When Bullet Expansion Matters: Barnes’ New Harvest Collection

As a writer in a hunting camp, the general expectation is that you compose some glorious article about the hunt that would inspire even Jim Shockey. To eloquently weave adjectives and other descriptors to carefully curate the events of the hunt from glassing to skinning enough to make even Hemingway jealous. Well, the truth of the matter is that most hunts are not that epic. Eight out of 10 hunts are pretty straightforward, and if you have a great guide like I did on this one, the timeline is pretty short. Admittedly, axis deer hunting in southwest Texas is also a target-rich environment with herds proliferating since the inevitable escape of a few deer into the hill country outside of Sonora in the 1930s.

It had been a decade since I had hunted this area for axis, a species of deer native to India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. The population growth was noticeable.

Axis were first brought to Texas in 1932. The introduction began with a small herd released on the King Ranch in South Texas. Over the decades, axis deer were purchased and released by private landowners and hunting ranches, where they thrived thanks to Texas's climate and habitat, which closely resembled their native environment. Today, Texas has the largest free-ranging population of axis deer outside of India.

I am not one for “gimme” hunts and had plans to make this challenging. For starters, I ensured it was not a high-fence operation, a practice that I publicly condemn and refuse to participate in. Next, I asked our guide specifically not to hunt from roads or the truck but rather to glass/spot-and-stalk our quarry. Finally, there was no way we were using a truck to recover the animal. We were breaking it down in the field and packing it out, no matter if we were 100 yards from a road (my pack out ended up being 1.3 miles).

On the first evening, we spotted a herd about three-quarters of a mile away and stalked them. The herd buck slipped behind a distant hill, and with some skill and mostly luck, we managed to play the wind just right. He was approximately a 36-inch trophy buck and, upon best estimate, we got within 40 yards of him broadside. I lightly tapped the trigger on the Benelli Lupo chambered in 6.5 PRC with my index finger, said to myself, “Dead,” and told the guide I was good.

I am pretty sure he questioned my sanity for not pulling the trigger. Like a labrador retriever stuck in a crate, I could see the disappointment and watched the energy leave his hardwired-to-kill body.

It was the first evening of a five-day hunt. Sure, I broke a cardinal rule: “Don’t pass on the first day something you’d love to shoot on the last day.” But sportsmanship and the anticipated boredom of spending the next four days cooped up in a ranch house rang loud in my head.

For the next few days, much of the same occurred intermingled with potent back-road long-distance runs in the afternoons between stalks. At this point, my guide had confirmed my insanity. What he called insanity, I see as discipline.

On the evening of day four, we had stalked a herd with two great shooter bucks for more than 1.5 miles. Since it was spring and most of the axis bucks were still in velvet—one of the few species possible to shoot in velvet—I finally pulled the trigger.

See, I told you there wasn’t much of a story… That is, until the 261-yard shot impacted—hence the title of this article, “When Bullet Expansion Matters.” 

The Barnes Harvest Collection is a 2025 product launch that marks a strategic collaboration between Barnes Bullets and Sierra Bullets, combining two major strengths in ammunition manufacturing: terminal performance and long-range precision. This new line features the Sierra Tipped GameKing (TGK) projectile, designed specifically for thin-skinned game, with a focus on whitetail deer hunting under 500 yards.      

Though my shot was “long(ish),” the distance from the buck to the neighboring property was not—about 50 yards. With the animal quartering hard to me, eyes locked on the guide and I, his harem of does on the other side of a low barbed wire fence and assumably Rascal Flatts’ “Fast Cars and Freedom” playing in his mind, I said to myself that this new round better live up to the sales sheet the marketing guys gave me when I arrived in camp. Because if that buck got away, I was donating the Barnes swag they gave me to the homeless clothing drive at my church.

Thhhhwaaaappp—after a well-placed shot, the clock was running as the buck sprinted toward the fence. With 5 yards to go before the certain headache of having to call the unknown ranch next door and potentially the game warden, the round delivered on its promise—exceptional performance and critical expansion to swiftly and ethically take game.

The true story wasn’t the hunt; it was fairly easy to be honest. It was the ammo. Had it not been for the devastating terminal performance of the round given the positioning of the deer, we would have had a problem on our hands. And while in these epic hunting sagas, (I am sure you have read them before in other publications) the hero is the hunter and the grip-and-grin ending draws roses thrown upon the stage, always remember that the true main character that briefly makes a cameo—aka the bullet—is usually the one that should get Siskel and Ebert’s two thumbs up.

The new Harvest Collection from Barnes and Sierra sure gets two thumbs up from me. Not so much from the buck. Sorry, bro.

Caliber Availability:

- Affordable options at $39.99: .223 Rem, .243 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, .270 Win, 30-06, .308 Win.

- Premium calibers at $44.99: 6.5 PRC, 7mm Rem Mag, .300 Win Mag.

Accuracy & Performance:

- Precision-driven with match-grade accuracy.

- Optimized for medium-range shots (under 500 yards), ideal for deer hunters.

- Doppler-verified ballistic coefficients ensure real-world trajectory reliability.

- Includes temperature-stable propellant for consistent performance in varying environments.

- Boat-tail design provides superior stability and accuracy. 

Design & Terminal Impact:

- The TGK bullet offers aggressive terminal performance, balancing expansion and penetration.

- This makes it suitable for ethical, one-shot kills on thin-skinned game like whitetails.

For more information on Barnes’ new Harvest Collection, visit barnesbullets.com. For Sierra dope, check out sierrabullets.com.

Editor’s Note: Be on the lookout at hookandbarrel.com for a full test and evaluation of the new Barnes Harvest Collection by H&B’s Ammunition Editor Frank Melloni.