Barnes Offers New Polymer-Tipped, Lead-Free TSX Bullet for Hunters

The Barnes Triple-Shock X-Bullet has long been considered one of the best hunting bullets for game hunters. The all-copper construction provides excellent expansion and very high weight retention. The absence of a lead core means this bullet is also legal in areas (such as parts of California) where lead-containing bullets are banned.

The big innovation in the new Tipped TSX bullet is the addition of a polymer tip. The tip increases the bullet’s Ballistic Coefficient (BC). Additionally, polymer-tipped bullets show less bullet-to-bullet variance in BC than do conventional bullets. More uniform BC can make your point of impact at long range more predictable, shot after shot.

The TSX bullet, like the previous Triple-Shock, has grooves, or “drive bands”, formed in the outer casing. This effectively reduces the bearing surface. The use of drive bands is a proven bullet technology that can reduce friction and barrel copper fouling, while allowing higher velocities for a given bullet weight.

The TSX bullet is available in these calibers and weights:

Tilley’s 260 Ackley Improved

Forum member Ron Tilley finished fourth overall at the recent NBRSA 600-Yard Nationals. This was an impressive performance for a relative newcomer to the 600-yard game without “local knowledge” of the Sacramento range. The top 3 finishers, Jerry Tierney, Peter White, and Craig St. Claire, all have extensive experience shooting at Sacramento.

While many of the top shooters were using a 6mm in Light Gun (such as a 6 Dasher or 6-6.5×47), Ron campaigned a 260 Ackley Improved. This is based on a 260 Rem case, with the shoulder blown forward to 40 degrees. Improving the 260 Rem case adds just enough extra capacity to get the 140gr-class bullets into the 2900+ fps velocity window where they seem to perform best.

Ron starts with Lapua 243 cases, necked up to 6.5 mm. He was shooting 140gr Berger VLD bullets, pushed by Hodgdon H4831sc powder and Russian primers. Ron says this combination has been “very accurate right out of the gate.” Ron’s 2920 fps load delivers 5-shot groups in the high teens and low twos, with very low ES and SD. In the video interview below, Ron explains the merits of the 260 AI cartridge, and offers tips on case prep and loading for accuracy.

CLICK HERE to WATCH TILLEY VIDEO

Ron was shooting an eye-catching rifle. It featured a carbon fiber and wood Terry Leonard stock, BAT Action, and Nightforce scope. With all-premium components, Terry’s 260AI is a beautiful rig that shoots as good as it looks.

Forming Dasher Cases with Pistol Powder

Forum member Skeeter has put together a new 6mm Dasher falling block varmint rifle. The Dasher case is based on the 6mm BR Norma cartridge with the shoulder blown forward about 0.100″ and out to 40°. This gives the Dasher roughly 3.5 grains added capacity compared to the standard 6BR.

Skeeter needed to form 300 cases for an upcoming varmint holiday. Skeeter decided to fire-form his brass without bullets. This method avoids barrel wear* and saves on components. There are various ways to do this, but Skeeter chose a method using pistol/shotgun powder, some tissue to hold the powder in place, Cream of Wheat filled to within an 1/8″ of top of the neck, and a “plug” of tissue paper to hold it all in place. Shown below are cases filled with a pistol/shotgun powder charge topped with Cream of Wheat and then a tissue paper plug.

To ensure the case headspaced firmly in his Dasher chamber, Skeeter created a “false shoulder” where the new neck-shoulder junction would be after fire-forming. After chamfering his case mouths, Skeeter necked up all his cases with a 0.257″ mandrel (one caliber oversized). Then he used a bushing neck-sizing die to bring the top half of the neck back down to 0.267″ to fit his 0.269″ chamber. The photo below shows how the false shoulder is created.

After creating the false shoulder, Skeeter chambered the cases in his rifle to ensure he could close the bolt and that he had a good “crush fit” on the false shoulder, ensuring proper headspace. All went well.

The next step was determining the optimal load of pistol powder. Among a variety of powders available, Skeeter chose Hodgdon Titewad as it is relatively inexpensive and burns clean. The goal was to find just the right amount of Titewad that would blow the shoulder forward sufficiently. Skeeter wanted to minimize the amount of powder used and work at a pressure that was safe for his falling block action.

Working incrementally, Skeeter started at 5.0 grains of Titewad, working up in 0.5 grain increments. As you can see, the 5.0 grain charge blew the shoulder forward, but left it a hemispherical shape. At about 7.0 grains of Titewad, the edge of the shoulder and case body was shaping up. Skeeter decided that 8.5 grains of Titewad was the “sweet spot”. He tried higher charges, but the shoulder didn’t really form up any better. It will take another firing or two, with a normal match load of rifle powder and a bullet seated, to really sharpen up the shoulders. Be sure to click on the “View Larger Image” link to get a good view of the cases.

The process proved to be a success. Skeeter now has hundreds of fire-formed Dasher cases and he hasn’t had to put one bullet through his nice, new match-grade barrel. The “bulletless” Cream of Wheat method allowed him to fire-form in a tight-necked barrel without neck-turning the brass first. The only step now remaining is to turn the newly Dasher-length necks down about .0025″ to fit his 0.269″ chamber. (To have no-turn necks he would need an 0.271″ or 0.272″ chamber).

Skeeter didn’t lose a single case: “As for the fire-forming loads, I had zero split cases and no signs of pressure in 325 cases fire-formed. Nor did I have any misfires or any that disbursed COW into the action of the firearm. So the COW method really worked out great for me and saved me a lot of money in powder and bullets.” To learn more about Skeeter’s fire-forming process, read this Dasher Fire-Forming Forum Thread.

*Skeeter did have a fire-forming barrel, but it was reamed with a .269 chamber like his 10-twist Krieger “good” barrel. If he fire-formed with bullets, he would have to turn all 300 necks to .267″ BEFORE fire-forming so that loaded rounds would fit in the chamber. Judging just how far to turn is problematic. There’s no need to turn the lower part of the neck that will eventually become shoulder–but how far down the neck to turn is the issue. By fire-forming without bullets now he only has to turn about half the original neck length, and he knows exactly how far to go.

Berger Releases new Non-VLD 30 Caliber Bullets

Erik Stecker of Berger Bullets just let the cat out of the bag. Berger will be releasing four (4) new 30-caliber non-VLD bullet designs to supplement its line-up of .308 match bullets. The new bullets will be offered in 155.5 grain, 175 grain, 185 grain, and 210 grain weights. These will employ a more “classic” non-VLD design that is load-length tolerant. Like Berger’s recent, successful 108gr, 6mm tangent-ogive match bullet design, the new 30-caliber projectiles should work well seated OFF the lands, and should be relatively insensitive to cartridge load length. Match shooters should find that these bullets are easier to tune, and should function well when loaded to max magazine length. Berger’s new 155, dubbed the “155.5 Palma”, is designed specifically for Palma shooters who prefer to seat their bullets off the lands. This is a new shape and is designated “155 point 5″ to distinguish it from Berger’s current 155gr Match BT, and 155gr Match VLD, which will both continue to be sold. With the new 155.5 Palma, Berger now offers three 155-class match bullets. (FYI, the max legal weight for Palma bullets is 156.0 grains.)

Bullet Weight	155.5	175	185	210
Calculated BC	0.486	0.528	0.570	0.647

Product Availability
The new 155.5 Palma bullets should be available in 2-3 weeks. The 175s, 185s, and 210s, should be at vendors in 6-8 weeks. The new bullets will supplement Berger’s line-up of 30-caliber VLD bullets, currently offered in five different sizes: 168gr Match VLD (0.512 BC), 175gr Match VLD (0.528 BC), 185gr Match VLD (0.556 BC), 190 gr Match VLD (0.574 BC), 210gr Match VLD (0.631 BC). For more INFO, contact michelle.gallagher [at] bergerbullets.com.

Norma 6XC Brass and 111 DTACs Now Available

Norma 6XC brass is available direct from Superior Shooting Systems for $60.00 per hundred. These days, that’s a good deal for premium brass. Other vendors are selling the Norma 6XC for up to $89.00 per hundred. This is excellent brass that has shot extremely well for German Salazar and other top prone and cross-the-course shooters. It has a large flash hole and large primer pocket. It has enough case capacity to drive 110-115 grain bullets to 3000 FPS in most 27-28″ barrels.

The much-awaited, polymer-tipped 111 DTAC MJPT (Match Jacket Plastic Tip) 6mm bullet is now in stock and shipping. The price is $105/500 for naked bullets, and $110/500 for boron nitride-coated bullets. The new DTAC 111 is showing good accuracy and can be shot in most rifles throated for the 105-107 grain bullets, though, ideally, you’d want freebore about .030″ longer (and we recommend a 1:7.5″ twist barrel). David says the new bullet’s ballistic-coefficient (BC) is “right around .600″ based on field testing using multiple chronographs set downrange. (This is actually measured, not calculated, BC.) When shot from a 6XC, 6-6.5×47, 6-250 or similar cartridge, you should be able to push this bullet at 3000 fps. The plastic tips provide a more uniform bullet-to-bullet ballistic coefficient according to David Tubb: “With the new bullet tip you no longer have to uniform the meplats to get a consistent BC shot-to-shot. What we’ve seen in field testing is a spread of only 2% in actual bullet BC.”

Download DTAC 111 Info Sheet

Barrel Life and the TRUE Cost of Shooting

How much does it cost you to send a round downrange? Ask most shooters this question and they’ll start adding up the cost of components: bullets, powder, and primers. Then they’ll figure in the cost of brass, divided by the number of times the cases are reloaded.

For a 6BR shooting match bullets, match primers, and 30 grains of powder, in brass reloaded a dozen times, this basic calculation gives us a cost per shot of $0.46 (forty-six cents):

Bullet $0.30 (Berger 105 VLD)
Primer $0.03 (Fed 205m)
Powder $0.08 (Varget @ $18.00/lb)
Brass $0.05 (Lapua priced at $60/100, 12 reloads)

Total $0.46 per round

$1.00 Per Shot True Cost? Yikes!
OK, we’ve seen that it costs about $0.46 per round to shoot a 6BR. Right?

Wrong! — What if we told you that your ACTUAL cost per round might be closer to double that number? How can that be? Well… you haven’t accounted for the cost of your barrel. Every round you fire down that tube expends some of the barrel’s finite life. If, like some short-range PPC shooters, you replace barrels every 700 or 800 rounds, you need to add $0.60 to $0.70 per round for “barrel cost.” That can effectively double your cost per round, taking it well past the dollar per shot mark.

Calculating Barrel Cost Per Shot
In the table below, we calculate your barrel cost per shot, based on various expected barrel lifespans.

As noted above, a PPC barrel is typically replaced at 700-800 rounds. A 6.5-284 barrel can last 1200+ rounds, but it might need replacement after 1000 rounds or less. A 6BR barrel should give 2200-3000 rounds of accurate life, and a .308 Win barrel could remain competitive for 4,000 rounds or more.

The table below shows your barrel cost per shot, based on various “useful lives.” We assume that a barrel costs $500.00 total to replace. This includes $300.00 for the barrel itself, $160.00 for chambering/fitting, and $40.00 in 2-way shipping costs. Yes, you may have a smith that works for less, but these are typical costs shooters will encounter when ordering a rebarreling job.

The numbers are interesting. If you get 2000 rounds on your barrel instead of 1000, you save $0.25 per shot. However, extending barrel life from 2000 to 3000 rounds only saves you $0.08 per round.

NOTE: We assume component costs of $0.46 per round based on our 6BR example. If you shoot a larger caliber that burns more powder, and uses more expensive bullets and/or brass, your total cost per round will be higher.

How to Reduce Your TRUE Cost per Round
What does this tell us? First, in figuring your annual shooting budget, you need to consider the true cost per round, including barrel cost. Second, if you want to keep your true costs under control, you need to look at ways to extend your barrel life. This can be accomplished in many ways. First, you may find that switching to a different powder reduces throat erosion. Second, if you’re able to slow down your shooting pace, this can reduce barrel heat, which can extend barrel life. (A varminter in the field is well-advised to switch rifles, or switch barrels, when the barrel gets very hot from extended shot strings.) Third, modifying your cleaning methods can also extend the life of your barrel. Use solvents that reduce the need for aggressive brushing, and try to minimize the use of abrasives. Also, always use a properly fitting bore guide. Many barrels have been prematurely worn out from improper cleaning techniques.

View Bullet-Making Process on TV

American Rifleman Television features Barnes Bullets this week. Managing Editor Chad Adams went to visit the Barnes operation in Utah. The broadcast shows how the Brooks family transformed a basement operation into one of the most advanced bullet-making operations in the world. Among the many Barnes bullets of interest to precision shooters and varminters are the Barnes Varmint Grenade, and the just-released MPG bullet. Lead-free MPG bullets feature a frangible, powdered-metal copper-tin core inside a guilding metal jacket. “MPG” stands for “Multi-Purpose Green”. “Green” is military shorthand for “lead-free”—a requirement in military and LE practice environments. California also recently passed legislation banning lead-core bullets in thousands of acres of hunting lands. Barnes’ MPGs may be just what California hunters need.

Also in this week’s American Rifleman TV episode, Editor-In-Chief Mark A. Keefe, reviews the Blaser F3, a high-end over-under shotgun built to exacting European standards. Part of MidwayUSA and Outdoor Channel’s “Wednesday Night On The Range” lineup, “American Rifleman Television” airs each Wednesday at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The show repeats on various days and times throughout the week.

FREE Barnes DVD
Barnes offers a FREE DVD, called “Bullet Myths Busted”. This video tackles popular misconceptions about bullet performance and unmasks false claims. The DVD shows the explosive effects of the Varmint Grenade bullet and exclusive high-speed video compares hunting bullet expansion and penetration.

Lake City .223 Rem Brass IN STOCK at Grafs

In January we announced that Graf & Sons was offering Federal Brand Lake City .223 Brass. This is quality brass and the feedback has been very positive. In fact, the .223 brass was so popular, we heard that supplies ran short. Now Graf’s is showing plenty of Lake City .223 brass in inventory. The price is just $19.99 per hundred or $94.95 for 500.

Remember that these prices INCLUDE freight. Graf’s does charge retail customers a single $4.50 handling charge per order. Prepaid shipping is offered to the 48 states via ground only, excluding target loads. Customers pay actual freight for express shipping and/or for Alaska or Hawaii orders.

For more info on .223 Rem brass and reloading, see our 223 Rem Cartridge Guide.

Eley 17 Mach 2 on Sale at MidwayUSA

Now through March 31, 2008, MidwayUSA has Eley 17 Mach 2 ammo on sale for just $3.99 per box (item 134258). This ammo, based on a 22 Stinger case necked down to 17 caliber, shoots a 17gr jacketed V-Max bullet at about 2050 fps. We’ve shot all the various brands of 17 Mach 2 ammo in a Hall-actioned BR rifle, and the Eley is as good as anything out there. What you’ll typically get with a 5-shot group in a good rifle is 3 or 4 shots in a tight cluster and then one out. This is caused by a lot of factors (run-out, crimp problems, OAL variations etc.), and is true of all the 17 Mach 2 brands you try. Still, the round is fun to shoot and the 17 Mach 2 will deliver sub-MOA groups at 100 yards even with the “flyers”.

Bang for the Buck
When you consider that most brands of the 2500 fps 17 HMR ammo now cost about $12.00 a box, the Eley 17 Mach 2 is an excellent value. The Mach 2 delivers the same 17gr V-Max bullet as the 17 HMR, but the Mach 2 just runs a little slower — 2050 fps vs. 2500 for the 17 HMR. For many shooters, it makes sense to use the 17 Mach 2 rather than a 17 HMR. With the sale-priced Eley just $3.99 a box, you can buy 150 rounds of 17 Mach 2 for the price of 50 rounds of 17 HMR.

Here’s what one shooter posted on RimfireCentral.com: “My brother has a 17 HMR, and I have the 17 Mach 2. I found Remington 17 M2 at Natchez for $3.59 a box by the brick, and Eley 17 M2 at [Midway] for $4.00 a box. The best buy I found on 17 HMR was $10.50 a box. Do the math: $3.59 X 3 = $10.77 When you can get 17 Mach 2 ammo at 1/3 the cost of 17 HMR which one kills paper better? My vote is for the one I can shoot for 1/3 the cost. The 17 Mach 2 is also quieter.”

Widener’s has Russian Primers on Sale

Many of our readers have asked “Where can we buy the Russian small rifle primers?” Currently, Wideners.com has the Wolf-brand, Russian-made Small Rifle and Small Rifle Magnum primers on sale for just $18.50/1000 or $87/5000. Test have shown these primers deliver very good accuracy and extremely low ES/SD with certain powders. However, we also note that the cup is harder than most domestic-made primers and a few guys have reported some ignition problems if they run a fairly “soft” firing pin spring in a Benchrest action. We’ve had no problem firing these primers from Remington and Savage actions with a normal firing pin spring.

Wolf recommends the Magnum primers for use in ARs and similar semi-autos because the Magnums have a slightly harder cup: “The Wolf Standard Small Rifle Primers have an all-copper cup, which is a little more sensitive than the brass cup magnum primers. If you are loading for an AR15 or Military-style semi auto rifle, or are loading high pressure cartridges in any other type of rifle, we recommend the Magnum Small Rifle Primers. Both primers use the same amount of compound. The only difference is in the cup hardness.”

Hornady Offers Videos on New Products

Hornady has released more than a dozen new products for 2008. Of particular interest to precision shooters is the new 6.5 Creedmoor Cartridge, while game hunters should check out the new 300/338 RCM cartridges.

Hornady has collected information on all its new products on a 2008 Product Web Page. On that page you can find photos and specifications, along with streaming Videos for each of the new products. If you’re a high power or cross-course shooter, definitely check out the new 6.5 Creedmoor Cartridge. The 6.5 Creedmoor was designed to allow any shooter to compete at the highest level with factory-loaded ammunition. Built for match rifles, including the Tubb 2000 and DPMS LR Series, its case is slightly shorter than the 260 Remington, eliminating any “Cartridge Overall Length” issues when using 308 Winchester length magazines. Velocities match or exceed the 6.5×47 Lapua with similar-weight bullets.

CLICK HERE for VIDEO and SPECS for 6.5 Creedmoor.