Barnes X ..... the old XLC or the Triple Shock?

eltorro

eltorro

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
138   0   0
Location
Out West
looking for a deep penetration bullet... that also has somewhat higher B.C.

The Barnes seem to fit the bill, but I got into a predicament.
Are the older ones (especially the XLC coated ones) better? - maybe higher speed, but with the "compression" issues due to their solid copper construction.. OR:
the new Triple shock.... compression problem solved, but no XLC avaialbility.... slower speeds....

how would you rate these two, compared to each other?
accuracy and performance....?
 
go with Triple Shocks. the XLC coating can be a pain, and not as accurate on average either

check out Barnes's site, they lowered the BC's on a number of their TSX bullets, as they are re-testing the BCs and finding them not to be as high as once thought.

still great bullets though (I shoot 130 tsx in 260 and 168 tsx in 30-06).
​
 
todbartell said:


check out Barnes's site, they lowered the BC's on a number of their TSX bullets, as they are re-testing the BCs and finding them not to be as high as once thought.

​
Click to expand...

Or is it because they were sued for false advertising? ;)
 
I will be honest I never did shoot game with the tripple shock bullet, but have tested them in a 300wm and a 30-378wby, Its no secret they work and they out penetrate a regular bonded bullet, with great recovery and some new found velocity to boot (bonus). If you are looking to break bone on a big bruin, or smash down a moose or elk in the front end theres no doubt you found the right bullet, with the tripple shock. I loaded these for the 2 above mentioned cartridges for an elk hunt last year.
And BTW I would not be affraid to use them to stop a bear if needed either.
 
I haven't had a chance to try the xlc yet but i the tsx has performed well for me so far. Last fall I had a shot at a 250 lb mulie at about 40-50 yards from the front. The shot broke the front shoulder and pentrated thru the length of the deer and i never recovered the bullet. This was with a 30-06 180 tsx with 55gr H4350 the load was very accurate (3/4 to 1" if i do my part) but when i chrono'd the load after i was dissappointed to find that what i thought was around 2700 fps was actually 2550 fps. Just beaware that in order to reach factory velocity or maybe a bit better you will have to use 1-2gr more powder (carefully working up to max!). Other than the velocity issue i am very happy with its performance, and as a bonus the tsx chewed up far less meat then i thought, except for what was damaged in the shoulder from the flying bone bits the bullet behaved very well. All in all a hearty recommendation.

Cheers Luke
 
I suspect the XLC are on their way out... the TSX will likely replace all Barnes bullets... makes sense from a manufacturing point of view... plus they seem to be all people are shooting now anyhow.

I've killed game with both, and the XLC's are just as deadly.... IF your rifle will shoot them. The TSX are much more forgiving in the accuracy dept., and don't foul any more than the XLC do.

The XLC take a little "walking on" to get standard speeds from, as much as 2 gr more powder in my experience to get velocity out of them.

Go with the TSX, cheaper, cooler, and readily available.

As far as bullets go, they are my favorite. They open up on coyotes out at long ranges, and penetrate the large stuff up close.... what more could you ask for!

280_ACKLEY
 
I suspect the XLC is on the way out also.

I've had good luck with the 160 gr. XLC in two separate 7mm Rem Mag rifles and the 100 gr. in my old 25 06.

I've only tried one TSX, the 120 gr. in 6.5/06 AI. Had mixed results and what seemed to be early pressure signs. Found an accurate load eventually but seems to be a bit slow for the pressure.

The TSX seems to be a keeper though with all the results reported on the forums.
 
I have done some exteensive handloading with the XLC's in 6.5 and .284 caslibers, as well as the TSX's is 6.5.
I firmly bbelieve that the TSX is a far better bullet in the pressure and accurcay department.
Their XLC data was very unreliable, actually!:eek:
'Nuff said!!:rolleyes:
Cat
 
I'm using the 168 TSX in the 300 Win Mag, and am suitably impressed. Under minute of angle accuracy, and very reliable killer. Couldn't tell you how well they perform on game as I have yet to recover one from a dead animal. Always get complete penetration. And I've never tracked a head of game that I've hit with one. Quicker than bang-flop most times. I love 'em, and I'm not driving them to extreme velocities. 3030 fps at the muzzle. Works too good to change.
 
stubblejumper said:
I much prefer the tsx as it is more accurate in my rifles and it performs well on game.Below are links to a photo of a .308" 180gr tsx recovered from an elk.The bullet was fired out of a 300ultramag at 3380fps and destroyed and completely destroyed a large section of the animals spine.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d128/stubblejumper11/PA050015.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d128/stubblejumper11/PA050019.jpg
Click to expand...


Stubblejumper,
How far away was the elk when you shot it, that bullet looks beautiful. At the extreme velocities you drive it's particurly impressive.
I had great results last year from my 300 WSM, alas no bullets to show for the 5 kills.
 
The shot was just under 200 yards and was quartering,so the bullet travelled lengthwise through the elk,destroying the spine.I doubt that I will ever recover a tsx on a broadside shot.
 
I would estimate the impact velocity at just over 2900fps,and yes,I am very happy with the results.Given that the bullet destoyed so much bone it did surprise me that all four petals remained intact.The 180gr tsx is now the only bullet that will be used for in my 300ultramags for hunting.
 
I used the 185 gr TSX in my 338-06 at just under 3000 fps to take this bull in 2004. The shot was a lasered 270 yards and the bullet went in just behind the near shoulder, centered the off shoulder and was found just under the hide. It lost all four petals and weighed 121 grs. I was quite surprised at the loss of petals given the impact velocity. The bull did drop right where he stood though. Using the 250 gr X (9.3x62) in Africa delivered picture perfect results as noted above for the few bullets that were recovered. The TSX is very accurate in my 338-06.

PA120075.JPG
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom