Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Barnes 30 Cal 168 grain TTSX on deer

I have shot small whitetails and blacktails with The 168 TTSX and the TSX and have not had any "pencil thru". I personally have had no TSXs or TTSXs fail to expand. I have seen pics of several unexpanded TSXs of very calibers and weights that did not expand properly.

I have also shot several cow elk and wild boar with the TTSX and TSX with very little drama.

Awhile back on another forum, I requested anybody to post pics of TTSXs that had failed to expand and I don't recall getting a single response.

Each Barnes caliber/bullet weight/configuration has a different minimum expansion velocity. Many of them are the same but many are different. For example, the minimum expansion velocity for the 308 168 TTSX and TSX is 1500 fps but the 165 is 1800 fps and if IIRC the 150 grain was higher than the 165 grain. This was per Barnes tech support. When I asked them why the 150 grain was so high, they said it was because for whatever the 150s were very popular with 300 Win Mag shooters.

I struggle with the concept of animals not going down immediately or running too far because of "penciling thru" or other bullet failures. Sure it can happen and sometimes there is a recovered bullet showing lack of penetration or lack of expansion. But often there is no evidence of what the cause was just speculation - i.e. no recovered bullet or animal. But I would say two things - 1) Sh*t happens when animals get hit meaning - weird reactions and 2) Some animals just don't want to die.

I have taken about a 100 big game animals (not a huge sample size) but three were very memorable. The first, in Utah that took 4 150 grain Hornady Interlocks to the chest at about 150 yards and just wouldn't fall down. The second, in NM that took 3 250 grain TSXs to the chest and just kept walking (with only a small amount of stagger) before it fell down. The third a very large wild board who took 3 308s thru the vitals and a 375 HH stern to chest before he would stay down.

But in summary - 1) use those 168 TTSXs, they work well and 2) nothing is guaranteed even with very good shot placement.

I use 150 gr. Barnes TTSX in my 30-06 for deer. They have performed just fine. In general, I am a big fan of mono-metal projectiles even though I do not live in a state that requires them. I like shooting deer on the shoulder to break bones. I prefer to anchor the deer as best as I can due to the often very thick vegetation where I hunt. I would rather lose a little bit of shoulder meat than maybe lose a whole deer. Also, I prefer exit holes. These Barnes projectiles, regardless of weight, usually give me that. Finally, I like the mono-metals because in many of the areas I hunt, close shots are far more common than long shots. With mono-metals, I know that if I get a 15 yard shot, I can hold on the should and not worry about the projectile coming apart.

The primary reason I use the 150 gr. TTSX, in addition to the performance characteristics that I mentioned above, is that they shoot well in my rifle. However, I would not hesitate to use the 168 gr. options if they shot as well. Actually, I would prefer the 130 gr. variety. However, they are not currently available in 30-06 factory ammunition, and I do not currently handload.

"I have shot small whitetails and blacktails with The 168 TTSX and the TSX and have not had any "pencil thru". I personally have had no TSXs or TTSXs fail to expand. I have seen pics of several unexpanded TSXs of very calibers and weights that did not expand properly."

What cartridge / approximate impact velocities?

This is factory Barnes 30-06 ammo. 2800 MV, so should hold 1500 fps for several hundred yards I would think.

TnBigBore,

308 Win, 300 WSM, 30-06 muzzle velocities from 2700-3100. Impact velocities between 2600 to 2100.

Check SPS, Nosler’s outlet for 2nds. I just got two boxes of 150 gr .308 NPT’s for $60+, headed this way. 60 cents not a bad price in todays dollars for a Partition. Those boxes are 50 bullets each.

DF

Have never seen a 165-168 TTSX, or a 168 TSX fail to expand, on a wide variety of game.

Have also such good luck with the TTSX in general that Eileen has used it as the bullet in her NULA .257 Roberts since the Tipped TSX was introduced in 2007. This includes pronghorns at 300+ yards, deer from whitetails does to a big mule deer buck, and this cow elk. It was quartering away in timber at 123 yards, and she put the bullet in the middle of the right ribs, aiming for the left shoulder. Based in past experience I expected it to go around 50 yards before falling, but it crumpled right there.

It turned out the bullet had ticked the bottom of the spine during its journey through both lungs, knocking off a 1" chunk of bone. My guess (also based on previous experiences) is that paralyzed the cow long enough for the holes through the lungs to do their work. (It was also one of the few TTSXs we've recovered, under the hide of the shoulder.)

The 168 TTSX is a great bullet but I’m also a big fan of Barnes bullets in general. I’ve recovered a few in game and every time I do I wonder what the alternative result with a different bullet might have been. When they get stopped, they have generally met with some fairly decent resistance.



They are heartbreakers for sure. :-)

I like the TTSX. For you guys stuck with non lead and wanting options, they’re out there.

Cutting Edge, Hammer and Lehigh are good. Check’em out. They not cheap, but probably worth the premium.

DF

Have had good luck with all three of those as well. In my experience it's hard to find a monolithic that doesn't work well these days. The technology has advanced considerably over the 35 years or so since Randy Brooks introduced the original X-Bullet.

Yep, Randy opened the gate, let the horses out. The rest, as they say, is history.

Yeah, technology has improved those bullets and we all benefit. Wonder how long it’ll take for no lead to become the national standard. It’s been said, what starts in CA….

So, not a bad idea to expand the mono envelope. You just never know.

DF

Just got in a new lightweight Sako rifle, a .308 Wiunchester--for a test article. Along with the rifle they also sent me a case of Sako ammo (200 rounds) with what they call the Sako Blade bullet. It's a 162-grain tipped monolithic at a listed velocity of 2674 fps--which looks remarkably like the Barnes TSX--except the plastic tip is "tri-tipped," with 3 grooves around the visible tip. Will be reporting on all this in an upcoming column for Sports Afield, but due to previous experience with Sako rifles and ammo suspect the combo will work well.

But am also hoping that I don't feel compelled to buy yet another .308....

It’ll be an interesting report.

Look forward to reading it.

DF

It sure as hell don't take "bug hole" accuracy or monothic bullets to kill deer at 200 yards.

I don't think anyone here is arguing that it does.

Exactly.

In my case, I want one unleaded bullet for anything I happen to hunt with a .30-06 or .308. The 168ttsx is on my radar because Barnes lists it as having a lower minimum velocity. I'm also not a fan of having to load something to the max to make it work properly.

That Vortex Factory load in my 22" Model 70 Featherweight chronographs at 2662fps. Handloads move that velocity up to around 2850fps. Best accuracy came from 60gn of H4350 in my rifle which tends to like a grain or 3 more than most other rifles.

All the deer and elk I’ve kilt with 165 TSX, 168 TTSX, and 175 LRX never ran more than a few steps and had adequate exit wounds and internal destruction. Never recovered a bullet to compare, just recovered dead critters. Same performance with 150 gr TTSX in 7mm. Why bother to switch?