Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Monolithics - easing into 308 bullets

Although not a mono, the other bullet I've been looking at is the 165 Swift SC II. They supposedly like to jump - my 308 theyll jump 0.100 or so.......

That’s damned near my favorite bullet B. If they shoot, they work real well. Modern day Bitterroot in my experience with better BC.

A bit different, but effective. Cutting Edge Bullets make several types, the Raptor designed to shed 6 petals, the core pushing on thru. And for those worried about their TTSX, etc, losing petals. That's not a bad thing, IMO. CEB doesn't think so either.

Not inexpensive, but how many do you actually shoot at game, anyway. I've posted this before.

These perform as advertised. Check low S.D.'s with Varget. This is a killing combo and quite accurate.

Check out CEB on line. This extended range 135 shoots faster/flatter than 150's. https://cuttingedgebullets.com/308-135gr-er-extended-range-raptor

Gun is a Kimber Classic with a .308 Win. 5R Broughton SS 23" barrel. Amazing what a good barrel can do for a Kimber...

DF

For a 308 Win I’d lean 130 TTSX. Just picked up a couple boxes last week in fact. Velocity is a good thing with a mono from what I’ve seen. Though I’m sure a 150 starting at 2900 would have the same result.

Two holes at 308 vels at 300 yards?

I would expect two holes.

You have to realize that the typical mono has a smaller frontal area than the typical C&C. Therefore, they out penetrate the typical C&C but don't impart as much of their energy to the target as they pass through and typically pass all the way through. They also typically leave a substantially smaller exit wound so even though you get 2 holes, don't expect to always have a significant blood trail.
Because of these factors, you need to use monos differently. You want to do significant damage to the CNS or skeleton so your best shots are usually neck or shoulder shots for a DRT.
The 150's are my pick for an all arounder.

I use the 150 GameKing in my 308’s. They kill deer and pigs just fine. I use TTSX bullets in several other caliber rifles. They are great too.

Myself I’d probably drop down to a 150 just to get the speed up a bit more. Speed will help with Scirocco just like it does with a mono in my experience. They have an excellent frontal area that may get caught in the hide on the far side of an elk. With the 150 getting pushed faster it may expand enough to push that frontal area back enough to punch thru with more certainty. In all honesty the 150 from a 280 and 7mm Rem Mag and the 210 from my 338 Win have been wicked killers but even the 338 pushed at 2950 from the muzzle didn’t exit when shot in the front legs of a bull elk at 150’ish yards. Didn’t matter since he went nowhere but rolling down the hill.

338 (150 yards)



7mm (450 yards)

Some of the hunters I know like a high shoulder shot with a mono.

That's a CEB advantage for chest shooters, they frag and tear up more tissue with chest shots. I chest shot a hog, just to see. DRT. Hogs usually run when chest shot. The petals hit the spine. A std. mono wouldn't have touched the spine, would have blasted on thru.

Now, shooting the 120 E-TIp or TTSX at 26 Nosler speeds, there is enough tissue damage for impressive chest shot results. At conventional speeds, I agree with skeletal or CNS hits with monos. For chest shooting at conventional speeds, I prefer more expansive C&C type bullets.

I'm a firm believer in matching bullet design with velocity for optimal results.

DF

Dirtfarmer, Those are some very valid points, however, for myself and likely many others, the velocity could vary from 3000+, down to 1800 .....on the same hunt during the same day. In other words, literally.....from near the muzzle to in excess of 600 yards, and most any angle. That would, IMO, lower the number of candidates as the chosen bullet! memtb

I recently shot a bull elk at 225 yards with a 168 TTSX that was moving about 2,800 fps at impact and the performance and pass thru were devastating. A basic bang flop. Given the .308 Win velocity potential, I would go with a 150 TTSX and perhaps limit shooting to ranges where 2,000 fps at impact is possible. YMMV. Happy Trails

Good bud uses the 168 TTSX in his 30-378, his son in a 300 RUM. At those speeds, that bullet is a hammer.

IME, I tend to go lighter with those bullets, trying to keep the speed up.

However, it's hard to beat your experience with the 168 TTSX.

DF

Very nice write up by Dwayne.

I have been a Barnes X fan since they first came out. They will readily admit to having sourcing problems for copper wire in the initial years. I think many of the anecdotal accounts damming the X bullet came from that era and just won't die, especially with the magic of the intermonet.

All of the Mono's have gotten better.
I would go light with a 130 - 150 grain bullet for starters unless Elk were the primary quarry in which case I would start with the 165s (168s better BC) even though the others would work fine. I would pick any of the tipped iterations due to the lower velocities of the 08. The LRX and E-tips have larger hollow points or a softer nose for easier expansion.

Like Dwayne if 100% or close too reliability is needed, penetration from all angles, and intentionally shooting for bone were the criteria I would pick a mono bullet.

In my 26 Nos, I can't tell the difference between 120 E-Tip and 120 TTSX regarding accuracy and terminal performance. I've read that the E-Tip may open better than the TTSX. Right now, I'm shooting the 127 LRX in the Nos. It's about as accurate and we'll see how it works. Just targets so far, no meat yet.

I have a Loony problem, too many rifles, too many combos to try, don't spend enough time working with just one.

Oh well...

The old saying, beware the man with just one rifle; he probably knows how to shoot it. Seems I'm on the other end of that spectrum....

DF

Good video for Barnes Bullets. They changed their bullets, on some of their loaded ammo.
Take a look.

[video:vimeo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv248vNPR4U&t=62s[/video]

Pretty neat. I guess the optimized 130 TTSX is a bit softer than the std. 130 TTSX, maybe more along the lines of the LRX.

I guess it has to do with heat treatment or maybe alloy. I doubt they're saying exactly how they do that. I wouldn't...

DF

The 168 TTSX is all I’ve used in my .300 Wby, so tough to say about the others. One of the guys in our hunting gang also uses the 168 TTSX in a .30-.378 Wby and another shoots 180 TTSX in his .300 Weatherby Accuguard. The 150 TTSX has also been very effective in no-tracking-required kills with my 7mm Weatherby. I guess I can’t bring myself to waste powder and bullets searching for something better when the TTSX and TSX have gotten the job done without fail. Happy Trails

hd - thanks for posting that link. I'll call Barnes today - I don't see the Vortex 150 gr as components and suspect they keep it that way to force people to buy the ammo. I also wonder what powder they use. I'm guessing some type of ball powder. I doubt they'll divulge what the secret recipe is.................

This has been a very informative thread. Thank you and keep the thoughts rolling!

You mean the 150 TTSX component bullet?