Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters I'd like to discuss the Barnes TSX.

CrimsonTide, just for giggles and grins, you may want to try a box of 95g Nosler partitions with 43. g of IMR 4350 to compare the 85g Tripple shocks to, if you are not in a NO LeAD Zone.

Good luck

My wife has killed five deer with the 90 grain X bullet with a 6mm Rem. I have recovered three bullets. Two were from head on shots that traveled full length and were found in the hams. They both expanded to .510"-.520" and one lost one petal. The third bullet was from a short range finishing shot in the neck. I think it shed all the petals but I can't find that one so don't know for sure. She hit one buck broadside and broke both shoulders and the bullet exited. They are penetrators! I don't know how the X compares to the TSX as I haven't loaded any TSX's yet.

Keith,
Kentucky is very lead friendly. We don't mind you slinging it at all around here.

We ran the 95 grain partitions in her .243 one year. I know exactly how they will work, which is to say, very well.

My only complaint, is the deformation of the lead tips. I know that it probably doesn't affect accuracy all that much, but it just seems like a waste.

If I could have my wishes, I would have Nosler make "Ballistic Partitions". If they would conjure up a 95 grain paritition with a synthetic tip, I would never load anything else for use on deer. (Out of a .240 caliber).

There is a talk of a 90/95 grain Accubond, which would pretty much be what you want.

Maybe shoot them an email expressing your wish.

My friend just shot a big doe a few days ago with the .243 85gr TSX, and the bullet entered dead center of the chest on a head-on shot (at a slight angle). The bullet penetrated the length of the deer and was found under the hide just in front of the rear leg. The deer dropped on the spot and there was quite a bit of blood.

Hey Jordan - did you get to use those TTSX's I sent up your way......?

My buck came via a .430 300gr. WFNHCGC'd pill this year..... In truth, I really wanted to see how those .257 100gr. TTSX's worked. But, I'm not complaining 'cuz the handgun experience was a hoot.

Hi Ken,

I've been trying to put them to good use, but the search continues for a buck that is worthy of the TTSX treatment

The handgun buck sounds like a blast! I'll fulfill your TTSX dreams vicariously by reporting back to you once I make good use of a bullet or two

My wife and I both killed similarly sized deer last week - hers was with a 140 gr TSX out of a 7mm-08 AI (her elk load) and mine with a 140 gr TTSX using a 284 win. Both shot angles were very similar, slightly quartering towards the hunter, impact velocities were probably within 100 fps of each other. Her shot entered just behind the shoulder and exited just behind the last rib on the other side, just grazing the stomach. There was a huge blood trail that started about 2 feet from where the deer was standing on impact and led to the deer about 40 yards away. My shot took out the shoulder, exited at almost the exact same relative location - the deer again ran about 40 yards or so after the shot but there was almost zero blood. I found one bloody leaf about 20 yards from where the deer was standing when I shot. Her bullet made enough of a hole in the diaphragm to allow copious amounts of blood from the heart lung region to gush out the exit and to bloody the intestine area. For some reason, my shot didn't do that. The deer died just as fast, but all of the bleeding was captured inside and the intestines were the typical white/gray. Good bullets, with good performance, but my wife prefers the 120 gr Nosler BTs for deer. Hammer of Thor and typically a hole in and a hole out. I'll be loading those up for her next season. So keep on testing and let us know how it goes for you. Good luck to Jr also!

Well, my modern gun deer season is over. In the end, I shot three deer with the 85 grain TSX out of a 20" barreled 6mm. Mrs. Tide took one with the same bullet out of a 20" .243.

Somehow, by the fortunes of war, or whatever you might call it, I managed to either clip or bust the spine on all three deer I shot. I am confident that it will give sufficient penetration on whitetails, from any angle.

I am thinking that I didn't make the best choice I could have in regards to powder. I believe that running them a little faster than I was, would have changed what I saw in "on-game" performance.

In the end, I came up with a list of the things I like about the TSX's.

1. Accuracy
2. Penetration capabilities
3. Lack of lead frag and/or copper jacket shrapnel in the meat.
4. No deformation of bullets in the magazine when the chambered round is fired.

The only issue that gives me pause at this point is the lack of blood. It could be something that would clear up with a bit of acceleration. I think that they merit continued use, but I do feel better drilling shoulder with them.

I think all your points are valid..I'm a big TSX fan...

The blood trail issue...it has been our experience ( my wife and I ) that they leave as good a blood trail as anything in the same caliber.....THAT is the caveat...because they shoot and work so well, we are inclined to shoot them in smaller calibers to achieve the same effect..We shoot a LOT in .22 centerfires,and my wife's .257..

Not so many in the 7x57 or .30-06...because we rarely take the "big Guns" hunting as much anymore...

Kind of a "catch 22"...as it were....

Ingwe

I have shot a bit of game with them in a .257 Wby, 7x57, and .338 mostly. Never recovered one, and only one doe moved, which was a 420 yard shot with the .257 Wby that went about 75 yards. I have mostly seen just the opposite, huge pools of blood where the animal went down, esp. with the .338 on caribou. there was about an eight foot square covered with blood and a dead caribou in it.

Thanks Jordan! Just passed by this way again, sorry for the delay in responding.....

Please, let me know when you make good use of those TTSX's.

Take care.

I watched Bart's boy bonk a fork whitetail at about 95 yards with a 6mm Remington loaded with 85gr TSX's. Deer went maybe 15 yards and everything was all goo'd up inside with a good exit.

I busted a fork whitetail with 130gr TSX at 100 yards and same results and an Axis buck at 140 yards with an 85gr X and critter dropped.

I know......bullet failure once again. Seems it's the thread topic of thread topics.

Thanks for the report and congrats to all. Nice pics all 'round. Pretty deer, that Axis.

I'm all but assumin' that my 100gr. TTSX's out of my 25-06 will do just fine. At 3,400 MV, it will surely have the HP to initiate expansion........

I now load the 130gr. TTSX in my son's 270WSM......I need a volunteer for that as well. Alas, this years well over.....

Kings start Thursday in the San Juans........fish-on!

I see some statements here concerning hitting bones....have people been having a problem with bones before the TSX?

Just asking cause I have never had any serious issues with bones....maybe just what I've been using....dunno

I am not smart enough to figure all this stuff out. Two of my guns shoot the TSX bullets really well, it kills stuff pretty good and so I am not going to worry about it one way or the other.

If something worked better than a Barnes I'd use it Bob.

Do you know what kind of load Bart Jr. is running in his 6?

Last year we pulled a few 100gr bullets from factory ammo and loaded some 85's on top of whatever that charge was.

This year I loaded 46grs of Hunter for the 85's.

Since the Sportsman's Warehouse closed up in Lexington, Ramshot is hard to come by. Sounds like a good one to try though.