You guys seeing any significant difference in performance between the two? I've got some .308 130gr TSX to try in the .308 for an all round big game bullet. Could I expect to see a significant difference in performance between the two? Would you recommend one above the other or just shoot whatever I can get most of?

I have used both and performance wise, have not seen much difference.

I have found, however, that some rifles like one better than the other. For instance, you can get either TSX or TTSX in 210 gr, 338 diameter. I have a Model 700 that shoots the TSX into less than 1" groups and the TTSX into 2" groups???? Don't know why.

Some other rifles/calibers are just the opposite.

They both kill things very efficiently.

donsm70

Both shoot great in every rifle I've tried them in. The TTSX are the only ones I trust in the field, though, after a bad experience with the older X bullets. So far the TTSX (and older MRX, which are also tipped) have yet to disappoint. The remaining TSX loads I have are relgated to the practice range.

Same for me, TTSX only. I saw too many deer lost to guys shooting the old X bullets to trust the hollow point design, I don't think they expand reliably. They claim they've fixed it with the TSX but why chance it when the plastic tipped one fixes the problem.

I've seen well over 100 BG critters die to Barnes bullets now, and I've never had a problem with bullet performance in any of the X/TSX/TTSX iterations, though the TTSX does seem to expand a bit more violently than the TSX IME, which I prefer. Accuracy depends on the individual rifle. Some shoot both about the same, while others show a preference for one bullet or the other.

I'd prefer the 130 TTSX, but if I had a bunch of TSX bullets on the shelf, I sure wouldn't hesitate to use them up.

I have used the X, TSX and the TTSX on all manner of game from Impala and such size critters to eland, elk, gemsbuck, moose, kudu, black bear, wildebeest, warthog and the like with perfect performance every time regardless of bullet style. This going back to 2002 in Africa.

There’s no good reason not to choose the tipped ones - since they were developed to correct problems in the previous versions. Expansion is never a bad thing in a hunting bullet; non-expanding solids (which the plain HPs sometimes are) are not legal for hunting in all places for good reason.

Copper is hard. A large hollow point helps a lot. A sleek plastic tip helps reserve that HP while improving the aero-ergos. Copper mono bullets are wonderful when they work right. Tips help them work right more reliably.

Absolutely.

We had a lot of trouble out of the early X bullets at my deer camp. Four guys were using them and all eventually quit because they lost deer from what they felt were good hits. I was involved in tracking some of those lost deer so I got to see it close up. Three of them were using 165 X bullets out of a 30-06 and one using 140's out of a 7mm rem mag. That was before everyone got the word on using lighter ones and driving them fast. I know everyone is going to chime with "how do you know they made good hits". These four guys are very experienced hunters with probably over 1000 deer between them, when they say they made a good shot I believe them. Maybe shooting them at heavier game gives a little more leeway but on our southern whitetails they weren't consistently opening. If Barnes didn't think there was a problem then they probably wouldn't have redesigned them. We definitely were seeing problems with them and when these guys switched to other bullets the problems ceased. Ironically the guys using barnes bullets now at my deer camp are guys like me that refused to use the early versions, but we shoot light for caliber TTSX's and drive them fast.

My personal opinion is that the hollow point design is a bad design for a big game bullet. To initiate expansion you have to rely upon something getting in there to start it, whether it be flesh, bone, blood, etc. There are plenty of pictures on the internet and I've seen a few X bullets in person that were bent like a banana with no expansion at all. The plastic tip solves that problem, there's already something there to start the expansion. It's the same principle as having an exposed lead tip instead of a hollow point, think Sierra game king vs. match king. I know barnes enlarged the hole in the TSX to help with the problem but why not just buy the tipped version so you solve the problem all together?

I think the TTSX is a great bullet and they're my choice most of the time nowadays. The old X bullet was unreliable and good riddance to it.

I'm a huge fan of the Barnes bullets, good thing since we are no lead now in most of CA but I switched quite a while ago after a Nosler Ballistic tip blew up on a bull elks ribs -600 yards of tracking in the snow later to find the palm sized entry wound.

I like the tips better for the reasons stated by earlier posts but id use up what you have before switching. I don't think they have a real weakness and i know the break bones better than anything else ive used. Not probably a necessity for MS whitetails but really nice to have for Colorado elk.

Sure there is, when you have a couple of thousand on hand and haven't ever had a problem with them.

Never tried the OLD X bullets but I have had clean kills with both TTSX and TSX's and for me the TSX seem to be more accurate.

Tough to say what the bullet did inside the animal, when there's no animal to examine. Likewise, all bullet companies redesign their bullets. The Nosler Partition has been redesigned in one model or another several times. Does that mean Nosler thought there was a problem with the PT? Probably not. It simply means that bullet companies are always trying to improve what is likely already a great product. I've seen banana pictures on the internet of most every bullet out there. That's certainly not exclusive to the X bullet.

The old X bullet resulted in several kills for me, and I witnessed a bunch more that were shot by clients, family, and friends. Never a problem. Having said that, they are unnecessary as a deer-only bullet, and even more so when you shoot them broadside through the ribs. They didn't damage as much tissue as a frangible C&C like the old BT, so you couldn't expect animals to drop as quickly, on average, as when shot with those lightly-built bullets. Tracking a deer shot through the lungs, with no major bone hit, for 100 yards is not the end of the world, and is to be expected occasionally with any bullet.

I think the OP will see similar results with either the TSX or TTSX, especially when driving a light 130gr bullet fairly fast at over 3000 fps. The TTSX does expand a bit more aggressively, and does tend to lose its petals a bit more frequently, IME, neither of which is a bad thing in my mind, but both bullets kill very well when they hit the proper POI. If I could take my pick, sure I'd choose the TTSX. But if I had the TSX on hand, I'd certainly use it. That should tell you how I feel about the TSX after watching dozens of animals fall to it, including small caliber verisons from .243-.308. It just so happens that I have a part box of 140 TSX bullets on the shelf to load in my 7-08. You can guess what I'll be hunting with this year, and it ain't a brand new box of TTSX bullets.

Seems to me, a lot depends on velocity. With my 26 Nos, the 120 TAC-X (TSX) is the most accurate, followed closely by the 120 E-Tip (not Barnes but similar to TTSX), followed by the 127 LRX.

At 3,450 fps, they blast whatever they hit, tip or no tip. I can't tell any difference, terminal performance on WT's and hogs between mono's at 3,450 fps and 140 NAB's/NPT's at 3,300 fps.

As velocity slows, there may be some difference, tipped vs. non-tipped. I'm not using monometal is rounds like .257R, 6.5x55, 7x57, preferring NPT's, NBT's, VLD's, SST's, etc., more expansive bullets, generally heavy for caliber, especially in the smaller bores. My CZ 7x57 likes 140's.

I'm sure light and fast mono's would also work in these rounds; that's just my current thinking and it's working pretty well for me, so far.

DF

Much like many of the original XFBs did. Unfortunately there were many complaints about “petal loss” which Barnes ‘corrected’ by reducing the expansion characteristics of the bullet while also improving the BC by reducing ‘meat’ in the ogive. It’s hard to know how many of the early complaints were failures to expand, how many were petal losses, and how many were simply failure to ‘read’ the evidence. In any case I believe Barnes wasted time chasing complaints that weren’t all real. It’s kind of funny that you don’t hear people make much of the petal loss with the new variations, after accuracy issues were addressed.

I haven't seen a difference between Xs, TSXs and TTSXs.

I know for sure of only one that has lost a petal, and that was an XLC at very short range out of a 300 WM.

Other that that I have only seen evidence of good performance, straight wound paths and uniform holes in the deer with a good number of TSX/TTSX direct comparisons in the same weight/caliber in .223, .243, .270, .308 and 30-06.

Petal loss/fragmentation is in vogue, so people currently praise it rather than condemn it. Wait a few years and the trend will probably flip flop again. People are funny.

I just bought some 130 TTSX for the .308.

The old X bullet killed stuff DRT. Used some 180's out of my '06 on two CA hogs, and both acted like they got hit with a lightning bolt. Recovered a mushroomed X out of one pig's shoulder; looked like it came out of a Barnes' magazine ad.

I personally wouldn't have an issue buying the TSX's, but the TTSX's were the same price, so why not?

I really love the TTSX. When I went to Africa several years ago, both of my rifles were loaded up with TTSX and both worked flawlessly. I've killed several Coues deer out to past 500 yards with my 257 wby and the 100 TTSX @ 3500 and I've yet to have an issue with them not opening. I would think that if anything was going to keep them from opening, it would be a small (80-120#) deer at 500 + yards but all has worked flawlessly. I have experienced more DRT's with TTSX then any other bullet as well.

I know why I switched back.

I use the TTSX in one of my .243s. I tried it and the TSX and the TTSX shot better groups, but the TSX is more than accurate enough.

Neither bullet has trouble killing deer. I have had one DRT that was like a lightning bolt hitting, and that was with the TTSX at 35 yards

They seem to leave a sparse blood trail, but the trail is usually very short and the deer typically go down within sight.

My experience with the older X bullets (the blue-coated XLC variety) was that sometimes they would do a lot of damage and other times I could't find the holes. The final straw was when I put two through the lungs of a buck antelope with my 7mm RM. It went down but kept its head up as if sunning itself. Some 20 minutes later I had worked my way around a hill for a closer shot and put a third one through it in that took part of the heart.

When the TSX came out I tried them at the range but could never bring myself to use them on game. Then the TTSX came out and I gave them a try. Even on small game like antelope they have performed very well (no problems for my buddies or myself). The MRX, a tipped predecessor to the TTSX, has also worked great, including on elk.

Since I don't have a stash of TSX on my bench and only a few (at most maybe 100 in various cartridges), I see no reason to use them on game when the TTSX have proven themselves over and over.

My experience with Barnes is mostly with the 30-06 on light game like blacktail deer and hogs. I started with the X bullets, changed to TSX and now use mostly TTSX if they make the caliber/weight combo I want to use.
Never had a problem with any of them except for the copper fouling of the X. The TSX was much easier to get an accurate load and the TTSX had been outstanding in every rifle I have tried it in save the 250TTSX in 375 which caused me to stick with the 235TSX.
If you have complaints about today's bullets, you should have seen how the bullets of 50 years ago performed.

Expand on the 250 TTSX/375 issue. The 270 gr. TSX is said to be one of the .375 standards for DG, etc. Seems the .250 TTSX with better B.C., slightly faster, should be a good one. I've never shot anything with one, just currious. What critters are you using the 235 TSX on?

DF

I've used the 235TSX on deer, hogs and elk but the BC is pretty meager so I was looking for something to reach out a little farther. The 250TTSX seemed like the answer to my prayers but I went through a box of bullets with different chargers, powders and primers and couldn't get it into anything better than about 2.5MOA. This from a rifle that puts everything else into <MOA.
A friend even sent me some 250GMX to try but those didn't seem to do any better.
In frustration and thinking maybe something was wrong with my rifle, I put the 3 235's that had been in the mag down range and you could cover the whole group with a quarter.

How does that gun do with heavier C&C's, like 300 gr.? What about Partitions?

DF

It's a P64 M70. Shoots everything else from 235 to 350gr in little tiny groups.

Hmmm..

Kinda makes one wonder about the 250 TTSX.

I got some to try, just haven't done so. We've had so much rain, it's hard to get enough shooting time. Where I shoot behind my house, I don't like slopping in the mud and that's about all we've had lately.

One of these days, I'll see how my SS Classic handles those bullets.

DF

I've seen a few smaller-caliber TSX's fail to expand, either at all or completely. They've all been from 6mm to .30 caliber, probably because the hollow-point is small enough that it can be at least partly closed by battering against the front end of the magazine during recoil. While it doesn't happen often I've seen it often enough to trust the tipped model more, because the hole under the tip is a lot bigger.

Have yet to see a Tipped TSX fail to expand--or a TSX over .30, probably because their hollow-points are larger than those in smaller calibers.

Thanks guys. Going to try to find some TTSX. Since I'm going to have to order them anyway I'll try 130 .308's and some 250 .375's, should cover the bases pretty well.

xxclaro; I would concur that the TTSX would be a better choice, based upon my experience and observations.

If you can't find them locally I have had good luck getting components from either Prophet River in Lloyd or Corlane Sports in Dawson Creek.

All the best. GRF

Thanks GRF, I've checked Prophet River a few times but forgot about Corlanes.

I shot our winter’s meat: a moose, a few years ago with a 235 TSX out of a 375-350 Rem Mag wildcat. Out of around 3 dozen moose, it’s the only one I can recall that bounced and regained its feet after going down.



The bullet on the left hit the moose at a distance of approx 150 yards; shot went through the shoulder muscles, missed major bones, rebounded against the far hide and was retained inside the hole. The second bullet didn’t exit but wasn’t recovered. I’m sure more speed would have enhanced the expansion and also the penetration

The 130gr TSX/TTSX out of the 06 is one of my go to rounds for hunting deer size game.

Elk get a heavier Barns or eTip bullet, while smaller game (Javelina, Bob cats, Coyote) get Hornady V-Max.