Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting TSX/TTSX on Deer Questions

Although I've never back calculated it, I"m pretty sure that a 338 Win mag with 225s by the time it gets to 800 yards is below those parameters yet both rounds I fired in an example of 2 only, both expanded and that was OLD X bullets

Yes, they are the most accurate out of my Tikka, and that was the reason I used them on three deer in Canada.

A mule deer stumbled backwards and bolted into nearby brush, but he was dead a few yards into the brush. The exit was tiny but total devastation internally.

I hit a whitetail in a fast walk or jog, bullet hit low in the chest/top of leg. He must have been dead on his feet as he hit the ground limp and tumbled to a stop. Bullet shattered some bone on the way in.

I hit another whitetail just at the base of the neck at the shoulder as he stepped out of the red willows. He dropped at the shot, but was still alive when I walked up to him. I think a softer bullet would have created more shock and quicker death (IMHO) and another tiny exit.

As regards to your statement of a "tiny exit" I agree that the exits in the hide aren't usually large but IME the inside look like a blender went through with extensive damage

I shot this deer with a 338 Lapua and it ran.
Entrance



Exit



What vital is actually hit and each individual animal determine how each react to being shot

largest exit I"ve ever seen from a Barnes. And on a soft target too.

Not a Barnes the bullet was a 300 SMK started at 2800 FPS impacted at 300 yards on the nose

Ah. Makes more sense. One of those non hunting non expanding SMKs that you NEVER should use on game. Grins.

Stumbled across this info on TSX/TTSX impact velocities....

http://www.americanrifleman.org/GalleryItem.aspx?cid=22&gid=24&id=133

Thanks JG,

Pretty much supports what I thought !

Here's another link, to a Barnes (commercially loaded) Vor-tx ballistic table.

http://www.barnesbullets.com/wp-con...jectory-velocity-energy-REV-8-9-11-P.pdf

Looking at what my Wife & Son are shooting - 7mm-08, 120gr TTSX, it would appear that they "should" have enough velocity, for reliable expansion, out to over 400 yards. Mute point though, as 200yrds is a very long shot, in our country.

With a 200yrd "0", a manageable 7.1" of drop @ 300yrds.

ft/lbs of energy @ 300 = 1391

Paul

At this time I feel the same way. I'm planning to hunt whitetail in Saskatchewan in November. My Tikka 300 WSM is zeroed with 165 TSX. However, since I'm not expecting any extreme range shots on this trip, I may just bloody a new 30-06 and it loves 180 SST on targets, so with luck I'll see if they kill quicker.

I tried the TSX in two rifles, a .223 and a 22-250 and could not get the kind of accuracy I wanted to use them out in the field.

Give them a try. In my experience TSX and TTSX have killed as quickly as any bullet that I have shot and that include Hornady, Sierra, Nosler (solid base, partitions and BT) Speer and a few others that escape me at the moment

I had a fist-sized exit wound on a caribou and a buck from a .284 140gr TTSX. The deer was at about 50 yards and the caribou was at 400 yards.

80 gr. TTSX out of my 257 Weatherby destroys deer and is .25 MOA. I have shot a bunch of deer with this rifle at ranges from 50 to 360 yds. I have yet to recover a bullet. I'm always amazed at how much hemoraging occurs. None have run further than 50 yds.

Majen that.

Don't be bashful of using the 300 WSM with a 165 TSX, all 3 of these were killed in a 3 month period,3 animals, 3 months, 3 shots..... all were DRT, shots from 75 yards to 200 yards, it kills animals quite well of all shapes and sizes. I've only ever found one TSX of all the animals I've killed with them and that was a 338WM with a 225TSX that broke the back and leg bone of a 7ft black bear that was doing the death tumble as I emptied the 338 on him at 20 yards, bullet was found in the opposite foot if I recall correctly.

me too, have the 308 loaded with 130 TTSX at 3050...if i was expecting long ranges i would use a different bullet but these will be 175 yards or less

Count me as another happy TSX user on deer. For me, I like one load during hunting season that could see use on deer, pigs and my annual CO elk hunt. My model .30-06 mod 70 Featherweight loves the 168 TSX at just under 2,850. It's certainly not necessary for deer, but I don't see any negatives in using it and enjoy the positives of extreme accuracy and a bullet that is capable of taking tougher game.

Deer shot with that bullet act like deer shot with a viarity of other 30 cal bullets. Sometimes they fall over and sometimes they run a bit then fall over.

My Buddy's favorite all-around bullet from his .280 Featherweight is the 140 TSX. He's not looking to change.

Ken

We've been using MRX and TTSX on game for several years now, from antelope to elk. This includes 100g TTSX in my .257 Roberts, .308" 168g TTSX in a variety of .308 Win and .30-06 rifles and 180g MRX in my .300WM. I had an antelope go about 25 yards but that was the longest by far. Most game has dropped where it stood or taken no more than a step or two. So far we have nothing but exit holes.

Last fall I took a mulie buck at under 50 yards with the .300WM and a 180g MRX launched at 3033fps. The MRX exited on a quartering shot and the buck took about 3-4 steps. The next day I used the same load to take a cow elk at 399 yards. It was a broadside shot. The cow did a 180 turn, took a couple steps then turned 90 to head uphill. She made it another couple steps before collapsing. She's inside the yellow circle in the pic below.



In 2010 I drove a 168g TTSX lengthwise though a mulie doe. Not sure what the range was but believe it to be 350 or so. (Damn POS Leupold RX IV rangefinder wouldn't take a reading. Again.)

Never could bring myself to use TSX on big game again after a disappointing test on a buck antelope. No problems at all with the tipped varieties, MRX and TTSX.

To clarify, the disappointing experience wasn't with a TSX at all, was it? I think I remember you saying that it was an old XLC...

Correct. My bad for not making that clear. The XLC were the older X design with a blue lubricant coating. The TSX have a wider hollow point.

I tried TSX when they came out and they proved to be very accurate in my rifles. When the wind wasn't blowing I could consistently shoot the centers out of clay pigeons at 200 yards. Never could bring myself to use them on game because of the XLC results.

Still have 50 115g TSX loaded for my .257 Roberts, about 30 140g TSX for my 7mm RM and another 30 or so 180g TSX for my .300WM. Saving these for long range target play as I don't know what else to do with them.

Really like the TTSX and now unavailable MRX.