Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 338-06 with 160gr TTSX

I have shot several groups with mine and have had really good accuracy but have only gotten about 2950-3000 fps out of it. I shoot the 225 Accubond out of mine at 2625 fps and I am currently on a hunt in canada with it. My buddy shoots them out of his .338 federal and he says that they smack deer at about 2800 fps. I will keep working with it and see when I get home. My gun shoots 1/2" with th AB's so I am not anxious to change.
Lee

The guy that built my last custom rifle killed the biggest black bear he's ever seen with that bullet out of his .338 WM. Passed through the bear diagonially and DRT. Got 3300 fps. with it. E

E,

That's pretty darn impressive!

Old thread but the OP's question was never answered.

I bought a put-together rifle based on the Savage 110 action off of gunbroker. It isn't pretty but it can shoot. I bought it with brown bear in mind someday but until then I thought I'd use it for deer.

I wanted as light-for-caliber a bullet as I could find for deer so bought some of the Barnes 160 grain TTSXs. I got a load off of reloadersnest that shows a velocity of 3100 fps, although I haven't chronoed it in my rifle.

With the 160s, I have shot 1 inch groups at 200 yards. Zeroed at 100 yards, the bullet strikes 2.5 inches low at 200. Since where I hunt most shots are at about 100 yards, I consider this trajectory acceptable.

I've shot 6 whitetails with this bullet with mixed but acceptable results.

1) 150 pound buck hit behind shoulder at 100 yards. The bullet created a 1 inch hole in the ribs on entry and a 3 inch hole on exit. And this I've never seen before-- a lung was blown out sticking 6 inches from the carcass. This deer ran 25 yards.

2) A doe shot at 100 yards quartering slightly away from me so I had to target the near shoulder. The shoulder was destroyed, leg broken, 2 inch hole in ribs and, oddly, about 10 inches back another hole about 3 inches. The bullet went through the heart, just creating a narrow channel, and then never exited, but I didn't find it. The deer ran about 40 yards.

So far, I was thinking this bullet was too frangible but:

3) Another 150 pound buck shot at 20 yards. Deer dropped at shot. Bullet hit low behind one shoulder and exited in front of the opposite shoulder. Despite the greater velocity the exit hole was less than 1 inch.

4) A small doe at 80 yards behind the shoulder. Deer dropped at shot. Again an exit hole of about 1 inch.

5) A small buck at 60 yards. Deer dropped at shot Another 1 inch exit hole.

6) A medium-size buck at 95 yards. The bullet hit forward of the near shoulder and exited behind the opposite shoulder with another 1 inch exit hole. Deer ran about 40 yards.

Most Texas deer run 80 to 150 pounds and I think this bullet is okay for them but I think for larger deer a case could be made for trying the 180 grain TTSX.

I use them in my 338 Win mag. Kills cshit out of deer and pigs.

It has little recoil

Here's are photos of the first buck I shot, where a lung was pushed out of the exit hole.

Wow. Never seen that

They shoot <1" in my Federal. Haven't shot game with a 160 ttsx yet. It will work. Used a LRHS for load development then switched it out to a smaller unit.

I've shot a bull elk, Kudu, Waterbuck, Gemsbok, Impala and Blesbok with the 160 TTSX launched at 3050. Works great! I recovered one, and it opened to .75". Massive damage of internals.

I hunted with a .338-06 for about five years. I used lots of bullets and brands from 200 to 250 grains. Although my observations were purely subjective, I found the 200 Speer and 210 NP to be most useful. Accubonds did not exist then. 250 Woodleighs just punched holes in lighter game.

My vote and what I run is 185 gr TTSX