Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Is the tsx really that good?

Needed for deer, usually not, work on deer? Never seen a failure yet. Thats the joy of them for me. Can take any shot from ribs only, head, lengthwise, close to far out and I can expect an expanded bullet and an exit hole.
I've said it before and will say it again, learn to trail folks, it'll pay off at some point in the future when a standard cup and core bullet fails...

Jeff

I've only shot 8 deer with TSX's. Never a pencil through and several have been bang-flops. Never had the meat damage I've had with cup and cores but neither the gaping exit wounds. Still all have been DRT or easily recovered. They are accurate too with high BC's. Nothing not to like except for the price but a box of bullets is still the cheapest part of any hunt I've been on, regardless of their price tag.

I learned how to track years ago, from flingin' arrows, not bullets.....................

As for killing, nothing does it quite as good as Barnes. Accuracy is another matter. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground with Barnes. If they are accuract, they seem to be very accurate, and if not, moon sized groups. At least that's been my experience. My latest, a 270 Winchester Model 70 fratherweight, shoot half inch to quarter inch groups with 130 XLCs drive at 3111 FBS.

My close friend just took a nice 5x5 bull with the 30-06 180gr TSX out of his M70 fwt stainless. He said it sat that bull right down................For Elk and such, I'd think the TSX would definitely shine.............For deer, I guess I'll have to find out for myself if it works any better than your average Speer, Sierra, Hornady, Powerpoint, etc.........

Well, I'm glad that some of you guys like them cause I can't stand the things. I have tried them in a Sako 243, Zastava 300WM, Custom Mauser '06 and a 7mm WSM. Words cannot describe the awful groups from 4 different powders and various primer combinations. I just gave up on them as I need sub MOA at 100 yards to hunt on my farm as a 400+ yard shot is likely. Here is a pic of a Sierra Pro Hunter bullet retreived from a 150 pound doe here in NC Missouri. This is my best friends Remington and we worked up nearly one hole groups with it this summer. I don't need premium bullets when the cheap old reliable ones perform like this. Regards, Rick.

That can't be a Sierra, it's still in one piece..... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Let me say up front.....I've never used the TSX bullets on anything. However, I did try the original "X" bullets in several rifles and many head of game......and was sadly disapointed. Numerous shots where the bullet simply failed to open up and sailed through at caliber size. While no animals were lost (I too can track when needed) the results were basically the same as if I'd used full jacket bullets. These too can kill but certainly aren't the best choice.

Just as reported with the TSX, these solid bullets performed much better when heavy bone was encountered (not sure if it was a result of expansion or tumbling) and always exhibited great ability to penetrate......but were overall a disapointment. That exsperience is the reason I've not tested the TSX. It's basically a rehash of an old idea that failed the first time.

That's a statement that can be made for most of the "gimic" bullets I've tried over the years. Every few years somebody produces a new "gimic" that is supposed to make all bullets before it obsolete. They all sound great in the magazine ads and quite often are praised highly by writers who tend to praise anything new (not a cheap shot....I am a writer and know how easy it is to fall into the trap of the "new and improved" mindset when what's really happening is that we are despirate to have something new to report). However, as soon as the "new" wears off the latest gimic simply fades away only to be replaced with the next "bigger better deal".

I don't trust any "gimic" bullets and find as I get older I stick with what has always worked. One of those bullets that has always worked is the Nosler Partition. The one thing that the Nosler has always had going for it is consistancy. It ALWAYS exspands reliably, it ALWAYS kills quickly and it ALWAYS penetrates (at least the rear half does). Most of my use of the Nosler has been on smaller caliber rounds (.243, .257) where reliable penetration is, at times, hard to come by in a standard bullet. It has never failed me. My one complaint is that it exspands a little too much. I never liked a bullet that was "designed" to disentigrate the front half......that's why I really like the A-Frame. It's like a NP on steroids....all the good points with the ability to hold together a bit better.

For larger caliber rounds I've never seen the need for any of the "super" bullets as long as a reletively heavy for caliber bullet is chosen. The Hornady Interlock has been a long time favorite and the newer Interbond seems to be even better so far.

Maybe I'm just a crotchety old man but that's my opinion.....stick with what works and is proven over time and forget the latest "gimic" like the TSX.......it will soon be gone like all the rest.

I also have never shot the TSX, but many of the barnes X bullets. While I personally have not had a failure with them, I've seen three cases of where they failed to expand. One was a small doe shot in the ribs with a 7mm rem mag/140 gr XBT where it just penciled through leaving a 7mm exit hole and minimal internal damage. She ran about 100 yds and didn't give up any blood until the last 20 yds. We found her by basically stumbling on her with a grid search. The second case was again a 7mm mag/140 xbt on a big whitetail buck at 40 yds broadside. We never recovered that deer so I can't say for certain it penciled through, but that's my gut instinct. The shooter was a good rifleman who just doesn't miss at 40 yds broadside. The deer made it to a godawful cutover and we searched for it for a day, but you'd literally have to step on it to find it in that cutover. The third case was a friend who shot an elephant with a 300 gr X out of a .375 H&H and it failed to open. A couple of other shots brought the elephant down and the bullet that failed to open was dug out of the elephant. He's got it sitting on his mantle, it's kind of bent in the shape of a banana, no expansion at all.

As someone else said, when they work, they work very well. However, three failures out of them is too many for me, especially when there are so many good bullets on the market with more reliable performance.

What I've found is that the X and TSX are made for basically two things ... Breaking Bone and Penetrating like no other bullet except a true solid that isn't mean to expand much if at all ...

If you intend to make broadside shots at thin skinned game thru the rib cage and/or "boiler room", you're not going to get the X/TSX to reach it's full potential ...

However, if you intend to drill the shoulder (i.e. break bone) you're going to be using the best bullet out there for that application if you choose the X/TSX ... it's going to drill the heck out of that point, and likely penetrate fully everytime ... all that, with minimal meat damage ...

The X/TSX are by far the best bullet out there who's "purpose" is to do what the X/TSX is designed to do ... but it IS not just a "premium" bullet, but almost a "specialty" bullet ... and you've got to mind what it was intended to be used for ...

If you're going to shoot broadside on deer, then a standard cup/core or bonded bullet is probably a better choice ... If you're a good shot, and are faced with lots of "odd angle" shots, then the X/TSX is a very good choice because you can put it right on the shoulder when the shot is offered, but you can also drill just about entirely thru a deer lengthwise if that's the only shot you're offered ...

again, the bottom line is it's meant to be used a certain way, and you've got to use it that way for it to be fully effective ... the beauty is that when you do use it like it was designed to be used, you won't find a better bullet to do the job ...

Good post WGM!

Might add.......and when you add elk to the mix, the TSX REALLY begins to shine!

Yep, it almost sounds like a nomination speech for the Nosler Partition as the best all-purpose, all around bullet.

Even though I agree with and have said many of the same phrases myself and prefer the way the X treats the meat - when they work like they should - I do have my doubts about "distance" use of, or lower velocity impacts of the X. This is the 6mm 85 XBT mentioned in several previous posts. It was recovered from a 300+ yard "artery" shot caribou.



If it hadn't clipped an artery, the animal likely would have died from septic shock - in a day or two.

I may try some of the new TSXs when they settle on which weights and designs they decide to build. Presently, even though meat damage is more substantial, I'm shooting non-"green" bullets ((the ones that will soon be illegal in California, the ones with lead in them. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> )

Who was it that developed unleaded gas? Maybe they worked for Barnes as well. I love the unleaded bullets. They work well in all the applications I have used them for, albeit not that many.

Superb on paper.

Deadly on Deer.

Magnificent on Moose.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I have used barnes X bullets since 1992 in all big game rifles save for one, wifes 280 Rem will not shoot them with acceptable accuracy, nor noselers or speer grand slams only the Hornady 175 SP.
all my hunting friends use them as well.
generally quite accurate, 100% weight retantion, always used heavy for caliber bullets but now after this long time starting to use the lighter weights. and they don't bullet batter in the magazine, thats why i started using them in the first place

Klikitarik, are you going to load that bullet and use it again?
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

In a word YES!

The TSX is the most over rated bullet of late IMHO.

They have thier place as a super penetrator but do so on account of A SMALL WOUND CHANNEL.



How many times have you heard this "THEY DON"T SHOOT UP MUCH MEAT" then they go on to say "IT LEFT A MASSIVE WOUND CHANNEL" That part allways makes me laugh.




So this a "SMART" bullet that has a computer chip in it, allowing it to tell the difference between meat and a different kind of meat then selecivly distroys one but not the other? Not bloody likeley.


There is no magic bullet that "doesent shoot up meat" BUT still creates massive dammage to the vitals.

since whitetails are the norm for me...think I'll stick with Nosler...meat loss is not a huge factor to me...

If Whitetail are the primary targets, you could do a lot better than X Bullets IMO... Unless of course, you like to practice your tracking skills...:)

2 does this last weekend. Both dressed over 100 pounds. 85 tsx in a 6mm WOA. Appx 2800 FPS. Both shots just over 200 yards. Both ran a bit. Blood trail very easy to follow. Both very dead. Not hard at all to track unless you were blind and incompetent. This in thick south TX brush country.

FWIW compared to a 260 yard shot with a 50 bmg, that doe ran like heck the same distance, no blood trail at all...

BTW both of the TSX shots did just exactly what they do so great, I had bad angles on both deer right before dark as time ran out for the year and needed the meat. Both bullets were complete pass throughs. 6mm entry, dime size exits, blood trails, very dead deer. Thats performance no one can complain about and I cut away a piece of ribs on one side as to waste....

Jeff