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Your experience is exactly as mine. It's why I tell the folks to step down one bullet weight with the TSX

Example 165r in the 30 calibers and 270 grain in the 375, or in the case of my work rifle the 450 grain with the Lott.

These lighter weights generate a more obvious impact then the standard weight bullets. The visual impact is the most consistent difference between an animal hit with a bonded core and a TSX. I cannot begin to count the amount of game that has run after being shot without a sliver of visual impact. Yet they were drilled clean through the chest. By comparison the bonded core like the swift A frame will usually stagger or create a shudder and a hind leg kick upon impact.

That is about were they differ the most. From this point, the bonded core will in most cases remain inside and provide an entry hole. While the TSX will have exited and provided two holes.

I've killed a lot of game with the Swift A frame. They were supplying me with bullets for several years to use in Africa. I have probably 75 plus here glued to a board with the details written next to the bullets. On that same board I have maybe a dozen TSX of all calibers as an example of recover percentages.

I have never liked the minimal impacts so common with the TSX, but that is a fair exchange for the two blood flowing holes provided.

A fella that hunts with me in Africa frequently uses a 300 weatherby Mag 26" barrel and shoots the 165 TSX. I never personally chronographed them and he did not either. I would guess they were 3300-3400? Those had instant impact reactions way more often then not. Impalas displayed the red mist so common with prairie dogs! Even tougher game like Zebra and wildebeest met their match with that high speed TSX bullet.

There is no question in my experience that the faster the TSX is driven the more spectacular the impact reaction. I'm not sure how low in weight you can go? I did load some 225( iirc) into my 375HH they were at 3000fps. PG was just crumpled with this bullet, however I could not get very good accuracy with those bullets. I'm thinking there was a twist and bullet length mismatch at the higher velocities?

I do think you could go down to the 150gr in a 30 caliber and be just fine. I stubbornly stuck with the 165's because they just worked so good. After all a 165 TSX at 2900plus is a far better killer then a 300 win mag with a 180 grain factory load shooting a cup and core bullet. That's not a bad rifle to hunt with, mild recoil in a old an boring 30/06 with the lethal potential of a 300 magnum using cup and core factory ammo!