Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles TSX vs TTSX

My experience with the older X bullets (the blue-coated XLC variety) was that sometimes they would do a lot of damage and other times I could't find the holes. The final straw was when I put two through the lungs of a buck antelope with my 7mm RM. It went down but kept its head up as if sunning itself. Some 20 minutes later I had worked my way around a hill for a closer shot and put a third one through it in that took part of the heart.

When the TSX came out I tried them at the range but could never bring myself to use them on game. Then the TTSX came out and I gave them a try. Even on small game like antelope they have performed very well (no problems for my buddies or myself). The MRX, a tipped predecessor to the TTSX, has also worked great, including on elk.

Since I don't have a stash of TSX on my bench and only a few (at most maybe 100 in various cartridges), I see no reason to use them on game when the TTSX have proven themselves over and over.

My experience with Barnes is mostly with the 30-06 on light game like blacktail deer and hogs. I started with the X bullets, changed to TSX and now use mostly TTSX if they make the caliber/weight combo I want to use.
Never had a problem with any of them except for the copper fouling of the X. The TSX was much easier to get an accurate load and the TTSX had been outstanding in every rifle I have tried it in save the 250TTSX in 375 which caused me to stick with the 235TSX.
If you have complaints about today's bullets, you should have seen how the bullets of 50 years ago performed.

Expand on the 250 TTSX/375 issue. The 270 gr. TSX is said to be one of the .375 standards for DG, etc. Seems the .250 TTSX with better B.C., slightly faster, should be a good one. I've never shot anything with one, just currious. What critters are you using the 235 TSX on?

DF

I've used the 235TSX on deer, hogs and elk but the BC is pretty meager so I was looking for something to reach out a little farther. The 250TTSX seemed like the answer to my prayers but I went through a box of bullets with different chargers, powders and primers and couldn't get it into anything better than about 2.5MOA. This from a rifle that puts everything else into <MOA.
A friend even sent me some 250GMX to try but those didn't seem to do any better.
In frustration and thinking maybe something was wrong with my rifle, I put the 3 235's that had been in the mag down range and you could cover the whole group with a quarter.

How does that gun do with heavier C&C's, like 300 gr.? What about Partitions?

DF

It's a P64 M70. Shoots everything else from 235 to 350gr in little tiny groups.

Hmmm..

Kinda makes one wonder about the 250 TTSX.

I got some to try, just haven't done so. We've had so much rain, it's hard to get enough shooting time. Where I shoot behind my house, I don't like slopping in the mud and that's about all we've had lately.

One of these days, I'll see how my SS Classic handles those bullets.

DF

I've seen a few smaller-caliber TSX's fail to expand, either at all or completely. They've all been from 6mm to .30 caliber, probably because the hollow-point is small enough that it can be at least partly closed by battering against the front end of the magazine during recoil. While it doesn't happen often I've seen it often enough to trust the tipped model more, because the hole under the tip is a lot bigger.

Have yet to see a Tipped TSX fail to expand--or a TSX over .30, probably because their hollow-points are larger than those in smaller calibers.

Thanks guys. Going to try to find some TTSX. Since I'm going to have to order them anyway I'll try 130 .308's and some 250 .375's, should cover the bases pretty well.

xxclaro; I would concur that the TTSX would be a better choice, based upon my experience and observations.

If you can't find them locally I have had good luck getting components from either Prophet River in Lloyd or Corlane Sports in Dawson Creek.

All the best. GRF

Thanks GRF, I've checked Prophet River a few times but forgot about Corlanes.

I shot our winter’s meat: a moose, a few years ago with a 235 TSX out of a 375-350 Rem Mag wildcat. Out of around 3 dozen moose, it’s the only one I can recall that bounced and regained its feet after going down.



The bullet on the left hit the moose at a distance of approx 150 yards; shot went through the shoulder muscles, missed major bones, rebounded against the far hide and was retained inside the hole. The second bullet didn’t exit but wasn’t recovered. I’m sure more speed would have enhanced the expansion and also the penetration

The 130gr TSX/TTSX out of the 06 is one of my go to rounds for hunting deer size game.

Elk get a heavier Barns or eTip bullet, while smaller game (Javelina, Bob cats, Coyote) get Hornady V-Max.