What do you guys like better, Barnes or Nosler?

[willy the kid]

What do you guys like better, Barnes or Nosler?

[jhjimbo]

Barnes has taken a slightly different approach to making bullets but both companies are A++.

[hengst]

Nosler for me. Nosler and swift have performed so well I just have not seen the need to look at anything else.
You will find plenty of barnes fans.

[Sarge01]

Nosler for me. I have not had good success with Barnes.

[jhjimbo]

I have only experience with Barnes in 30-06, only because I have a large supply of Nosler in various other calibers.

[FirstBubba]

It's my OFS (old fart syndrome! LOL!) kicking in. I've used Nosler Partitions but they proved to tough for the white tails I was hunting.
I use Sierra and Speer with great success. Different situations call for different tactics. So far, I'm happy with what I use.

[Edward J. Palumbo]

Without purposefully intending it, my reloading bench looks like an ad for Nosler and Hornady bullets as I type this. Other than Varmint Grenades, I don't have any experience with Barnes bullets, but I'll offer an objective assessment when I can.

[Sourdough Dave]

I load the Nosler Accubond for my .30-06 and the Balistic Tip for my .270 when I can find them.

[country road]

I am extremely fond of the performance from the 7mm 120gr TTSX in my 7mm08. Immediate expansion and deep penetration=great blood trails. Accurate, too.

[DakotaMan]

Both mighty fine providers of outstanding bullets. I've tested hundreds of each and witnessed lots of game taken with each although I don't use either much for hunting. I use very few Barnes bullets because of their high cost but when I need a bullet with exceptional penetration (i.e. very large game) the Barnes is tough to beat. Their bullets allow you to step down a size in bullet weight for more speed while providing equivalent penetration to the larger bullet. I get around .3 MOA accuracy out of them at 100 yards and that is mighty fine for such a great hunting bullet. I'll be using them for elk this Fall in my 30-06 backup rifle based on WAM's recommendation and my accuracy testing and feel the performance is worth the cost.

I really like the Nosler Accubond in .30 caliber (.25 caliber has not been accurate for me) for its combination of long range accuracy and penetration on large game. However, I have not been able to get any of their bullets to shoot as accurately in any of my rifles as bullets from other manufacturers. After shooting tens of thousands of various maufacturer's bullets in reloads across numerous calibers for the last 50 years, here are the bullets I generally use because of the highest accuracy, proven game taking effectiveness and low cost of ownership:

1. Hornady V-Max - target and varmints; accurate, frangible and inexpensive
2. Hornady Interbond - Deer/antelope; top accuracy with excellent high speed penetration
3. Sierra Game King - long range (400 yard+) deer/antelope; outstanding accuracy and excellent expansion at lower long range velocities
4. Berger VLD - Very long range target, varmint and hunting; best accuracy from 500-1000 yards with energy superior to most other bullets at those ranges.

I hope this helps... best of luck Willie!

[Happy Myles]

There are so many high quality bullets today and I think I have tried most of them. In years past I mostly used Nosler Parttions on big game. These days, I use mostly Barnes Triple Shock, if my rifle likes them. Sometimes a rifle performs better with one brand versus another. Have taken animals as small as a dik dik up to an elephant with Triple Shock. In my 416 the 400 grain is fantastic on Cape Buffalo. I do not usually use soft points on elephant, or a 416 for that matter, but this guy sort of jumped in the middle of us. That is another story....

[Happy Myles]

Dakota,
What rifle are you taking elk hunting?

[AZJIM]

I have exclusively used Nosler partition bullets for hunting in both my 270Win and 338Mag for over 30 years. I have numerous one shot kills on elk, a bison and a grizzly. I frequently try other bullets that come on the market but can find none that better the Nosler's accuracy and few that equal it. I just today reloaded 50 270 shells in preparation for two fall elk hunts...all with the 130 gr Nosler partition and 58 gr of H-4831.

[AZJIM]

I have exclusively used Nosler partition bullets for hunting in both my 270Win and 338Mag for over 30 years. I have numerous one shot kills on elk, a bison and a grizzly. I frequently try other bullets that come on the market but can find none that better the Nosler's accuracy and few that equal it. I just today reloaded 50 270 shells in preparation for two fall elk hunts...all with the 130 gr Nosler partition and 58 gr of H-4831.