I have a 130 gr. Barnes XBT load, for mt .308 Win, Savage Striker.
It is fairly hot, since it chronies ar 2775 fps, out of that 14" barrel.
How does it work on whitetails? Well let's say it hits them like
"Thor's Hammer". I have dropped 3 whitetails with this bullet,
and all have been bang flop, or stumble a few yards, and drop.
And the mess inside is VERY impressive. My old uncle stopped
by as I was processing the first deer shot by this round, where
the entry point had just clipped the back edge of the shoulder,
and had vaporized a 4" hole under the pelt, and his comment
was, "Jezz what the heck are you shooting?". I told him it was
a .308, with a 130 gr, Barnes X bullet handload. He said, "I don't
know what that is, but it is WAY TOO MUCH bullet for whitetail".
Given I like "Bang Flop", I think it is just about right!
I also have a .300 WSM, and I also have considered working
up a whitetail round for it, with 130 gr. Barnes bullets. I would
recommend using the 130 gr. Barnes Triple Shock bullets,
over the X Bullets. They seem to be much easier to work
up an accurate load, for most rifles. But any 130 gr. Barnes
bullet would be a good choice for a deer sized game hunting
round. I hunt in northern Wisconsin, where whitetail bucks,
grow well into the 200 lb dressed range, and the Barnes 130
gr. bullets are plenty effective.
Squeeze
