Sadly...

[Graybeard]

NO!

If they shoot in your rifle you might actually find they work well. I'm still looking for the first load with them that will provide me with satisfactory accuracy (not great just satisfactory) in any of my rifles.

Most folks who use them say they have great terminal performance but they have had quality problems and sometimes they have been reported to not expand. Dunno as I've yet to use one on game as they just don't shoot in my rifles. Haven't given up on them yet but haven't found a useful load yet either.

GB

[DesertRam]

I don't know if I would devote my life to them, but they're certainly worth a try.  My Sako L691 in 6.5X55 really likes the 120 and 140 grain XLCs, happily turning out sub-MOA groups with both.  I shot a 125 pound hog with the 140s and got great penetration and performance.  A couple of weeks ago I shot a small muley buck.  Although he died, the bullet didn't appear to do what I thought it would.  It didn't act like it expanded.  I emailed Barnes about it and they told me that because of the speed I was pushing the 120s (about 3000fps) and the close range (about 60-70 yards) the petals most likely ripped off as it passed through the animal, leaving only a caliber-sized exit wound.  I can't confirm or deny this.

I'll probably just drop back to the 140s and be happy.  I'm certainly not ready to give up on them yet.  Give them a shot, your gun might like them.

[robsguns]

Yes they are, I use them almost exclusively, but I cast my own too. I use them in every caliber I shoot, and I have no problems with them in the accuracy or performance depts.  I believe you will love them, beyond a shadow of a doubt.

[Lloyd Smale]

Im with graybeard on this. Ive only got one rifle that will shoot them good a bdl in 300wby. Ive tried them in at least 10 other bolt guns and just couldnt get them to shoot good enough. Ive spent alot of money buying these bullets. I really dont feel that in north america you need premium bullets unless your hunting grizzly.

NO!

If they shoot in your rifle you might actually find they work well. I'm still looking for the first load with them that will provide me with satisfactory accuracy (not great just satisfactory) in any of my rifles.

Most folks who use them say they have great terminal performance but they have had quality problems and sometimes they have been reported to not expand. Dunno as I've yet to use one on game as they just don't shoot in my rifles. Haven't given up on them yet but haven't found a useful load yet either.

GB

[ricciardelli]

I haven't found a Barnes bullet yet that will shoot as well as "standard" bullets.

[John Y Cannuck]

My first experience was in the 30-30. Couldn't get it to shoot under 8" groups. But I shoot deer up close, so I tried 'em just to use 'em up. Shot a nice 6 point. Bullets not recovered 50 yard shot. Pieces of bullet recovered (petals) lots of 'em. Deer required finishing shot, same results.
Exit wound, nothing to write home about.
Shot another deer same size this year, similar result, lots of petals.
Not impressed. For the expense of them, they should perform better. I'll go back to Hornady Interlocks, and cast bullets.

[Old Syko]

If you want to shoot patterns try no. 9s in a shotgun.  If you want to shoot groups the X may not be the way to go.  It sure hasn't been for me.  I'll stick with what works better and save money in the process.

[Zachary]

I am one of those shooters that absolutely LOVES the Barnes X. :-D

So far, I use Barnes X bullets exclusively in the following cartridges:

1) .30-06 in Remington BDL SS with PMC 165 grain Barnes X.
2) .300 Win. Mag. in Remington Sendero SF with PMC 180 grain Barnes X.
3) .338 Win. Mag. in Winchester Classic Stainless with PMC 225 X.

In ALL of the above rifles, groups are under 1" at 100 yards.  In the .30-06, the bullets almost touch each other. :grin:

As for accuracy, I understand that some people do not get good accuracy, but mine is great.  I have been told that, if you want better accuracy from X Bullets, you should not mix them with other types of bullets.  Rather, clean your barrel VERY GOOD and shoot them exclusively.  In the beginning, the groups in my .30-06 were about 1 to 1 1/4 inches.  After I cleaned it thoroughly, and just used X bullets, my groups dropped well below 1 inch.

Another thing - if you want these bullets to expand, you HAVE to make sure that they hit at a velocity of over 2300 fps.  Barnes may tell you otherwise, but my practice is that, the faster, the better expansion.

Related to this is that you should use LIGHTER bullets.  Don't worry about SD - Sectional Density.  These bullets will hold their weight.

I did have one petal break off when I shot a deer at about 50 yards, but other than that, I have never had a problem.

I shot a 250 lb boar this year with my 300 Win. Mag.  The bullet hit the pig's spine, and got lodged somewhere in the shoulder or grisle plate.  It expanded BEAUTIFULLY.  It hit so hard that it didn't look like that picture perfect X design, but rather looked almost like a Trophy Bonded Bear Claw.   And guess what - that 180 grain X bullet retained 178 grains!!!  Find me any other bullet that will do that! (Not even TBs or Swift A-Frames will hold up that well)

If you shoot a deer through the ribs with a HEAVY X bullet, then it won't expand much.  You MUST get a lighter bullet and drive it fast because there really isn't much mass to cause the X bullet to open up.  I guess you could poke a pencil through a deer in the lungs and it wouldn't do much damage to the pencil. (Okay, I'm exagerating a bit, but you get my point - no pun intended. )

These bullets are necessary for heavier game - hogs, elk, bear, etc.  But you really don't need them on thinned skinned game like deer.  Yes, I have shot numerous deer with them, but, at 100 yards, you don't need an X-Bullet to bring them down.

Zachary

[Hcliff]

I like X bullets.  Don't yell at me!!  I have had good success with them.  I never have had the fouling problems that some guys have.  I don't shoot tons of them, too expensive but they are for hunting not target work.  I harvested a 7 pointer with one.  A 90 grain X-BT at 3400+.  It had an exit hole of 3".  The deer didn't go more that 10 yards and expired.  This load shoots 3 shout for 3/4" consistant.  My 30/06 loves the 150 grain.  One gun I have had that shoots them only medicore is my 300 Win Mag.  I am still working on that.  Most of the groups are in the 1 1/4- 1/2" with this rifle. (Which will kill whitetails just fine but I am also picky.)

I have found that with X bullets should follow the Barnes guidelines for off the lands.  With my 20/06 I have found that it love the 90 grain but the 115 isn't that good.  I think that guns can be finky on the bullets because the bearing surface is longer for a given weight compared to standard bullets.  Trying different weights could be the key.  X bullet seem to love speed also.

The Failsafe seems to be more forgiving in the post and boards I have read on the net.  That has grouped well when tryed for me also but is more limited in calibers and weights.  

People love or hate the X.  There are lots of bullets to try out there.  That's why we reload.

Have Fun

Hcliff

[Dana3of5]

I shoot the MKIIVT in .308.  I have used Barnes 150 g X that I moly coated, 165g XLC, and 95g in a MKIIVT .243.  These bullets have a secant (stratght line) ogive, where GameKings and MatchKings have a tangential (Radius) ogive, which is supposed to give you better BC.  NOW, with the moly coat or the XLC coating, your velocity will drop due to the lubrication of the coating, this is on the Barnes website and in the Reloading manual.  So, with coated bullets you will have to increase powder charges, and do so according to proper reloading process paying close attention to pressure indicators.  I used the following powders, H380, 748, and 3031.  My groups with all these variations were less than 1 inch.

The 165g XLC with 51g H380 had best group between 3/4 and 1/2 inch.  This bullet combo downed a 170# mulie doe at 350 yds., spine shot and droped her, she did not move.  (NO, I am not proud of that shot, I was lucky, I could have just as easily wounded her or better yet missed entirely.) I also have a perfectly mushroomed 165g slug retrieved from a stack of magazines at 100 yds.  I have  never used the 150 grain Xbullet with moly on game, because I didn't like the groups.  The latest NRA mag had an article about the new Barnes 168g XLC, based on the shape of a Seirra 168 MatchKing.  I am going to try these just for grins.  

The .243, I never did get right with the Barnes and needed more work before use, so I used a 105 grain Nolser partition, should have stuck with the .308.  I will continue to explore this Barnes 6mm bullet.  I wish it came in a 105g Xbullet.

When I started reloading, I went for Premium bullets only for my own silly idea of accuracy.  I came up with my current "best loads", which are 168 MK SBT and 165 GK SBT over 3031, my best groups are from this combination.  However, reloading is fun, taking into account the varibles of bullets, powders, the .308 has a LOT of combinations, so I will not be mastering it anytime soon.  I am currently using Seirra Gamekings for hunting, and MatchKings for practice.

[Joe Kool]

I've shot a few whitetails with whe X bullets and have mix feegings about them. I've got good accuracy out with them, not the best accuracy the rifles had produced with other bullets, but not bad. I got copper fouling worse the other bullets, and I removed all the jacket fouling before using the X bullets. Performance on deer was good, all the deer hit, fell on the spot or went less then 30 yds.. I never recovered any bullets. For a friend, I loaded the 165 X boat tail in a 300 Winchester Mag. Model 70 Win.. It was the day before deer season and we had to sight in, in a pouring rain storm. After getting it to shoot 2" high at a 100 yds. I shot 4 shots, and my friend shot 3 shots and we had a .75" group. He has shot a number of deer and the performance has been excellent. The X bullets seem to perform the best in magnum calibers. On whitetails, in calibers like the 30/06, regular bullets like the Speer Hot Core or Hornady Interlock seem to do just as good as the X. With the Speer and Hornady you get twice as many bullets for less money. At lower striking velocity, the X bullet doesn't seem expand much, but the deer still expire quickly. It seems like the X bullets deflect more then lead core bullets, when they hit twigs. If I were hunting game larger the whitetails or black bear, I would be more inclined to use the Barnes X bullet, but for whitetails and black bear I will continue to use lead core bullets.