Alerts
Wednesday, July 13th, 2011
Thad Stevens
Ballistics Lab Manager
Here’s a test question for you: True or false? Barnes Banded Solids create higher pressures, and therefore should not be fired in some double rifles, particularly older guns with softer barrel steel.
Answer: False! Read on. I’ll explain why and bolster our case with test data.
Rumors are floating around on internet forums, chat rooms, blogs and by word-of-mouth that some firearm manufacturers are recommending full metal jackets or soft points only for use in their rifles, no mono-metal solids. Because our Banded Solids are in the mono-metal class, customers have asked for our feedback. More specifically, people want to know if our Banded Solids create higher pressures than the competition’s jacketed soft points and full metal jackets to the point their rifle could be damaged. For the record, we’ve been presented with one occurrence of this nature to date, but it didn’t involve a Barnes solid. Holland & Holland reported to us that a monolithic solid manufactured by another company actually damaged one of their rifles. However, this particular company was at one time using melted down, reclaimed cartridge case brass to manufacture their monolithic solids. Barnes has always used pure, virgin material for our Solids, and now Banded Solids.
According to some blog and forum posts, there are a number of factors involved that must be taken into account such as barrel thickness and even the age of the barrel. Let’s look at the facts. Mono-metal solids are made of a solid alloy such as bronze or brass. Full metal jackets are made from a steel cup with a copper wash applied to the surface of the steel. A lead core is inserted in the base and the “cup” is then closed to form the base of the bullet. If what these folks are saying is true about thin barrels and older steel being more “sensitive,” then wouldn’t steel on steel produce a higher friction coefficient than brass alloy on steel?
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The Barnes Banded Solid is slightly under-sized. We do this to accommodate the great variety of tolerances found in double rifles. It is a fact that some double rifle barrels are out of spec on bore and groove diameters. In a perfect world we would build bullets to fit each individual throat and barrel, but this is simply not feasible. So we try to build bullets that will work safely for the majority. SAAMI requires that diameters on all sporting rifles not exceed +.002”, but double rifles were being built long before SAAMI came into existence.
The material used to manufacture Barnes Banded Solids will not obturate at less than 45,000 psi. So how is it that a turned bullet, slightly undersized in diameter, held to precision tolerances on a CNC machine that will NOT obturate, create excessive pressure or damage a barrel that is even close to within spec? I submit that a full metal jacket comprised of a .003” thick copper-plated steel core engraving into the lands and grooves is going to be much harder on a barrel.
To further reduce bearing surface and pressure, Barnes has cut a series of grooves in the shank of the mono-metal solid that provides any material displaced by the lands someplace to go. Full metal jackets do not have this feature. Steel on steel is not the desired scenario for a rifle barrel, especially if what people are saying is true about the older barrels being made from softer material. Is the steel in the jacket material softer or harder than the barrel steel? In general, we don’t know the answer to this as the metal used for double rifle barrels has varied to such a great extent over the years. However, we know for a fact that the brass in Barnes Banded Solids IS softer than barrel steel. We also know that the grooves cut in the shank provide an area for the softer material to displace.
Still skeptical? Of course you are. You want proof and we figured you would, so we performed pressure tests. Hopefully, the results will put this myth and your mind to rest. While we were at it, we shot some penetration tests to compare Barnes bullets with one of our leading competitors on the African market.
I believe the “high pressure with all mono-metal solids” propaganda was spread via the old “someone heard something from someone” and so on, and so on. If someone out there is aware of an actual case involving pressure issues with BARNES mono-metal solids, I would ask that these people contact Barnes personally. We would like the opportunity to investigate any such claim. Based on our tests and experience, I’m comfortable stating that Barnes Banded Solids are better for antique barrels than the competition.
For our test, we fired 500 grain bullets in a 470 Nitro test barrel with 85.0 grains of RL15, Norma brass and Federal 215M primers.
PRESSURE TEST
PENETRATION TEST
Wednesday, June 29th, 2011
Barnes is now offering the most accurate and affordable line of match bullets on the market. Providing competitive shooters with pin-point precision, the all-new Match Burners have redefined accuracy while offering optimum caliber/bullet-weight ratios.
From Benchrest, High Power Rifle, 3-Gun, and Tactical matches to everyday target shooting, these premium Match Burners have proven to deliver aggressive results. Designed specifically with the competitive shooter in mind, Match Burners will perform time and time again building and maintaining any marksman’s confidence.
New Match Burner bullets for 2011:
52-grain .224” FB
69-grain .224” BT (1:10” Twist or Faster)
85-grain .224” BT (1:8” Twist or Faster)
68-grain .243” FB
105-grain .243” BT (1:9″ Twist or Faster)
140-grain .264” BT
155-grain .308” BT
175-grain .308” BT
Wednesday, June 29th, 2011
Barnes Bullets is the proud recipient of the North American Hunting Club’s seal of approval for the TTSX. The TTSX received an outstanding 97% approval rating from the NAHC field test members. Click here to view the article.
Thursday, June 23rd, 2011
If you are a big fan of the MRX, and I know some of you are, please stock up now. We will not be offering this line for 2012. If your local retailer does not have the MRX bullets you need, contact Barnes Customer Service at 800-574-9200 or email@barnesbullets.com and they will tell you where to find them. You may also be interested to know that DoubleTap Ammunition has purchased a large supply of MRX bullets and will be offering them for a limited time in loaded ammunition. Contact DoubleTap Ammunition for more details about ammunition loaded with the MRX Bullet.
Thursday, June 23rd, 2011
Barnes® Adds New Bullet Line for Long-Range Hunting—LRX
The all-new Long-Range X Bullet® (LRX) line is adding four new bullets to Barnes’ already vast bullet selection. Designed after the best-selling Tipped Triple-Shock® X Bullet® (TTSXTM), the new LRX bullet design increases B.C. values by increasing ogive and boat tail lengths to improve the bullets’ long-range ballistic performance. For the hunter who is confident in long-range hunting, the LRX will fill the niche of this new hunting craze.
LRX bullets will continue to be manufactured with the proven 100-percent copper, lead-free bodies. The bullet’s polymer tip initiates expansion, causing the nose cavity to open instantly on contact doubling the bullet’s original diameter while creating four cutting petals that wreak extensive internal damage. Multiple rings cut in the shank relieve pressures and virtually eliminate copper fouling, while contributing to the bullet’s outstanding accuracy. Even at long-range, these bullets produce pass-through penetration while retaining virtually 100-percent of their weight. Exceptional performance means clean, quick kill.
Cllick here for more information on the LRX Bullet.
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010
Just this week, Barnes re-introduced bulk packs of 75 muzzleloader bullets without sabots. Click here to view available products and pricing.
Thursday, July 1st, 2010
BARNES® VOR-TX® AMMUNITION
Loaded with Barnes TSX®, Tipped TSX™ & TSX FN™ bullets
ACCURACY – PRECISON – PERFORMANCE™
NEW for 2010! BARNES® VOR-TX® Ammunition – precision loaded with the deadliest bullets on the planet. The leader in bullet innovation offers hunters the ultimate in accuracy, terminal performance and handloaded precision in a factory loaded round. The whirling, destructive power™ of Barnes’ all-copper bullet’s PERformance leaves lead-core bullet DEformance in the dust.
Offering double-diameter expansion, maximum weight retention and excellent accuracy, the TSX®, Tipped TSX™ and TSX FN™ provide maximum tissue and bone destruction, pass-through penetration and devastating energy transfer. Multiple grooves in the bullet’s shank reduce pressure and improve accuracy. Bullets open instantly on contact – no other bullet expands as quickly. Nose peels back into four sharp-edged copper petals destroying tissue, bone and vital organs for a quick, humane kill.
BARNES® VOR-TX® Ammunition will be available August 1st, 2010 in:
223 Rem—55 grain TSX
243 Win—80 grain Tipped TSX
270 Win—130 grain Tipped TSX
7mm Rem Mag—140 grain Tipped TSX
7mm Rem Mag—160 grain TSX
30-30 Win—150 grain TSX FN
30-06 Sprg—150 & 180 grain Tipped TSX
308 Win—150 & 168 grain Tipped TSX
300 Win Mag—165 & 180 grain Tipped TSX
300 WSM—165 grain Tipped TSX
300 RUM—180 grain Tipped TSX
338 Win Mag—225 grain Tipped TSX
Visit www.barnesbullets.com to request a free VOR-TX® catalog and new Performance vs. Deformance™ free DVD; or call toll free 800.574.9200 or fax 435.856.1040; or email@barnesbullets.com.
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
Hey, checkout our brand new Barnes Bullets Facebook fan page!
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
One of our latest newsletters featured an article on choosing the right long range hunting bullet. Check out the newsletter by clicking on the words long range hunting bullet.
