Barnes VOR-TX 5.56 NATO 62gr TSX BT – Powerful Hog Load

Description

The Barnes VOR-TX 5.56 NATO 62gr TSX BT is what turns an ordinary AR-15 into a serious hunting rifle. Barnes loads a solid copper Triple Shock X that leaves the muzzle at roughly 3000 fps carrying about 1239 ft-lbs of energy, with a 0.300 ballistic coefficient. The 5.56 gets criticized as a hunting cartridge largely because of what most people feed it, and this load is the answer to that criticism. Each box holds 20 rounds.

• Barnes VOR-TX 5.56 NATO 62gr TSX BT Overview
• 62 Grain TSX Boat Tail Performance
• Why Hunters Choose 5.56 NATO Hunting Ammo
• Specifications
• Range Notes For This All Copper Hunting Bullet

Barnes VOR-TX 5.56 NATO 62gr TSX BT Overview

Ordinary 5.56 ammunition is built either to punch paper or to fragment. Neither behavior is what you want on a hog or a coyote at an awkward angle. A solid copper bullet with no lead core and no jacket to separate does something entirely different: it opens into four sharp petals at roughly double the original diameter and then keeps driving in a straight line.

Weight retention on recovered bullets is typically close to 100 percent. In a cartridge with this little bullet mass to begin with, keeping all of it is the difference between reaching the vitals and not.

62 Grain TSX Boat Tail Performance

The 62 grain TSX boat tail is heavy for a copper 22 caliber bullet, which is deliberate. Copper is less dense than lead, so a 62 grain copper bullet is physically longer than a 62 grain lead core bullet, and that length is what makes twist rate worth checking before you buy.

Barnes machines relief grooves into the bearing surface of the Barnes VOR-TX 5.56 NATO 62gr TSX projectile. The grooves cut bore contact, which lowers pressure, reduces copper fouling and helps a long solid bullet group well out of an ordinary chrome lined barrel.

Why Hunters Choose 5.56 NATO Hunting Ammo

Most people already own an AR-15, and in a lot of states it is perfectly legal for deer, hogs and predators. What has held the platform back for hunting is ammunition, not the rifle. Loaded with a bullet that holds together, this 5.56 NATO hunting ammo covers hogs, coyotes and small deer cleanly at sensible range.

Recoil is essentially nothing, which means fast follow up shots on a group of hogs and no flinch to fight. Magazine capacity and semi automatic fire also matter more on hogs than on any other game animal in North America.

Be honest about the limits. This is not an elk cartridge and it is not a 400 yard deer cartridge. Inside 200 yards on appropriately sized game, with a bullet built for it, the 5.56 does the job.

Specifications

Range Notes For This All Copper Hunting Bullet

Twist rate is the one thing to check. A solid copper 62 grain bullet is longer than its lead core equivalent, so a 1 in 9 or faster twist is what you want. A 1 in 12 barrel may not stabilize it, and you will see that as oval holes in paper. Most modern ARs run 1 in 7 or 1 in 8 and have no trouble at all.

An all copper hunting bullet normally prints to a different point of impact than the 55 grain practice ammunition you sight in with. Zero with this exact load, foul a clean barrel with a round or two first, then leave the optic alone.

Copper needs velocity to open, and the Barnes VOR-TX 5.56 NATO 62gr TSX stays above reliable expansion speed out to roughly 250 yards from a 16 inch barrel. A 20 inch barrel extends that. Short barrels give up meaningful velocity, so chronograph yours if you run a 10.5 inch upper.

Lead Free AR-15 Hunting Ammunition Availability

Hog hunters, predator callers, ranchers, and anyone hunting where non toxic projectiles are required will get the most from this lead free AR-15 hunting ammunition. Full factory ballistics for the Barnes VOR-TX 5.56 NATO 62gr TSX are published by Barnes Bullets.

Shop more rifle ammunition, compare it with our Barnes VOR-TX 22-250 Rem 50gr TSX load, or browse the full ammunition selection at MAG5 Firearms.