Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Nosler E-tips vs. TTSX's

I've not used the 100gr TTSX, but have used the 100gr TSX a fair amount. Easily the most inconsistent bullet I have ever used. I have seen them drop animals in their tracks, even with long shots and I have seen animals run off like nothing happened to them with little or no blood trail.

I had the same experience with .25-caliber 100 TSX's, and in fact had a couple not expand much, if at all, based on the evidence of the wound channels. But haven't seen anything like it with the 100 TTSX.

BWalker, I am wondering if indeed there is a lead risk with the NBT. Can't see that being an issue since all the lead is encapsulated in the jacket and no exposed tip.

I personally think the NAB and clones is one of the best do all bullets made. That said, I am running 100 gr TTSX'S in my .257 bee this year because they give me a little better accuracy than NABS.

Perhaps Barnes would be doing everyone a favor if they would open up the tip in .30 and under bullets?

Sakoluvr,

That's exactly what they do in TTSX's. The hole for the shank of the plastic tip is much larger than the hollow-point of the smaller caliber TSX's.

A bigger hollow-point in the smaller-caliber TSX's would reduce ballistic coefficient noticeably.

I can't speak about the 100 Grain TTSX, but did put the older 100 grain TSX up against the 100 grain Ballistic tip back when my son and I were CWDing mulies. Deer that got shot with the TSXs that weren't spined typically ran; whereas deer hit with the Ballistic Tips anywhere in front of the diaphram typically looked like an invisible building had fallen on them.

Although it isn't an exact apples to apples comparison, there isn't a big difference. I was actually hoping there would be, in favor of light and fast.

I'd like to get in on that. The only bullets that have really grenaded on me were Sierra's. Used to us the 225 TSX in my 35 Whelen and the 180 TSX in my 300 Win Mag. I won't say they didn't kill, but they seemed to work alot better if you put them on bone. I think the TTSX's are probably a better mousetrap. I have 180 TTSX's loaded in my 350 Rem Mag at around 2875 so I may get a chance to use it this year and see what I think.

I do like how the BBC's work though, wide, flat frontal area on them..

The 200 gr TSX has been an absolute hammer in my .350 mag on Black bear. However, as Mule Deer alluded to, that is a big hollow point in the .358 bullet. The tipped version is too long in my Rem custom shop KS Model 7.

Steiger used to recommend the A-Frame in calibers that he didn't produce.

I do like those A-Frames. Pretty hard to argue with how they work.

Actually stopped using Barnes bullets after taking a few mule deer with 100 gr TSX's from my 25-06 rifle. One, shot at very close range, showed signs of significant expansion. The other two... not so much. But they were at much longer ranges.

I went to 115 gr Berger VLD's after that, then came back home to 115 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips for that rifle. The VLD's and the Ballistic Tips have both proved to be very effective, very swift killers.

Regards, Guy

Not to be snarky, but if you fear this then you don't understand the chemistry behind it. Elemental lead like that in bullets isn't a problem, it's not going to harm your kid. The danger is in lead salts which can enter the body. Think of Sodium and Chlorine, the two elements in common salt. Add table salt to water and it's just salt water, throw elemental sodium into water and you get a violent reaction. Pure chlorine is deadly, bonded with sodium it's just table salt. In much the same way lead salts like the compounds used as drying agents in paints years ago can be harmful, but their chemical properties are totally different from elemental lead.

Some, like the state of California which has a warning for everything, will make claims that breathing minute amounts of elemental lead will harm you. It's BS, but it scares people so it gets a reaction which is what they want. Bullets containing lead aren't going to harm your kids unless shot with them, that's the bottom line. I'm a fan of Barnes TTSX and LRX bullets but it's not because they don't contain lead.

Well, this thread just cost me some money. 6.5mm 120 grain Etips are on sale at shooters pro shop....

What is the difference, if any, in the .308 167 grain vs. the 168 grain that Nosler lists? I couldn't find any data on the 167 grain.

This is not what I have seen in limited use, at all. I see virtually no differences in wounds.

This is completely false.
What do you suppose happens when elemental lead is exposed to hydro chloric acid in your gut?

Or acetic acid.

Very little, the lead moves through your gut quickly enough that there's little interaction. The smaller the piece the more reaction and lead dust poses more of a hazard. People have been eating game killed with lead shot for centuries without negative effects. Lead shot was outlawed for duck hunting because of the danger to birds ingesting lead is greater than to humans, birds have a gizzard which grinds up the lead shot making them much more susceptible to lead poisoning.

Is the risk zero from ingesting lead? No. Is it miniscule? Yes. If you're the type that demands your kids live in a bubble and only eat organic vegetables fertilized by the poop of virgin heifers then by all means boycott bullets containing lead based upon ridiculous fears like this.

There are plenty of studies out there about it. If you filter out the PETA nonsense then you'll see the risk from lead is extremely low.

The problem is the small pieces are the ones that make it to your gut. As for people eating lead for centuries. This is probably true, however I woukd like to know how you ascertained people haven't had their cognate ability reduced by doing so.
And I am far from the kind that has bubble kids. However, I don't see a reason to expose them to lead neadlessly when they are so young.

And the studies out there are largely inconclusive, but one thing they agree on is lead is found in processed game meat shot by lead bullets.

I wish it were not true, as I think mono metal bullets largely suck, but it is what it is.

I’m a big fan of ttsx out of my 270 and 06.
Anyway, my question is how would etip or ttsx do out of 9.3x62. I saw some at SPS on sale and I’m looking to reload for my thumper.
Let’s say mv at 2500, 250 grain etip with Bc of .494. Puts me at 450 yard to their minimum velocity of 1800 FPS.
Do these bigger slows bullets have larger hollow cavity to open at slower speed?
How do the mono work out of slower medium bore such as 9.3.

My hunting party has no experience with E-Tips or GMX. (I've had a box of GMX on my shelf for a couple years now, just never got around to loading any.) We do have experience with X, TSX, MRX, TTSX and LRX.

The X bullets were very inconsistent in the my 7mm RM, the only rifle I tried them in. After shooting coyotes and one unfortunate antelope with them, I quickly abandoned them. When the TSX came along, I found it to be very accurate in the several rifles I tried it in but I could never bring myself to use them on game due to the X experience. The tipped MRX changed that. It proved to be very accurate and effective, as has its successor, the TTSX. My group has yet to recover an MRX or TTSX. No animal shot with them has run far and at latest count right at half have dropped straight down. Those that ran have not made it as far as some shot with other bullet types.

Our sample numbers with the tipped Barnes are too small to be definitive but far larger than with the original X bullet, which started failing from the start. We've driven MRX (I still have a few) and TTSX lengthwise through mule deer and have yet to recover one. TTSX performance on antelope (.257"/100g to .308"/168g) has been very good, in spite of initial concerns about them being too small for optimum performance.

At this point I don't see any particular need to change to or try E-Tip or GMX, although I'm sure they work. Similarly, the now available Trophy Bonded Tip and Edge TLR, while interesting in concept, will probably have a long wait to get tried. Just not seeing a reason to change away from something that works as well as the MRX, TTSX and LRX have been doing.

My group is not completely lead-free, probably never will be. Leaded bullets/ammo we use includes WW PowerPoint; North Fork SS and a prototype HP; Nosler AccuBond, Ballistic Tip and Partition; Hornady SST; and Speer Grand Slam - plus a variety of SP, FP and hardcast in the levers and handguns. More and more, though, we're headed in the lead-free direction. I seen no significant downside and with my grandkids growing up hardly knowing what beef tastes like, anything I can do to keep them lead free is a bonus.

Used the 250gr TTSX to shoot a PA whitetail buck at 116yds with my 9.3x62. Was very underwhelmed by the terminal performance of the TTSX at moderate velocities. Despite a square double lung hit, the deer ran nearly 200yds leaving a sporadic blood trail.

I highly recommend the 210gr Cutting Edge Raptors as they give the 9.3 some real versatility and work wonderfully on game.