Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Barnes TTSX

I am faily new at reloading, loaded some .357 and helped BIL a few times and could use some advise. I am trying to get max length out of my TTSX 165gr in 300 win mag. Loaded one in an empty case and got into rifling, pressed .050" lower. It will fit barely into the mag well. However I am .200" longer than book COL. Also two rings are still showing. Is this how the TTSX load? Any advise would help.

I shoot the 185gr TTSX in my .338 federal and set the bullet .03" off the riffling. I too have several rings showing but I have no issues.

The rings are called driving bands, and they reduce contact / pressure with the bore as the bullet travels down the barrel. My 130 grain TTSX are set 50 thousandths off the lands in my .308 and just barely fit in the magazine. You may need to tweak the OAL to find the sweet spot.

The only thing that matters is if it shoots accurately. Barnes bullets frequently are very sensitive to seating depth and as little as .010 too much or too little and they can produce 8 inch groups. You have to shoot the load before you worry about anything else. Some rifles like them close or touching the lands. Some like them way, way off. Some like them in the middle. And a very few just don't seem to care at all.

Thanks for the replies and info. I will load a few up and shoot them. Those TTSX's sure are long enough. No problem getting enough bullet into the case.

Thanks again
Mark

in my experience, they like to "jump" to the lands....so try a few seated a little farther back.....

Thank you afterum. Will try some @.050, .075 and .100.

Good idea

Yes, I have driving bands visible on all my loads. I have found .055-.060 to be a great start point for me in every rifle I have tried them in.

Thanks TakeEm, and I just did a better job with figuring OAL. I used the rod technique with a bullet touching the rifling and then measuring to the bolt face. Better than forcing a long seated bullet into place with the bolt. Thanks for the advise

Mark

Yep mine is the same; though only on one rifle, a .257 Weatherby. I posted up a question like this about the cartridge/bullet combination and was told to seat 'em DEEP. As you can see, the driving bands are buried. I was fortunate to get incredibly pleasing results from my first outing:

I have seen the best accuracy with TTSX's seated between .040-.060 off the lands, have tried them kissing the lands with no luck, I would say most user's get better accuracy seated deeper than touching!

+1 on that exactly, plus the fact that mag constraints on the .300 will dictate seating depth, seat it so it fits in the magazine...or maybe a tad deeper...its all you can do, and youll find a spot that works fine...

.030 for my Barnes loads 30-06, 270WSM, 300WSM, 22-250, 7RM, etc

I had to go .100" on my 240 weatherby to get the standard TSX's to shoot. Most of my rifles like them about .050".

I just picked up a new Vanguard S1 in .300Wby and was wondering a good starting point for the 180gr TTSX?

Start at .050 off!

I guess I am the odd man out , all of my rifles like the TSX and TTSX seated just off the lands. Anywhere from .005-.025. I start developing loads with them just barely kissing the lands and seat them deeper by .005 for each series. I could never get consistency with them by starting at .050 and seating deeper.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Bill

the OAL on my 308 win with 130 ttsx is 2.8

Is it even possible to seat .050 off the lands with Weatherby free bore and still load in magazine?

I shot a load today with 165gr Barnes TTSX, 180gr Winchester PP, 180gr Nosler partition. All were set .050 off the lands. The Barnes shot the worst with 3" groups, the Nosler and Winchesters shot 1.5 and 2" respectively. More experimenting is in order, thanks for all the advise. Keep em coming