Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 6.5 Creed 120 TTSX Elk

Thanks Brad, may try some 165's in my '06.

Thanks Brad for posting the pics. This does a great job of explaining why I would have done things differently. The 400 yd TTSX frontal area is not impressive compared to many of the other bullets. And 120 gr 7mm TTSX had a lower BC so it probably expanded less than the one in your pic. We had never planned on her taking that long of a shot, but she had practiced out to 300 yds and was very accurate and confident. Just some things to think about for us next time out west. Here on our place in Mid-MO, 300 yd shots are the max.

I am a fan of Nosler ABs and Partitions and would probably pick whichever one shot the best groups between the 130 grain AB AND 140 Grain Partition. For reasons that escape me, the 125 grain .264" Partition is a bullet that I have never had much success getting to shoot good groups. OTOH, every other .264" Nosler AB, BT, and Partition has been as capable as the rifle and shooter would allow.

It's funny because the 400 yard frontal diameter isn't all that different from a couple of well-regarded bullets- the PT and the AB. Others in that photo comparison, like the FTBT, IB, and CL Ultra, have significantly larger frontal area of the expanded 400-yard bullets, so they'd naturally produce somewhat greater tissue destruction.

I still haven't found the perfect bullet that performs great up close, great out far, and leaves little to no lead fragments in the surrounding tissue beyond the vitals. So I'm still stuck on the system of using 2 loads for rifles that produce 2800+fps at the muzzle, like a TTSX for out to about 350-400, and an AM, ELD, VLD, etc, for beyond that. For rifles that keep velocities at or below 2800 at the muzzle, I'm happy with an AM/ELD/VLD for everything. If I restricted myself to a self-imposed limit of 300 yards, then I'd be perfectly happy with a single load in each rifle- standard C&C started at 2800fps or less, and a TTSX for faster chamberings.

I personally don't like picking lead bits out of my moose or elk ribs, so high-velocity impacts and lead-core bullets aren't my preference.

I have had fantastic results with TTSXs, but all shots have been relatively short. 200 max IIRC. The BT was the opposite end with poorer penetration and quite honestly did no more internal damage (data point of one). A good Bonded bullet seems like the best compromise to me. However, if keeping impact speeds up, whether shooting faster or shorter range, the TTSX is a great bullet.

The Trophy Bonded Tip bullet looks pretty impressive in the pic Brad posted.

Try the LRX instead of the TTSX.

Or 6.5 127 LRX for OP.

I would be super cautious of th he 120 tsx via creedmor on elk!!!! Grin

I appreciate your dry humor !

Still doesn't perform great out far, and I'm talking about more than just terminal performance. Up close, terminal performance is really all a guy needs to worry about, but out far there is wind to think about as well. I want the best of both worlds, so a 120gr TTSX for up close (or 127 LRX, etc), and a 147 ELD or similar for out far. The TTSX load sits in the mag until a long shot becomes a reality.

tag

Certainly a valid point. This is an approach I would likely take if I was using the Creed, then again I would be using my 264 Number 1 or 300WM Sendero.
But keep in mind she won't be shooting "far" in our way of thinking, as stated I want to limit her to 300, 400 tops which could happen on some of the fields along the river. I would say the odds are 75% that she will have a 50-250 yd shot, for that I am very comfortable with the TTSX, not as comfortable with the 250-400 yd shot due to the MV of 2950 or so.
I know there are other choices,like the Accubonds & 1 mentioned the 129 Interbond, interesting because he said the 129SST could be used for practice with the same POI. I have never used an Interbond but I am sure they are good.

The LRX opens up easier out at distance, maybe not as far as Jordan shoots game but it still opens better than the TTSX.

It also flies flatter.

Yeah, for that application I can think of nothing I'd rather use than the 127 LRX, like SU said.

Yessir, that's for sure. I was derailing the thread a bit by talking about shooting well beyond 400 yards, and for that purpose there are better bullets.

I'd post pictures but photo bucket....

I've shot two bulls with the 120 TTSX out of a 20" .260. A spike at 350 yards through the neck. A raghorn at 230 yards, high shoulder shot. Neither took a step.

The wife punched through and through with this setup on her moose at 100 yards.

It continues to impress.

Wow, thanks

Looking forward to your report.

I am a big fan of mono's, but those Federal TBT's look interesting.

I am with Jordan, as I do not like lead in my venison. I have found it many times while processing, and a couple of time on the dinner plate.

and you ain't dead yet......

Brad,

Looking forward to your test results. I have some 140 .277 headed my way to test as well.

Andy