres the pictures. If I don't get back on here everyone have a safe and successful deer season.

i'd go with the barnes. Theres nothing like that beautiful 6 pedel flower they form when it opens up!

sjsfire

The big difference is probably in the diameters of the two bullets... Are not the Barnes .451? And the Dots are .452 - so there will be a difference in fit. Or are the Barnes Expanders .458? Do not no much about Barnes bullets at all...

Put a GD or two through some deer and you won't pay Barnes prices again.

Good choice with the Barnes IMO. No lead to worry about fragmenting or shedding of weight.

sjsfire

I would like to throw my agreement in with Semi - once you try a Gold Dot on an animal - your questions will be answered.

If you do not mind paying the premium price then certainly Barnes is one of the better Premiumed price bullets.

But if you are looking for something more resonably priced and something you can shoot paper with as well as big game... then the 'poor man's Nosler' the Gold Dot is the bullet.

They do loose a little weight in some instances but even after shooting them into a torture medium - they do real well.

I have never shot the Barnes , but i do have some. I am going to stick with the Gold Dots, they have never let me down.

Oh I'll probably keep paying the price for the Branes. But really, the point of my post was the fact that these 2 different bullets basically shot the same on a clean barrel but the barnes showed more consistantancy (SP?) without swabing between shots. I'm not saying I wouldn't shoot a deer with a Gold Dot seeing they shoot so well in my cheap ole $100 Wolf. I also found some Noslers Partitions that I forgot I had. I just have to get out and shoot more.