SafariLife,
Another thing I've learned, through getting to know several bullet-makers very well, is that most tend to constantly try to improve the product, by tweaking materials, construction, etc. So results from earlier versions may not be the same as today's product. All of which provides another excuse for more field testing!
Good hunting,
John
My PH and I actually were discussing this 2 weeks ago, only he feels that Barnes went the other way with TSX and screwed them up-despite having embraced the TSX when they first came out he has made an about face and thinks they don't work as well as they first did and would rather they not be used by his clients. As I mentioned in another thread, nearly all African PHs would prefer their clients use A Frames. I know of two Alaskan Master Guides as well- one said after 50 years and 500 bears the only ones lost were with TSX, another one asked if I would use A Frames instead of TSX in my hand loads.
I had used TSX exclusively since 2004 except for that Kodiak bear hunt and GSC Customs (same monometal design) for a Dall.
In '18 we had some really poor results while shooting bait for my lion using 300 gr TSX in my 3-7-5 and recovered 3 bullets from bait- one from an eland, another from a buff and a third I can't remember where/what. All good shots, but poor performance. After recovering the bullets he told me he did not want me using the 3-7-5 on my lion and insisted I use my 300 Win as he knew it had the velocity to open up and perform adequately and feared the 3-7-5 TSX would not open up at all. He was right.
I have no problem using the TSX in my 270 & 300 Win in easy to kill animals - like deer, sheep, etc where I know they'll expand and are accurate to 300+ yards. Did the Spanish Slam using my 300 last year. But I won't use them on big game under 3000 fps and I won't use them in my 340 Wby. Fortunately, my 3-7-5 shoots cloverleafs with 300 gr A Frames (and 65 gr of RL 15 mirrors Federal factory ammo) and my 500 shoots 570 gr A Frames to the same point of regulation as the factory 570 gr Hornady and my 570 gr Barnes/CEB solid loads (95 gr RL 15).
