Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Is Barnes TSX 270 gr. .375 a good choice for Lion?

Am in the process of booking a lion hunt for 2014. Choice of rifle for me is a no-brainer, taking my Ruger Hawkeye African .375 Ruger.

For nearly everything else, I have used the Barnes TSX 270 gr. bullet
So, for those of you experienced with shooting and killing lion, is there a better choice, or do I already have the best loaded?

It wouldn't be my first choice. Bullet choice is subjective and can be a very personal thing, however, for lions and leopards I personally want a softer and faster opening bullet like an A-Frame, TBBC, Woodleigh or Partition.

All taken by my friend recently returned from a 21 day with TGT(plus 18 more including another buffalo, hippo, down to dik-dik) with 375 H&H and 270gr Barnes TSX. Recovered bullets looked like the advertisement. There's just none better....

Thanks Jorge.

What's your recipe for the 270gr TSX?

81.0 gr. of Big Game, CCI 250 Mag. primers, Hornady brass.
MV of 2800 fps.

74gr RL-15 Fed 210Match primers:



There's a 300gr Barnes Solid in there too w 73gr...

I doubt they are faster opening

I used 270gr TSX bullets at 3040 fps from my .375 RUM for plains game in South Africa in 2007. They performed flawlessly on everything that I shot from Steenbok and Jackal to Kudu and Eland. They had 2-3' of penetration in the larger antelope, and they didn't have any problems opening up in the little guys.

The 270 TSX has become my go to bullet for the 375. I have used it on Impala to 420 yards, oryx at over 300 yards, elk at 40 yards, and lion under 50 yards.
It has excelled (!!!!!!) in all cases. The reason I listed all the different animals and ranges is that the 270 TSX offers incredible versatility on a hunt and you will find yourself using the 375 more than you would otherwise. And that is the magic because why have a gun known for versatility if you do not use it in that capacity.

I've used the 270 grain TSX on everything from steinbuck to giraffe, and if I were somehow forced to pick one bullet for everything world-wide that would likely be the choice.

Trouble is; I'm not forced to use one bullet for everything and don't have large interest in shooting 15 pound antelope and buffalo with the same rifle/bullet. I've come to appreciate the wider wound channels and more visible hit indicators of the 270 grain Swift A-Frame, and if that means that small animal might pop I'm willing to pay that price.

its what I used on zebra & blue wildebeest. My partner used it on a much wider variety of plains game. Flawless performance. It knocks the sh*t outta stuff. I've never hunted lion and would consult my PH first but from my experience I would be strongly considering a 270 TSX unless my PH had a strong reason why I should not. 163bc

They are also my first choice for brown bears as well.

any love for the 235 gr. .375 TSX here?

pretty good endorsement there

If you go to www.huntinginafrica.co.za, Pieter Kriel just finished a hunt for lion. Hunteress used a 375 (his) with the 300gr Ttsx bullet.. he has the hunt posted on his webb site, with pictures. I have no doubt the 270gr one would work as well. I load the 270grs behind 76grs of ReLoder 15, and a Rem 9 1/2mag primer, in mine.

Piet has a picture of the one bullet they did recover, there. Went the entire length of the animal and was in the hind quarter.

If Berger makes a VLD in 375 that is how I'd roll...

Thanks ghost, yes indeed the TSX worked very well. The 300 gr projectile was the only recovered and I see no reason why the 270 gr should not work flawlessly. My 458 Lott was loaded with 500 gr TSX and I did not need to use it.

As stated by FOS, bullet choice is very subjective indeed. There are a few bullets I actively avoid using because I had hunters have big failures with them.

Care to share your experience, as to what bullets you would avoid?

Thanks!

I am a big TSX fan, but I would not choose that bullet for a first shot on lion. My first choice would be a Nosler Partition. In 2011 I lung shot a large male lion with a 400 grain Swift A-Frame from a .416 Rigby at dusk. The lion took off with no evidence of being hit. When we arrived, we found a bit of blood. We had to follow him up at night in some moderately thick bush. He was pissed and he was roaring. The trackers were throwing rocks to flush him out. I had switched to my .470 for the followup. Both the PH and I were wearing headlamps and we had Surefire flashlights Gorilla taped to the underside of the barrels on our doubles, looking for the gleam of his eyes. To say the least, it was a riveting experience in the dark that I would not care to repeat. To make a long story short, when we finally found him, he was as dead as Marley's ghost. When we did the necropsy, we found the bullet failed to expand and just whistled through, leaving a very small exit. There was no apparent expansion and little internal damage. I would have some concern that the TSX, a relatively "hard" bullet, would perform in the same manner.

The next year, 2012, I was hunting leopard and hit Chui with a 225 grain Partition from a .338 Winchester. He dropped where he stood and never even twitched. The exit wound and internal damage were massive. The bullet performed admirably. My conclusion? A frangible bullet that will still penetrate is your best bet for a first shot on large cats. I'm not a Partition fan in general, but they are an excellent cat bullet based on my experience. Cats are susceptible to shock and a frangible bullet gives more of that than does a bullet that holds together and expands minimally in lightly constructed animals.

Now those are my personal observations, admittedly based on only one lion and one leopard. Be that as it may, my recommendation is a Partition (or a Woodleigh Weldcore) for a first shot on lion or leopard. If your TSX's shoot to the same point of aim as the Partition or Woodleigh, they would be good for followup shots as once these cats are hurt and angry, their muscles are like steel and you need something that penetrates well.

Hunting a a large male lion is one of life's great experiences. Following up a wounded lion in the dark is not. Use a TSX if it makes you happy, but be prepared to face the consequences if it does not perform in an optimal manner on your cat. In the end, it's your trophy and your ass that's on the line.

Enjoy your hunt!