Barnes TSX Bullets

[firweed1969]

Howdy Folks,  I was wondering if anyone had any experience with the Barnes TSX bullets. My plan is to use the 100grn TSX for whitetail in a   25-06. I've never used a all copper bullet and was concerned about fouling the barrel, my question is, is this something I should worry about and how might it effect my barrel?

[Donna]

Hello firweed1969,

An all copper bullet is not going to foul the barrel any worse than a copper jacketed lead bullet would do nor is it going to hurt the barrel. Just start your loads on the low side of the reloading manuals and work up slowly watching out for pressure signs. I know they redesigned their bullets to reduce the original high pressure their bullets were giving but it is still a solid copper bullet and that makes it harder than a copper jacketed lead bullet that has a relatively thin copper jacket with a soft lead core.

Donna :wink:

[Varmint Hunter]

I hate to disagree but..........

Monolithic copper bullets (Barnes, Grooves, etc) foul like crazy.

Conventional lead core jacketed bullets have a thin but hard copper jacket. The lead core easily allows the bullet to obturate as it is forced into the rifling and the jacket can, therefore, be harder and resist wiping off in the bore.

The solid copper bullets MUST be made from a softer copper in order to allow them to obturate sufficiently. The down side to this softer copper is bore fouling. This can be a significant problem in a rough factory bore. This is why Barnes sells CR-10, a very powerful copper cleaner. Just smelling the stuff makes your head spin. If used improperly, it can damage the bore.

The newer Barnes TSX bullets, with the bearing rings, are designed to reduce the bullet body to bore contact area, thus, reducing copper fouling and chamber pressure. How much reduction may depend on how smooth or rough the bore is. It does appear to be beneficial to accuracy, and the TSX is finding a home in many guns that could not shoot regular X bullets.

There are so many other quality, accurate, premium bullets out there now that it hardly seems worth the time, trouble and expense to use solid copper bullets. However, if you just have to have the maximum amount of penetration possibe, the solid copper bullets may just be the ticket.

Just my 2 cents - Milage may vary

VH

[firweed1969]

Thanks for the response guys. After doing some more research on the subject I have decided to try the heavier 117grn Hornady SST instead. I currently shoot the V-Max 75grn for groundhogs at ranges out to 200 & 300 yards w/ great accuracy I just hope the heavy 117grn will shoot as good.

[Daniel]

I like the Barnes TSX a lot. They've worked great for me in my .300 Wby Sako. They're accurate and don't foul any more than conventional lead core bullets. It didn't take much experimentation at all to get them to shoot well. In fact, they shot so well with the very first combination of powder, primer, etc..., I have not bothered to try anything else.