July 2008 Barnes Bullet-N
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Big game seasons are a few months away, but there are still plenty of prairie dogs, rockchucks, woodchucks and jackrabbits around to keep your shooting eye sharp. Benchrest shooting is in full swing, with competitors taking precision to awesome levels.
For bigbore enthusiasts, the Fifty Caliber Shooter’s Association (FCSA) World Championship matches are being held July 1-6 at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico. Several of those attending will shoot Barnes products. In 1999, Skip Talbot used Barnes bullets to set the 1000-yard, Heavy Gun World Record that still stands today. His five–shot group measured just 2.60 inches across.
Another .50 BMG competitor, Brad Trelstad, recently sent in a 1000-yard group with four of five shots clustered into a tight 1.63-inch group. Wind turned the fifth shot into a flyer, spoiling what looked to have some great potential. Hey Brad, we’re cheering for ya in Raton, buddy!
Hunters are becoming more interested in long-distance shooting. Some are getting great results. Brian Carlson just reported shooting a 1.33-inch three-shot group at 250 yards, and a 2.84-inch group at 500 yards. He used 180-grain Triple Shocks in the .300 Winchester Magnum he hunts with. Both groups were well-centered vertically, although the 500-yard group was eight inches left of the aiming point due to the wind.
After weeks of hard walk-and-stalk hunting without the help of baits, Brian recently killed a spring bear in Oregon. He was shooting from prone at a lasered distance of 530 yards. To prepare for this kind of long-range shooting, he’d regularly been busting gallon jugs at 500 yards.
Brian Carlson
Like most hunters, I like to stalk as close as possible before firing. However, I’ve been on a number of hunts where the only opportunity was a 400- or 500-yard shot. I put in a lot of practice before attempting such long-range shooting. Simply buying expensive scopes and accurate rifles isn’t enough. You have to spend long hours at the range to gain the necessary skills. In my opinion, these skills are more important than the equipment you use.
To improve long-range marksmanship, there’s no substitute for actual practice. Or, for a great time and fun experience, attend one of the many schools that offer long range shooting courses. My daughter, Jessica, and I attended one of these training sessions some years back. You can read about the details of our experience in a story written by Ian McMurchy for the #3 Barnes Reloading Manual entitled “Take Your Best Shot.”
If you want to be a better shooter, spend more time at the range. To be a better long-distance shooter, spend even more time shooting at targets a quarter-mile or more away, and utilize the specialized resources and programs that are out there for us.
Randy Brooks
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By now, most of you should have received the new Barnes Reloading Manual #4 if you had it on order with us. Or you may have picked your copy up at your favorite sporting good store. We are very proud of it and are so glad it is finally in our customers’ hands. June was a busy and exciting month. We spent a lot of time trying to fulfill the many orders we had in our system for the manual. I’d like to thank our great team here at Barnes. They worked very hard to get the manuals out quickly.
Our team at Barnes including the people in research and development, ballistics, production, shipping, customer service, as well as the office staff are special people who really care about getting great, high-quality products to our customers and want to make sure that you – our customer – is taken care of properly.
We have a lot of great times here at Barnes and enjoy developing new, exciting products each and every year. We’re proud to be innovators—not imitators. Rest assured that the products we produce have been thoroughly tested and proven in the field and never have or ever will be a gimmick.
We’re having a great year. Our large customer base is growing all the time as more hunters see for themselves how well our bullets perform. It is exciting to see people getting into reloading for the first time, and seeing others coming back to reloading. I really believe our industry is on the upswing.
More and more people are buying guns and ammunition. In the 4th quarter of 2007, there was a 23.6 percent increase in ammunition sales, a 5.9 percent rise in handgun sales and a 4 percent increase in long gun sales, according to the firearm industry’s best economic indicator. The statistics are from the latest Pittman-Robertson federal excise tax collection report. Excise taxes are calculated as a percentage of wholesale receipts. These taxes are paid quarterly by firearms and ammunition manufacturers, and earmarked for state wildlife conservation and habitat restoration programs. During the 4th quarter, $74.8 million was generated for conservation compared to $67.4 million the same period in 2006. From October through December, $16.2 million was collected from pistol and revolver sales, $31.4 million from long guns and $27.1 million from ammunition receipts. The latest tax collections suggest overall sales of $694.4 million, not including retail markup or final retail sales. For the entire calendar year, a total of $303.2 million was collected in excise taxes, up 21.2 percent from the $250.1 million generated in 2006.
Reading these statistics and learning what the hunters’ and shooters’ dollar does for wildlife makes me wonder why the anti-gun, anti-hunter crowd would want to make changes and try to destroy our right to keep and bear arms?
In all the years I have listened to them, not once have I heard how they are going to generate the funds needed to keep the wildlife conservation and restoration programs as they are today if there is no excise tax to collect. Not once have I heard what they are going to contribute.
I hope we will all continue to fight for our right to keep and bear arms. It is well worth the fight—it’s one we must continue to win. We owe it to ourselves and to our treasured wildlife populations. My request to you is that you don’t sit back and hope someone else will speak for you in this all-important fight. We must work together collectively, and by doing so, we will succeed.
Have a great summer and thanks for your wonderful support.
Coni
Victory For Gun Owners
Jessica Brooks
Public Relations
Many of you are aware by now of the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in the case of District of Columbia vs. Heller, ruling that the Second Amendment is an individual right. The details of that ruling (the Syllabus) and an official statement issued by the NSSF (National Shooting Sports Foundation) can be found by clicking on this link www.nssf.org
This landmark decision clearly is a victory for gun owners. We have won a battle in a war that is ongoing, and we should continue to build on the momentum from this success. With the 2008 elections just around the corner, we can’t afford to sit back as casual onlookers or silent protestors.
In the July issue of America’s First Freedom, Wayne LaPierre’s article “Banned If You Do, Banned If You Don’t. Why Gun Owners Can’t Sit Out This Election Year” distinctly states why we as gun owners HAVE to vote for McCain. The following are a few excerpts from that piece:
“Imagine an Obama or Clinton administration – supported by a rubber-stamp progressive U.S. Senate – with 10 more, 20 more, even 50 more judges like Weinstein. For that reason alone, gun owners and others who believe in the Constitution cannot afford to sit out this election.
“An Obama or Clinton administration, appointing anti-gun Supreme Court justices along with U.N. representatives friendly to Soros’ and Peters’ gun-ban plans, would create a well-oiled anti-gun machine – both within and outside the country – bent on destroying the Second Amendment. Once in place, that machine could pursue its desired endgame – a total U.S. gun ban – unfettered by those gun owners who chose to ’sit this one out.’ We simply can’t let that happen.”
Yes, I’ve heard the argument about why many gun owners refuse to vote for McCain. “It’s a stand on principle, I refuse to vote for the lesser of two evils, McCain doesn’t have a great record when it comes to watching out for gun owners”, and more. But here we are, in this situation, with these two candidates. Not only does Obama spell disaster for our Second Amendment rights, but taxes, regulations, and the war on terror to name a few more issues. And I refuse to stand behind illegal aliens to receive health care. We don’t have to make this year’s Presidential Election all about one issue. The shooting public is generally a conservative group, so I have to believe that for the most part we are pretty cohesive in our beliefs and values. That’s why I am petitioning those of you who are contemplating “fence-sitting” for this round, to please reconsider.
It means a great deal to me that McCain served his country and was a POW. For that, I respect him and believe that he has a deep sense of what it means to be an American. I do not believe he is the perfect candidate, but I do gather bits and pieces from him that I can hold on to. In my mind and heart, I just can’t seem to make that happen with Obama. For these reasons, you will find me at the polls this year.
Ty’s Tips
Question: I am a big Barnes Bullets fan. I shoot the 130-grain TSX in my 6.5X284. It is amazingly accurate and a great hunting round. I have also used the 53-grain X Bullet in my CZ .223 as my primary antelope gun, and this is a killer combination (some say it’s too light, but it punches a one-inch hole right through these animals and they don’t run far). I shot a 16-1/2- inch goat in New Mexico while it was running full speed at 150 yards, and punched a nice hole right through him. He never knew what hit him—he crashed and burned pretty hard.
I have been trying to work up some 165- and 180-grain loads for my .300 WSM with a 24-inch barrel and my .300 RUM with a 26-inch barrel (plus muzzle brake). My load is producing 3,610 fps. I am probably loading things on the hot side, but I can’t get really tight (sub-MOA) groups from these two rifles until I really speed up the rounds. When I do, the groups are great, but I’m worried about too much pressure.
I did some research on the issue, and some website forums seem to show similar accuracy results with loads that are in close proximity to mine.
First, am I crazy loading rounds this hot? Have you ever tested rounds at higher pressure and velocity in the RUM? I don’t have a way to measure pressure other than the old fashioned methods, but it seems like I am borderline with my loads.
I am looking for some guidance on very accurate, yet pretty fast loads for both guns using 150- to 180-grain TSX (Minimum of 3,300 fps for the 165 grain bullets in the RUM, and 3100+ fps for the 180-grain and 3100 fps for 180-grain Triple Shocks in the .300 WSM). I plan to go to Africa next year, and will be taking one or both of these rifles. I plan to shoot TSX bullets exclusively on the hunt.
By the way, I loaded 100 rounds Friday night for a new .260 Remington my wife bought me for our anniversary. She included a bunch of 120-grain TSXs. Any suggestions for this rifle and bullet?
Thanks again for such a great product, as well as for any help you can give me.
—Trent
Answer: Accuracy is never an excuse to compromise safety. Based on the velocity you’ve provided for the 165-grain TSX in the .300 RUM, it appears your loads could be hot. You’ll notice our .300 RUM load data is based upon a 24-inch barrel, and all factory rifles I’m aware of have 26-inch barrels, but two inches of barrel length won’t account for the 300 fps of velocity you’re getting over the highest velocity for any of the suggested maximum loads in our #4 Reloading Manual.
When reloading, at times we may find it difficult to get it all (extreme velocity and one ragged-hole 5-shot group) while staying within the bounds of safety. Therefore, I’ve found it helpful to set priorities. In our #4 Manual, we don’t have a load for the 180-grain TSX that achieves 3,100 fps in the 300 WSM but if velocity is your top priority, work the load up, watching for signs of pressure as is customary in the reloading process, monitoring your accuracy along the way. Then, settle on a safe load and one that fits within the criteria that works for you.
The .260 Remington and the 120-grain TSX seem to do well with RL-19 and IMR 4350. Keep in mind our recommendation to start out seating bullets .050-inch from the rifling, adjusting the seating depth for accuracy to fine tune the load, but remember that we do not recommend seating TSX’s closer than .030” off the lands.
Happy hunting. Remember to send in your photos. We love to see and hear how our customers have done in the field.
Best, Ty
Success Story
Tracy Cerise 
Mr. Brooks,
It was a pleasure meeting you in Louisville at the NRA annual meeting. To refresh your memory, I am the person who back on October 6, 2001, shot the first elk killed in Kentucky in over 150 years, following the successful re-introduction of elk into the state. I was using a Markesbery Brown Bear .50 caliber muzzleloader manufactured by a local company in Florence, Kentucky. I shot the elk with a 300-grain Barnes Expander MZ.
The shot was taken at approximately 35 yards. The bullet struck the elk just behind its right front shoulder, and was found just under the skin outside the opposite shoulder. The bullet expanded beautifully. The 6×6 bull traveled about 50 feet before he dropped.
Again, it was nice to meet you. I have used Barnes Bullets on other hunts with spectacular success on Colorado elk. I am a native of Colorado, and return there to hunt with family and friends each October.
—Tracy Cerise
Recipe of the Month
Caribou Meat Pie
1 1/2 lb ground caribou or stewing meat; coarsely diced
1 med onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp oil
2 c water
2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
1 lb diced potatoes
1 diced carrot
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 c green peas
Saute meat, garlic and onions in heated oil in a large skillet, until meat has browned. Transfer to a large saucepan. Add water, herbs, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer 1/2 hour if ground meat and 1 hour if cubed meat. Add potatoes and carrots, cook 20 minutes longer. Remove bay leaf; make a slurry of the flour and a little water and stir in. Bring to a boil until the mixture thickens. Add peas. Remove from the heat and set aside. Prepare your favorite pie crust and place the bottom crust into a pie pan. Pour the meat mixture into the pie pan. Cover with pie crust, flute edge, cut slits in top. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until crust is nicely browned.
From The Lab
Thad Stevens
Ballistics Lab Manager
The age-old “Brush Buster” cartridge theory. Rifles that fire big bullets with blunt noses moving at moderate speeds. It’s been the cause of great debate around campfires and hunting camps, so we devised a test of our own.
Originally, the plan was to keep things simple by comparing a cartridge such as the 30-30 Winchester with flat points against a more modern 30 caliber such as the 300 Winchester Magnum with spitzers. However, as we began shooting our curiosity got the best of us, so a few more components were added to the test.
Simulated brush was constructed so that we could replicate the same test multiple times. Our test media consisted of a 2 x 6 with ¼” dowels placed on one inch centers in staggered rows. The brush was placed at 25 yards from the muzzle, and accuracy was recorded at 50 yards in order to accurately measure the amount of yaw created by the obstacle. All shots were fired from a machine rest.
For each test, one five-shot group was fired with no obstruction. Then, the brush was put in place at 25 yards, a target placed at 50 yards, and a second five-shot group was fired. No, this is not an exact measure of what happens every time a shot is fired through brush. However, it does give us some perspective of how different bullet weights and ogive shapes may be more or less affected by an obstruction. Some will not be happy that we didn’t shoot their beloved 270 Winchester or trusty 35 Remington, but we did shoot a fairly broad range of calibers and after all, this was to test the validity of the “Brush Busters”.
300 Winchester Mag 180 grain TTSX
300 Winchester Mag 180 grain Accubond
30-30 Winchester 150 grain TSX FN
As you can see from the chart above, the 577 Nitro gave us the best results. But hey, we’re talking about a 750-grain bullet traveling at nearly 2000 fps, and not your standard deer cartridge (unless perhaps you’re Mark Sullivan?!) The 180 grain Barnes TTSX was the next best performer with an unbelievable 1.8” group through the brush! This bullet continues to impress us as time goes on and we conduct more tests. The 30-30 Winchester with the 150 grain flat nose, surprisingly, performed the worst.
While we were set up, we decided to see if velocity might play a part in the end result and fired a 130 grain TSX BT at both ends of the velocity spectrum out of the 30-30 Winchester and 30-378 Weatherby. It didn’t seem to make much difference if we pushed that particular bullet 2200 fps or 3750 fps.
We then set up and placed one ¼” dowel 20 yards from the muzzle and shot it with several different bullets including the Barnes 180 grain TTSX, Nosler Accubond and the Barnes 150 grain TSX Flat Nose out of the 30-30 Winchester. High speed photography was used to capture images of the bullet in flight to see just how much yaw was caused by our “twig”. These pictures reinforced what was represented on the targets at 50 yards, showing significant yaw with bullets that performed poorly through the brush, and just slightly noticeable yaw with those that tracked well through the brush.
30-30 Winchester 150 grain TSX FN
300 Winchester Mag 180 grain TTSX
We concluded our “Brush Buster” test by shooting one 180 grain TTSX and one Accubond through our ¼” twig into ballistics gelatin to see how much yaw affects the function of these bullets. The TTSX impacted the dowel at 3022 fps, the Accubond at 2969 fps. The results are as follows:
Barnes TTSX (left) Nosler Accubond (right)
While our test isn’t perfect, it is interesting to see how the different bullet and cartridge combinations performed. We welcome suggestions that any of you might have for future From The Lab tests.
Barnes News
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Congratulations Club-X Prize Winner!
Jim Morris 
This is a picture of me and my grandchildren Robby, Ashley, and Joe (left to right). This picture was taken at our recent Central New York Friends of the NRA Dinner. We own and operate Madison Manufacturing, Inc., a contract manufacturer in Hamilton, NY. We hunt and fish as much as possible when time allows.
—Jim Morris
Jim won the Leupold Green Ring Yosemite Binoculars.
Prize for July
RADIANS SOUND FX™
Am/Fm Radio and Hearing Protection Rolled Into One
The featured product for June is the Sound FX™—the latest addition to the Radians, Inc. line of electronic hearing protection products. The Sound FX™ combines an AM/FM radio with hearing protection featuring a 22 dB Noise Reduction Rating into a single, comfortable, lightweight headset.
The Sound FX™ has a padded, adjustable headband for all-day wearing comfort. External analog tuning and volume controls make the hearing protector easy to adjust while you wear it. The electronic controls limit the sound produced inside the headset to 92 dB. The built-in AM/FM radio receiver has a frequency range of 88-108 MHz FM and 540-1700 kHz AM and includes an auxiliary jack for an MP3 or CD player
Two “AA” batteries provide up to 140 hours of operation. Batteries and MP3 player cable are not included. The Sound FX is available in two color combinations: black and grey, or blue and grey. MSRP: $54.99.
For additional information, call 877-723-4267 or visit www.radians.com
Parting Shots 
We received this photo of “Duke”, an Alaskan Pitbull friend of Fred Barker, columnist for Precision Shooting magazine. Fred tells the story that Duke packs a blued-steel .44 Magnum Ruger Super Blackhawk in a Bianchi #1 holster. Over several years Duke has bugged Fred to upgrade this gun, so it now has a stainless grip frame and Pachmayr rubber grips (Duke finds wood grip panels slippery when wet), Millett steel rear sight, Brownell’s round hammer strut with 17-pound mainspring, and Wolff 40-ounce trigger-return spring. The gun now cocks easier and the trigger lets off crisply at just under three pounds-both of which Duke likes very much (pulling a trigger with a claw is not easy).
In his wanderings around Alaska Duke occasionally takes a caribou, Sitka deer, or other protein-rich food with his sixgun. He uses Cor-Bon DPX loads with Barnes bullets. Unlike humans, Duke has no need for bear-defense loads in his .44 (he can outrun them), but wolves do see him as a tasty meal. He chuckles when he mentions the surprised look on a wolf’s face when a big .44 slug is fired at it.
Recently Duke watched the movie Shane, where the gentle-hearted gunslinger hero fans the hammer of his old colt to take out the bad guys in the saloon gunfight; and he asked Fred to put a new hammer spur on his Ruger. So, Fred read him Elmer’s section on fanning sixguns in his big book (Keith, Sixguns), emphasizing how that method of firing abuses a gun’s moving parts. So for now, at least, Duke will continue to fire his .44 with the trigger.
