Barnes Bullets: New Harvest Collection Ammunition Field Review

I dropped my first buck 25 years ago, a young, basket-racked four-point mule deer, with a single handloaded 100-grain Barnes TSX fired from my trusty Remington 700 chambered in .25-06. In my 12-year-old eyes, Barnes Bullets was king as I constantly replayed that buck dropping with the shot and sliding down the snow-covered hillside, a scene I can still relive with vivid clarity. I was made a believer that day, but the Barnes name has been synonymous with premium copper projectiles long before my time. However, the monolithic mogul is shaking things up this year with the announcement of their all-new Harvest Collection line of ammunition.

The Harvest Collection represents a bold, first-of-its-kind move for Barnes Bullets, loading their ammunition with another manufacturer's lead-core bullet. Before we dive into the who, let's first understand the why. The Harvest Collection is tailor-made for hunting whitetail deer, but will excel across a wide genre of thin-skinned game including pronghorn and, in my field experience, axis deer. For thin-skinned game, a monolithic projectile is not a bad route, as was the case with my first mule deer. However, on the scale of good, better, best, an all-copper bullet is not always the best remedy when looking to maximize expansion and trauma, especially on small- to medium-sized game.

The Perfect Pairing

On a quest to manufacture the ultimate ammunition for hunting thin-skinned game, Barnes tapped Sierra Bullet’s Tipped GameKing projectile to headline the Harvest Collection, drawing on their long-standing reputation of precision and terminal performance. The Tipped GameKing is a cup-and-core bullet with an optimally designed copper jacket for maximizing expansion while maintaining weight retention. The Tipped GameKing’s signature translucent green polymer tip is seated above a hollow point that initiates immediate expansion of its lead-alloy core upon impact. The result is devastating terminal performance, especially on game shot from close- to mid-range distances (50-400 yards).

Beyond 400 yards, they will still kill with proper shot placement, but I would personally lean towards a monolithic or bonded projectile at extended distances to optimize penetration when the bullet velocity starts to fall off.

What about accuracy? Oh, it’ll shoot. In fact, the Tipped GameKing, with its boat-tail design and high BC’s, is a highly favored bullet of choice amongst a large crowd of avid reloaders. Its track record of terminal performance and precision, paired with Barnes Bullet’s stringent loading standards, ensures the end users of the Harvest Collection will not be disappointed. I certainly was not.

In the Field

I didn’t have any reservations that the Harvest Collection ammunition would shoot well, so it came as no surprise when my Benelli Lupo, chambered in 6.5 PRC, repeatedly shot MOA-type groups with the 145-grain offering. With its accuracy tests complete, my testing of the new collection extended beyond the bench with a trip to the Texas hill country in pursuit of free-ranging axis deer.

While not native to Texas, the free-ranging axis deer population, especially in the state’s Hill Country, has exploded in the last 20 years. Unlike the negative connotation that follows the introduction of axis deer in Hawaii, the residents and landowners of Texas have embraced the axis deer population. Not only is axis venison a prized table fare, it also provides affordable year-round opportunities for hunters.

The 80-degree temps in late March were a welcomed contrast to the clinging wintery weather I left behind in southern Idaho. With a handful of good friends in camp, we were eager to put the Harvest Collection to the test.

The first couple of days were incredibly enjoyable, looking over dozens of axis bucks and soaking up the time spent with my good friends Ky McNett and Jon Garcia of Texas Hunting Resources. Truthfully, I was not in a hurry to punch my tag, and enjoyed sifting through bucks to find the one that checked all of the boxes. What were those boxes? First and foremost, he needed to be old and mature. Second, I wanted the whole experience of hunting these wary deer at ground level and outsmarting a wise old buck on his home turf. The antlers crowned upon their head were an added bonus, though I did mention to my guide, Jon, that I am a sucker for mass.

On the evening of day three, with a stiff wind in our face, we tiptoed through a mesquite-choked flat, eyes and ears on full alert. Within an hour we caught movement 80 yards to our left. The bits and pieces we caught through the tangled mesquite wall looked promising as a velvet-clad buck moseyed amongst a harem of does, fawns and a young buck. Tucked in the shade, we waited as they slowly fed towards the small clearing separating us and them. At 60 yards, the buck lumbered into the opening. The use of binoculars to see the grizzled-white face and massive, blocky body this buck sported was unnecessary. It was also crystal clear that this buck carried some serious weight above his head. At 54 yards, the buck stopped and the Benelli barked, sending a 145-grain Tipped GameKing directly through both shoulders. With a lunge forward, the buck snow plowed 10 yards into a bed of cactus, dying within seconds and penciling an exclamation point in all the boxes.

Albeit a small sample size, the Harvest Collection performed flawlessly for myself and the other three hunters in camp on bucks from 54 to 261 yards. As expected at 54 yards, the copper jacket of the Tipped GameKing fragmented heavily, inflicting a series of wound channels. Tucked neatly under the skin of the offside shoulder, we recovered the remnant of the lead core weighing 36 grains along with a shard of copper. Per its design, the Tipped GameKing delivered maximum expansion and devastation, resulting in a quick and humane death of the buck I was humbled to be taking back to Idaho with me.

An Affordable Option

If you are one of the estimated 11 million whitetail deer hunters spread across our great nation, the Harvest Collection lineup is a must-consider option when preparing for your hunts this fall. It is available in nine of the most popular deer-hunting cartridges ranging from .223 Rem. on up to the venerable .300 Win. Mag. with prices ranging from $40-$45 per box of 20. With the promise of precision and lethality at an affordable price point, I fully expect the new Harvest Collection from Barnes Bullets to become a staple in the whitetail woods.

---