Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Hornady 250g SST-ML vs. Barnes TMZ

After a 15 year break, I am jumping back into muzzleloading. I just purchased a Vortek and plan on pushing 250g projectiles with Trip7 FFG.

What are your thoughts and experiences with the 250g SST-ML and the Barnes TMZ? Quarry will be mule deer.

I have used both (TC version of the SST), I think without a doubt the Barnes is better.

But (always a but), you are way less apt to get a pass through with the Barnes. They open up and put a hurting on game, but in my experience, you usually recover them. As such, depending on the shot placement, you don't always get a good blood trail. But they also don't go very far either !!!


This is pretty much what the barnes look like, and we have more than a few of them...

My brother has used the same combo and he also has a nice collection of Barnes MZ bullets.


Bottom line, they both work. If I was going to drive them fast...like 2000+mv, I think I would use the Barnes.

My mv with the TC Shock Waves is in the low 1900's, usually around 1933 and they usually punch through a WT.

Another option is the bonded TC Shockwave. I have had excellent results with the bonded SW.

I finally have a load that my Omega likes with the 250TMZ....110 Blackhorn 209 + the 250 Barnes TMZ gives me about 2010MV and 1.25" groups at 100.

I used to shoot the 250 Barnes ez-expander out of a 700ML with Pyro Pellets and it was truely a sub-moa load. I freaked more than one dude out at the rifle range shooting my 700ML and that combo !!! Something like "WTF are you shooting"......just an off the shelf Remmie 700ML......I got some groups with that settup that were scary....

Still have that rifle and would use it more often but it is a royal PITA to clean. My son now uses it (and I still get to clean it !!!!!)

Tony

sst has a reputation of not opening at all and leaving pencil holes through the deer and no to very little blood trail.

Barnes is a good solid performing bullet. Expensive for range use, but money well spent in the field.

The SST's are great bullets. Be sure to check out the customer reviews at places like MidwayUSA.com or Cabelas.com from people who've bought and used them.
Of course if you want to pay over twice the $$'s you can always go with the Barnes

I used TC shockwaves with Bonded bullets one season...no more. I lost two deer I know I hit and they left no blood at all that I could find or track. The two I did get, one left no blood for over 30 yrds. but I saw where he went down. The other did bleed ok but not great. I went back to TC with XTPs. I have never lost a deer and they work great!

Barnes!

Here in Iowa we have to hunt BIg deer with arrows, shotgun slugs or Mlz loaders. We have chosen blackpowders since 1995 and i can tell you after lots and lots and lots of shooting and deer harvesting amongst a significant amount of pals... the Barnes is the way to go for no regrets.

We have tried them all....... and lots of those lesser bullets have slattered or failed. I think some of the advice on here is pretty sound. Push the barnes fast...1900+...we usually run over 2000fps.. Currently use the 245 and 285g spitfire barnes. One guy still prefers the MZ, but likes the tipped MZ now. Only time we had poor issues was with the light weight barnes , stick with the heavier slugs and ur good to go!!!!

The comments about $$$$.....well, i guess if the difference of $5 is a big issues on the package of bullets.... then dont look at the amount of time, gas spent, scouting, powder, etc.... is spent. Its the CHEAPEST part of the hunting equation....so never could figure out why someone would not buy the best bullet avaialable if it shoots well in there gun. Just my opinion.

My crew has never had a issue with the Hornady manufactured 200 gr. shock wave.

Doc

I would start with the barnes 250 tipped mz. If it shoots good go forth and hunt. Unlike Hicountry most of the barnes we shoot exit but when they dont they look like his bullet. Dean

And some have never had any issues with Powerbelts either. To each their own LOL.

Thanks for all the comments. I'll be heading into the hills this weekend to shoot the rifle for the first time. I've got both TMZ's and SST's. Hopefully it will like both of them over 100-110 grains of Triple-Seven 2F.

Highroad,

I don't know if you read a previous post I made but maybe you find some value in it.



Here's on thing though. Find which sabot shoots best in your rifle. It's probably different that what works in my TC Omega.

A lot of guys in our group had trouble loading the sst's with the sabots that came with them. We went with crushed ribbed sabots and the 250gr hornady flex tip bullets that are for the 450 bushmaster, seem to work well for us.100 - 120grs of FF-T7

i dont like the sst bullets myself i shoot the hornady xtps they are hps and expand awesome

Back from shooting the Vortek for the first time. I only shot two of the TMZ's because it was everything I could to get them seated -- definately too tight with the factory sabot. The Vortek did shoot the 250 SST's and 300g XTP's very well, though they seemed a little too tough to seat. My caliper will not reach into the barrel enough to measure bore diameter. Any suggestions on which sabot to try with the TMZ and SST?

The real frustration was that only about 1 in every 3-4 musket caps would ignite. I was using a new purchase batch of the RWS No. 1081's with wings. The firing pin was denting the caps, but no cap ignition. Has anyone else experienced this with a Vortek or the RWS caps? Could I have bad caps? Could the hammer not be striking the pin hard enough? This is a new rifle.

vortek and musket caps? Is this the northwest edition?

What powder did you use?

It is the NW "Magnum" Edtion which is configured only for use with musket caps. It took me a while to figure this out since Traditions website does not make it clear at all. The NW Edition uses #11's. The NW "Magnum" Edition uses musket caps.

I was using 110 grains of Triple-Seven ffG.

+1

Oooooh ok, that makes sense now.

You did swab between shots didnt you? T7 has a habit of creating a crud ring down below and thats the first thing i thought of when you said you had a hard time seating the bullet.

I talked to Allen at Harvester Muzzleloading and have some samples on the way of their Crush Rib Sabots -- yellow for the boat-tail Barnes TMZ's and black for the flat-base bullets. Hopefully these will load easily in the tight bore of the Vortek.

Allen is also sending some samples of their 260g PT Gold bullets. Does anyone have experience with these on game?