Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Barnes Tipped TXS in a 30-06

Yeah at about 2950 fps I'm thinkin it oughtta work! grin

Hopefully I'll have some reviews to give.

JJ, you've used partitions on African game. Well, How do you like them? What about trophy bonded bear claws?

Thanks

Partitions have no dust on them, but they are no longer the top of the line.

Bearclaws are awsome in just about every way. They solve a lot of problems with the rear section being solid. Probably would be much more popular if they were a component bullet.

How bout interbonds?

I use the 130 gr TSX's out of my .270 for deer and elk since I started using them a couple years ago. To date, they've taken 2 elk and a big old muley buck.

I'd typically opt for a heavier bullet for elk (150 grainer in the .270), but given the TSX's excellent weight retention, went with the 130's instead.

First elk my son shot. Spike taken at 270 yards. Lunged him, and he went 50 yards, complete penetration.

Big muely buck I took with a quartering towards shot. Through the front part of the shoulder area, boiler room, and exited just forward of the hind quarters. He dropped right there.

Last elk I shot at 170 yards. Broke the nearest upper leg bone just below the shoulder joint, between ribs 3 and 4, through the lungs, left a nickle sized hole through the top of the heart, though the 3rd rib on the far side, and out the shoulder area on the far side. Now THAT is some serious penetration. With a little ol' 130 grainer out of a .270. Not sure what more you can ask for than that. As a bonus, it was not hard to work up a good load to get .75 moa accuracy either, something I was never able to do with 150 gr. partitions.

I imagine I'll keep using this combination for everything from couse to elk until I find a reason not to.

Partitions have never offered great accuracy for me. However they work so good I was always satisfied with the performance on game. They shoot good but not great.

The TSX is simply a great hunting bullet wrapped in a benchrest body. I've never struggeled to make them shoot perfectly, and they have done the job on big game equally well.

JJ have you used or had clients use GS Custom HVs on your hunts? What are your thoughts about these bullets when compared to the TSX?

I have, and they have worked fine. I prefer the TSX at this point for the same reasons I prefer Aframes over Woodleighs.

I like easy access to the ammo I use. I don't want to have them out of stock, and difficult to come by. Once I develop a load I want to use that load, not have to switch to something else and begin all new load development because the bullets I want cannot be found anyplace.

GS Custom has a functional distribution system in place now, we will have to see how that works. Seems to be a growing business too. They also came up with the idea to reduce pressure by putting the bands on the base of the bullets. These folks pretty much have it figured out where making bullets is concerned! It's kinda like the South African Version of the TSX. I'm not sure what the future holds for mass sales of the GS Custom in America with the Barnes product here and on every sporting goods shelf.

I had a great woodleigh load at one time, then battled to find them. So I switched to the Aframes, and I never went back. Why? Aframes are easy to get and work at least as well. They are probably my all around favorite bonded core bullet on the market today.

JJHACK,
Terrific real life, real experience information. It would take a lifetime of hunting for most of us to accumulate that much knowledge. Appreciate the effort and insight.

Sorry to necropost but I have a few more questions. I was never able to load the 150gr TTSX to hunt with this year because I decided to throw arrows this year.

JJHACK you seem to hold the 165gr Innerbonds in high regard. I was thinking for North American big game I don't need to shell out the extra money for the TSX over the Innerbond. If both shoot well in my rifle what would you choose for Deer to Elk sized game in North America between the 150gr TSX or TTSX and the 165gr Innerbond? Thanks for the info.

Can't speak for JJ, but I really like the 165 gr. Interbond in my .30-06 for whitetail:

On animals from whitetail to moose, I've found the 130 TSX from a 30-06 -outpenetrates- a good 180 C&C from the same. The 150 TTSX will most likely penetrate as well or even better.

AC, The interbond is an awsome bullet for smaller big game or sub 3000fps velocity in my opinion. It's a flawless choice for deer for the 308, 30/06, 270, etc. However it's been the softest of the bonded core bullets I have used and seen used. I've had them almost turn inside out!

To suggest that you want something for both elk and deer under all available hunting conditions....... you gotta plan for the worst case scenerio. That means witht he 30/06 using the TSX bullet in my opinion. It's why I choose them over the bonded bullets for the hunters using my rifles in Africa. Whether the animal is 200 pounds or 2000 pounds, and if it's 50 meters, or 300 meters the TSX is the most likely bullet to provide a lethal result I know of.

I would not pick the Interbond with the 30/06 for a bull elk as a first choice. I have killed a great big bull using one, however I would have prefered an exit hole on this shot, and certainly would have had one with the same weight TSX. The end result was good, but I learned from this as well.



Hornady interbonds, note: bullet on far left is expanded back to the edge of the base, nearly inside out and still intact! I really like these bullets on lighter game are moderate velocity. They are dirt cheap and work excellent for this range if use. I would not use the 165, or 180 grain at Magnum velocity on bigger animals. I think there are better options today.



165 grain Interbond Bullet recovered from this elk.



You can see the resting place of the bullet under the skin near the point of the scapula where the hair is roughed up.

Well I guess it's each to his own.

Personally, I've never had a problem with Nosler Partitions, either with the end result, or accuracy. My safe is filled with different caliber rifles that will all shoot Partitions with sub .75" groups.

Granted, I spent a lot of days working up different loads until one was found that shot, but when found it's a keeper.


Until I see a vaild reason for change, I don't see a reason for change.

Respects,

Richard

Thanks for the information. With the above information stated, would the slightly tougher Accubond be a good all around choice?

There you have it...

I prefer exit holes, so if all else is equal I'll usually go with the one that makes the exit hole the most frequently.

A lot of other thought goes into this, like species, range, habitat etc.

Why settle for a single bullet for everything? That's fine for an all around moments notice situation. But If I was heading into mule deer season shooting open grasslands the Interbond would be a great choice. If I were hunting blackbear from a treestand over bait, I could easliy live with the Aframe or the TSX. If I were Mtn goat, bison, or elk hunting then the TSX wins that every time.

I'm not really a brand loyal guy, I've owned Ford, GM Dodge, Jeep, and Toyota trucks, I have a yamaha ATV and outboard, I have three Honda Motorcycles, and onan generator and a Honda generator. I shoot Swift Aframes, Hornady, and Barnes bullets. I own three different makes of rifles, Ruger, Winchester and Montana.

I've got no vested interest in what you choose or why. All I can do is tell you what I choose and why. Then how it performed with the experience I had.

Many of these threads get under the skin of folks who have a lifes goal to convert every perosn willing to listen into doing or using what they say or believe in. I simply don't care what anyone buys or uses. However when somebody asks me I'll tell you what I use and how it worked for me. Hope that helps

Thanks for the honest and unbiased opinion. I was looking for information based on field experiences and that is what you provided. Thanks again for the time and information, I may just have to step up and give the TSX a try.

Very good read! Thanks for posting.

I'm liking his theory, and in JJ's case, it's not because of added velocity. I would think, that it would be because of case 2.
I don't think that the petals sheared off, but instead, the bullet hit something of substantial resistance quickly after entering the animal, and the petals were folded back against the shank of the bullet. I've seen recovered TSX's that looked this way.