Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Pressure CX v LRX v TTSX

Mr Sisk
All the rifles I have used were cut with my personal Henriksen reamer which cuts a 1.5 degree throat. I have used 1 Lilja, 3 Kreiger, 2 Bartlien, and 2 Benchmark barrels. Great care was taken to cut the throat concentric to the bore.

I appreciate your apology but I didn’t take any offense. I am discouraged by the frequency of nasty responses. Yours was not one of them.

Best to you,
R

Mr Sisk,
I have tried to get the CX and ETip to group well enough to test them on game. I have been conducting my own test of .277” 130’s for the past 20 years. I have tried many different bullets.

The tipped Barnes bullets produce excellent terminal performance. I suspect the CX and ETip bullets will produce similar terminal results but I can’t get the accuracy I want. I would be satisfied with 3 shots into around .800” so my demands are not too unreasonable.

I switched to the TTSX from a nosler ballistic silver tip after losing 3 deer in 2 seasons. I'm shooting a 130gr ttsx out of my .308 I’m experiencing velocities that are going to allow that bullet to function at any range that I’m realistically going to shoot at something living.

Rick, my experience mirrors yours for accuracy and monometal bullets. Barnes are just easy. I’m hoping to give Hammers a try in a couple of rifles this afternoon. I’m hoping they might produce good results.

P76
Chuck,
I am interested in Hammers but haven’t tried any. I believe the front splits into three or four fragments rather than expanding into a mushroom. I wonder about terminal performance on large tough game.
Thanks
R

There are a number of threads about Hammer bullets, think most are very happy with accuracy and performance on game. I'm working up some load's with his bullets right now. Give Steve @ Hammer a call, nice guy!(406) 261-0010

I'd be interested in your load data specifically in the 308 WCF, I'd like to work up a low recoiling load for a Savage 99 with peep sights for close range black bear. My 180 grain Speer Mag Tip loads with Varget kick too much for my 66 year old arthritic right shoulder in that lightweight carbine.


41

RinB
One technique I have learned with some monolithic bullets is the same as the trick for making Partitions shoot better. In a Partition, the base is harder than the nose, and there is the partition in the middle. With Partitions and Barnes, I have found that a slightly hotter load will make them shoot better. Accuracy and more consistent speeds. Sometimes, going to a faster powder will work, say going from 4831 to 4350. The faster powder or higher pressure will upset the bullet a little more, and many times that's all it needs.
Charlie

41Rem
I have a load I call my 30-30 308 load. I use Sierra 170 grain flat nose bullets in my 308 at about 2250 fps. Makes a fine "in the woods" whitetail load. I use N120. I also use that loaded with 168 grain Sierra MK's. This will go 10 inside 1/2 inch. ES on the chronograph will be single digit. Use IMR4227 load data and work from there.
Charlie

I am following this thread.
I have used the .277 lrx ,ttsx, gmx and ce bullets.
These were all 130 ish bullet weights.
I think I will go with a lighter, faster monolithic bullet
Perhaps the 110 grain hammer or the ttsx. Mono's have a need for speed. Bull Elk are always on my menu, I just believe the lighter bullet might be even more effective.
This coming from a 150 Nosler Partition guy.
It is a new day, folks

comerade

I used the 110 TTSX on two plains game hunts maybe 10-12 years ago. Mine were leaving the muzzle at around 3250-3300. They worked about as well as the 130 TTSX at 3080-3100. I didn’t observe any difference on game.

I standardized the 130 because at longer distances the velocity difference is insignificant.

I have had same results with the 129LRX. The recovered LRX’s look different but results are the same.

I tried the 150ptns and prefer either of the Barnes. I have a good supply if you are interested.

Could you elaborate on this sentence? I've never killed anything with the 129 LRX but my 270 really likes them. The 150 Partition is a good elk bullet for sure but the 129 shoots flatter.

Hodgdon’s told me something similar. Almost two years ago Hodgdon’s had a email blurb saying you could treat the ETips, TSXs, TTSXs, and GMXs the same as far as load data was concerned. I called Hodgdon’s and asked about this and they confirmed what the email said. I think the CX had just been introduced. I didn’t think to ask about the LRX.

In the few cases for which I have experience, I seem to get more pressure with the LRX than a TSX or TTSX of similar weight. I would take that with a grain of salt, but that’s my impression based on a few data points.

How does the LRX "seem" to get more pressure?

I've been using LRX's quite a bit for the past four years, primarily in the 6.5 PRC and .30-06. In my NULA Model 24 .30-06's 24" barrel the 175 LRX gets around 2800 fps with the maximum charge of IMR4451 listed by Hodgdon for the 175 Sierra HPBT.

The latest load I've worked up with the 127 6.5 LRX is in another NULA, a Model 20 6.5-.284. Also used 4451 in it, and started with the 129-grain Hornady Interlock Spire Point (often use a less expensive bullet for initial load work-up before trying Barnes Xs--or Nosler Partitions, or whatever "premium" bullet). Worked up to around 2900 fps with very good accuracy, then substituted the 127 LRXs with the same load. It got the same velocity and accuracy--and in fact typical of NULAs, both loads shot to the same POI. My last group was six shots, three with each bullet, all of which went into around .6" at 100 yards.

Admittedly these weren't direct comparisons with similar weight TTSXs. Am going to check my bullet supply to see how the grooves on LRXs compare to those on TTSXs of the same diameter and approximate weight.

Just checked my bullets and found I had both the .30 175-grain LRX and the .30 168-grain TTSX. The only differences are the plastic tip of the LRX is a a darker blue, and the weight. Both have three grooves, of the same size and spacing, and they're also the same distance from point of the tip. The bearing surface also looks just about identical, as does the ogive.

The weight difference is a little over 4%, which would have some effect on pressure.

bwinters
Comparing the .277” 129LRX and 130TTSX, the tips are clearly of different sizes, the LRX being smaller.

I removed the tips from each. The LRX has a smaller opening.

I have visited with Barnes technical folks and was told the LRX are “softer”. I have noticed that the LRX is more likely to shed a petal at close range. Actually I believe I can look at the expanded bullets and pick one from the other.

I have shot many from the different 270W’s. All were cut with the same reamer (2 Kreiger, 1 Bartlien, 1 Benchmark, 1 Lilja). The LRX were slightly more accurate in each instance. However the difference was maybe .15”. Pressures seemed pretty much the same.

I have tried 1-10 and 1-9 and 1-9.25 twists and prefer the faster.

I haven’t noticed any difference on game but I tend to shoot very precisely. Actually I have gotten very good results with Federal blue box 130’s which makes me question why I go thru the effort to handload. I can buy that for $20+ a box. If a 270W won’t shoot well with that cheap factory ammo then that rifle has problems.

Thank you for the explanation. I thought you were indicating there was some performance difference.

I'm vasillating between 129 LRX and the 150 Accubond for my elk trip this year.

I'll say it again but my 270 shoots 150 Accubond a shade under 3000 with 58.0 of Re 26 and a shade under MOA. I'm struggling to pick up my 7RM that shoots 10 gr more Accubond at 75-80 fps faster, 2" longer barrel, 1 lb more weight. The 270/ 129 shoots just as flat as the 7mm/175 LRAB but wind drift definitely favors the 7mm/175. I've always liked the 7 RM and have had one 40+ years. But with the advent of Re 26 and an accurate 270, kinda makes it superfluous.

Choose the LRX.

I had two really nice 7RM rifles. One was built by metal smith Ted Blackburn the other by DArcy Echols. The rifles were really nice but I abandoned them in favor of a LW 270 with a 22” barrel.

Am getting ready to go hunting and will be taking a 270W, 1-9 Kreiger, 20.6”, that weighs under 6# including scope. The 129LRX leaves the muzzle at 3040. Will be shooting Eland, Zebra, Wildebeest all of which are considered pretty tough. Based on previous use I don’t expect any problems.

Have use SwiftAF and Woodleigh 130’s. Great inside 275-300 yards.