Barnes TTSX's

[Huntfit]

Hi Huntalkers,

just chasing some info on the TTSX's.

I have recently been giving 210's a run in my 338/06, and some of you may remember a hog thread I put up around a month ago, where the boar was poleaxed on the spot with a TTSX. http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?t=255774 Know, over the last week and a bit, I have hit two younger Red stags with them, and lost both animals?? I never had this issue with Accubonds.

HGWT and I have been discussing this issue, and as he has a fair bit of experience with the TTSX's out of a faster stepping 300wsm, we both feel that perhaps the rounds are not opening up fast enough from the 338/06 at approx. 2700fps.

If anyone has some experiences or advice they would like to share, I am all ears.

Thanks a heap.

 

[havgunwilltravel]

I have used the barnes x bullets all the way through from the older coated XLC's to the TTSX in a lot of hunting situations and i will continue to use them. However i am aware that once you start getting out in range and bullet trajectory drops off there is a greater potential for the front portion of the X bullet to not open up entirely. There are a lot of factors that can affect this though, bullet speed, bullet weight, calibre, density of animal you are poking holes in, and where abouts on that animal you are actually trying to hit. I have always thought the Barnes work real good when they are used in an under calibre type situation, where your asking the bullet to do more then what is expected for the species you are hunting and when you are hitting animals on tough angles and asking the bullet to say penetrate from the pelvis bone into the lungs or from a quartering on shot through that shoulder and into the lungs.
I like to shoot pretty much every critter i put the crosshairs on in the lungs, nothing lives with bullet holes in the lungs, i only take bone shots if i have to or if i need to. I have seen plenty of animals get away with poorly placed 'shoulder' shots and plenty of animals live with a bad shoulder shot, but not many are still running after 150 metres from a decent lung shot. I never aim to drop an animal in its tracks, thats an indication of a solid bone or spine shot and there is just too much room for error for my liking.
So if your using a slightly overbore type calibre for red deer and also running the bullets at perhaps slower speeds then say a fast magnum and also using slightly heavier bullets then what you might need to then there is potential for that barnes to not open up all that much if you are rib shooting animals and not hitting any solid bone for that bullet to really work on. As you know boars have that solid outer plate on them, thick hides and are great for testing bullets.
The accubonds could be an ideal compromise and probably the better solution for that rifle.
Here is a couple of examples. Bullet on left is a 225gr TTSX from a .338win mag that i shot a big mature stag in the armpit with, distance 170 metres, he ran the usual 140 or so metres then fell over. Bullet found on opposite side under the skin, nothing but ribs, skin and organs it went through.
Bullet on right is a Barnes TTSX 180gr out of a .300wsm that i shot a big stag same general area in body, no major bones were hit and it too was found under opposite skin, distance was 390 metres, and luckily for me i was able to put a couple more bullets into him. They just didn't meet enough resistance to open up and this combined with the slower trajectory resulted in an ordinary result in this instance. If i ever have to shoot an animal with that set up at those ranges the only solution will be to aim slightly forward when side on and make the bullet work through the shoulder region.
Tough to find a bullet for all situations and one that will cover a few different game species over a wide range of distances.

 

[Straight Arrow]

The Barnes TTSX 150 gr bullets fired from my 7mm Rem mag have expanded similarly to the above illustration on the left in taking two bull elk from which the expended bullets were recovered. One shooting distance was approx 100 yds, the other about 250 yds.
From what little I know, I would agree that havegun's analysis and assertions are valid.

 

[Carrion Carrier]

I've never had an animal take a step after being hit with 168 gr TSX's. So far, two bulls and a mountain goat. Wondering how many animals I'll take with a whole box?

 

[Huntfit]

Cheers for the replies fellas.

Yes Straight Arrow, HGWT's analysis is valid, I rate his opinion's pretty highly, apart from some of the hairy women he knows, probably poked more TTSX's through critters than most would believe.

 

[bjtc_brian]

What was the distance on the animals? TTSX need at least 1900 fps(I think) to open up correctly. Here is a link on the new LRX bullets, which have a lower expanding velocity.

LRX low velocity expansion

 

[Southwind]

I started shooting 168 tsx's in 2004 in my 300 wsm. I have taken elk, bear, mule deer, whitetail
and pronghorn with never a problem. However the furthest shot I have taken game with that load is right at 400 yards so I can not speak for the next 200 where it would drop to 1400 fp.

I did go to 145 lrx's this year in my 7mm mag and 129 lrx's in my 270 wsm but have no harvest info yet on those rounds other than very accurate.

 

[Carrion Carrier]

225 (yards) or less.