Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa .375 H&H 250 TTSX vs 270 LRX - All Around Bullet incl Buffalo

What do you all think?

Looking at these two bullets for a .375 I'm having built. Will be my primary all around rifle for Africa, looking for a bullet that will shoot flat, be great for PG and Buff.

270 has a great rep, but curious if the extra fps of the 250 offsets the 20 grains less for all around usage?

I think the 250 grain TSX would be an excellent all round 375 bullet.

I'd go with the 270 myself, that was Randy and Connie Brook's favorite, but having zero experience with the 250 myself, maybe some of our more experienced members will chime in.

IMO a 270gr would best the best all around. I have easily attained 2800fps with Big Game powder and Fed 215, WLRM, and CCI 250.

I have been working on loads for my 375 for the last year. I have tried 250 TTSX and GMX, 270gr TSX, Hornady's, and 300gr TSX's.

My rifle does not like the 250's at all.
270's are a little better with an absolute tack driving group at only 2515fps though. Groups open up as velocity/pressure increases. The 270gr Hornady's are no better.
Really likes the 300gr TSX's at 2622 and 2537fps respectively. All powder charges shoot respectively better than all but the above listed 270.

With 2 1/2 months to go, I am going to use the last of my 270's for practice, then start in on the 300's saving the last 60 for the trip.

When I asked the PH what he prefers in a 375 H&H for buffalo, he stated 300gr TSX or A-Frame, whichever shoots better. Will a 270gr work, absolutely, but no reason to not follow his advice.

Your rifle may tell you what bullet to use. As my rifle is a little picky, hopefully yours will not be.

My P64 M70 also did not like the 250's. Everything else from 235's to 350's shoot great. Last trip I used 350gr Woodleighs. Shot a wildebeest at about 350 yards. You don't need flat trajectories if you know your bullet drops. Have a great time!

I have not tried the 250's but my M70 likes the 270 TSX's and they will go after buffalo and plains game coming February.

Good luck with the hunt. Goin south Africa? TSX good choice. Buffalo can be tough if not hit properly. I run 300 gr TSX in my 378. They group usuallty less than 1 inch at 100yds. You probably will shoot your buff at less than 125 yd.

I shoot 200gr monolithics in my 375, so the 250 or 270's will be more than enough. The high velocity devastate's them.

Marius, are those 200gr mono's GS Custom HV's?

My Talkeetna does really well with the 250grTTSX but I've been thinking about trying the 270gr LRX this hunting season. I'm getting 2,800 fps from a 22" barrel using VV N540 and GM215M primers. 5-shot group shown below. I want to try the 270gr LRX because it expands better at lower velocity and it has a higher BC which should increase the effective range.

Yes it is, sir. Have you used them?

Yes, for the first time last fall after being away from hunting and shooting for almost 20 years. Gerard told me the story about the development of the 200 gr and recommended it for elk and deer here in the US. This was also my first outing with my 375 Ruger Guide Gun. His load recommendation was spot on. I'm loading them in front of 77 gr of some old IMR 3031 in the 20 in barrel for about 3110. I actually loaded 78 and 79 grains also so I decided to shoot those. I had a slightly sticky bolt at 79 gr and 3250 so I gladly stayed at 3100 fps. I shot 5 groups for seating depth and 3 of the 5 were under 1 MOA. I went with the depth that got me .55 in. I filled my deer (110 yards) elk (210 yards) tags. I was very surprised at how mild the recoil felt under hunting conditions. The deer was a pass through the neck. I went for the front shoulder of the elk and it did not pass through, but I could not find it. The deer dropped like a rock. The elk made it about 20 yards. Not much meat damage. I ordered two more boxes. I'm going to try the 7MM in 116 grain in my 7MM-08 for coyotes. I'm surprised to hear you using them instead of the 250s or 260s on buffalo! You must have a lot of faith in them.

I'm sure I could get very close to the same velocity in the 200gr 338 Win Mag with a better BC. I have a 338 WM Browning A-bolt that kicks like a mule. I'm guessing the HV's would tame it also. However, I'm so satisfied with the 375 that I think the 338 is going down the road.

I have taken countless buff with that combination. I would probably say that if I had the time to redevelop a load, and know that it would achieve the 3-leaf clover I'm currently getting, I would move to either the 250 or 260's. I can however say that there is a distinct difference in time untill death from this combination over other options. The buff can't seem to handle the 3100fps and usually collapse within 10-15yds.

Very pleased to hear that you are enjoying them. They are really good bullets.

Marius, can you comment on any recovered bullets? Have the petals separated? If they haven't, have they opened uniformly? How about distances? When did you get pass through? I'm trying to learn more. When I shot my elk, I had to be very careful because I was stalking a herd. I had to pass up closer shots (150 or so) because I was afraid of a double. That is one of the reasons I went for the shoulder on the spike. It looked clear behind him, but I didn't want to take a chance.

It sounds to me that this combo would be a one gun setup for all but elephant, which I would never do anyway. I'm headed to Botswana in July and/or Aug for work. I'm thinking about trying to get into a short hunt someplace for some plains game. Nothing special, just a few animals for the experience.

Some of them were pass through's, others I recovered. I have also recovered smaller calibre bullets that had lost their petals. Personally, I don't see this as a bad thing, but we might be looking at it from different views. I just see the lost petals as extra pieces of shrapnel, going in their own direction, doing more damage inside.
The 200gr bullets that I did recover from Buffalo, were perfect mushrooms, that looked like the Barnes X advertisement photos. I do however wonder what the ones looked like that passed through though.
I certainly have to pick the shots with that combo, as we can only shoot at Buffalo that are alone, with nothing behind it, since I never know whether the bullet will stay inside or pass though.
I think I have a photo of one of the recovered bullets somewhere. I will have a look and post it for you.

Well, I'm with you on the petals....after they depart, it is supposed to act like a solid... best of both worlds. The pass throughs may have been the solids. I'm guessing you probably didn't look for any stray petals after seeing a pass through. I probably wouldn't have...They are supposed to open up down to 1600 FPS. What is your longest shot with them? Have your clients used them?

I apologize for hijacking the OP's thread. Back to 250 vs 270 LRX discussion....

Spud06 - no worries at all, I was really interested in Marius experience as well. With the quality and effectiveness of mono-metals, its a new game and that's why I'm curious about the 250 grain as an all around africa bullet (not elephant). Old rules don't necessarily apply.

I've used the JJhack 168 grain TTSX in my 30-06 and its been amazingly effective.

Personally, I would not go heavier than the 168gr in the 30-06. Turns the cartridge into a different beast with those 168's.

Bull moose really hate them...