Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Ttsx coal question.

Hi,
I just got my reloading stuff last week and fired my first reloads today 7mm-08 120 nosler bt over varget. Happy they worked and were on target:) I have some loaded in half grain increments to test for accuracy next. All have a coal of 2.8.

I want to load some 120 ttsx next and the books say to start at 2.77 coal. Can I safely start at a coal of 2.8 with the minimum charge?

Thanks

I've had better luck measuring off the ogive and find the distance your 120 NBT is shooting good at and then match up the Barnes to it.

Wrangler,

I've done ~fifty rifles with TSX/TTSX bullets, maybe more than sixty now. They've been in all calibers from .223 up but for 7mm for some odd reason.

What I have learned is this... Some rifles aren't touchy about seating depth off the lands. Most are if you want sub MOA accuracy. Some will shoot just kissing the lands, some a little jammed and some more than an eighth back.

I have only found one rifle I couldn't solve. Yet. That one is shooting sub MOA at the right seating depth, but only at 200-250 FPS below what it should be.

I do my work ups at the OAL Barnes website (barnesbullets.com) lists for the load and then if it doesn't shoot when I find pressure I move up to .010 off and start backing up in .010 increments.

For what it's worth, .050 and a as much speed as you can safely get is usually as good a starting place as any. It's easy enough for the wrong seating depth to be 100% responsible for 8 inch or larger groups, and .010 off what the rifle likes is all it takes to do that.

You probably can, but you would probably save time and components if you didn't. Like others have said, start with the book recomended COL, and go from there. Vary the powder charges first, change powder second, and then try different seating depths.
I started shooting Barnes X bullets back before the blue coated plain, XLC's came out. I've loaded for the .25-284, the .280, the .308, (3 rifles) the 30'06. That includes the "naked" X bullets, the XLC, the TSX and now the TTSX. Like others have said, start with the factory recommendations and it should be pretty easy with the TTSX. Nothing like the older X, and XLC bullets. E

I tried mine out to 0.05 off the lands with bad results. made a new batch and loaded 4 each at different seating depths, so 0.10, 0.15, etc. when I got to 0.30, started putting 4 shots in the same hole at 50 yards. the groups were gradually shrinking as each new seating depth got farther into the case. this was in a sako finnlight 300 win mag.

Loaded some 120ttsx up with varget all with a coal of 2.785. Started at Barnes recommended 38.5 and worked up in half grn incrimints. 39grns seems to be it putting 3 shots into 1 hole at 50yds. Groups were opening up a little with each increase in powder from 39.

More jump than you may think, seems to be a common theme reloading Barnes bullets. I've seen it and agree with this statement.

And they do well moving fast.

DF

My experience with TTSX is that you can quickly run into longer than spec COL and end up with feeding problems or not fitting into the magazine if you try to play with bullet jump.. In the 4 rifles that I use TTSX I just seat them to max spec OAL and they all give <MOA. YMMV

With more jump, COAL's should be less. Those bullets like to jump, often shoot better with rounds loaded a bit shorter.

I always measure COAL to the lands with each bullet being tested and work from there.

That said, I like longer mags, like 3.6" full mag length for .300WM and 7RM so I can load bullets to fit the chamber, not the box mag. A .257R on a LA gives more flexibility with COAL on what could easily be a 3" round, especially with heavier bullets.

Some will disagree, but it seems to work for me.

DF

Ageed. The TTSX seems to be less sensitive to amount of jump which is lucky because with the plastic tip sticking out in a 308 Kimber I ended up with jumps of more than .100 in order to fit and feed out of the magazine. Still shot fine and I have taken to just loading them so the brass is even with the front ring.

Yeah, it is nice when the COAL corresponds with the top ring. Makes a neat looking round crimped into that ring. I know you don't really need to crimp, but I do anyway when it works out like that.

DF

In the Rem 700's in 243 the 85g TSx .050 off the lands, with great success with IMR 4064 and R#19, never had to play with seating depth at all. IN the Rem 700 7 mag, I loaded the 120 TSx and TTSX, and the 140g TTSX .050, duplicated the loads with the Nosler 140g Ballistic tip, shot tiny groups with all.

In the Custom 7 STW with Zero freebore, I shot the 120g Barnes TTSX at 3800+ into three shot groups less than 3/8" using IMR 7828 and Win mag primers.

None of the rifles took more than 20 shots per brand of powder to work up a load to find the accuracy node at .050 off the lands.

I use a Davidson or Hornady Ogive gauge on the fixed blade of my caliper along with a split neck case to determine OAL with each particular bullet.

Dirt farmer's post is dead nuts with all bullets, I just had good luck with the .050 off which is VERY unusual.

It is a real shame that Barnes does not offer these bullets by the 1000 pack.

I ended up with excellent accuracy anywhere between .040-.050 with a 270 win and a pair or 300 WM's and that was after trying them close to the lands!