Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Barnes TTSX performance report

Back in July I posted a Barnes bullet report on some underwhelming expansion from a .30 caliber 168 TSX that I shot on my Africa trip. I never generated so much campfire conversation--a couple of thousand views and a couple hundred responses. I was characterized by the Barnesians as only slightly better than the antichrist.

So here is my next installment. The two bullets shown below are .338 210 TTSX, both recovered from a large bull elk. Muzzle velocity was about 2880 fps, and the range was only slightly more than 100 yards. One bullet went through one shoulder and was lodged under the skin on the opposite ribs. The bull turned, and the second shot went through the other shoulder, and lodged under the skin in neck. The weight of each bullet, after some thorough cleaning of detritus under the petals, is above 209.5 gr. The bull probably didn't go 10 yards after having been hit.







I had pretty well decided to use 210 gr Partitions on this hunt, in part because 1)they have such a proven track record, 2) they seemed to be grouping better at 100 yards, and 3) the TTSX are quite unproven at this point, since the tipped version is so new. But the TTSX were grouping just as well at 200 and 300 yards, and my informal dirtbank expansion tests were reassuring.

Very nice, Snakewood handles?

Yep--I thought the knives might generate as much discussion as the bullets. They just arrived--still virgins.

I'm surprised the elk stopped both bullets. Did you hit bone in the shoulder?

What were you shooting?

.338 Win Mag

Thegman--

Both bullets when through the rear part of the front shoulders where there is no bone to speak of.

I am not surprised the bullets did not exit. It was a very large bull, aged at maybe 10 years old. The hide was very thick and tough, and the bullet just didn't have enough poop left to punch those big petals through it.

Ditto... Barnes bullets, if they don't shed their petals, really develop a nice, big frontal area. Course, I've had elk hit similarly with Partitions found under the elastic hide as well.

I'm surprised someone never figured out a way to make tires out of elk hides

Looks like they performed perfectly. I've always like an X that opens wide and flat - and the 338s I've used seem to be designed in such a way that they do that. Some others seem to curl quite tight which may give better penetration, but of course you "plow more ground with 4-16s than with 2,3 or 4 - 14s" - to use an agri-analogy. Well placed bullets which kill quickly don't need gaping exit holes.



Maybe 'cause you'd really need them to be "all-terrain" tires for elky work, at least that is how moose hides are sometimes applied in an equivalent way: as useable sleds...BTDT.

Those are perfect! The knives on the other hand, they are ugly. I will give you $100 C A S H + shipping. PM me.

Firstcoues--I couldn't quite follow your offer. Do I pay shipping or do you? It would make a BIG difference in my willingness to accept your offer.


Brad--Do you know what noise a tire made out of elk hide would make when it went flat?


Wapiti wapiti wapiti.

LOL!

That's reaaaallllly bad...

Good catch! Looks like they did their job admirably. Last month in WY I finally 'caught' a 210gr Partition in a buck pronghorn. I haven't weighed it, but he was VERY impressed...

LOL !

utah,

Nice report. From what you've seen, do you have any feeling as to how these same 210 TTSX's would perform at 338-06 velocities?

TIA.

Can't say that I do, although my dirtbank tests were at 300 yards and the recovered bullets (only two) looked just like these from the elk. So given that the velocities from the 338 Win Mag at 300 would be comparable to those from a 338-06 at closer range, then you would expect expansion characteristics.

But a colleague has been using 200 gr Nosler BT/Accubond out of his 338-06 with good results. I think the slightly lower velocities from the 338-06 make premium designs less important.

Thanks for the info. I like AB's, but I'm thinking about building a dedicated pig rifle in 338-06 for the lead-free areas of CA (which is pretty much everywhere the wild boars live...). A 210 gr. 338 TTSX @ 2700 fps out of a 338-06 or 338 RCM seems like just the ticket. It's too bad that Barnes isn't making a 8mm TTSX, otherwise the 325 WSM would definitely be in the running, too.

Very interesting, thanks for posting.

Gasman,

As a .325 owner, I couldn't agree more! I called Barnes and asked them and they said "could be a while..." or something to that effect.

I've heard a couple rumors that Nosler was going to fast-track the 8mm E-tip because they chamber their rifles in .325. That would be nice!

-jeff

Is owning an 8mm caliber like owning a De Soto. {spelling}
HD