Barnes 275 gr. .451 XPB Triple Shock
Bullet development has been under way for the .460 S&W, the hand-slapping hotter brother to the .454 Casull. That's a very good thing for muzzleloaders, as these bullets are designed for the same velocities that today's better inlines can produce. Brand new and just on the market is the Barnes part #45105 460 S&W .451 diameter 275 grain "XPB" Triple Shock bullet. It sounded like an excellent muzzleloading bullet, and when I received them-- they looked like an excellent muzzleloading bullet. But, looks can be deceiving, and when it comes to guessing how well a bullet will group, I'm wrong more often then not. I attribute this to my legendary lack of ability. There never has been any suitable substitute for actually pulling the trigger.
The reasons for considering this 275 grain bullet are many: the potential for 100% weight retention and deep penetration afforded by all Barnes copper bullets, the more aerodynamic ogive found on this bullet compared to most blunt flying ashtray style "pistol" bullets, and the beautifully formed flat base that is easier on a sabot than concave bases, or boat tail styles. With a conservatively estimated real-world ballistic coefficient of .220, it is a better flyer than most of the 250 grain class .45 caliber bullets out there today, yet promises less recoil than shooting a 300 grain bullet at similar velocities.
It was a 52 degree day in the field today, with gusty winds from 8 to 17 mph according to my Kestrel windmeter-- not the exactly the best range conditions. But, I was anxious to try this new bullet out to see if the accuracy potential was there out of a muzzleloader-- and, I'm pleased to say it sure is. The first twenty shots all landed within a two inch square, despite the wind gusts. This was one of the better groups of the day, using 60 grains of Vihtavuori N120:
To give you an idea of how the profile of this bullet compares:
The Barnes 275 gr. XPB loaded easily in my Savage 10ML-II, engraving the sabot on the way down with little force and no slop. Despite the 2300 fps plus velocity, it was surprisingly comfortable to shoot-- much more so than a 300 grainer at similar speeds.
Ballistically, using an 8" kill zone, the 60 gr. N120 load has a maximum point blank range of 237 yards using the .220 BC, and retains 1416 fps and 1225 fpe at 290 yards. According to Barnes engineers, this bullet will have the minimum 45 degree petal opening (expansion) at 1400 fps and above. The XPB 275 joins the 300 gr. Barnes MZ-Expander and the .458 Barnes Original as a superbly accurate bullet out of the Savage 10ML-II. More work needs to be done; so I'll report on 200 and 300 yard accuracy, other loads, and chrono-to-chrono ballistic coefficients as time and range conditions permit. To say the precise name of this bullet is quite a mouthful, so I'll just let a picture tell the story. It is a wonderfully impressive bullet from Barnes.
© November, 2005 by Randy Wakeman
