I bought some of these in bulk recently, 140 grain .284. They were
labeled as TTSX, but I had some doubt. They look just like a
Barnes TTSX but I called Barnes and they said they've never made
a bullet with a Dark Forest Green tip.
Anybody know what I've got here?

Me thinks you've got the Nosler E-Tip.

e tip

SKane,
Mine have 4 grooves cut into the bullet like a Barnes where
the E-Tip has no grooves.

Then me thinks I didn't ask enough questions.

I was able to find a green-tipped Barnes bullet (from all appearances) on some Federal Premium's all-copper offering. At least it looked green on my monitor. (but it was in .308)

So while Barnes doesn't offer it, they could have supplied it (or did supply it) for Federal??

Color blindness could also be a factor.........

Where did you purchase them?

Purchased at Lolo Sporting Goods, Lewiston, Idaho.
They were pulled from previously loaded ammo.

Google Federal Premium Vital-Shok Trophy Copper ammo.

SKane,
I looked at those Vital-Shoks, but the only Barnes bullet used
is the TSX, not the TTSX.

Could be trophy bonded tipped?

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Fede...ophy-Copper-Rifle-Ammunition/1391963.uts

Federal Trophy Copper has a dark green tip and the grooves. The Trophy Copper is very similar, although not identical, to the E-Tip. At least the 200gn 338 that I pulled to compare.

The grooves, and the boattail is ever so slightly shorter on the TC, otherwise very, very similar.

Images on the Nosler website are showing E-Tips with a groove now. When the Federal Trophy Copper ammunition was introduced, the conjecture was that they were E-Tips with grooves.

I wonder why Nosler didn't use grooves in their E-Tip design to reduce pressure.

prm,
You may have figured it out. The green tip on your Trophy Copper
is exactly like my green tips in color. So, is that a bullet that
Federal actually makes or is it a TTSX that they buy from
Barnes?

Because Barnes are copper and Noslers are gilding metal. But, unless it's an optical illusion, Nosler has put a groove on them now.

Definitely not a Barnes. My guess is they are made by Nosler for Federal. The 338 200gn TC shares with the E-Tip the odd front where the copper does not align flush with the plastic tip. I'm not aware of any other bullet like that.

I dont know how Federal could copy it that close legally. They did with the shotgun slugs cause the Barnes patent ran out. They did a fine job on their slugs, and if anything, they are better than the original.

This sounds right. I think Lolo's pulled bullets all come from Federal.

They could by paying royalty fees and agreeing to only use them in their loaded ammo
Money can make most things legal

Interesting...