The wheels fell off with the TTSXs. I was at least hopeful that the 3950 fps velocity would compensate for the copper bullets but that didn't prove to be the case.If you ever have a pressing need for something to die somewhere else this is your bullet. Practically everything that wasn't spined or brained ran, and many that fell to the shot got up an ran. you can't hear them hit, and most animals didn't even look hit. When we weren't looking for cripples we were getting the dogs to look for them. finding blood was a fantasy. We went out lamping one night (just once) with a another guide and a neighbouring property owner who is in the deer business as well as we could have some witnesses. Comments there were pretty damning. My favorite was "they shouldn't be allowed to sell those foooooking things".
I know alot of guys on the 'Fire swear by the Barnes, but this past season, I used one of their 100 grain 'X' bullets on a decent sized Whitetail, shot at right around one-hundred yards distant. Your observations mirror my own. No blood to speak of, and the deer ran off as if not even hit. Luckily, I found it by following it's tracks through the leaf litter. Perfect shot, through the vitals, in-and-out. Bullet is probably still going.
I have used Nosler Ballistic Tips pretty much exclusively for years now on Whitetails, and just about everything else. 99% of the time, it's DRT, and I can count on one hand how many bullets I recovered. I gave the Barnes a try this year, because it was what I had laying around for my Roberts, and I was in a hurry to throw a load together to be able to use the rifle this past season. They shot fantastic, but I don't see what all the hype is terminally speaking. I'll stick with the NBT's from here on out. I have never found anything that has worked better for me.
