Barnes Theory or other?

C

cmabbott04

New member
Hey guys,

Just got in to reloading a couple year back and have fallen in love with Barnes bullets for my normal hunting needs (hogs and whitetail) as the weight retention smacks them down well, and I feel it is great for hogs.

HOWEVER, I have some 62 grain Barnes TTSX loaded in my 223 and the other day had a shot at a fox, which I took, and I thought I missed, he stopped, I shot again, he spun around some more, ran another 40 yards and my friend lit him up with a 243 87 grain Sierra Gameking. Obvious overkill. I grabbed the fox and came home and started skinning it, as I like to keep a fox pelt, even if damaged, and while cussing myself for apparently forgetting anything about how to shoot I noticed a few small holes (not the 243 grenade) in the pelt. Looks like I was hitting with my barnes bullet and it was just punching right through.

So my question is, if you have a dedicated predator rig would you move away from the Barnes and to something like a Sierra Gameking or a Berger VLD? I also use my predator gun with thermal and shoot hogs in the ear hole (or close to it) at night and I want to continue doing this for which the Barnes are great.

Any advice here?

Thanks!
 
55 gr NBT would be better suited for coyote & Fox IMO as they open reliably but are tough enough not to splash on coyotes.

I've shot quite a few hogs w/55 NBT while coyote hunting and they worked well shooting them anywhere between eye and ear. Did hit one large boar facing me, saw the bullet splash between the eyes, knocked him to the ground but he got up and I lost that one. Assuming bullet ricocheted off the slanted nose and nothing penetrated the skull. Will not ever try facing shot again.

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Regards,
hm
 
Try the 45gr TSX or 50gr TTSX. Both of those are recommended by Barnes for deer and antelope and they work great on predators.

Why use such a heavy 62gr solid copper on a tiny fox?
 
Would a 50gr TTSX work on hogs? I'd think so, maybe even better than a 62 because of the increased velocity yet it still retains it's weight for penetration. Heavier isn't always better especially with copper bullets like TTSX.
 
The Barnes TSX bullets are not designed to come apart, they are not high a frangible bullet. In my 220 Swift I use a couple of bullets. My main bullet is the Sierra 55 gr HPBT (#1390). I am not sure about fox because they are pretty thin skinned but when I hit a coyote with that bullet and do my job hitting center mass, the bullet never exits. In fact, I shot one last weekend and he dropped like a rock and there was only a little blood spot at the bullet entry but internally it was devastating.
The other bullet I have a load worked up for in the same caliber is the Barnes 36 gr Varmint Grenade. It is a highly frangible bullet and has the same effect as the 55 gr but I don't use it as much because of the winds we get here during the winter months and it is not as stable in higher wind conditions. You might give that bullet a try.
 
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Think of a fox as a 2-liter soda bottle wearing a fur coat, plus a head and a tail and a couble of legs. The chest cavity is pretty small, the bullet only has maybe 3 inches to do anything before it exits. Otherwise it's basically a fmj.
 
Originally Posted By: Tim NeitzkeBarnes TSX a high frangible bullet ???

Tim, I changed my post after reading it as what I meant to say was they are NOT a highly frangible bullet. Thanks for pointing this out.
 
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I shoot the 62gr TTSX at a lot of deer and a few coyotes every year. I've killed a few pigs with them as well, without a doubt that bullet is no nonsense killer. I have also shot plenty of jackrabbits and prairie dogs as targets of opportunity with zero issues. Certainly not with the carnage that a B-tip or V-max provides but dead just the same. To be perfectly honest, I have never shot a fox with the 62gr TTSX but via extrapolation, I doubt it failed to expand....

All that said, I have killed a few foxes in addition to a few deer and coyotes via .22 hornet and .221 fireball using the 45gr TSX. I've found it very deadly at those velocities if shots are not to long, yet very fur friendly on the smaller stuff. If I were in your geographical situation I think I'd run the 45gr TSX (wish they made a tipped version) at .223 velocities and see what you think.....I'm guessing you will be impressed!


PLOTBOSS
 
Originally Posted By: cmabbott04I keep the 62 grains loaded due to the abundance of hogs is all...

Where in NC do you find an abundance of hogs, not looking for your honey hole just north, south, east or west would do. I have a couple sons in the Raleigh area, not sure exactly where they hunt but not far, they have never seen a hog but plenty deer, Turkey and a few coyote
 


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