Author Topic: anybody have results of the barnes expander? (Read 1117 times)

squidkid · « **on:** January 02, 2005, 12:31:26 PM »

i am starting to do some primitive, backyard testing of different rounds for my new 20 ultra slug hunter(merry CHRISTmas to me :wink: )............i am using a 80 lb bad of shelled corn as my target to test for expansion of rounds(easy to retrieve and probably more comparative to a deer body than numerous 2x boards)..............the winchester partition golds penetrated a little farther than the barnes expanders, but the expansion on the barnes was awesome.....................

i see plenty of posts about patterning certain rounds but basically none of performance............
anyone have any test results or real life results of these or any other rounds
?

jeff223 · « **Reply #1 on:** January 02, 2005, 01:01:49 PM »

the Barnes expander was recovered from a buck i shot.the second one is a 20ga foster slug recovered from a buck i shot and the 3rd one is a Lightfield recovered from a tree i shot. :lol:

i use the 20ga Fed Barnes Expander slugs and i love them.good penatration and they hold their weight.big wound channels and big exit wounds with the Barnes Expanders.i also use the Barnes MZ Expanders in my muzzle loaders with good results.if your gun shoots them good use them.

squidkid · « **Reply #2 on:** January 02, 2005, 01:50:16 PM »

jeff, thanks for the reply. can you give me any more specifics on the barnes round............shot distance, shot placement, deer's reaction, damage done in and out.................thanks

Markus · « **Reply #3 on:** January 02, 2005, 03:58:42 PM »

Never used the 20ga but the 2 doe I shot last year with the 12ga fell dead in their tracks.I think they were about 40-60 yards. Both about 100-120lbs. Both were heart lung shots. Awsome slugs.

jeff223 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 03, 2005, 03:54:14 AM »

the Barnes bullet pictured was recovered from a buck shot at just under 150yds and that was a quartering shot through the shoulder angleing back and the bullet was recovered under the hide in the back leg.all the other recovered bullets were recovered from animals shot at closer distances that were head on shots,end to end.its hard to recover bullets from deer just shot through the shoulders or rib cage,they most always pass through the other side.i have dropped some deer right where they stand but most will run some when hit but not more than 40 or 50 yds.you just never know what they will do.just put the bullet through the heart,lungs,liver,THE KILL ZONE and you will have your deer

3s3k · « **Reply #5 on:** January 03, 2005, 04:16:58 AM »

squidkid;

As mentioned many times on this form each ush seems to prefer different sabots , that being said i will add my 2cents.Three of us hunt with 20ga ush's we all use Lightfield Hybred exp's to about 75yds 1-2inch groups plus they are the cheapest and put meat on the table after that 75yds to 125yds its its more of a users preference my ush seems to work better with either Remy ultra core lokts or winny platinum 2-3inch groups consistantly.GL

ScatterGunner · « **Reply #6 on:** January 03, 2005, 02:30:20 PM »

hi jeff223 -

you new avitar leads me to believe that you are an active and prolific squirrel hunter.

sg

whitedogone · « **Reply #7 on:** January 03, 2005, 03:55:12 PM »

Hey fellas, How's everyone been? I know it's been a long while since I have posted. I've been lurking from time to time though. Nice post, I have been wondering the same thing myself. You see I to have a new 20 gauge slugger. I have been hoping SO bad that it will shoot some of the new 5/8 oz. Barnes 3" Feds well. An Ultra?? you ask?? No, sorry to disappoint. It's a Mossy 500 in Mossy Oak With a 24" rifled barrel. I have yet to send anything down the tube. Been trying to figure out the scope/rings setup for some time. I know there is not a flying change in .... that it will shoot with a Ultra. But maybe it will allow me to take a occasional 100 yrd+ shot without having to hold on their back.

Squidkid...sorry didn't mean to steal your thread....

P.S..... so glad to see Jeff's picture posting....an old pro

whitedogone · « **Reply #8 on:** January 03, 2005, 04:07:38 PM »

Jeff's pic does it for me!! It really shows just how much better these Barnes slugs really are. And all that penetration at 150 yds. no less. Jeff, are you shooting the 5/8 or 3/4 oz. Fed's?

jeff223 · « **Reply #9 on:** January 03, 2005, 05:49:08 PM »

hi Scott,i am shooting the 3/4oz Expanders out of a NEF Ultraslug.its a great setup.hope to see more of your post again.

scattergunner,you seem to like my new picture?i kind of like it myself

no one is using it now that Underclocked has left the forums here.does it remind you of the MASTER BLASTER BIG MORTIE?

ScatterGunner · « **Reply #10 on:** January 03, 2005, 06:19:53 PM »

NOW JEFF223 I AM HERE TO TELL YOU I LIKE YOUR PICTURE !

IF BIG MAMA (245LBS) WAS HERE SHE WOULD LIK IT TOO.

whitedogone · « **Reply #11 on:** January 04, 2005, 03:09:49 AM »

I've been looking at the ballistics of the Federal Barnes loads for some time. Here's the data on the 2 loads in 20 gauge they offer.

Site in @100 yds.

3/4oz. 5/8oz.

Drop @ 125 -3.3 -2.0
MV @ muzzle 1450 1900
MV@ 125yds. 1150 1450
Ft.# @muzzle 1515 2205
Ft.# @ 125 yds. 960 1280

On paper the 5/8 oz. load sure looks nicer to me. But will it group?

I hate when those ammo manufacturers know they got ya. 2 bucks every time you they pull the trigger. And most manufactures don't even post ballistics so you got to buy them and shoot a bunch to deturmine drops. WDO

jeff223 · « **Reply #12 on:** January 04, 2005, 04:24:58 AM »

Scot,i bought 10 boxes of the Fed Barnes slugs a few years back and i got a very good deal on them.shooting them in a single shot they are going to last me some time.from what i read when they came out the 3/4 oz slug had a muzzle speed of around 1700 fps.they didnt even have the 5/8oz slug yet.i would try them if i were you,there is something to be said about 1900 fps.another good shooing slug out of my gun is the Winchester partition slug and that one shoots 1900 fps at the muzzle.i never shot a deer with the Winchester ammo.

whitedogone · « **Reply #13 on:** January 04, 2005, 04:42:26 AM »

Quote from: jeff223

Scot,i bought 10 boxes of the Fed Barnes slugs a few years back and i got a very good deal on them.shooting them in a single shot they are going to last me some time.from what i read when they came out the 3/4 oz slug had a muzzle speed of around 1700 fps.they didnt even have the 5/8oz slug yet.i would try them if i were you,there is something to be said about 1900 fps.another good shooing slug out of my gun is the Winchester partition slug and that one shoots 1900 fps at the muzzle.i never shot a deer with the Winchester ammo.

That's strange that the MV (of the 3/4oz. offering)has gone down. I plan to try the winny Partition Gold's as well.

The two I was looking at:

3" 3/4 oz. Barnes = # P207XS
3" 5/8 oz. Barnes = # P209XS

jeff223 · « **Reply #14 on:** January 04, 2005, 08:14:32 AM »

maybe i am mistaken about this Scott.i looked into this a few years ago and i havnt cheched it out for some time.

when i sighted my sluggun in i started out with the cheap Lightfields to get it on paper,then finished it off with the Fed Barnes Expanders.then i shot the Winchesters and the two shoot to the same zero at 100 yards.i have it zeroed one inch high at 100yds.

did you look at the Federal ammos web sight for the info?when i run out i well be checking out the fast 5/8oz slugs for sure.

whitedogone · « **Reply #15 on:** January 04, 2005, 01:42:38 PM »

Jeff, I did get the info. off the Federal site. In fact I called them today and asked them about this. They told me that the velocity had not changed. The 3/4 oz loads are 1450 fps. I did pick up 2 boxesa of the 3/4 oz stuff at my local shop for 23% off or 5.75 per box ! That's about all they had in 20 that I wanted to try. Hopefully they will still be on sale if I find they shoot well. WDO

jeff223 · « **Reply #16 on:** January 04, 2005, 03:05:12 PM »

Scott,if the 3/4oz slugs shoot at 1450fps the 1900fps jobs will be real woods hammers.the slower ones are very good on game.the one buck i shot out near the 150yd mark went down fast and the bullet opened up nice.Barnes says they will open up down at 1000fps.boy i think i will try the fast ones this year at the range just for the heck of it.

their muzzle loader bullets are winners too

whitedogone · « **Reply #17 on:** January 05, 2005, 02:39:38 AM »

Just for those of you who don't know which loads we are talking about. WDO

ScatterGunner · « **Reply #18 on:** January 05, 2005, 10:10:24 AM »

these look like muzzleloader bullets and the sabots i see at the gunshop, but they are stuffed into a 20 gauge.

sg

jeff223 · « **Reply #19 on:** January 05, 2005, 11:47:33 AM »

same bullet but just a little bigger :wink:

ScatterGunner · « **Reply #20 on:** January 05, 2005, 02:45:17 PM »

last year, i casted up a bunch of the lyman 20 sabot slugs that use a regular shot wad as the sabot.

i put 3 out of 5 of them on one paper plate at about 35 yards offhand.

they where nice because i could use straight wheel weights and crimped well on my single stage MEC press.

the velocity was somewhere near 1400 fps on the crony.

sg

hunter01 · « **Reply #21 on:** January 05, 2005, 03:03:34 PM »

Quote from: squidkid

i am starting to do some primitive, backyard testing of different rounds for my new 20 ultra slug hunter(merry CHRISTmas to me :wink: )............i am using a 80 lb bad of shelled corn as my target to test for expansion of rounds(easy to retrieve and probably more comparative to a deer body than numerous 2x boards)..............the winchester partition golds penetrated a little farther than the barnes expanders, but the expansion on the barnes was awesome.....................

i see plenty of posts about patterning certain rounds but basically none of performance............
anyone have any test results or real life results of these or any other rounds
?

I use the barnes expanders going 1900 out of my H&R 12 and I love them. The shoot much flatter then the partition golds and remingtons. I'm sighted in for far shots with my H&R. With my gun set at 2 inches hi with the federals I'm dead zero at 150 yards. While testing the partition golds and remingtons I found myself grouping 3 inches low. My end result at 200 yards was a 9 inch drop with federal (1900 FPS) and about a 14 inch drop with winchester and remington. But as I said, I'm 2 inches hi at 100 yards.

hunter01 · « **Reply #22 on:** January 05, 2005, 03:07:30 PM »

Quote from: hunter01

Quote from: squidkid
i am starting to do some primitive, backyard testing of different rounds for my new 20 ultra slug hunter(merry CHRISTmas to me :wink: )............i am using a 80 lb bad of shelled corn as my target to test for expansion of rounds(easy to retrieve and probably more comparative to a deer body than numerous 2x boards)..............the winchester partition golds penetrated a little farther than the barnes expanders, but the expansion on the barnes was awesome.....................

i see plenty of posts about patterning certain rounds but basically none of performance............
anyone have any test results or real life results of these or any other rounds
?
I use the barnes expanders going 1900 out of my H&R 12 and I love them. The shoot much flatter then the partition golds and remingtons. I'm sighted in for far shots with my H&R. With my gun set at 2 inches hi with the federals I'm dead zero at 150 yards. While testing the partition golds and remingtons I found myself grouping 3 inches low. My end result at 200 yards was a 9 inch drop with federal (1900 FPS) and about a 14 inch drop with winchester and remington. But as I said, I'm 2 inches hi at 100 yards.

In addition, YES, Using a Nikon range finder I took doe at 165 with the barnes expanders (1900 fps) I did not go through her. The bullet entered behind the shoulder and detroyed the spine on the back side. The expansion was awesome similar to that photo..we dug it out while packing the meat.

hunter01 · « **Reply #23 on:** January 05, 2005, 03:54:08 PM »

Quote from: squidkid

i am starting to do some primitive, backyard testing of different rounds for my new 20 ultra slug hunter(merry CHRISTmas to me :wink: )............i am using a 80 lb bad of shelled corn as my target to test for expansion of rounds(easy to retrieve and probably more comparative to a deer body than numerous 2x boards)..............the winchester partition golds penetrated a little farther than the barnes expanders, but the expansion on the barnes was awesome.....................

i see plenty of posts about patterning certain rounds but basically none of performance............
anyone have any test results or real life results of these or any other rounds
?

I use the Federal Barnes (1900fps) rounds out of my 12 slugster. They shoot flatter then any other round I've tried. Penetration has always been great. 150 yard shots passing through the lungs and usually lodging on the back side of the deer. I've never had a deer run more then a few yards with these sabots. Even with lung shots where the bullet misses bone and the deer is less shocked the deer only went 40 yards. Good Luck.