Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 62gr TSX In 223 On Deer

How do they perform at 223 velocities inside 100 yards on broadside lung shots if they don't hit the shoulder or a rib going in. Will they fully expand before exit? I try to avoid destroying the shoulder if avoidable, don't want to waste the meat. If the 62gr TSX won't expand on those shots I'll sue a different bullet but would like the extra penetration for angled shots. I've used other Barnes X bullets in other cartridges and had good experiences but am interested in actual experiences with this bullet. I've read pretty much everything I can find about this bullet but have not seen this situation addressed.

Please no "It's not an adequate caliber" replies.

Thanks.

Frank

I've used this bullet in 223, 223AI and 22-250AI, with the shots you are describing (broadside, behind the shoulders) they will expand and will kill ok but expect them to run farther than when shot with softer bullets. Barnes definitely put them down faster when shoulder bones are hit.

For behind the shoulder shots I greatly prefer softer bullets

You should be fine. We poke them with sticks going 250fps and they die.

Anyone who can't see that a barnes at 3000fps isn't "minimum" is a bit slow lol

I got off to a rocky start with the 62 TSX out of my Kimber Montana .223 Rem, but those issues worked themselves out and that bullet is the only one from Barnes that I can endorse. I think I have killed 2 mule deer bucks now and a plethora of antelope with that combo. Bone or no bone it has been fine, from 50 to 558 yards. I have zero idea if it expands "fully" on rib shot deer but it works plenty well enough that I just don't care if it expands or not. They do tend to run a bit further than when hit by softer bullets, but not by much and not enough for me to be concerned with in the fairly open country I have used them in.

That should flip them inside out truthfully. Like I said in PM's we use the 55gr TTSX. The 62gr should be gold!

They will kill the cshit out of them. I’ve hit 200 lb pigs at 225 yards, blow through both shoulders. There are better tools, but a 62 TTSX will kill deer. I use 62 gr Bear Claws too.

Where do you get your Bear Claws?

I got them from Jack Carter.

Piece of cake....Ive killed critters a lot bigger than deer with that bullet.

200+-260lb Black buck antelope and Axis, i saw it!

Shot a couple Oryx with that bullet too.


But the Blackbuck didn't weigh near that much. The Axis was over 200...

Wow a 200-250 lb. Black Buck, most I have seen/taken I could throw over my shoulder. The Axis I have taken would have to have eaten at McDonalds for an extended period to go 250lbs. about 200 is tops in the Hill Country of Tejas.

The Barnes will work well but if you want to put deer down faster consider a softer bullet, the Nosler Partition is a prime candidate. The Winchester PP did well as did 55 gr. Hornadays. Forgot the others I have used but most any 60 grainer will work well for the application you describe. I wish I could get my hands on some of the 62 gr. Bear Claws as that is a very good bullet. Hammer and Leheigh have some interesting mono bullets and they are designed to shed the petals like the first Barnes X bullets. I think this leads to more internal damage then the non shedding monolithics. There used to be a shortage of game bullets in .224 caliber but now there are many, basically if it is not a target or varmint bullet, it will do well on broadside shots on deer.

Ten foe, your black buck looked like a 200lb chunk lying there, maybe it was Andie's cooking ; ], my axis weighed 246lbs on the scale at the skinners shed.

For sure, it WAS a nice blackbuck, but they don't weight 200 unless you have to carry them more than a mile back to the truck!

And IIRC my Axis on that trip pegged out at 238 on the scale.....got a couple young guys to get him back to the truck!

LOL, we need to do that again someday.

TRUE! Lets find something in North Texas next time, just because.... you know....:D

Yes Sir, wonderful idea.

You guys like Varget or CF223 with the 62's?

CFE-223 all the way, simply because of compatibility and velocity, NO ONE is going to shoot these low bc hunting bullets far enough that a quarter or half moa at 100 is going to make a bit of difference, and no one i know or have ever worked with can hold that in the field anyway, plus, monos that i've shot, like to be seated deep and drove their guts out to shoot and 'perform' at their best.

Good luck.

H335 for me.

Another vote for CFE223

If you want to use a 223, that’s the bullet.

Got 62gr tsx for the first 5 in Wifes house gun, if that dont work, the 55gr Lehigh penetrators will start landing, she'll start receiving immediate communication from them at that time.

I have not used that bullet but I have seen it used on deer and antelope both. 2 deer and 3 antelope.

Shots were from about 60 to about 225 yards and all were good clean kills. Nothing to complain about at all.

They expand well on 300+ lb pigs without hitting bone, also on two 60 pounders when you can get them to line up😋

My brother shot two does with them at 270 yards with an AR-15. Bang, Bang...does running off. They ran about 75 yards each and pilled up.

Now he is running them out of a 24" 22/243 AI at 4000 fps....they do not take a step!

I have always used Varget, but have gone to CFE 223, because I have over 30 lbs of it.

I went on a deer hunt a couple years ago where it was requested to shoot mono's, they even paid for the ammo.
I got a couple box's of Remington 223HTP (high terminal performance)62gr TSX.
Was stunned when I went to the range, this ammo averaged 3 1/2" groups at 100yds, that wouldn't do.
I spent several range days,8 different powders and tried different seating depths to get this bullet to shoot well, one of the most finiky 22 cal bullets I have ever used. Finally came up with the magic combo for my rifle. IMR8208XBR would shoot consistent 1/2" groups.
When it came time on my hunt to pull the trigger it was a 100yard bang flop, was surprised at how well this bullet worked.

A copper bullet @ those higher speeds, out of a 22-250 is literally a bomb going off in side of them. Times sure change huh? When I was 15 yrs. old, I asked my dad if I should get a 30-30 or a 30-06 for deer hunting. He said gat the 30-06, it has more " oomph". Back then , I hunted with an old man that used a .243 Win. for deer and a 300 lb bear. He used an 87 gr. Hornady bullet . Thought he was crazy. Now we are using ammo half that size for 300 lb hogs. In a way , it is a good thing.

Boatanchor,

Mind sharing your load? I have some 8208 and understand that I am responsible for my own safety.

Thanks.

Frank

Has anyone seen any difference in accuracy or performance between the 62gr TSX vs TTSX?

They seem the same to me.

What twist in the 22/243 ai ?

If the performance is based on speed, why not drop in weight to 50 grains?

For only inside 100 yards where the OP is asking, I'd tend to agree that dropping down in weight would be beneficial due simply to the extra speed, well before the lower B/C starts being apparent. This is provided of course, that the 50 (or 53 or whatever) is as reliable and accurate as the 62 grainer is (which they generally have not been for me) though at only 100 yards the accuracy difference shouldn't matter much.

I think it should also be mentioned that (and I have zero idea where the OP is located) in the state of Wyoming to legally use a .223 Rem on deer the bullets needs to be at least 60 grains. There may be similar regs in other states, that the OP has to deal with. Just a thought.

I'm in the Adirondacks and hunt dense forest. I like the idea of the 62gr bullet being able to get to the vitals or break an off side shoulder from a variety of angles. Had a Barnes (cant remember if 53gr .224 or 85gr .243 from a 6x45 loose all 4 petals on a 25 yard shot on a buck hit on the humorous just below the shoulder joint. Recovered bullet looked like a 22LR bullet. That's what makes me lean toward the heavier 62gr. Have never shot them on game though.

Example of two, Barnes factory load, 125 yard , front chest, hit ribs going in and out , bloody heart and lungs filled chest cavity. Ran 20yards , dead on his feet all the way . Other shot twice at fast rate of fire ,75 yards , once in chest (first shot) second in neck, did not move at either shot until he fell dead... Joe

12

Most bullets that are designed to open at lower velocity that distance will yield , will "blow up" at very close range. At twenty five yards about any hunting bullet would work, and most will have bomb like results. On the other hand, if you have the chance of shooting far enough to loose velocity at POI, the bullet needs to open at that velocity. This is why choices by individuals vary widely. Bullets are designed to function in a velocity window basically. Likely a 50 or 53gr TSX or TTSX, or many others for that matter would be well within the operating range of velocities you'll encounter from 150yds and less. The longer mono-metal may not stabilize as well as the lighter bullets would. One of my favorite out of slow twist barrels for hunting is the Nosler 64gr BSB. It's short length, soft point, bonded design stabilizes well, and the terminal results are quite good.

If you have a 1:8 or faster the Sierra 77gr TMK is pretty tough to beat.

I realize this is an old thread but felt compelled to answer. I have experimented a lot with .224 Barnes TSX and TTSX on game over the years. Whitetail doe were shot (intentionally) through a shoulder. (Easy, sure shots.) 45 and 50grn Barnes resulted in a large percentage of lost deer. Unfortunately, animals that are not recovered tell no tales.

Bottom line is that I don't shoot med/large game through the shoulder with ANY bullet lighter than 55grns. If a TSX won't do it, nothing will.