Has anyone ever used the Barnes XPB handgun bullets? I was thinking about giving them a try but they are a little salty in price. Are the really worth the extra money? Any opinions?

my brother just picked me up 5 boxes of the .500 325gr. bullets from Cabelas for $10/box on clearance. I'll let you know how they do from my Encore .500 when I get them loaded. If they hadn't been on sale I wouldn't have had him pick them up as I just can't justify the normal price.

I have been using Barnes in all my handguns/rifles for the last 4 years. they are amazing. 100% weight retention is the norm and they create a huge wound canal. All my kills have been one shot downs, and the stuff shoots great out of everything I've ever tried it in. They are expensive but they are the only part that does the actual killing. IMHO they are the best, I wont shoot anything else.

Hey guys! Thanks for your replies. I appreciate it. I have a S&W 460 XVR and would like to try them in it but being a rookie handloader this is new stuff to me.

Mike, you are in luck! I too have a .460 S&W (PC 12") and tested this bullet and the 240gr XTP-MAG this weekend.

I had been shooting the factory Hornady loads and was planning on using them for deer and bear until I did some penetration tests in wet news print. Those loads leave the barrel of my pistol at ~2350-2400 and although were accurate (~.75" @ 50 yds), they came apart in wet paper, penetrated only about 10 inches and retained less than half its original weight. I wanted velocity so I bit the bullet (no pun intended) payed the extra cash and bought 40 200 gr XPBs to experiment with.

I loaded them up to Hodgdon's listings (45.0-46.5gr H110- their max but lack of pressure and case room in that max load will allow for a lot more powder). Before I shot for accuracy, I shot a max load into the wet news print and got 18" of penetration, 100% weight retention and the most beautiful and symmetrical mushroom I've ever seen (~0.81" dia).

Then on saturday, I took the loads to our camp to see what they would do for accuracy and was very pleased. With the max load, I shot a one hole, 3 shot group and the middle load was the worst at just over an inch at 50 yds. At 100yds the max loads were still under 1 inch. I had one more set of three max loads and was curoius to see what they would do at 200 yds. I kept all 3 shotsunder 2 inches, and 2 of the holes were about 1/8" from one another.

If you want the best bullet for that gun, the 200gr XPBs are the way to go.

P.S. I also started seriously working on a load for the 240gr XTP-MAG. I shot this bullet in casull ammo out of this gun a little while ago and accuracy sucked so I kind of gave up on that bullet. This past weekend I tried them in the .460 brass and was very suprised. Accuracy at 100 yds with my max load (50.0gr H110) was about 1.5" which is very acceptable out of a handgun. penetration in the wet newspaper was 15" and the would channel was massive - about 5" in dia at its widest, however weight retention was low at about 60% (performance was still more than perfrect for whitetails and black bear). This bullet is rated for a max velocity of 2100 fps and performed beautifully out of a casull and at that velocity. I shot this max load through our chrony and when I looked at the screen my jaw hit the shooting bench, rolled off and fell in the snow. This is a Pact chrony and has been very accurate since the day we bought it and even that morning. I'm not saying this velocity could be wrong but I just don't know how it could be right. The average of 6 rnds of the 240 gr XTP-MAG infront of 50 gr H110... 2614 fps. Next weekend or the wekend after I will shoot more of these loads over a buddy's chrony to check these velocities. I just can't make myself believe these findings.

the barnes bullets sound like they are very accurate and have good penetration. i was using the 240 gr.xtp bullet with good results. at 50 yds i was getting 1.25 inch groups using 48 gr. of 296. i have the standard xvr 460 with the 8.375' bl. i don't think that i will get the velocity that you got with the 12' bl. but i should be in the ballpark. thanks for the info.

You are right about the velocity. That means those XTP-MAG's would be excellent out of your gun, as would the XPBs.

I've been following this post and a question has come to mind. Have the gents shooting these .460 revolvers at these high velocities looked at the forcing cones lately? How are they holding up? Seems to me that they should be getting some pronounced scratches at this point. Just curious.

Recoil

Recoil, haven't seen any damage to the forcing cone as of yet, however I've only fired approximately 160rnds through the gun. How fast would you say is too fast? I talked to a S&W PC gun smith and he told me (I've come to find out they don't know much) that he has never heard of velocity being so high that it begins to damage the forcing cone. I asked him if that as long as Im not seeing any signs of over pressure, should I be OK and not have to worry about damaging the forcing cone with my high velocity loads, and he said I don't have to worry. Now again, I've come to learn that these "gunsmiths" no very little beyond, "Combine part A with part B and insert screw 1A into hole R." so I don't have a lot of faith in their word. So, Recoil, if you know for a fact that high velocities in the PC .460 Magnum Hunter model will ruin the forcing cone, please let me know. Because the .460 XVR (Extreme Velocity Revolver) was designed to be the fastest production revolver in the world, and considering that factory ammo designed for that gun shoots over 2400 fps out of that gun, could it be possible that S&W designed the forcing cone of that gun with high velocity in mind?

I had a standard model .460 S&W that I traded in because the forcing cone was looking like I could file my fingernails on it. I may have had about 300 rounds through it at the time. I had been shooting handloads. If you google .460 S&W gas cutting I believe you will find that numerous .460 owners are having forcing cone problems. You might keep your eyes on your forcing cone wear. Bottom line is that at those velocities you are probably running some high pressure loads. I have a hard time figuring how that could not damage the forcing cone.

I called S&W back just now and tried to talk to another gun smith but the individual who I was connected with didn't want to let me talk with one. I asked him how fast was too fast for the gun and he said he couldn't tell me nor could anyone else working there tell me. I told him about high pressures/velocities causing damage to the forcing cones of several other S&W .460 revolvers and he said as long as the loads are below SAAMI specs, they should be fine. Not getting the answer I wanted, I asked him what velocities S&W suggests not to exceed in that gun for my hand loads and he said S&W does not condone using handloads in that gun. Huh?????? Why is it no bullet, ammunition, or firearm company can supply a customer with friendly, correct information? I'm discouraged as hell now. Maybe this all a part of Obama's plan to keep us from buying anymore guns and ammo.

I got rid of my .460 S&W because I like to shoot my guns a lot and I like to do it at full throttle. If I have to throttle down a .460 I might as well have a .454. My .454 SRH is doing just fine. The forcing cone looks good. You might want to ask S&W the next time you talk to them about their warranty position on forcing cone damage. My .460 was real accurate but looking at the forcing cone caused me to see the handwriting on the wall. It just was not going to hold up the way I wanted it to.

Recoil

I saw big numbers before I purchased the .460 and they really caught my attention. I've always loaded my guns at full throttle, full recoil and full power so naturally this cartridge was just what the doctor ordered. I had no idea it had to be loaded less than factory velocities to prevent the gun from breaking, or else I wouldn't have bought the gun. I guess I'll just shoot the gun until there is a problem, then get rid of it. Its only money right? I agree with you exactly recoil. I'd rather hot rod a Casull than load light on the .460. It would be like buying a new Chevy Corvette ZR1 and having to swap out the engine with one from a Chevy Cobalt because the axle on the vette couldn't hold up to the power. Know of any custom smiths making a gun that can shoot a full house .460 load? Maybe the cartridge should only be fired out of an Encore.

Personally I do not think that the .460 S&W makes the best revolver round. I think it is just the nature of the beast. Too much powder in too long of a column. It probably makes a better Encore caliber. Then again there are lots better calibers in the Encore. It is a marketing ploy as far as I am concerned. Sounds like great fun blasting something at 250 yards with a flat shooting revolver. I have just as good a chance with my .500 Wyoming Express if I have a rangefinder and a steady hold.

Recoil

Recoil, if you dont mind me asking, what loads were you shooting? Of the 300 you shot before you sent the gun back, how many were factory loads and hand loads. What bullets were you using?

Recoil,when I just shoot for practice I reduce the load down to 43 grains of 296. The recoil of this handgun does not bother me but I don't feel the need to use full power loads all the time.I started reloading for the 460 so I could load up a more accurate/better quality bullet then the factory load. This was about the only time I was using full power loads. I wanted to work up a good load for deer hunting. The forcing cone on my 460 looks as good as the day it was made,but I also polished it with Flitz metal polish.

I just looked in my reloading book. I do not list the amount of shots taken but I only showed three sessions. I doubt that I put 200 rounds through it. If yours is showing no damage you can count yourself lucky. I have done some web searching and found more than a few entries of people having problems. I was loading 300g XTP MAG's ahead of 45.5 grains of Lil' Gun and 45 grains of H110. I buy all of my handguns with max loads in mind.

Well, Ive got no more than 150 rnds through the gun and the forcing cone is still as pretty as it was the day I bought it. If I'm one of the lucky ones Ill be extremely suprised, considering the horrible luck I've had with new firearms in the past. We'll see once I get some more rounds through the gun. As we speak, I'm recreating the 240gr XTP-Mag loads (49.0 and 49.5 gr H110) to double check my velocity findings and considering making two new sets (hotter @ 50.0 and 50.5 gr) just to see where that puts me. When working on loads, I usually clean the barrel and forcing cone about every six shots so I'll keep a close watch on the forcing cone when doing that. Ill let you guys know (for those of you who are interstested) how things turn out.

Thanks I'd appreciate the information.

Recoil

Liv2hnt, just so you know most of the gun manufactures will say they don't condone handloading. I've heard the same thing from Ruger, S&W, and Magnum Research. They know your going to do it but with all the bs lawsuits they are covering their butts. I know it seems stupid but then again when it comes to product liability suits you can't blame them.

I knew gun manufactrers couldn't suggest handloading. I figured they could at least tell me what velocities to stay under in that gun. I was just upset the guy couldn't even tell me that.

Rod, have you observed any wear on the forcing cone yet in your .460? How many rnds do you have through it?

I sold mine to Tig with about 300-500 rounds through it if I remember correctly and I don't think tig has even shot it but when i sold it to him there was no visible wear on the forcing cone. I was running 260gr Nosler Partitions over a max load of H110 and my chrony was showing 1990fps but I've found that it's off over almost 200fps so it was in the 2100-2200fps range assuming my chronograph was that far off then. The gun would shoot sub moa to moa all day long with that load off the bench.

I sold mine to Tig with somewhere between 300-500 rounds through it if I remember correctly and I don't think tig has even shot it but when i sold it to him there was no visible wear on the forcing cone. I was running 260gr Nosler Partitions over a max load of H110 and my chrony was showing 1990fps but I've found that it's off almost 200fps so it was in the 2100-2200fps range assuming my chronograph was off back then. The gun would shoot sub moa to moa all day long with that load off the bench. The furthest I tested it off the bench was 150yds and I had a 2.5-8 Leupold on it and it would shoot 2" or better with no problem and the best group as I remember was just under 1.5". This was also the standard XVR not the pc model.

I would also suggest staying away from Lil' Gun when doing any testing. I reread that post that I mentioned that I saw on another website and that fellow was using Lil' Gun. He sent his .460 into S&W for excessive forcing cone damage after 300 shots and got another barrel now 40 shots later he is noticing forcing cone damage again. I used Lil' Gun in my .460 also. I was noticing some gas cutting on my .500 S&W PC and now that has slowed down or subsided since I discontinued Lil' Gun use in my revolvers. I may at some point purchase another .460 S&W but I would NOT use Lil' Gun in it. Maybe others have had luck with Lil' Gun so they should still use it if it works. I like the performance that it gives but for me I will not use it again in my revolvers.

Recoil

I read that same post recoil. I haven't used Lil'gun in this gun. Ive stuck to H110 and 296 and with the accuracy I've gotten, there is no reason to change powders. Although I LOVE shooting this gun more than any other firearm I own, my intentions for it are similar to my primary deer rifle or turkey gun. Get it sighted in pre season, shoot a dozen or so rnds at various ranges then put it away. I've got other handguns that are a lot cheaper to shoot for practice than this one. Hopefully the gun will last. Its a shame they don't build the gun so that you can actually get out and shoot it all year round without having problems.

Rod, 2100-2200 sounds to me more realistic when looking at my findings. Like I said, my chrony was posting numbers at and above 2550 for the max loads with the 240gr XTP-MAG. If I remember correctly I think my min loads were up around 2250-2300. The chrony has always been accurate in the past and was even that morning. This weekend I'll shoot more of that same load through my chrony again and another chrony just to compare results.

Recoil, I say that I put about 400 rounds through it. Most of them were full power loads. The only powder I used was either H110 or 296.I had the best luck with accuracy using 296, 48 grains to be exact with the Hornady 240 gr. XTP Mags. I have some loading info from Hornady using the 200 gr. SST bullets that I want to try. If the Barnes bullets work out for me then I will load up some of the SST's for practice.

Mike, what velocities were you getting with that load?

Just a word for thought. The FTX bullets are extremely accurate (out of my gun) but they do not hold together well on impact. Weight retention was less than half and the jacket and lead core seperated on all my tests. If you decide to use them for hunting and push them over 2200 fps, be careful of your shots.

I don't know what kind of velocity I was getting.One of my next purchases is a chronograph. If you go bt the Hornady manual you should get about 2000 ft./sec.(240 gr. XTP over 48 gr. of 296)I only plan to use the 200 gr. Hornady bullets for practice. If all goes well I will have the Barnes bullets loaded for deer season this yr.

It's interesting to read this post. Two things come to mind that I might mention. I'm no expert but it's worth noting and or dicussion.

One, the 460 is a great cartridge but the "high" velocity light bullet is really not needed in a 45 caliber. The 357 Max came out years ago and the first thing everybody tried to do was hot rod it with light bullets. Aside from varmints the light bullets did poorly on game and was hard on the forcing cone. I have a Max revolver and have not shot anything less that 158gr bullets. After 1,000 rounds the forcing cone looks new. Lets face it slam light fast projectiles into the forcing cone and it's going to wear.

Second, I have read that lil-gun is hard on forcing cones from a couple of different places. It sems like lil-gun can get the velocity numbers with out the pressure, but there must be a reason for that. It's seems to show up in the forcing cone area. It seems to me lil-gun is better suited to the closed breach guns and small cartridges.

The XPBs were the most accurate out of my gun and they performed unbelievably. Come next fall, that will be the bullet I'll be hunting with.

That is a good point Tig. In doing some research over the past couple of days, I too have noticed several guys having problems with their .460s' forcing cones when loading with lil'gun.