195 Grain Barnes Expander

[rangerod]

That bullet did not go thru the first two jugs with that flowery nose. Odds are it 'finally' opened-up and blossomed inside that third jug.

This Barnes design is virtually identical to the once popular Buffalo Bullet lead design, that often was given low grades 15-20 years ago for it's lack of flowering at high / magnum load speeds.

Perhaps Ron could conduct another test of this bullet at lower speeds..... enough lower where the bullet flower shows itself inside a 2nd jug and not the third. Doing so may recover more of these bullets inside your our next whitetail deer captured during hunting season.

It would seam to me that lower velocity would decrease the bullet expansion regardless of where if ended up.

 

[MrTom]

Expanders are designed to open to peak width at only 800 fps, if memory serves me correctly. Maybe 900. I've captured exactly one of Barne's bullets from an animal and that bullet went stem to stern on a diagonal thru a large doe. The entry contacted no bone until it hit a rib at roughly 10", yet the wound channel opened up to a huge degree within 5" of entry so the bullets do their job. I'd bet that the bullet in Ron's test was open by the time the first jug got punched.

I think Ron's testing does a fine job of showing what different bullets will do and often at two load levels.

 

[GLenn]

I don't think I will ever switch from Barnes bullets for hunting until I can't get them. Most deer shot with a Barnes bullet will have two holes but occasionally the deer will stop a bullet. The recovered bullets are some of my prized trophies. Below pic are a combination of 12 and 20 gauge shotgun slugs and muzzle loader bullets recovered from whitetail deer. The bottom right bullet is a 250 gr tipped Thor bullet.

 

[bloominonion]

Those Thor tipped look close to the expanders. They all look like they would really do the job!

 

[GLenn]

The Thor bullet is a conical bullet made by Barnes and sold by Thor. If you enlarge that pic you can see the skirt and the rifling on the bullet.

This pic shows it better. Thor is on the left.

 

[CVA Fanboy]

I have had mixed results with the shock wave, well went back plain old lead. I ask are the results pretty consistent?