Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 338 federal 160 TTSX

I like trying different bullets for hunting and I'm interested in giving the 160 gr TTSX a try in my 338 federal. The bullet would be used on deer and possibly a black bear. For those who have used these bullets how was on game performance? Also I'm looking for loads that have worked well. What was the recipes and velocity? Thanks.

PRM will chime in. He's used it on Elk and took that combo to Africa for plains game. Spoiler alert, it worked really well.

Good to hear. Looking Forward to reading about it.

I had great accuracy with 160gr TTSX & Hodgdon Benchmark. 3000 fps in a Sako 85. Never did hunt with that load, rifle is long gone

The 160 TTSX is very accurate in my .338-284. My load data won't be applicable to the Fed.

Just letting you know that bullet is a real performer.

DF

Yup, they work great. Likely my favorite bullet I've used so far. Shot a bull elk, kudu, waterbuck, gemsbok, blesbok, and Impala. Used 52gn of AA2230 (1 gn under Barnes max) for 3050 FPS +.

I can't imagine you'd ever recover one from a deer or black bear. Internal damage will be impressive.

Shoots pretty well for a 5lb 14oz rifle. Three quick shots to verify it was sighted in prior to hunting.



Where bull was standing when shot in chest. Easy to follow that trail. He went ~40 yds. Can actually see him in upper right side of pic.



Works in Africa too

Impressive, I hope I can get them to shoot well in my rifle. Looking forward to load development. How far off the lands are you seating the bullet?

They are .15" off. Waaaay off! But my two most accurate loads are the same.

I'll have to look for some AA2230. XBR runs a little slower but shoots well in 338 Federal. Hodgdon data says 2,900 w/50gr of XBR 8208.

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/9640041/1

They do like to jump, more than most folks realize.

So, if accuracy is an issue, keep setting them back...

DF

My results match yours. One thing I want to try this winter is to shoot the 8208 and AA2230 loads in very cold weather and see what they do. The advantage for the 2230 may be much smaller.

I started asking around and actually found someone who had a few on hand that I could have. Only four of them but hay it's a start. I had some 8208 on hand and loaded them with 50 gr 8208 and set them .05 off as sugested by Barnes. Well for only one test load I'd say things are looking good. Three shots at .43" and the fourth opened it to .82". I'd love to tinker more and see if I could shrink that but truthfully even if I can't I'd be happy if I can repeat today's results. Unfortunately these bullets are hard to come by at the moment. I haven't looked to hard yet but they are out of stock at all my usual spots. Lots of time till next hunting season but I'm impatient and want to play around now. Oh well, keep the information coming.

I like the 185TTSX for an all round bullet but you can't argue w/prm's success. Those pictures are about as all round as you can get. From Impala to elk...and not a small elk either. Like to know how quick they run out of gas past 250-300. Also BC is somewhat of a concern but he's just about talked me into buying a box of 160's. Darn him! powdr

There are no flys on the 185 TTSX. If it's all I could hunt with I wouldn't feel bad at all. For the very largest critters, I think the 185 buys a bit of penetration. I think the 160 opens wider, does more internal damage, and is thus a better choice for most situations. Only 160 I've recovered. Weighs 159. It was under the offside hide of the Waterbuck which was extremely thick. Shot a Gemsbok and Bull Elk in the chest and never found those bullets.



Other critters hit with a 160

The Barnes website doesn't list the BC. Any of you know what it is? My 308 is packed and ready to get shipped to JES for a re-bore job, just gotta get a dmn day off to get it on the way.

I have all my initial reloading supplies already on hand. Just waiting, and reading about possibilities. 200gr Speer's, 210 PT's, RL-15, 4064, Varget. Thinking of grabbing a can of LVR, cuz a shop close by still has some in stock.

But, this tread has me thinking I may need to add a 3rd trial bullet/ powder.

BC is only .342. Not an ideal LR cartridge, but since I doubt I'd ever shoot over 400, or maybe 500, it enough.

I've been messing around a little more with 160's. I'm averaging somewhere around an inch for 5 shots at 100 yards. That's good enough for me. The load: 160 TTSX set .09" off, 50gr of 8208xbr, Federal brass and winchester primer. I'm getting 2990 fps from a 22" barrel. I'll be using this load this fall. Looking forward to seeing the terminal effects.

Mine shoots them holes touching about half the time. Seat em till they hit the primer. Haven't gotten beyond load development.

prm,

What is the barrel length on this rifle you used in Africa? I recall you had a 22.0" Ruger 77 in some other posts, but this rifle does not look like a Ruger to me.

Do you have the COL?

I'm planning a 338 Federal and am compiling loads from the site for comparison.

Dan

I used 52gr TAC/ factory brass, in my one and only 338 Fed/160TTSX. I used a 4" drop tube and crimped it with a LEE Factory Crimp die. I "especially" like to crimp mono bullets "hard". They are so slick and I like a hard bullet pull on ignition. I never killed anything with that load though, so can't say. I may try it later in my 338WM just to see if it likes it, can't imagine a better deer combo for longer shots here. Good luck to you.