Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Thoughts on the TSX performance 2009

JJ,

Thanks for some valuable info.

Bears are really soft skinned, and much more lightly constructed compared to the big African vegans. The soft point is a great choice on the brown bear. I also agree that the TSX for the big African game is a much better option.

It's gonna be hard to make a bad choice with a 1/2" diameter bullet over 500 grains in weight. No bear or Buffalo alive is a match for that combination put into the right place. I've seen both killed with guns that are not even close to that level of power.

Your never over gunned for these species, but your certianly at the upper level of Firepower!

Thanks JJHACK... I'm taking my 500 Jeff deer and elk hunting this year, hoofing it up and down the Colorado Rockies with my 11 lb rifle should whip me into shape. Hopefully I'll be in shape before the season arrives.



Chuck

Rokons ain't got no spokes

Seriously, most come with hollow wheels that hold water or extra fuel for long cross country travels.

Back to the topic..... WOW!!! Some folks DO get overly riled at this stuff that is supposed to be fun.... I like them and use them, if someone wants to use something else that has worked for a long time for them, OK by me just go have fun and be a good sportsman about it.

I sure would like to be 'sponsored' by Barnes or some such, I could use a little extra money for my hunting funds. So far, I still pay my own way.

JJ

As a someday wannabe for Africa, I want to thank you for the time it took to write all this up for those of us who appreciate it. I will never live long enough to come close to doing 10% of what you and others have done so I live vicariously through you and these posts. I WILL go to Africa someday, God willing, and then I too will be hooked. I have met a PH from SA at a local hunting show and hope to go with him in the future.
As far as opinions go, we all have them...to argue over some of what has been written here is just childish. If hunter A loves bullet "B" ,so be it...if hunter C hates them, so what? All need to remember, we all have opinions, just like a-holes...thanks again for the knowledge based on what you have seen.

JJ;

Thanks for your excellent posts!

I've only been to Africa once... and that was for a visit with my eldest son and family who lived there at the time, and he arranged for a one-day "safari" where I managed to wack a couple of warthogs with his 12-gauge and Brennekes.

My interest has to do with black bears, moose, etc. Last fall I took my 458WM loaded with 350gr TSX's to Northern Ontario for a moose hunt. No moose showed so I didn't get a chance to try them on big game. MV was 2700+fps. Bear are so dominant now in N. Ontario, that predation on moose calves has reached 70 to 80%!

This year the 350 TSX's will be tried on a black bear, either from my 458WM or my Ruger No.1 45-70 Improved (long-throated)at 2470fps. Since I'm known in this area as a guy with quite a bit of experience with bears (not going into details here), I've been invited to deal with a "monster" bear that's become a local problem bear. The owner of the property has recently shot, and killed, a couple of the offspring, or buddies, of the "monster". They weighed about 300 lbs each. Now, the bear in question has a head that's at least over 20" wide (I'll not go into details over that either - but that's valid)and easily reaches with his paws over 9 ft, by tree markings and knocking down a bird feeder at that height - observed. Also, family members chased into the house and a horse attacked and serious damage done.

In a week or so I'll be setting a bait in the bush about 150 to 200 yards from the house. In baiting, I'll be carrying a rifle for self-defence. It's close quarters in there so it'll not be the 458WM while transporting bait. Once the bear is coming I'll put up a treestand at about 35 to 40 yds from the bait. The 458 will not be used in those close quarters but likely my Ruger No.1 shooting the 350TSX at about 2470 fps. While lugging bait it'll be the Ruger, as my Marlin (45-70) is at the smith's getting a couple of inches removed from the muzzle-end (that's the one I'd prefer to be tottin'for personal protection).

Questions: do you have, or do any of your clients have experience with the Barnes 350-gr TSX in .458" in Africa? And,if so, how did it work? And, what velocity for impact would you think would work best on a 500 to 700 lb bear?

It IS very accurate in both rifles and has a significant diameter cavity in the nose. Barnes (Ty)says it will start to expand in a water test down to 1600 fps.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.


Bob

www.bigbores.ca

Sheesh...I am reminded of the saying back during the Crusades [ah, those were the days!], went like, "kill them all and let God sort them out."

I have NEVER used Barnes anything bullets, mostly because I hunt pigs and deer [and 'Yotes of course]. To be honest I have never had an issue with any of the hunting bullets I've used. Of course I don't kill anywhere near as much game as some here post about, not a value judgment or anything, I just don't pull the trigger unless I'm pretty positive I can drop the animal.

So I'm by no means a world authority.

Now what I am wondering is how, if a bullet can be such a flop, and moreover if this company apparently has never made a good product, it could still be in business and thriving.

My guess is that Barnes bullets must work for some people, right?

Anyway I ordered a few different calibers, a medium caliber, .264 and a bigger one .338, both in the TSX plastic tip thingie version.

I've got an open mind, but now my curiosity is really tweaked.

Fwiw a week ago I blasted a cross-tied stack of newspapers about 14 inches thick. It was pretty dense and a 140 grain Hornady SST just creamed right through it.

I expected it to make it about 10 inches in, but I was surprised.

Yeah it aint a deer or any other game but it does tell you something, even if that is only that if you are going paper hunting this will prolly reliably drop a stack of New York Times.

Ok, that's my two sense, on with the Inquisition!

twosixfour

Welcome to 24hrcf! And pretty darned good early post for a newbie. Well said.

As you prowl about this site yo will find some of us like older or even new but in the clasic style blued steel and good wood rifles wheras many others like the synthetic/stailnless stuff. All is good and all in fun MOST of the time. Don't know why it is not always that way, some folks tend to get thier panties in a wad too quickly over stuff that should be easy to talk about as adults. Might have a 12 year old or two posing as adults, one of the 'miracles' of the internet.

Your monicker is one of my all time favorite calibers. It should have been more popular than it was but is still well liked out here where shots at mule deer run long. Try the 100 or 120 gr TTSX over a good stiff dose of R-22, On deer I predict that you will love the results.

Was the 140SST from your 264 winmag? That is a bullet with great sectional density so if that was the case I am not surprised at the results.

"On with the inquistion" Good one, laughing here.

Good hunting, MARK

Hey RINGMAN......Now just who is US my dear fellow?

Those Barnes Bullets in TSX have been sold American, for the US faction on this forum.

Now JJ HACK for someone who has NO DOG, you sure do spend a lot of time hitting those type keys. I guess it is just in your blood. Now speaking of blood or bloodlines, bring your dog over to my kennel. LOL. I hope you got a good one!

Tonka Toy,

That post was way out of line. You need to grow up, boy.

Now, lets all get back to having fun and having an adult conversation or two about guns and bullets and hunting and such.

MARK

Tonk asked,



"US" are the adults who ponder these things.

Well, after all these years on line I have never done this, but I just put a troll on my ignore list. Won't be able to see any of Tonka toy's rants. What a piece of work. Oh well. Once again GREAT POST and Kuduo's to a fine gentleman named JJ Hack.

DNFTT....

MARK

Thanks JJ for your time and effort. The TSX have been great for me since they were introduced. I have taken 20 or so animals with excellent results. The two bullets that I recovered were 100% weight retention.
Please ignore the POS that has no clue what is going on. Some fools just keep going and going and.......

Of only two recovered one was 183/185 gr the othere went through leg bone left side rib left side rib right side and leg rt side. It lost 3/4 petals but was mushroomed to .505" and weighed 135/165. Both bullets were recovered from a 42" gemsbok. The 185 grain at distance was .7xx" starting at .338. I have been shooting X bullets since first available, and this is the first two recovered ever by me.

Twosixfour welcome aboard, sounds like you make up your own mind based on experience and not our conjecture. Glad to have you posting.
Randy

Of only two recovered one was 183/185 gr the othere went through leg bone left side rib left side rib right side and leg rt side. It lost 3/4 petals but was mushroomed to .505" and weighed 135/165. Both bullets were recovered from a 42" gemsbok. The 185 grain at distance was .7xx" starting at .338. I have been shooting X bullets since first available, and this is the first two recovered ever by me.

Twosixfour welcome aboard, sounds like you make up your own mind based on experience and not our conjecture. Glad to have you posting.
Randy

I'd say another welcome aboard for twosixfour...sounds like a common sense kinda guy....
As you see, some guys here really get lit up over things like this..I just posted on another thread, I'm a TSX fan Big Time ( Though I gotta say I did not like the original X Bullets...too hard to get them to shoot) Between my wife and I we are 20+ animals with the TSX, NA and African PG and lovin' the performance....
We still use some other brands for various applications,so I'm a boolit slut...but I'm in the + camp for TSXs..
Ingwe

JJ,

At the risk of hijacking your thread, I am going to post two results of two TSXes I heard about today. Both shots were at the same elk.

The first shot was the 100 grain TSX from a .25-06 AI. Cliff chronoed thema at 3,600! They lazered the elk at 562 yards. Cliff said the fellow got a little excited and didn't wait 'til it turned completly broadside. He hit it quarting toward him. The 100 grain TSX entered about two or three ribs from the paunch. It exited the off side ham. He said this is the first one he has shot that did not drop at the shot. It ran toward them for about fifty yards.

The second shot was a 120 grain 7mm TSX chronoed at 3,800 from a 28" barreled RUM. When the elk stopped Cliff fired. The TSX entered the near shoulded. It traveled through the lungs and exited. He has not any, including this one, take a step after hit by one of his 120 grain TSXes. The shot was 510 yards.

Cliff has two friends who shoot twenty-five calibers at elk. Of the 14 shot with them, this is the first that did not drop whre it was hit. That's why I ordered a .257 Roy. Can't help myself.

TY Safari.

No actually the .264 Hornady SST was out of a 6.5x 55, probably 2,600 fps or something close to that.

I also shot that long Hornady 160 RN and it plowed through also, but I expected that. "Wound" channels looked about the same.

Again, I was surprised that the SST which I have never hunted [successfully, lol] with would have that kind of penetration.

Anyway waiting for the TSXs to arrive on Monday.

JJ
Thanks for sharing all that You have seen and done with us.
To tonk and his kind the gentleman JJ is one of the most stand up guys I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I know him, booked with him, and he has fished in my boat {not many people get to do that}. If he says a bullet works You can go to the bank on it. I use them, noslers, both in Africa and almost all of the others. While there are lots of folks on here that that have killed more stuff than I have, I've killed alot of big game animals with a bunch of different calibers and bullets. By the way Barnes 270 gr. tsx's started at 2800fps from a 375HH do a great job on cape buff.

twosixfour
That 160gr 6.5x55 is indeed a penetrating round
Randy