My Grandad asked me years ago to load him a box of those new Barnes TSX bullets for his 30-06. He’d read in some magazines that they were just the ticket for elk and wanted to try them out. He was about 78 years old at the time so I bought a box of 168s and loaded him some up. But at the same time I had to chuckle a little, he’s always shot 165 boat tail factory stuff, first some old WW load, then Federal red box, then Winchester Ballistic silver tips. None of them are especially tough bullets, but all but one elk I ever saw him shoot died of a broken neck. The one he chest shot was a 2 year old heifer and close to 350-400 yards when he was 77. Probably doesn’t matter too much what you use if you can put it in the right spot every time.
I was 17 going on my first deer hunt with my saved and bought first rifle, a M70 7 Rem. Up till that point I’d used 140 Partitions and H870 and stuff just flopped. Well, I’d read that a moose Bullet should be heavier. Used those stupid original Barnes X’s and it was the worst thing i did. Made solid shots but those things were just too hard. Had it been the little magical 140 PT stuff would’ve been much easier.
