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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 18,304
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 18,304 |
I've been lurking here for a while and virtually every bullet thread that runs for a while has some of you guys mentioning the TTSX bullet. As a life long deer hunter I have always been searching for a better bullet. I suspect that that TTSX Delrin tip opens it up faster, but I need to say that I have been really disappointed with the regular Barnes TSX out of my 7mm-08 on deer. An 80 yard run with no blood on the snow for too far and a quarter size hole through the lungs is not what I wanted to see. Then losing the only buck that I'd ever shot with a rifle in the past 50 years when he dropped 5 drops of blood for two days of looking really soured me on Barnes bullets for deer. Nosler Partitions make soup out of a deer's lungs, but the front half peels back and the exit wound is so small that the blood trails are sparse. The Interlocks or Core-Lokts batter in the magazine. The Accubond blew a bigger entrance wound than the exit. The Ballistic Tips got a bad rap early by being too destructive. My last buck took a 139 grain Hornady Superformance SST and went straight down, but the bullet didn't exit. A friend of mine really likes the drt effect of the Winchester Ballistic Silvertip from his .280. Am I missing a better bullet by not trying that Barnes TTSX? What has been your experience with that or any other deer bullets that you like? I use the lighter mono's in a 223 with a 1-7 twist, to me it seems every bit as effective as a 150 in a 308 when placed into the shoulder. I would not shoot a heavy tsx or ttsx 7-08 speeds, you might try the lightest one they make for that caliber and shoot it as fast as fast as possible. You seem to have a lot of dead deer for all of the performance issues you are concerned about. In 48 years of hunting I have lost a deer due to a bad shot. Shoot a decent cup and core bullet like an hornady interlock and shoot them in the shoulder. Throw the shoulders away and enjoy deer meat. Its that simple to me.
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 46,245
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 46,245 |
I can tell you the 139 Interlock is a for sure deer killer out of a 7mm-08. So is the same weight Interbond at a lowly 2800 fps, last rib in, ping pong ball exit out the shoulder, DRT bliss!
Trump Won!
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 6,377
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 6,377 |
in my experience the TTSX has been a great deer bullet (as well as elk and antelope) we've killed deer well with them in :
243
270
30'06
280 AI
Since they shoot well in all our rifles I just keep it simple and load TTSX's for everything. Having said that there are many other great deer bullets a person can use.
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 18,033
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 18,033 |
in my experience the TTSX has been a great deer bullet (as well as elk and antelope) we've killed deer well with them in :
243
270
30'06
280 AI
Since they shoot well in all our rifles I just keep it simple and load TTSX's for everything. Having said that there are many other great deer bullets a person can use. Handwerk-riding your coattails here sir. You can add .300 Savage to that list. DRT kills. Extreme accuracy. Even for my tired old eyes.
molɔ̀ːn labé skýla
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 17,491
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 17,491 |
Seems no small irony that the Barnes 'X' bullet has been designed and re-designed to the point that the current TTSX works an awful lot like the Partition has been working for decades.
Kind of hard to fault that logic.
Sometimes, the air you 'let in'matters less than the air you 'let out'.
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,632
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,632 |
Seems no small irony that the Barnes 'X' bullet has been designed and re-designed to the point that the current TTSX works an awful lot like the Partition has been working for decades.
Kind of hard to fault that logic. That is the last thing I would ever say about a TTSX. I have never caught a TTSX and have a huge bunch of recovered NPTs... I see significant differences in the wound channels.
Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 151,213
Campfire Savant
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Campfire Savant
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 151,213 |
You don't hear anyone bad mouthing ballistic tips. They must be good😁!!
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,678
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,678 |
I have killed loads of s Texas deer and hogs qith the 120 TTSX IN 280 rem. few have droppwd on the spot but none have gone more than a short distance and I have recovered no bullets. However at over 3000 fps I have seen blood shot meat aplenty.
Will never use sst or bt again on any game animal.
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Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 9,189
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 9,189 |
I have killed loads of s Texas deer and hogs qith the 120 TTSX IN 280 rem. few have droppwd on the spot but none have gone more than a short distance and I have recovered no bullets. However at over 3000 fps I have seen blood shot meat aplenty.
Will never use sst or bt again on any game animal. Good. More for me. And you are welcome to all the Barnes bullets I'll never buy.
I belong on eroding granite, among the pines.
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 430
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 430 |
I have tried most premium bullets. A couple years back in Montana I shot an Elk quartered away with a Rem 7 mag using 160 Partition's. It had the most blood shot meat I have EVER seen!!! I shot a Leopard this spring with a 6.5mm 140 gr. Partition. It did kill it but not like I thought it would. The front half of a Partition Grenade's once they hit something. For the animals I shoot and plan on eating I will only use Barns TTSX. You can eat right up to the hole!!!
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Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 9,189
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 9,189 |
I have tried most premium bullets. A couple years back in Montana I shot an Elk quartered away with a Rem 7 mag using 160 Partition's. It had the most blood shot meat I have EVER seen!!! I shot a Leopard this spring with a 6.5mm 140 gr. Partition. It did kill it but not like I thought it would. The front half of a Partition Grenade's once they hit something. For the animals I shoot and plan on eating I will only use Barns TTSX. You can eat right up to the hole!!! The worst rodeo that was ever attached to the family name occurred with Barnes TSX. I'm glad I wasn't there. 13 hits, many, many lbs of destroyed meat. There are certainly bullets and guns that one can use to "eat right up to the hole", but high-speed, expanding bullets aren't in that category. I always think "horseshit" when I hear that from some guy shooting a magnum rifle.
I belong on eroding granite, among the pines.
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 19,237
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 19,237 |
I've killed deer with Core-Lokt's, Power Points, Silvertips, Interlocks, Hot-Cor's, Game kings, Solid Bases, SST's and probably a few more I can't recall. Never a problem. It ain't complicated but some seem to want to make it so.
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 17,491
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 17,491 |
Seems no small irony that the Barnes 'X' bullet has been designed and re-designed to the point that the current TTSX works an awful lot like the Partition has been working for decades.
Kind of hard to fault that logic. That is the last thing I would ever say about a TTSX. I have never caught a TTSX and have a huge bunch of recovered NPTs... I see significant differences in the wound channels. Ironically, I have both the first XFB and the first TSX I ever shot into animals. (Admittedly, the XFB did some tremendous bone work to the front leg joints on both sides of a moose.  ) I have several more recovered copper slugs, not a real trick to stop them from what I have seen. Another irony, I think I managed to see one Pro-hunter stopped out of a couple dozen I've killed caribou with via the 6mm. Go figure. I have long said that 'eating up to the hole' was a trait common to the copper monos, but more recent pics of TTSX damage suggest that they're not as meat-friendly as the earlier versions were, a necessary trade-off perhaps, to get the reliable expansion that many hunters desire. (I haven't done more than test monos for a few years, though I did start the butchering process at the shot by spining a bull with an E-Tip three years ago.  ) Anymore, I use the Partition to cover as many, or more bases, than most anything else does well. They tend to cut long holes and shut things down fast.
Sometimes, the air you 'let in'matters less than the air you 'let out'.
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Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 973
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 973 |
Everything I've ever aimed a TTSX at has died damn near in its tracks except one mtn goat that ran/rolled downhill a fair bit. I'm sold that they work....just as well or better than a bunch of others...
Eat moose, burn spruce
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,472
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,472 |
I am a believer in what Mule Deer says about the Barnes. With small caliber TSX's there is a risk that they won't open (<.30) because of the small hollow point. TTSX's have a bigger hollow point and the plastic tip helps get things started. I quit using TSX's in my small bores. I have a .350 Rem Mag that I use for bear with 200 gr TSX's because of mag constraints. It has a very large hollow point. I have only caught one and it had text book expansion. Penetration was fantastic.
When it comes to deer hunting, I always aim for the shoulder regardless of what bullet I am shooting. They are easy to drop on the spot.
Faith and love of others knows no mileage nor bounds. That's simply the way it is.
dogzapper
After the game is over, the king and the pawn go into the same box.
Italian Proverb
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 3,610
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 3,610 |
I'd love to try taking the tip off of a 180/358 TTSX and seeing what it's like in my 356 LOL.
I don't generally get to hunt anything bigger than white tails and hogs, so a TTSX isn't really 'needed', at least in most stuff. I consider them added insurance in less powerful stuff like 223, 6.8, etc. I also shoot a lot of CNS on management hunts, where it really doesn't matter. That big HP in that 30-39 TSX seems to matter, but it's just anecdotal.
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 13,650
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 13,650 |
I'd love to try taking the tip off of a 180/358 TTSX and seeing what it's like in my 356 LOL.
I don't generally get to hunt anything bigger than white tails and hogs, so a TTSX isn't really 'needed', at least in most stuff. I consider them added insurance in less powerful stuff like 223, 6.8, etc. I also shoot a lot of CNS on management hunts, where it really doesn't matter. That big HP in that 30-39 TSX seems to matter, but it's just anecdotal. Cutting Edge bullets make some light weight mono's that you could get screaming out of a 356. https://cuttingedgebullets.com/shop/cutting-edge-bullets/rifle-bullets?caliber=43
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 151,213
Campfire Savant
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Campfire Savant
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 151,213 |
Sounds like there's a lot of good bullets out there. This sounds like a Ford, Chevy , Dodge debate!!
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Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 9,189
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 9,189 |
Sounds like there's a lot of good bullets out there. This sounds like a Ford, Chevy , Dodge debate!! Yep, Barnes is the Ford of bullets.
I belong on eroding granite, among the pines.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 4,923
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 4,923 |
Did you ever read that South Carolina deer shooting study that they did back in the '90's where they kept track of 493 deer kills on the Cedar Knoll Hunting Club grounds? Okie John
If Montana had a standing army, a 270 Win with Federal Blue Box 130's would be the standard issue.
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