Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Rate my first TSX

It's a 235 grain, .375 caliber TSX which was fired from a 375-350 through the shoulder area of a moose at a distance of 100-200 yards. The bullet made a hole all the way through the animal to the hide but apparently "bounced back" some as it was inside the hole about 3 inches. It struck the meaty part just back of the onside shoulder and bored through the meaty portion just in front of the far shoulder. I'm not sure if a rib was hit or not, but no other bones were affected.

Minimal expansion given the distance. What was the muzzle velocity?

While I'm sure the moose died, it looks like impact velocity had an impact on expansion. If that is true, that explains one of my concerns regarding TSX's. Pretty sure you need to keep them "hot" to maximize expansion. I have no experience with the 375-350 so I have no idea what velocities it's capable of.

CLB

I didn't run the loads for speed in a quick work up prior to their use. However, a slightly smaller charge with 270 and 300 Hornady bullets gets me 2400 and 2300 respectively so I would imagine 2500 conservatively. This little 235 has a very good looking tip as solid coppers go for initiating expansion. I was quite surprised to see the slight expansion; also that it didn't - even in a fully expanded form- penetrate completely through the hide. There's a second bullet yet to find so perhaps it'll "show" better. Really was surprised to catch them both. They were impressive on target when doing load work-up.

Obviously it reduced the moose to steaks but I'd surely like to see the petals entact especially starting off that slow.

If it'd been rocking at the get go I'd understand it a bit, however at those starting speeds it should of held better.

As for catching them both, I feel...that with people going to the lighter bullets in cals with the TSX brand that we're seeing more slugs retained cause they're not as high a SD. But, that's just a theory albeit I feel a good one.


Dober

Agree with catching at lighter weights. I had hoped Barnes would have kept a 250 when they went TSX since that seemed an ideal weight for copper in this little wildcat. 270 lead-core is a good working weight for it. But moose are good bullet stoppers regardless what you shoot at them. Still was surprised to see no exits with this combo and distance.

(BTW, if you look at the pics again, you'll notice that the bullet didn't open much; it didn't lose anything.)

The 235 TSX shoots very well in my 375 Wby,but so does the 250 X and the 270 and 300 TSX. I'll be staying with the heavier weights for my work. Gotta have all the heck I can get on a 33 lb yote...grin


Dober

Wondering just how much the temperature might have affected starting speeds...

I'm a TSX fan...but that one, given the range etc...looks like it coulda done better....

However..it came out of a dead moose, so I guess OK this time..

I usually shoot little ones at high speeds, so the only one Ive recovered was classic. Also shoot a heavy 160 in a 7x57 at slower speeds, but have yet to recover one of them....I just end up with dead things with two holes in them..entrance and exit.

Ingwe

There's just so much that can and does go wrong with monolithic-expanding bullets (ala TSX, etc.)... I expect there will be a day when they are perfected, but I'm also convinced we're not there yet.

Seems most here run the TSX as fast as they can so it might expand.

Please tell us could you eat "right up to the hole"?

Maybe a TTSX would work better for you and that load??

For me any moose hunt will prolly be an "OIL" tag. I'd personally want something that is gonna create more truama.

Wonder the same, and also about how temp affects mono-metal as it drops lower. The powder was IMR 4895 FWIW, and the temp was right around zero, perhaps just a bit under.

This is the only one I've collected without interference. It was under the off-side of a wide, 700 lb burchells mare at 150 yds after traversing both shoulders. Mv was about 2650 fps. It's a 270-gr .375. Also, very accurate. I wouldn't go lighter as is some times the fashion.

By the way congrats on the moose!!

Oh yeah! Let's the moose.
As for the bullet performance, just seems like it was a little too slow to get much expansion. When I run TSXs or TTSXs, it's in hot little numbers.

I guess I am starting to be a fan of the TSX. I wonder what your impact velocity? Kind of a cool cartridge 375-350 rem. Didn't MuleDeer make a 9.3-350 rem mag or am I mistaken? Also congrats on the moose.

That's a perfect looking bullet!

I'm wondering if going through soft tissue is just not enough for good expansion with these bullets. I'm thinking hitting bone is necessary....IMO

CLB

No doubt that's how I want them to look!

Dober

I've read so many good reports on these newer Barnes bullets that I really didn't think it would matter whether bone was hit or not. Besides, this little 235 grainer has such a hungry looking opening that I really expected to see expansion more like what "goodnews" got with the 270 grainer. But I really didn't expect to find either bullet at all anyway. I've had better terminal results at lower speeds with the old 225 XFB in the smaller-cased 358 Winchester, and we all know those old bullets were no good. Normally I use 270 or 300 grain Hornady RN in this rifle, but I thought these 235s would be a good way to try the TSX. We'll see what the other bullet did and how well it expanded when I thaw that section of meat. With Hornady giving up on their 270 RN line, I'm thinking that I may end up with a 250 or 260 weight product from either Nosler or Swift.

Hungry opening is a nice way of putting it...grin

Dober