Barnes .474 500gr TSX

[Backyardsniper]

Does anyone run these in thier double, and if so are you only running them with Barnes data or have you loaded them with data from Shooting the British double? I have a pretty good supply of these and I want to run them for practice, and maybe for hunting. The barnes data seems to only use slower burning powders and tops out at around 2000fps. I was curious if anyone ran the with RL 15 or H4350. Any of the loads that require the foam backer. Also would the foam backer be necessary since these bullets are so much longer, thus the bottom of the projectile being farther down in the case than woodleighs or Swift's?

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Not .470 Nitro Express, but one of my white hunters in Botswana does use 570Gr Barnes TSX & Barnes Banded Solids in his backup rifle (a .500 Nitro Express Merkel Model 140AE). He uses the Barnes VOR-TX Safari factory load, and gets 2100fps. He uses the Barnes TSX factory load exclusively for buffalo and hippo (in the water, preferring to use the Banded Solid when tackling hippos on land) and he couldn’t be more pleased.

But he’s had some hairy follow up situations when using the same Barnes TSX factory load on lions and even more so on leopard. The all copper monolithics don’t expand fast enough (especially at that velocity) inside the cats to hammer them or stop charges.

Interestingly enough, that exact same 570Gr Barnes TSX bullet (when fired out of a .500 Jeffery, using hand loads that achieved 2365fps) can floor a lion with impunity. Perfect expansion.

I regret not being able to give you a more appropriate answer.

 

[Backyardsniper]

Not .470 Nitro Express, but one of my white hunters in Botswana does use 570Gr Barnes TSX & Barnes Banded Solids in his backup rifle (a .500 Nitro Express Merkel Model 140AE). He uses the Barnes VOR-TX Safari factory load, and gets 2100fps. He uses the Barnes TSX factory load exclusively for buffalo and hippo (in the water, preferring to use the Banded Solid when tackling hippos on land) and he couldn’t be more pleased.

But he’s had some hairy follow up situations when using the same Barnes TSX factory load on lions and even more so on leopard. The all copper monolithics don’t expand fast enough (especially at that velocity) inside the cats to hammer them or stop charges.

Interestingly enough, that exact same 570Gr Barnes TSX bullet (when fired out of a .500 Jeffery, using hand loads that achieved 2365fps) can floor a lion with impunity. Perfect expansion.

I regret not being able to give you a more appropriate answer.

Actually that is very helpful, one of my concerns with them was how much velocity I needed to generate in order to make them effective. They seem to shoot good at 2000-2050 fps in My rifle. I waa curious if that would be sufficient to get them to open properly on game. I plan to hunt buffalo and maybe hippo on land in June. I have a good load with the CEB solids and they are making about 2120-2150 fps so plenty of penetration there. I do have a Jeffrey also and it may get the call up for this hunt. I had a little feeding issue and it is off at the Smith getting that cleaned up. I am going to continue to experiment with the TSX and see if I can get them to shoot at around 2100-2150 fps. If not I have the CEB Raptors as well as some A Frames. I just have a large quantity of the TSX and was hoping to get them to shoot decent, at least enough so to use them for practice.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Actually that is very helpful, one of my concerns with them was how much velocity I needed to generate in order to make them effective. They seem to shoot good at 2000-2050 fps in My rifle. I waa curious if that would be sufficient to get them to open properly on game. I plan to hunt buffalo and maybe hippo on land in June. I have a good load with the CEB solids and they are making about 2120-2150 fps so plenty of penetration there. I do have a Jeffrey also and it may get the call up for this hunt. I had a little feeding issue and it is off at the Smith getting that cleaned up. I am going to continue to experiment with the TSX and see if I can get them to shoot at around 2100-2150 fps. If not I have the CEB Raptors as well as some A Frames. I just have a large quantity of the TSX and was hoping to get them to shoot decent, at least enough so to use them for practice.

I know you‘ll do well. Another bullet I highly recommend you to try is Federal’s 500Gr Trophy Bonded Bear Claw factory loading for the .470 Nitro Express. I personally rank it above the Barnes TSX because it can be used on Cape buffalo and hippo and the great cats… all with equally reliable penetration and expansion. The little bit of lead in the front half of the bullet allows it to expand properly inside lions and leopards.

Here are some of my Cape buffalo and hippo taken over the years. Most with various .375 Holland & Holland Magnums, one buffalo with a Remington Model 700 .458 Winchester Magnum, one hippo with a Cogswell & Harrison .404 Jeffery and one hippo with a Heym Jumbo sidelock ejector .600 Nitro Express.

 

[Backyardsniper]

I will definitely check into those.