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Barnes MZ Expander

JRudd

JRudd

Aim small miss small.
does anyone have any experience with these bullets? looking for both good and bad reviews. Im looking at ordering a handful and putting them on paper over the summer and hopefully to use next season.
 
They pattern really good and are lethal on deer, the only reason I stopped using them is because they were at times hard to find and they are pricey.
 
yeah thats what i hear. Im now considering ordering a fairly large quantity to last several seasons, and to get some on paper at all the ranges that i will comfortably shoot. ill let the wallet take a hit once and not have to worry about it for a while lol

did you notice if they delivered consistent results as far as expansion goes?
 
Yea they expand well and hold together good to. You will like them but make sure you buy enough so you don't have to find them.
 
My wife uses the Barnes 250 grain Expander in her 50 cal. Her gun shoots them very well & they are "one & done" in her hands! I would suggest gettting a few Expanders & see how your gun likes them, not all do. If you find a good load, then stock up on a few years worth.
I shot the Barnes 165 grain in my 45 cal. for about 15 years. They don't make them any more & my stash is getting low enough that it's time to find a new load. Interested in trying the solid brass "Bloodline" bullets in the 45. At least, if they don't pattern well the Barnes will seem cheap by comparison. Good luck finding the right load for your gun. :way:
 
I use them in my omega. Only complaint is that I can't load em in a dirty barrel because they fit so tight. I use em for my first shot and keep a power belt (which shoot like crap for me) for easy loading backup shot if needed. I shoot 115 gr powder and the barnes don't expand much if I only hit soft tissue. I've had some good hits produce little blood but deer didn't go far
 
bullets

this is the only bullet i will use for my 50's and 45's, I have a friend who worked for knight muzzleloaders and I had a chance to purchased several muzzleloaders over the years.(think i have around 18) I also have a few T/C including a pro hunter. Me and a few friends have been shooting muzzys for years and have tried several different loads and bullets. We have found that a 285 grain 50 caliber barnes boattail is the best bullet made. I have shot several and i mean several deer with these and they are the best period
 
AWESOME! this is what i love to hear! I just wasnt impressed with the tc 250 shockwave's as far as expansion and knockdown..when i say not impressed, i mean i think id have been better off shootin a wad of tin foil! lol I shot 2 deer right around 100-150yds, both with a perfect shots, and they still ran over 150 yards and didnt bleed until the last 50yds! the only thing i liked about the shockwaves was the groups i put up. 3 shot-2" group at 100yds with my pro hunter.. ive had good luck with hornady xtp and sst in the past. good solid hits, decent exits, decent blood trails, and short track jobs... but i heard about the Barnes and wanted to know more:D the guy i first talked with told me if i shot 1 deer with a barnes expander, id never shoot a xtp, sst or shockwave ever again.

thanks for all your input guys! i greatly appreciate it!:D ill be making the purchase here in the very near future!

keep it comin tho, id like to hear them all.. good and bad
 
I shoot the Barnes TMZ 245 boat tails and they are nothing short of amazing. They shoot great holes touch at 100yard and are absolutely devastating on deer. I shot the hornady SST for years and was always bummed at there expansion and blood trail. The Barnes have never failed. Put it on them and watch them fall. The shockwave and Hornady SST are the same bullet made by Hornady its kinda like a GMC and Chevy thing same truck different emblem. You will not be dissapointed in Barnes Bullets!!
 
I shoot the expander mz's and let me tell you, if you touch the deer with one of these bullets I hope you have a truck nearby because its going home with you! 250 grains seems to pattern very well in my gun. The only problem with this bullet is it does a lot of damage if you hit any meat, devastating infact. The deer I shot this year was running away from me, quartering, I shot and hit him in the round and the bullet ended up breaking his round bone and continue through the whole loin before resting behind his shoulder. Perfect mushroom. Poor shot but the bullet did the job.
 
I'd stick with that combination if it works that well. I've used XTPs & Barnes Expander MZswith good results. Really prefer the Barnes, but my present inline doesn't like them as well as the XTPs. [&:]
 
My experience has been the MZ Expanders are great, if you can get em to group out of your gun. I had a White that shot them very tight and I killed a bunch of deer with quick, heavy bloodtrails. The T/C Omega that I use now, won't group at all. But the Barnes TMZ do, so been using them instead. Good enough, but the MZ bloodtrails make things really easy!!
 
I've used Hornady SST's in my .45 cal Knight and the last 4 deer I've shot have dropped in their tracks. They also pattern very well. I haven't tried the Barnes bullets in my .45, but I don't plan on switching anytime soon either.
 
just ordered a few barnes tmz and mz expanders to put on paper! Ill probably wait until the snow clears before i shoot em but im excited none the less!! :D
 
If you shoot a TC get the TMZ's. TC barrel's are a little tight.

I shoot the TMZ's from encore and my sons omega, they touch at 100 yards with Blackhorn 209.
 
PYBucks said:
If you shoot a TC get the TMZ's. TC barrel's are a little tight.

I shoot the TMZ's from encore and my sons omega, they touch at 100 yards with Blackhorn 209.
Click to expand...

Awesome! yeah i have a TC Pro Hunter and an Omega, so thats very good info to know!! thanks:way: how much powder are you using? if you dont mind me asking

ive got both tmz and the mz on order and they should be here next week. Whenever the weather decideds to get nice, i plan to sight em in quick.. run a few 3 shot groups with each gun and bullet at 50, then take it to 100 and run another series of 3 shot groups. Whichever produces the best will be what i will put a big order in for:D
 
I was shooting 90 gr. until this year, jumped up to 110 gr. to see if my groups would open up. They did not so I'm shooting 110 gr now. Group moved up about 4 inches at 100 yards.

Shot my buck at 188 yards this year through the liver, went about 40 and piled up.

Tim
 
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