Barnes LRX Opinions

[Tdmouse29]

Just getting into reloading and wanting to start practicing shooting a little farther than I was before.
Has anyone had good results with these for distances at 500-600 yards? What group sizes are people getting with these? I used the search function and seems like the last post on these was 2015.
I have read about the Berger Hybrids and Hornady Eldx stuff but this Barnes bullet has me intrigued.
Not looking for anyone’s load data just that if these shot well for them. I’ll be using a 300 win mag, 1:10 twist, 26 inch barrel, cooper open country.
If there is a more recent thread I didn’t see let me know and I can delete this one.
Thanks everyone.


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[JFK]

Like most bullets you’ll need to load some up to really see if your rifle likes them. I load Barnes (TTSX, not LRX) and work up was pretty easy. They like a lot of jump. Start at .050 off and increase jump from there if you need to. Go with a lighter weight bullet than lead and be looking to work up a load that pushes them fast. Barnes has good load data. I’d start there. Just start at or near the min charge and work up from there looking for pressure signs.

 

[Tdmouse29]

Ok thanks! I’ll have to try them I was just hoping to see if they are worth my time or if people had issues with them.
I appreciate the advice!


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[JoeDirt]

Ive had great luck with Barnes bullets. For me they have worked great out of a magnum rifle from 50 yards to 700 yards.

 

[Tmac]

My 280 shoots the 145gr. LRX well. It’s held good accuracy to 600, the furthest I’ve shot it. It also has performed very well on game.

 

[meta_gabbro]

I've loaded the 129's in my father's .270 Win, the 175's in my grandfather's 30-06, and the 190's in a friend's 300WM. The .270 and 30-06 are just above MOA, but they're both from the 1950's and as far as I know have never seen a new barrel. The 300WM was just under MOA out to 500yds, and I'm convinced it'd go smaller too if I'd put more time into developing that load. Took an elk at 490-ish without issues, though my buddy has since switched loads (he wanted something heavier, not because of some failing with the LRX).

 

[Two Roads]

Sorry, not your caliber but may be helpful. I have a 7mm-08 load for my Cooper M22 w 145 gr LRX /H4350 that is 3 shot bug hole at 200, psycho accurate, BUT have not shot anything with them. Almost did on pronghorn but reverted to Berger for the shot.I use Berger’s and A-max but want to go to a tougher bullet load and worked up this. Gun does not like 120 gr. And my concern is this is too slow beyond 300 yds.

 

[Tdmouse29]

Awesome! I appreciate the real world experiences.
I am thinking this will be one of the top Bullets I try!


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[ericF]

I've shot 2 antelope at 300, one at 550, and two deer at 300 with the 127gr LRX out of a 6.5 Creedmoor. All the shots were passthrough without any recovered bullet. Barnes won't usually dump all of their energy into an animal, but will instead give you two holes if that is your preference. Not specifically the LRX, but my Yukon moose took 3 shots from a 300 WM using factory 180gr TTSX at 450 yards. Only 1 bullet was recovered with a perfect mushroom. I've recovered a couple bullets from elk and they are always picture perfect.

 

[Wapiti1]

The 200gr LRX shoots very well in my .300 Win Mag. No long shots (longest just under 300 yards), but that bullet has done well on about a dozen animals including elk, dall sheep and a grizzly. Good bullet.

It is not a quick killer, IME. It's effective, but it's a Barnes mono. Those are not explosive by design. I wouldn't have an issue with them out to 600 yards. Past that and they are getting a bit slow.

Jeremy

 

[BAKPAKR]

The 200gr LRX shoots very well in my .300 Win Mag. No long shots (longest just under 300 yards), but that bullet has done well on about a dozen animals including elk, dall sheep and a grizzly. Good bullet.

It is not a quick killer, IME. It's effective, but it's a Barnes mono. Those are not explosive by design. I wouldn't have an issue with them out to 600 yards. Past that and they are getting a bit slow.

Jeremy

I like the 200 gr LRX myself, and I have a 300 RUM that shoots it well. I have only taken one animal with that combination - a Shiras moose at about 50 yards. The bull went down much more quickly (dropped in its tracks) than the two moose I shot with 200 gr Accubonds in prior years.

This past year, I started using 181 gr Hammer Hunters in a lighter weight 300 RUM. They have about the same ballistic co-efficient as the 200 gr LRX and I can push them a lot faster. At this point, I can only attest to the Hammers working well on a whitetail doe. Maybe that will change this year.

 

[Wapiti1]

I like the 200 gr LRX myself, and I have a 300 RUM that shoots it well. I have only taken one animal with that combination - a Shiras moose at about 50 yards. The bull went down much more quickly (dropped in its tracks) than the two moose I shot with 200 gr Accubonds in prior years.

This past year, I started using 181 gr Hammer Hunters in a lighter weight 300 RUM. They have about the same ballistic co-efficient as the 200 gr LRX and I can push them a lot faster. At this point, I can only attest to the Hammers working well on a whitetail doe. Maybe that will change this year.

I looked at those Hammer's, but went with the Badlands Precision 200gr Bulldozer this last fall. I shot a moose with that bullet, but can't really say how it did since it was a very short range neck shot. The wolverine I shot with it wasn't much of a test. Covid killed my elk/deer hunt, so I didn't get to test any more.

Great shooting bullet, though, and I'll get them into some more critters this fall.

Jeremy

 

[mmw194287]

I posted this in another thread:

Shot a bull and a buck this year with a 175 LRX out of my 300WM. Pretty impressed with the results.

Shot the bull straight on in the chest at 400, he turned, and I followed up with one in the neck (a cow trotted in front of him at the shot and all I could safely shoot at was head and neck). He dropped at the neck shot, which blew through the spine and made a very large exit. First shot went through his lungs and penetrated a good ways into his guts. I made a half-hearted attempt to recover it, but gave up on digging through that mess...it was well into his intestines. When we walked up on him there was stomach juice dripping from his nose, which tells me that I made a pretty long channel through him that connected his digesting parts with his breathing parts.

Shot a large bodied mule deer at 290, quartering away. Bullet entered 2 ribs behind the front shoulder, exited through the off side. Big hole (looked almost like an exit) going through the ribs on entry, big hole through the scapula going out. Buck didn't really react but walked about 15 steps and tipped over. Left a decent blood trail from the point of impact.

My bullets are seated out very long at 3.78 COAL or so (rifle is throated for heavy Bergers). With 75.5 grains of H1000 I'm getting 3195fps out of a 28" barrel.

 

[nobody]

Not for reloading, but the LRX factory ammo shoots 5-shot bugholes from my 6.5 creedmoor, and even shoots to the same point of impact as my ELD-M and X loads out to about 650. If the creed hadn't been demoted to strictly target shooting, that LRX would be my primary hunting round.

I wasn't that impressed with the performance of an ELD-X on an elk a couple years ago, so I can't blame you for looking at these. For anything that has moderately high velocity, a monolithic bullet is the way to go. I'm just starting to load them for my 7 rem mag, should prove to be effective. I say load away and have fun! Now is NOT the time to be picky with reloading components, so if you can get your hands on them, I say figure them out!

 

[Cahunter805]

The Barnes LRX are a decent option if you keep in mind the velocity limits for good expansion. If you prefer a Mono bullet I’d look at the Hammer line of bullets.

 

[Tdmouse29]

Thanks for all the examples! I want a bullet that holds together and it seems like the LRX does. I am also interested int the 181 grain hammer. Looks like an awesome bullet as well!


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[Foreverz01]

I haven’t liked the 212 lrx bore rider, it’s impossible to seat it near the lands so if it doesn’t shoot well there isn’t much you can do. I had it in my 300 norma with an 8 twist and it would group about 3-4” at 300 yards and that was the best I could get out of it. Will be switching to 210 lrab

 

[iseebucks]

I shoot Barnes Vortx Long Range 139 Grain LRX in my CA Ridgeline 7mm rem mag when hunting in CA because I am required to but it is horribly inaccurate. I re-sight my rifle with Hornady Precision Hunter 162 grain ELD-X when I go out of state and that shoots phenomenal in my rifle. I wouldn't recommend barnes to someone who wants to shoot or hunt long range but it is fine for close range.

 

[Newtosavage]

So far I've shot 139 and 145 LRX's from my 7mm-08 and they have proven to be the most accurate Barnes bullets I've used yet.

 

[VernAK]

i no longer worry about seating depth for barnes bullets. i find that seating to the top groove, as their factory ammo is, works fine in the 4 rifles that i shoot em in. for the heavy calibers, i crimp lightly with a lee crimping die.