is barnes ammo as good as Winchester ammo?

Barnes Bullets have a great reputation for hunting,my friends and I use them in many rifles we hand load for and they are an innovative company.

While they've come under the same umbrella corporation as Remington etc,it is still a "small" run company and the people take pride in the products. One advantage in a company like Barnes,is that when they decided to load their own ammo the quality assurance regiment is pretty tight,they aren't making millions of rounds of ammo,so the inspections are more controlled and there is more continuity. Black Hills has a similar reputation;while both companies aren't loading specifically for YOUR rifle, the variances will be a lot less than bulk makers.

Some rifles don't do as well with some loads,and Barnes Bullets seem to have that same issue,but I get Sub-MOA accuracy and most of my friends get MOA or close to it with our loads. I've seen how effective the bullets can be,and every shot my friends took in Africa were 100% effective too.

I have no reservations about the use of controlled expansion bullets,but I can't promise absolute accuracy in your rifle(s). There are other similar offerings from Hornady,Nosler and others now too,so the bullet technology is certainly worth using.

EDIT: The Winchester XP-3 bullet is very similar to the Barnes MRX design. Winchester/Combined Technologies also use Nosler bullets (hence the CT) like the Ballistic Tip,Accu-Bond and they have a Winchester "Power Core 95/5 which I'm guessing is a Nosler E-Tip design.

That is like asking if steak is better than burger.

Barnes - are tops in their class for innovative and new projectiles. If you are just shooting paper or a deer standing still at 150 yards - yes, most any bullet will do fine. Where Barnes come into play:

1. Longer distances - their all copper bullets are longer than lead ones of the same weight - this makes them more aerodynamic.

2. Bullets loose speed as the distanced increases, and in bullets speed is power - the copper models Barnes makes are pre-cut and open up near instantly to over twice their size. This can easily turn what might be a wounded animal into a dead animal.

Barnes - are more expenive. Not the ammo you are gonna go blasting off lots of boxes of next Saturday.

It depends. Winchester makes a much wider variety of ammo and you can always find something to fit your hunting situations (well, almost always), while barnes only makes like 4 different bullets and are a very specialized round. I shoot barnes from my 243 as I not only use it as my primary for antelope and whitetail, but also my backup for mule deer and elk to my 30-06. Two years ago, a screw fell out of the floorplate on my 30-06 while mule deer/elk hunting and not wanting to be limited to one bullet I switched to my 243. I had a very old, mature mule deer buck chase a doe right to me at about 90 yards and barnes dropped the deer in one shot with full penetration. I shot at an angle, and from the 243 the bullet exited the back shoulder and blew right threw it. I was so impressed I now shoot barnes from both of my guns and have never lost an animal to them. With all do respect though, I have never lost an animal with remington core lokt which is what I shot before though so take it with a grain of salt (or pepper). Personally though, weight retention is just so far superior with the barnes you won't ever have your bullet shadder on you since it's monolithic copper.

Yes, Barnes makes great ammo, Winchester makes a variety of different ammo from cheap white box to match grade.

Barnes is well-known as a manufacturer of bullets, especially for hunting dangerous game and other big game animals. Their stuff has a solid reputation. It also usually commands a premium price.

Winchester has a lot of very good ammunition, as well. Some of their stuff commands a high price, while others is very affordable.

Comparing the two is almost like an apples to oranges comparison, since Barnes is more of a high-end manufacturer and Winchester is an all-around manufacturer. Basically, whichever bullet performs best from your gun is the best bullet for you, provided you're using a bullet that is designed for the purpose you're using it for.

I would think that is might be better. I consider Federal, Winchester, and Remington decent ammo and used Remington exclusively in my rifles when I was using factory ammo.

I have never tried their loaded ammunition. I have handloaded their bullets. Base on how good those are, i'd guess Barnes ammunition is probably better than Winchester

their ammunition isn't as good as a few other manufacturers

but their bullets are

yes

Way better the win