Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Need help: TTSX versus TSX

For reference sake, I need to state right up front that I've killed a number of bull elk, bear and deer with the TSX and original X, so I understand the X bullet.

I have an upcoming sheep hunt in the Yukon next August for two weeks. At the end of the sheep hunt, I have a moose hunt booked for 8 days with the same outfitter. I can only take one rifle and sheep and bull AK/Yukon moose are two very different animals shot in far different terraine and probably at far different distances. I want to use the TTSX for sheep, but not if that tip causes the bullet to over expand or expand so quickly that the normal X bullet penetration is reduced on big animals like Yukon moose.

I you have any real world experience or knowledge of the penetration characteristics of that tipped X bullet, versus the non-tipped version, I'd like to hear from you. If that tip does not cause a reduction in penetration, I want to use the TTSX bullet. Thank you in advance for any insight.

Both will overpenetrate.

Last year I guided a client on a sheep hunt.

Beginning of the hunt we had moose steak.



He had killed that moose (66") with my college down on the river couple days before.

He used a .300 Remington Ultra Mag with 180 gr. Barnes TTSX.

5 days later - we got a good ram. Same bullet. Worked.

Have used both. If you will be using a caliber that you can get the TTSX, then that is what I'd recommend.
Good luck on your hunt.
Jeff

What type of shot did he make on the moose and what type of penetration did he get? Please elaborate.

Two holes are better than one, Mike!
How many times do I have to tell you kids that??

By the picture of those steaks, it looks to me like a good shot, with enough penetration to have killed it dead.

Can you elaborate?

What caliber rifle do you plan on using? The 225 grain TTSX 338 bullet has a BC of .514 and will expand down to 1400 FPS according to Barnes. The minimum velocity is not the same for all TTSX or TSX bullets.

The TTSX wil not expand any more than will the TSX bullet IME

As told by the hunter, by then in sheep camp -

close to 250 yards across a bog - through/through behind the shoulder (did not hit bone).

That is a 24 Hour Campfire joke

Yes obviously, but was it a direct broadside/double lung shot that did not require all that much penetration, or was if a quartering shot that required a great deal of penetration? I'm not gambling a month of my time and $40,000.00 dollars on a bullet I don't know a little bit more about. Perhaps that makes sense to you or not.

We killed deer this year with both..no difference notable and never recovered one boolit!!! That purdy little tip makes a loaded round look really good and protects it as it cycles through a mag but doesn't make it kill any better!! FLEM

The difference between the TSX/TTSX lies in the tip. The tip is there for:

- better BC
- enhanced initiation of expansion (read: works at lower impact vs)

Past expansion is initiated they are practically the same good bullet - and expecting one or the other to go through where the other won't is overloading the issue.

Was thinking of using a 300WSM in a Kimber Montana, but I dont even have the rifle yet. If i cant get comfortable with using the 300 WSM or the TTSX bullet on big moose, I'll simply go back to using one of my 338's or 340's. I think the 300 WSM would be a better choice for sheep, because of the type of up-hill prone shots normall to sheep hunting and the somewhat light RELATIVE recoil from the 300 WSM. I dont know that I've ever fired my light 340 at an up-hill angle prone. Fired it prone many times at game 400 to 550 yards, but never up-hill and I think it could get uncomfortable. I have some .308 cal. TTSX bullets sitting here in 168gr. and 180gr.

I would not knock overpenetration. It's a good thing.

That is the kind of thing I'm needing to hear. Thank you.

About as plainly laid out as it can be.

I wouldn't expect overexpansion, either.

Most welcome. Anytime.

Just read your statement on rifle options -

proven gear trumps all.

If you get the Kimber, get it soon - to get any quirks known and worked out.

Personally - I would go with the "old glove I know that fits my hand..."