Seems like the more ya read on the net the more you realize that opinions are like A-holes. Looking for some first hand input from people having used the above bullets. I'm familiar with the NBT and like it's performance. The pass through ability of the Barnes appeals to me. Worth trying the TSX?

PS: I have no intention of shooting a deer up the dark star so don't start that line of thinking.

I tried a couple of 85-grain TSXs on hogs in my .243 right after they came out. I got a little under 3,200 fps from the 20-inch barrel of my Ruger 77 RSI. The first hog was shot at about 60 yds and the bullet went through the upper part of the neck, severed the spine and exited. The hog dressed out at a little over 100 lbs as best I remember.

The second hog was shot at probably 140-150 yds and the bullet broke both front shoulders, but did not make it through the hide on the far side. We didn't weigh it but estimated its live weight to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 175-200 lbs. It was still alive and trying to get up when we approached it, and I shot it in the head with my .357 mag to put it out.

I don't think that I could tell any difference in terminal performance between the 85 TSX and the 95 Partitions that I had been shooting. The Partitions grouped better in my rifle, going a little over an inch at 100 yds while the best I could do with the TSXs was right around two inches.

The 95 grain Ballistic Tips work so well for me I haven't tried anything else.

I hear that! I very much enjoy the NBT's performance but read so much about the TSX's performance too. Hoping to run into someone with experience using both.

I should have mentioned that we switched from 95-grain BTs to Partitions after finding that they worked better on big mule deer. The performance of BTs on a couple of nice mule deer was the primary reason my younger daughter abandoned her beloved .243 and traded me out of a 7mm-08.

I shoot a lot of 95 grain BTs and Partitions in my 243s because I can shoot the less expensive BTs at paper and varmint, while saving the more expensive Partitions for deer and antelope. I probably shoot them in a 5-to-1 ratio of BTs to Partitions in the 2 of the 3 243s that I am currently reloading for and they shoot to approximately the same POA.

The other 243 is a sporterized Mexican Mauser that was probably built in the early 1960s and it has a 1-14" ROT barrel that has a steep decline in accuracy with C&C bullets weighing more than 90 grains, so I'm shooting the 87 grain Hornady VMax and 95 grain Sierra HPBT in it.

Jeff

I only have four 243s left, but they all shoot TSX or TTSX bullets. Penetration is always outstanding. They tear up what's n the middle nicely. The problem if you want to fault them is that running one through a deer's chest at speed usually disconnects everything and drops blood pressure to zero instantly. When that happens blood trails don't necessarly start right away and they may not be great even when you get two holes every time. I have the same problem with 50 caliber MLs, 300 WMs and 30-06s, so, that's life with Barnes bullets. They seem in my experience to penetrate much straighter than cup and core bullets. When you aim to put t through the heart from any angle they are the most likely to get there of any bullet I have ever used.

mine likes the TSX enough that I haven't tried another for deer-class animals. I will look for a good light-bullet load to work groundhogs over with.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthread..._grain_TSX_performance_243_W#Post5934586

Have tried all three on nebraska whitetails and they all worked good. Stayed with the nosler it shot better.

.243 WSSM velocities and a mule deer buck seemed to push the 95 BT performance envelope a little too much for me. Used them plenty on smaller Texas whitetails and a few Nebraska whitetail does with no problems. Doubt you'll have issues at .243 Win velocity on Maryland deer with the 95 BT. But, you know your deer better than I do, if you want the added assurance of more penetration at the expense of a little longer blood trail, but get to pick up some impact speed, go for the 80 TTSX.

Sounds logical. Thanks for everyone's input. I'm gonna stick with my 95 NBT.

Try the Sierra 70 grain hollow points. Those are scary accurate and the prairie dogs hate them.

I've killed with both the 95gr NBT and the 85gr TSX. I have not noticed any great advantage in penetration with the Barnes and have recovered two from deer in fact. There is a difference in the distance traveled after the shot though. The NBT is almost always a flop, and over half have ran with the Barnes.

I will keep them in mind, thanks for the suggestion. I have had more than good luck with Sierra products in other calibers, so I might just give these a whirl.

I cant speak to the Nosler but the 85TSX and before that XLC accounted for quite a few deer for my brother out of his 700 Mountain Rifle .243 out to I belive 350 was the farthest. Bang flop is the usual result, I could not believe when a deer he had hit previously, he shot a raking shot entering the hind quarter and exiting the chest. That was the only deer that took another shot all the others I have seen usually drop DRT.

I have shot all my deer with a .30-06, 7mm RM and .300 Win (1) and seen one shot with a .300 RUM and the deer don't die any quicker with those much larger cals. My late grandfather killed a huge 190 class 6x5 Muley with a .243 Winchester Savage 99. The .243 will do the job, no doubt about it.

I have had very good luck with Hornady 80gr GMX I am very happy with them on deer.

Have a you tried any in your rifle yet? If so did one shine above the rest, accuracy wise? Any of the three will kill schitt without hesitation. I would say the TSX/TTSX are a much tougher bullet. But they're also two completely different designs. If you like a good exit hole Barnes all the way. If you prefer jello like innards then the Nosler is it.

I've only shot one doe so far with a 95BT but it was a high shoulder/lower neck shot so I don't really count. She was dead before the blast was over.

Here is a report on TSX type bullets by John Barsness.

"To everybody who has shared their experiences with TSX's, thanks very much. Most of the time they will kill deer-sized game very well, especially in larger diameters like 7mm and .30. I was specificaly addressing my experience with the .25 caliber 100-grain TSX--which is considerable, both in the .257 Roberts and .257 Weatherby.

I have seen it do very well, in fact once saw it drop a 3x3 mule deer buck right now with a high lung shot at about 150 yards. But I have also seen some animals not drop so fast with similar shot placement.

The reason for our "disagreements" probably lies in the fact that I have seen a whole lot of game taken with TSX's. Most of the time they kill very well, but sometimes they do not, and when they don't the animal is likely to go a ways, in my experience further than with any other type of bullet.

I have been pacing off how far animals have gone after a solid double-lung hit for many years. Animals hit with Barnes X's (whether the old-style or TSX), Fail Safes, E-Tips or whatever "petal" type bullet have gone an average of just over 50 yards. Those hit with bullets that expand wider, or lose some weight, haven't gone as far.
The bullet that had dropped animals the quickest with lung shots has been the Berger VLD, at around 20 yards. Those averages include lung hits that drop animals instantly--and the highest percentage of instant drops also goes to the VLD, a bullet that normally comes completely apart, but only after penetrating a couple of inches.

I am primarily a meat hunter and do not deliberately aim for the shoulder/spine unless there is some real reason to drop it right there. But I have used that shot on a bunch of animals, and it doesn't take a TSX or other super-bullet to do the trick. I've done it with a bunch of bullets, including such "ordinary" bullets as the Hornady Interlock to the round-nosed Remington Core-Lokt.

All I am doing here is relate my experiences with various bullets. I've seen around 150 animals taken with TSX's, and my statements that it sometimes doesn't kill as quickly as wider-expanding lead cores are based on that experience.

If you are a TSX true believer, who's convinced that exit holes in the hide somehow kill quicker than massive destruction of the lungs, then you are also welcome to your opinion. You're also welcome to shoot shoulder-shoot all the deer you want. But I happen to disagree on both counts, and my disagreement is based on quite a bit of experience.

Please note that I NEVER said TSX's are bad bullets, anwyhere in this thread. They are very fine bullets, and paricularly good for certain jobs, especially on really big game. But I have not found them ideal on deer."

I've killed a pile of deer using my .243 & 95gr BT's. This is not an opinion, it's a fact..

The bullet i use in my 243 is the 90 gr Swift Scirocco with IMR 4064. This bullet usually gives complete penetration and the deer drop in their track or take only a few steps.

are two bullets that make you think that you are shooting a 30/06!

The load in my Rem 700 is:

85g Barnes tripple Shock is 44.5g of R#19, Win primer

95g Nosler partition is 43.0g of H4350, Win primer

enjoy!

I've used the 85 TSX and the 95 NBT quite a lot, but mainly out of a 6/06. I've yet to keep either one in a deer or lope. Both will exit pretty much always, I say pretty much because I imagine sooner or later they won't for me.

Both are generally incredibly accurate. My present 6/06 barrel is a picky bugger, I mean really picky and it's pretty well done for. That said I've mainly used the 85 TSX in it cause it did happen to like that bullet.

The TSX will generally leave a bit less tissue trama but it's BC is a bit less as well.

I see it as a horse a piece for deer/lopes. Take your pic and rock on!

Fill some arks baby...

Dober

Good grief. How many times are you going to cut and paste that same thing on this forum??

They may not be flashy but Partitions are hard to beat. I have seen alot of big bucks dropped with a .243 and Partition combo.

Although I use a 6MM-06 as opposed to a 243, I've killed a bunch of Mule Deer, a few Whitetail, Antelope, Caribou and Sheep with the 100 grain Partition with perfect satisfaction.

I KNOW that a Partition will open up and retain weight. I don't trust copper bullets to ALWAYS do that.

I tried Barnes bullets --- they produced poor groups, fouled terribly and velocity suffered ---- Oh yeah I forgot, they've got those cute rings around them now

buddy of mine has a bar in .243


shoots 100gr factory winchester power points in it

and i have seen 4 deer he has shot
all pass thrus
big exit wounds
1.5 - 2 inch range
i wouldnt want to get hit with one thats for sure................

I have used the Speer 100 gr bt in mine for several years at ranges up to 400 yards and most were drt. They were pass throughs for the most part. Don't see the Speer bullet mentioned much but they have worked for me over the years.

Bill

I'm running the 80 TTSX in my wife's .243 at 3,400+ with RL-17.

It puts the smack on stuff. Haven't recovered one yet.

It outruns dots...

85gr TSX with 4831 is the combo our .243 likes. Pick the one your rifle likes and go kill stuff. They will all do the job if you do your part, and that seems to happen more when you are confident in your rig and it's accuracy.

I think the general opinion here is either will work. To me they're kind of at opposite ends of the spectrum...one being a rather strong and hard penetrating bullet, the other being a very quick and destructive fast opener.

Why not muck this up even more and give something in the middle a try? Like the 90gr Scirocco or 90gr Accubond? Kind of a best of both worlds?

Hadn't tried either the Accubond and Scirocco but it seems like the BT is a fairly stout bullet. I'm gonna stick with the 95 NBT for the upcoming season.

Lol.....thats quick. How does it match up?

I found about 400 when we moved so I prolly will too for 6mm stuff

For a 200 yard zero, 300 and 400 is pretty good but at 500 I have to put the bottom post on the bottom of the gong...grin...

All I have to do is zero a bit closer but I know how/where it shoots as does my wife so I ain't touching it...grin

I'm with ya on that. I'm hoping my 243 shoots those 2 close to the same poi as the other pills I'm going to try to sling.

I have shot both

44.5g of R#19 with a win primer with the 85g tripple shock seated 0.050 off the lands

43.0g of IMR 4350 with a Win primer with the 95g Partition seated near the lands

both of these loads shoot very well in my rem 700 stainless at or around 1/2"-3/4".

The Barnes does not leave a blood trail at all, it that is an issue for you, but the innards are soup.

The Nosler partition in my opinion is the bullet to beat for guys that need a blood trail in heavy cover.

Two years ago,I had a shot at two does with one shot standing in perfect alignment. I killed both of them DRT and the 85g Barnes was not recovered with the load above. We have generous doe tags here,plus you are allowed two per day on doe days.

I hear ya....if'n it ain't broke don't go tryin to fix....grin

I think the decision between the two (TSX and NBT) is, as others have expressed either a matter of preference or need for continued expansion within the animal or penetration (usually through) the animal.

On having seen hundreds of Pronghorns shot, and perhaps having shot in the neighborhood of a hundred or so, the conclusion for quicker kills on these animals is expansion. I think the same can be said for most deer this side of monster muleys or steroid whitetails.

This hunter found the 95g NBT to deliver a smashing slam-dunk kill, without the need for a shoulder shot.