Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 85 grain TSX performance - .243 WSSM

I went out last night with a good friend just north of College Station. Have been trying to get my first hog for a couple of years now, but when I'm hog hunting all I see is deer. Not tonight.

Nice double. 10 hogs came in from about 150 yards out. These two plus 8 others weighing from 50-100 lbs. At 26 yards pulled the trigger on the boar:


Boar went about 225 lbs with decent cutters:


The sow went about 150 lbs, and we found 5 of these in her:


I shot her running away at about 60 yards in the right ham. Broke the leg bone right below the ball of her hip joint. Found the 85 grain .243 TSX in her esophagus. She still made it about 50 yards. Bullet expanded to .555 and weighed 85 grains. Bullet made it through some stout bone and penetrated about 30". Frontal view is the quintessential Barnes X. Works for me.


Shot another hog about 125 yards out quartering away. Made it the 15 yards to the property line and before we could get to it the coyotes staked their claim. I guess a coyote has to eat too.

I am shooting the TSX on top of 43 grains IMR 4350 at about 3100 fps, 5 shot groups under an inch.

Nice!

soooooey!

WTG! Typical Barnes TSX performance.

Mirrors mine, almost

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...ger_1_International_Who_has_#Post3091822

Petro,
Nice! I have been shooting the 85 TSX for several years in a 6MM Ackley but have never recovered a bullet. I suspect they would look something like yours as they always do the job.
Looks like you were right in the middle of "Hog Heaven". Good job!

Dave

The spotted hog is a beaut! One of these days I am going to have to get after one of those.

Yeah, I really like the spotted ones. When I called my wife to tell her the first thing she asked was, "does it have spots?" She knows I have always wanted to shoot one with spots.

I'm really impressed with the penetration and performance of that bullet. Great expansion and penetrated more than 30" of pig. Gives me a lot of confidence.

I honestly don't know of another way to recover that bullet from game animals that I normally hunt, under the conditions and shot angles that I would normally take other than a large hog going about 12:45 away from me.

@65BR: Great hog. Man, I'm pretty impressed with the expansion at that distance and velocity. Good looking hog and really cool gun. Always liked the full stock Rugers.

awesome , nice pig , got to like shooting a good bullet

Congrats man; great performance there!

Your percentage is WAY UP THERE. 8 with 3 shots. Good shooting

Very nice bullet performance!!!

Being one who lives amongst them,I really like your late term abortion technique
Mike

I'd kinda like to mess around with the .243WSSM a little. Maybe one of these days, I'll run up on a used black shadow or something.

Nice Hog, good shooting!

Those 85 grain TSX make me want to try a .243.

Wrong post...

Impressive bullet performance.

Here is an important tip: wear gloves when dressing game, and that certainly goes for hogs! Brucelosis bacteria is found in bodily fluids, concentrating in reproductive organs, milk and viscera. That fetus you are holding was probably removed from the placenta with bare hands, that is asking for trouble. Wearing eye protection is another good idea.

Petro, the day I dropped that Hog was the day I learned what the hoopla w/Barnes was all about I was convinced.

I too used IMR 4350 - not sure charge wt. but IIRC it was either 44 or 45 for my 243 Win. Yep, that RSI is a neat rifle, regret selling it....

The Barnes IMO is a game changer - literally in the capabilities of a 243/6mm. That said, I continue using successfully the 95 Nosler as well - the BT, with good success.

Sako - good advice on that glove tip - thanks.