Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Barnes TSX/TTSX

JustinL1,

He should have shown you the photo of the eight inch tree he shot though to get to the elk's shoulder.

Friggin' computer!

For every bullet design, I've heard of bullet failure, but am always suspicious of the details, most of which I don't get in the story, which are usually second hand. Guys in my neck of the woods use interlocks exclusively, and kill big stuff. I went to the TTSX 150gr in my .308, because, at the time the NP weren't available at the local sports stores. They are certainly accurate, but I haven't yet tested them on elk. This 308 is my backup rifle, and I usually hunt elk with my 30-06 or 358win. NP is my bullet of choice because they've worked. I did use Trophy Bonded Bear Claws in my older Savage 110, because, years ago they worked, but are no longer available. I can understand that if one is spending big bucks on a hunt, they want the best for the task at hand. But over the years, accuracy and shot placement seems to get it done.
There's no replacement for those 2 details in my simple mind any more than the biggest, most expensive rifle can cure all other hunting shortcomings. But I'm getting old, so likely I'm out of synchrony with the rest of the younger hunting community.
I understand the thread is about moose, not elk, but since our moose are in threatened times and I feel a kinship to them, I don't hunt them. But I trust that the TTSX will work fine on elk, from the comments on the Campfire and other testimonials. And they'd work fine on moose.
Heck, don't the Norweigans use a 6.5x55 routinely on moose?

NP are to frangible for my tastes and loose too much weight...

About the 8 inch tree.. reminded me of my buddy who let his boss shoot a book black bear in AK with his 338 win mag and some 225 barnes I loaded...

IIRC it was about a 2-3 inch alder before it hit the bear, went through bear and about a 5 inch alder after that and kept flying.... bear very dead.

Since I've caught 180 NPs from 300 wtby in mid size whitetail deer, I quit using them, though JB tells me I should have been using the 200 NPs.

But went to 180 barnes in that round and have never caught a bullet in anything since....

RE 6.5x55.... anything works put in the right place for the round... we hunted AK moose with 30-30 for a number of years and never were concerned.

Now if I had to break bone to get somewhere, then I"d have been concerned. But I knew the limitations.

Without knowing how far the shot was, it’s pretty hard to speculate what happened, not that speculation really solves anything. But I have seen these monolithic bullets do some crazy things when the distances have gotten a bit long. I have also seen people shoot things at 300 (which were more like 500), as well as shooting things at 150 that were more like 300.

Moose are worthy of good bullets though. I have pretty much returned to Partitions over the last several years for my moose hunting. That has avoided the drama of bullets blown to bits or bullets failing to expand though last years young bull was instantly tipped over by a 180 E-tip (which he also failed got catch).

A few ‘caught’ moose bullets:


340 wtby, 340, 30-30, 7-08, 340.

The .270 Weatherby is something special and surprisingly under utilized. I found mine very impressive.

Don't ya love to read a "bullet failure" post next to a hanging, dead critter...

DF

He said they shot the critter some more, so I'll give him this one. Plus, I HAVE seen things afield with bullets and wounds that I wouldn't believe , had I not seen them.Weird stuff happens sometimes.

Hard to claim something absolutely can't happen with any bullet. I have seen some wonky stuff with TSX's myself, but not with TTSX's, or the Hornady GMX or Nosler E-Tip, two other plastic-tipped monolithics.

MD, what's the biggest screw-up you've seen from partitions (seriously curious) ?

DF, please accept this as constructive comment and not derogatory.

Just because any bullet kills an animal AND your recover the animal DOES NOT mean the bullet performed as it should have nor as advertised.

My personal opinion and requisite is that a bullet for big game does NOT explode / disintegrate. Sometimes that disintegration can cause instantaneous death. Other times that can lead to the last thing you want to happen.

OTOH if all a hunter wants is to recover a dead animal regardless of bullet performance, then there is no bullet failure.

Each to his own.

Have a good day.
Jerry

Got it.

DF

On the other hand, if the 'exploding" bullet performs exactly as it was designed, it didn't fail. That being said, I don't personally like "exploding" big game bullets either.

JG,

Have seen a couple Partitions that might have deflected a little after hitting bone. I say "might" because it was hard to tell for sure, as one animal was moving and the other might have been due to misjudgment of the animal's angle by the shooter.

Did see a 210 Partition from a .338 Winchester Magnum stopped by a whitetail buck that weighed maybe 160-170 pounds on the hoof. It was running angling away from a friend of mine, who put the bullet in the middle of the deer, just behind the last rib. While skinning we found it under the hide of the shoulder on the opposite side.

Have yet to see one fail to expand, and have yet to see one fail to penetrate sufficiently. But then I usually don't shoot unwounded animals in the rear end. Did shoot a raghorn elk in the rear with a 200 from a .300 Weatherby at about 375 yards, but the bull had been previously hit in the chest, low in the heart as it turned out. The one in the tail penetrated into the chest, and put the elk down right there, and it didn't move again.

Accidentally shot a pronghorn buck in the right hip with a 100 from a .257 Roberts at 300 yards, when he whirled to challenge another buck just as I pulled the trigger. He also went down instantly and was dead when I walked up on him. The bullet angled through the body and ended up in the left shoulder.

Have yet to see one fail to expand.

J G -

Yes indeed. We are on the same page.

I wasn't addressing 'exploding' bullets per se.

I repeat something I've said a few times. I like cheese on my my 'bergers'.

Me too jwall! That was pretty funny. Thanks for the info MD, good stuff.

Bullets aren't infallible. Start a 225 TSX at 3200 fps and contact with the heavy shoulder bones of a mature bull elk is the practical equivalent of hitting a brick wall. Things should have gone as planned because the bullet is designed for it,but strange stuff can still happen.

I'd think the bull that stopped a 225 X would be an isolated incident since I've killed bull elk with lighter Partitions in different calibers that penetrated shoulders with no problem. If anything a Barnes has tougher construction. I'd use them without hesitation.

As to comments on the Partitions I haven't seen one ever fail to expand nor do what I expected,although I did think the 120 gr 25 seemed a bit tender at 25/06 velocities,and one 7mm-160 spun its front and rear cores....but it had deflected on brush before impact.

Whether they exit or not depends on the particular weight and caliber, the animal, where you hit it, velocity at impact...etc etc, just like any other bullet.Still and all I have not recovered many of them. Exits are pretty routine.

I have been surprised over how similarly they behave in animals, regardless of caliber so long as a caliber and weight was used that was suited to the animal in question.

Dance with the one that brung ya'

Didn't the Nosler Partition come into being because the conventional cup and core bullets of the time didn't satisfy him with their performance on moose from a .300 H&H?
Just saying but the .300 magnums, partitions 180 grains and heavier and moose are very well matched. Not that TSX/TTSX bullets or many other bullets won't do the job.

Bob,

Interesting that you've found the 120-grain .25 Partition "a bit tender" from the .25-06. I've shot several animals with it from the .257 Weatherby Magnum at a muzzle velocity of 3300 fps, at ranges from 80 to 300 yards, and all have exited. None of the animals was very big, but on a an elk hunt in 2012 one of my partners killed a good 6x6 with one 120 Partition .257 Weatherby factory load at modest range, and it also exited on broadside lung shot--and killed the elk quickly.

Would be interested in your details.