New member here. I bought a (new to me) NULA in .338 Fed this summer and have been reading this thread ever since. The rifle came with a box and a half of DoubleTap 160ttsx ammo advertised at 2900 fps and chronographed on an 85 degree day this August at 2915fps. It shot reasonably well so I figured I would try it this fall before buying more 160s to load myself. I shot an average bodied PA buck and a rather large doe, both double lung (ribcage only) shots at 60 and 40 yards respectively. Both deer died within sight, so the bullets worked, but their terminal performance was not what I’ve seen with the 120ttsx from my 7mm-08 or the 140 from my 7mm SAUM. Both deer had massive near-side trauma with bruising and bloodshot meat extending well into the shoulder on the buck and covering the entire ribcage from back strap to belly on the doe. Internal damage looked more like an archery hit than the jellied mess I usually see with the ttsx. All internal organs were identifiable. The exit wound on the buck was more of a ragged slit between ribs. The doe was hit at a slight quartering-to angle. After putting a fairly clean hole through the near side lung and clipping the back of the offside lung the bullet tore the diaphragm, but did not exit. I assumed I would find it in the hide on the opposite side but it must have ended up in the gut pile because there was no evidence of damage to the far ribs and no bullet found during processing. It seems like, in my very limited sample, the 160 (at least at this short range) is dumping most of its energy right under the hide on the near side. Anybody else with similar experiences on game? Any shots involving a hit to bone or thick muscle with the 160? Thanks for this very informative thread, which is probably the best cartridge-specific reloading thread I’ve ever read.
An excellent write up and description. Well done and welcome to the fire.
