Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting barnes in the 06'

My .30/06 shoots those 175gn LRX bullets very well using H4350 at 2820fps.
It is a top contender for this years hunting.
John

LRX bullets also have a wider velocity window for expansion....

my dear friend Harold a world war 2 vet who died left me his pre-64 model 70 30-06, and I plan on using the 130 gr. barnes for whitetail this fall 2018 in Minnesota. have used it in my Browning BLR 300 win. mag shoots 1/2- 3/4 inch,son used the 130 gr. barnes in his BLR 308 win. he killed in fall of 2017 a monster 8pt. whitetail in Minnesota and a big 5x5 mule deer in Montana his 308 win BLR rifle off the bench shoots under a 1/2 inch at 100 yards off with the 130 gr. barnes. we do use a lee neck crimp die always too on this 130 gr. barnes bullet,i think it also helps with accuracy too. but where we hunt in Minnesota we are in the thick timber so we have very little wind , the day son shot the 5x5 mulie it was very calm too. so if its windy 175 gr. just may be better ? good luck,Pete53

Aside, Model70Guy likely has as much or more experiience knocking off animals as anyone on this site... here's a good thread of his with some TSX thoughts:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...s/12175865/257-weatherby-culling-results

I've shot dozens of animals with ttsx's and when pushed fast(3k+) at reasonable ranges, there is no other bullet that works as good at killing fast, on the spot. The problem lies with not following instructions, and shooting heavy for caliber bullets. Then they suck, and animals run for a while.

If this forum didn't suck for posting pics, I'd post some from my extensive testing.

130 grain out of a 308/30-06 is plenty for any elk you will encounter. I get that the heavies have a better BC, and less drop/drift at longer ranges, but you give up significant expansion.

TTSX 168 is great in the 30-378 and .300 RUM according to my hunting buds. They kill stuff with that bullet in those big guns

To me the 130 TTSX is about optimal at 3K+ in the ‘06 and.308 for WT’s and hogs. They’re generally accurate and deadly. I’d probably go 150 for bigger stuff. I don’t want to get heavy enough for too much velocity loss. Speed kills especially with monos.

DF

I have loaded some 130 TTSX loads with various powders, hopefully get to the range tomorrow. I figure the 130 is enough but curious what kind of accuracy you guys are getting?
Any particular powder? I have Big game, Re15, and some Varget.

My favorite powder with 130’s in the ‘06 is BG.

DF

I have two pounds, good to know. Thanks

Varget and the 130gn TTSX in the 30/06 will nudge 3300fps.
John

Not Barnes, Ralph Council 130 gr. Rifle is HVA that I rescued.

DF

Im shooting the 150gr TTSX @ 3040fps. It is a wicked sum biatch. I wouldn't even think twice about whats gonna happen to anything your gonna shoot. Accuracy is as good as it can possibly get. I'd use it on anything anywhere in the US.

If I was going to run a TSX/TTSX at 2,800, I'd probably use something else, maybe a Fed TBT, NPT, etc.

150 gr. at 3K would be my choice between those two loads. I'd be concerned about expansion, maybe sub the LRX, reportedly a bit softer.

I'd like to hear testimonies about the TTSX at 2,800 fps. I've never run one that slow.

DF


Edited to exclude the big bores. I like the 250 TTSX in my .375 H&H. That one at 2,800 or better works pretty well. I'm thinking .30 cal and under.

I took a moose at 547 yards with the 150 Ttsx out of a 300 wsm with a mv of 3350 IIRC. It went clear through on a diagonal shot, entered the front shoulder/neck area and exited behind the ribs on the other side. It was on its feet for a minute or two after the shot. I think if I were to go with a different Barnes I might try the 130. The 150's are very accurate in my rifle and I see no need for anything heavier.

Bb

For WT and similar sized animals, if a 130 will blow thru, then what's a heavier bullet gonna do better?

That's my thinking on 130's in the '06 and .308. And, 130's will be moving faster.

Heavier bullets have better B.C.'s but the range at which most game is taken, not a big difference. The 130 advantage is speed, especially with monos.

DF

Your absolutely correct. The 150gr Barnes will kill two elk standing side by side. Their about penetration & tissue damage which is why my group kill elk every season with a 6.5 & the 120gr TSX. Complete penetration.

I'm using varget at 3228 velocity with the TTSX .5 moa with my ruger No.1.

Model70guy,

I've done a lot of culling as well, and one thing I've learned from the experience is that judging all bullets of a certain brand by the results from one particular batch is often a mistake. Have also seen expansion problems with TSX's, but often with only one batch of bullets. One particular problem batch was some 100-grain TSX's that failed to expand on several occasions, even when shot from a .257 Weatherby at 3550 fps.

But have also seen well over 100 TSX's used on other big game animals that expanded and killed well, even at pretty long ranges, from 120 6.5mm to 250-grain 9.3's. I suspect (based on considerable evidence) that most of the problem with TSX's not opening occurs in bullets from 6mm to .30, because the hollow-point is so small it can be battered at least partially shut on the front of the magazine box during recoil. I've never seen or heard of it happening with TSX's over .30 caliber, all of which have larger hollow-points, or in .22 caliber TSX's, probably because of the light recoil.

That said, in my experience Tipped TSX's (and Nosler E-Tips) expand and kill reliably, both because the plastic tip prevents the hollow-point from being battered, and because the hole is much larger, to accommodate the base of the tip. I have only heard one one instance where a TTSX didn't expand, which as I recall occurred on an angling shot where the tip was bent sideways. But I have never personally seen it happen, either with Tipped TSX's or E-Tips, on over 100 animals take by me and my companions, from pronghorns and springbok to zebra and bull elk.

My hunting notes have quantified a difference in how far lung-shot animals travel after being shot with "petal" type bullets, whether TSX's, E-Tips or the old Fail Safe, but it averages out a little over 50 yards, compared to 18 yards for the fastest-killing bullet I've seen take a considerable number of animals, the Berger Hunting VLD. Other expanding bullets are somewhere in between those, with lung-shot animals traveling 30-40 yards after the shot.

That is very interesting data. So, even comparing a standard CnC type bullet to a mono, you're only looking at a difference of about 15 yards longer trail on average. I would have expected more.

Out of curiosity, do you have any data for ELD-M / AMAX bullets compared to Bergers?

Not enough to be meaningful.