Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only The .375 -cal 250gr TTSX, anyone using them or with experience? Results ?

I've recently purchased a couple boxes and loaded 3 for a starter load to be fired tomorrow among several others from my .375 H&H at the range over the Chrony while checking accuracy. My rifle is currently sighted for the 250gr Sierras (bear load) so will be comparing the 250gr TTSX with the 250gr Sierras.

Has anyone used the 250 TTSX on medium and/or larger game?

Thanks in advance.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

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https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/18523181/1

Bob, I haven’t used them in an H&H….Only in the AI version. I suspect that they would work quite well…..I’ve used them for Antelope, elk, and a few coyotes.

The elk was over 300, one Antelope was @ 430 yards., and the most recent coyote was around 280 yards. I couldn’t have asked for better performance on animals. They are superbly accurate , giving sub 2”, 3 shot groups @ 300 yards!
memtb

I've seen the 250 TTSX hammer mature moose and its performance left nothing to be desired. I will not say that it is better than the 270 TSX, but it's a little flatter at the ranges I shoot and I've found that the TTSX expands more reliably in other calibers so expect the larger hollow point to provide a similar advantage in the 250 TTSX. My on game experience is from a 21" barrel H&H.

Thanks guys, I really appreciate this, and the thread suggested by GF1. Also happy to know they worked well on Antelope and coyote! I've been using 250gr Sierras in a bear hunt but only have a few left from an original box of 50, and it doesn't look good in this area for replacements, so I got a couple boxes of the 250 TTSX's. My load for the Sierras has been 83 grs of CFE223 for ~3000 fps with sub-moa accuracy. For the 250 TTSX I've loaded 81 grs expecting higher pressure than in the Sierras - a much longer bullet. Fired only one today of the TTSX that recorded 2988 (corrected to MV ~ 2999 fps, but the primer suggested high pressure, so will drop that down a bit. I also fired three of the Sierra hunting load and they clocked as usual +3000 fps.

Thanks again.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

And thanks to 406 SBC for the information you've provided, I really appreciate experience from actual use on game. What MV's from your 21"?

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

A bit over 2800 fps with Reloader 15.

Thanks - that's plenty from a 21".

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

Sir Bob,
That Sierra 250-gr GameKing was my first love for a .375 H&H also.
At a mere 2700 fps from a 24" barrel it was fun and accurate,
dropped a 350-pound black bear with one shot at 200 yards uphill.
Bear came rolling down to make it easier for me to get to the carcass.

I too succumbed to the 250-grain TTSX later on and gave it a workout in the
the .375 Wby and a .375/404J later on, but never hunted with it.
Results are a certainty if you use it at 2700 to 3100 fps MV.
Accurate, tough, reliable expansion down to 1800 fps impact, maybe less ?
Everybody seems to agree it is a great choice.
Beats the GameKing in many ways, especially at the high velocity end.

Just for decoration of this thread:



I found that QuickLOAD was pretty accurate with predictions involving this bullet,
in .375 H&H, .375 Wby, and .375/404 Jeffery with same throat as the .375 Wby:

Here is some reliable data for loads with the 250-gr TTSX in the .375 Wby,
it is so easy to turn a .375 H&H into the latest CIP .375 Wby Mag, with just a reamer,
no barrel set back or fussing required.
QuickLOAD is tweaked by picking proper start pressure for the TTSX having reduced bearing surface versus a copper slick:



Norma-made .375 WbyMag brass of proper headstamp is bigger in capacity by 3 or 4 grains water gross
than what can be made by fire-forming most other makes of .375 H&H brass and letting it grow to 2.860" !
.375/404J brass made from Hornady 404 Jeffery brass is likewise smaller internally
than that made from Norma "404 Rimless Nitro Express" brass.

What could possibly be better than the TTSX ?
In some finer aspects but at the risk of being harder to come by in Canada,
Hammer bullets:







That .375-cal./ 270-gr Shock Hammer was the inspiration for the .458-cal./ 404-gr Shock Hammer
envisioned as a simple scaling up of diameters, both being 1.44" long,
with some tweaking of the nose and hollow point by Hammer.
It worked.
If I picked one bullet for any .375-caliber BG/DG rifle, it would be the 270-gr Shock Hammer.
If I picked one bullet for any .458-caliber BG/DG rifle, it would be the 404-gr Shock Hammer.



We now get to hammer some tips onto Hammers, started with the smaller calibers, how big will they go ?

Sir Bob,

I used the 250 TTSX in my Win M-70 375 H&H in 2019 in Zim on incidental PG. The rifle has a 25” barrel and achieved a MV of 2950 fps loaded with RL-15. Extraction was very easy and no signs of pressure.

The load was very consistently accurate. It worked extremely effectively on a tsetsebe bull - one chest shot at about 180 yards and dropped. On a medium sized zebra at about 50 yards it had the same effect with the same shot placement. An old large giraffe bull shot through the lungs ran about 30-40 yards and fell. Great results.

In my rifle the 250 TTSX is very accurate and is now my choice when solids are not in order.

I have used the 300 TSX on brown and black bear with great results in the 375 Ruger, but not in the H&H. I loaded the Barnes 300 Solid in the H&H for the 2019 Zim trip for my son to carry as a backup for himself, in case it was needed when we approached elephant herds in search of tuskless. However, he didn’t shot any game with that load.

The Africa forum, "Buffalo bullets", has some field results with the 250 TTSX on Cape buffalo. RinB recently killed more than one buffalo with it.

Thanks to all for your contributions that confirm my choice of the 250gr TTSX as a replacement for the 250gr Sierra in .375-cal.

Sir Ron: Your wealth of knowledge and experience is humbling to me, and many thanks for the time and work to share that with us (me in particular). I really liked that story about the 350 lb bear taken with the 250gr Sierra.

Wildcatter 264: your African experience using the 250gr TTSX at 2950 fps/RL15 is very much appreciated. I'll never see Africa again but I still hunt bears, therefore my choice of the 250gr that could also serve for wolf and deer.

Idmay375: And thanks to you sir, for directing me to "Buffalo Bullets" and RinB's recent experiences using that 250gr TTSX and his analysis and comments, which have great value. I had started to read that thread early on.

Just for interest's sake: The partial box of remaining 250gr Sierras had been in one of the metal cabinet drawers where I kept excess bullets and cases no longer in use. Most had been sold, but for some reason that one remained. Not sure why... except? They were formerly shot in my .375 H&H Browning A-Bolt SS (LH) using both IMR 4320 and RL15 at ~2920 from the 26" barrel. I've told that story many times in my blogs - accuracy poor from that rifle due to an off-center bore. That was way back in 1993 - 94. So the 250gr Sierras now used in my current .375 H&H date from that era.

And my apologies for not giving the "Sir" appelation for each one as I honestly forget - especially now at closing in on 9/10s of a century.


Bob
www.bigbores.ca

CZ550,
You are doing it right.
From now on I will shall reserve the Sir Name
use for the Knights of the Square Table thread.
Sort of like the secret handshake,
for those in the know.

Bob, you are most welcome.
Several years ago, maybe obama induced shortages, I bought some of the 250 TTSX bullets to try, as a plan-b to my usual 270 gr TSX. Thankfully my 270 grain supply outlasted that shortage period. I still need to load some of the 250's in both 375 H&H and Ruger.
I think the 250's would let the air out of any moose or bear quite quickly and satisfactorily. I am stuck on 270 grainers because that is where I started and have had very accuracy and bullet performance with them. I did load some of the 270 gr LRX in the 375 Ruger last year. No moose volunteered as a test subject last season. I may or not use a 375 this year.

No experience on game but the 250 grain Barnes TTSX shoot great in my Ruger Alaskan with H-380 at 2650 fps.

Idmay375,

Thanks for sharing. The .375s are ideally suited for Alaskan game and conditions from everything I've read, heard and seen on video. Thanks again for your input on the 250gr TTSX, and experience with the 270 TSX.

Wishing you the best on your future hunts.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

I have used the Barnes 250 gr. TTSX in Africa, in my Ruger Hawkeye African .375 Ruger, with great results.
Game taken ranged from a Springbok, Black Wildebeest, Sable, and an African lion. Very accurate bullet in my rifle.