Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Barnes TSX Inside Tip New 6.5 Bullet

Hey was talking to Barnes a few days ago about 6.5 bullets.

I have never used Barnes TSXs on game, so did some crude expansion tests a few months ago, posted some pics here maybe you remember, most likely not. My test medium was dry newspaper, tightly tied together with twine.

The 6.5 Barnes TSX did a great job in the penetration department, a little better than the Nosler Partition, but expansion was not what I was expecting.

Shot this from very close range out of a 6.5 x 55, impact vel must have been in the range of 2,600fps for the 120 [actually its the tipped version]. The "petals" only peeled back about halfway leaving 1/2 of the cavity still there, if that makes sense.

Anyway the tech was very helpful and said that dry newspaper isnt the best test because the bullet is designed to expand under hydraulic pressure, like inside an animal [duh] so wet newspaper would propably produced more expansion and deeper penetration [the penetration in dry media was more than adequate]

He went on to say that the 120 tipped TSX should open reliably at 1,900 fps and above.

Ok this isnt the story just the setup [such as it is] I'm building a deer rifle for next year, missed this season and want to purpose build it around a TSX just for fun.

I'm also rehabbing a rotator cuff injury [no surgery required just a lot of physical therapy] so am not going to be shooting magnums for a while.

So the new gun might very well be a 6mm in which I hope to shoot the 85g TSX, just because I'm kinda intrigued about the light fast bullet theory that a lot of BarnesBots [just kidding] have been talking about.

Ok now to the point, I said what would it take Barnes to manufacture a 100 grain 6.5?

He started lauging and said they were going to do just that and gave me the product number, which I wrote down but then missplaced.

They should be on the shelves in Feb.

I thought some of you might be interested in this because it give cartridges like the .260 Rem, 6.5x55s [loaded to higher pressures, not to be fired in small ring mausers etc] the ability to drive them pretty fast.

Nosler lists their 100 g partition at +/- 3,300. I think the Barnes TSXs have less engraving pressure [correct me if im wrong] than the partitions which are pretty soft, so you might be able to easily duplicate the 3.3 k velocity.

No, its not a .257 Wby @ 3,500 but its pretty close and should have even less recoil, slightly lower vel and less charge weight.

Ok thats it, I thought it was a great development. Have a .264 Win Mag that loves the 120 TSX [1/2 MOA or less 3 shot groups] but Im thinking that I might be able to drive the 100s VERY fast, maybe 3.6k plus with similar accuracy, who knows.

So kick it around if you are interested.

If anyone has some experience with the .243 Win using the 85s I would appreciate your input, also considering a 6mm-06 or similar cartridge instead of the .243.

Im quite sure this bullet will easily kill California mulies, but Im a little concerned over black bears, the tech btw said it would work fine, just break them down with a shoulder shot which is the same technique I use on pigs, usually go the for the off shoulder and they dont go anywhere.

Last line was referring to the 85 grain .243 caliber, not the 100 gr .264.

I would love to try the 100gr TSX. I have a 6.5-06 AI that I built around the 140 A-maxs, but would like to try the light barnes in it I beleive I could get around 3500. Also was thinking of a building a .260 next month( I love the 6.5's) The 100 gr. TSX may have just convinced me.

Yep, I noticed a couple weeks ago that Midway has the 6.5mm 100 gr TTSX listed on their site, none in stock yet of course.

Like you I'm really looking forward to trying them.

Hadnt checked out Midway yet, btw have you noticed that Midway FINALLY fixed up their website so it works?

I have been bitching to them for like two years that the site was a disgrace and couldnt figure out why a class company like them would have a piece of [bleep] website.

I have played with the 100 grain partitions and they shoot accurately, but my 6.5s are set up for 140 target bullets so have pretty fast twists 1:8 so the 100 might not have the optimal stabilization. Yeah Ive heard both sides of this that you cant really overstablize unless you are spinning them so fast they come apart, but Im not well versed enough in the tech end of ballistics to be able to say yes or no.

The guy at Barnes told me the BC, it was really very good for such a light weight 6.5 but as you know the TTSX are really long so it makes sense.

What are you planning on shooting them in?

I have a box of original 100gr X-bullets. Hope the new ones are better. Out of a 260 I couldn't get reliable expansion on deer sized game, lots of pass throughs on broadside shots with little internal damge. Hoping the TSX improves on this because I do like that bullet weight and the velocities it creates.

Plenty of guys around here running 85's out of their 243's. I run em out of my 6/06 (since they quite the 95 TSX) and to date they've been very accurate and very game capable.

If you build a 6/06 give me a shout as I've done a fair bit of work with it and may be able to help you out a bit.

Dober

Ditto on what Dober says, I too use the 85TSX in a 6/06 at 3660fps. No problem with expansion on speed goats at 300+. Through the slats, complete penetration, internal blending of the heart & lung, minimal bloodshot meat around exit and an external spray blood pattern on the off side over 12" in diameter. That bullet appears to have vacuumed the lungs out as it exited. Oh and did I mention it also will shoot sub 1/2 MOA out to that distance...

bla bla bla... its been hashed over so many times by now... first if you want BT performance, shoot BTs. If not the newer Barnes work even better, though I've never seen an older Barnes fail either.

The old blue 6mm 85s worked great as did the 7mm 120s. Nice low recoil and deadly. Not to start the old argument but if used at typical ranges they do well. It is only when you start thinking of them as a long range laser could you get into trouble.

Not sure but I think a Feral hog of around 300 pounds was the largest game taken with the 85's. I think that is pushing the envelope but would not hesitate to do it again.

Wasn't trying to start an arguement, just stating my experiences with the old bullet, which in my case wasn't very good. Maybe it worked great for everybody else.

twosixfour,

I'm going to be shooting them out of my 700 mountain rifle in 260. Thinking along 4350 lines as far as powder, my particular 260 just seems to like the slightly slower powders better with all bullet weights.

I've had pretty good luck with the 100 gr partition on paper and game, but if the TTSX will shoot even better it will become my go-to load for deer and hogs in the hill country.

Bill

The old bullet and the Tipped TSX are about 5 generations of development apart, I don't have any problem using the latest and I don't compare them to the X Bullets I saw used in Namibia in '95.

I want to give the 100 gr bullets a ride from my 6.5-'06, and see how they do.

jim

Were the deer killed?

a dead animal does not automatically mean bullet sucess.

i've had to track a double lunged coyote three miles through knee deep snow and dispatch it with a .22 when i caught up with it.

would you call that a sucess?

On the dry media test, what is a little? When comparing the TSX and the NP? If the people at Barns told you the dry media wasn't a good test media for that bullet you outa try it with wet media..

The NP I'm assuming will look the same in either media..

Hope you run another test. Thanks for the post. I really like my 260Rem!!

2 6 4 ,

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...ger_1_International_Who_has_#Post3091822

Above on the 85 'XBT' in my report, scroll down the thread.

I am a big believer in the 85 TSX, never heard a bad report.

100 Barnes in 6.5, sounds like it will do fine, would not be concerned on overspinning in an 8" twist gun, seen a '96 mauser w/7.5-7.7" twist shoot 85 Sierra's in small groups, the "Copper 100' should be longer than say a Hornady or Noz in 100gr and I would expect there to be zero accuracy issues.

Seafire drives 100s in an 8" Ruger at 3350 or 3450, in a 260 w/22" bbl. You will get far less recoil IMHO in a round like that, as I vividly recall loading some 115s in my 7mag at 3375 chronied, it was WAY more recoil than you might think, and loud.

If my shoulder had some injury, drop down to a moderate 308 to 6.5x55/7x57 class round with lighter bullets.

Also, a Barnes 100 TSX in a 250/250 AI, and 257 Roberts is said to be a nice load for your purposes if you don't mind a 'quarter bore.'

That said, there is not a deer or hog alive I would be afraid to tackle w/a 243 or 6mm and that 85 TSX....from any angle if I had an accurate rifle and a good hold.

Good luck.

I might even pull the 260 out of mothballs and give it another run if they actually do produce a 100TTSX.

Dober, I still have about 300 of those 95 gr TSX's for my 240 wby. They are perfect for it. Too bad the 243 couldnt stabilize it as it makes a 240 a monster shooting them....pigs hate them.

Frank