Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Barnes .308 165gr. TSX?

I have a 18" barrel carbine est. MV 2600 with around 2000 at 300 yards. Is this enough to get reliable expansion at 300 yards? Also am I correct estimating 25 fps loss per inch of barrel taken away?

Thanks,
Les

Yes. Vel. loss best be tested, though.

Will work. Tried it.

Barnes TSXs have been tested down to 1400 fps and even that slow produce 150% caliber expansion. they also produce a more destructive wound channel due to those razor sharp petals (as do the Nosler and Hornady Barnes knockoffs.)

You might want to try the 130 and 150 TTSX as you could push them faster.

If you really want to know what is happening, you need a Chrongraph and ballistic gel.

Good shooting and wear ear plugs !

I thought fragmentation gave the "best" wound channel.

Who has tested TSXs down to 1400 fps, and where is that information available?

I haven't seen data from any TSX tests at velocities anyhere close to that low, and according to someone at Barnes a couple years ago, they test their bullets in water at velocities somewhat higher than that velocity (I'm assuming the Barnes rep was talking about their production QA/QC tests). Barnes may have done additional testing, but when I corresponded with their rep a couple years ago, not one of the test velocities mentioned for the various bullets I inquired about was anywhere close to 1400 fps.

Of the TTSXs I have used (very few) I wouldn't call the wound channel all that great, but it was long and skinny. So far Bergers and BT have given the widest wound channel albeit shorter.

I disagree. The critters I've shot with Barnes bullets all died from longer, but narrower wound channels and none of the damage from bullet fragments that was characteristic of the Nosler Partitions.
From what I've seen, the TSX is at it's best at high impact velocites. Nice expansion and almost perfect weight retention. Nosler Partitions, on the other hand, tend to blow off their front sections at high impact speeds and then make a narrower wound channel than an X or a TSX. But the intial wound cavity is very impressive.
Nosler's partition do open quite well at low, 1800 fps., impact speeds. I'd have to see proof than the TSX opens at even lower impact speeds. E

I just spoke with a Barnes rep the other day, and for the .338 bullets we were discussing, minimum suggested impact velocities were 1600 fps and 1800 fps. He never mentioned anything higher or lower than those two speeds for a either TSX or TTSX in 185 gr, 210 gr and 225 grain for the .338.

I'd be curious what they are actually hitting to expand at 1600 fps. A steel plate?

Calling Dr. Interlock, calling Dr. Ballistic Tip ...

When all 4 petals shear off, leaving you with a flat-nosed main shank and 4 buckshot-sized fragments, the wound cavity is pretty decent This tends to happen quite often when the TSX/TTSX impacts at 3000+fps.

As for the OP, I'd use something more C&C-ish at those velocities.

Yeah, I'm not a big fan of any of the monolithics from .30 down unless they're driven at least 3000 fps. Though a plastic tip does seem to allow them to open up better at somewhat lower velocities, probably because there's a bigger hole under the plastic.

Above .30 caliber and the hollow-point in TSX's is larger, enough to facilitate expansion at somewhat lower velocities.

Thanks for the info guys. I should have said. I'm limited to factory ammo as of right now. I just got my new fixer uppper back from the smith. It's a Remington 760 that I had never shot on paper before. This was the first trip to the range, ammo used
Rem. 165gr. Corelok avg. just over 1.55"
Nosler Trophy grade 165gr. Accubonds avg. 1.21"
Federal Power Shok 150gr. SP avg. just over .75"
Federal premium 165gr. TSX avg just under .725"

In all reality the with the ranges this gun will be used 300 and under all rounds tested will work just fine. It's just nice to see those little clusters.

Considering I've had bolt guns that shot worse than this little rig, I'm very happy.

Sense this rig will be used both scoped and with a peep sight I also tested return to POI here is 5 rounds each of the Federals with the scope removed and replaced between every shot.

When I get set up for reloading none of this will matter, but at least now I know she shoots. I only had the rifle for a hour before I dropped it off at the smith. Targets are 1" dots, range was 100 yards.

If all you are shooting is deer and want to use a TSX as someone else said, I would go with a lighter bullet the 110 or 130 will give much higher velocity and plenty of bullet for anything less than Elk.

I shoot both 300 Win Mag and 30/06. Which Barnes, the 165 or the 168, is designed for the 300 Win Mag and which for the other 30 cal chamberings? I have been shooting 168 out of 30/06 and 165 out of 300 Win Mag. Is that the proper bullet for both?

In Africa we used 168 TSX out of 19" barrel gun up to 325 yards with excellent results. On same trip I brought along some Winchester 150 gr XP3 to test as we would be shooting allot of game and some at ling range this load shot flat in my gun. The TSX worked close and far. The XP3 failed miserably at 80 yards on a shot from front angled into the front shoulder of a blesbok. It went in partly making a mess but never penetrated the chest cavity. Chased and tracked it for 1-1/2 hours till we got within 350 yards and dropped it. Sometimes stuff happens I know but I know I can trust the 168 TSX out of a 19" 308 barrel near or far. Lighter and flatter does not always work like you think it will. Sometimes you just have to try and test a bullet for yourself. It comes down to what you have confidence in

For the guy who talked to the "Barnes Rep" about 338s, this thread is about THIRTY CALIBER. Pony up and join the Barnes Copper Club and you can get data on tons and tons of tests and real world performance. All I know about 338 TSXs is the cow Elk I took broadside at, I recall, under 150 yards with a 185 TSX in a puny 338 Federal. Broke both shoulders, my favorite shot, flop dead and bullet penetrated quite a way into the clay bank she was standing by. Results would have been the same had I been shooting a 338 RUM.)

Wonder why most PHs suggest the 270gr TSX as the bullet for Cape Buffalo for hunters using the 375 H&H. (again you'ld have to pony up and subscribe to African Hunter magazine.

You find me a published gun writer who has hunted everything, everywhere, who thinks Barnes bullets are NG. Start with Boddington why don't you ?

I hate to assume, but will take a guess. You're from Minne right? I'd guess mainly whitey's out of a tree stand, and like you said 300 or less right?

If so, then I see no reason to use anything but those Federal Classic Power Shock 150 grain loads. I'd use those over a TSX for small big game like deer any old day.

Now if in elk country on a consistent basis then I can the thought of maybe going TSX, but for small big game like deer I can't see a reason to do so...

Dober

Makes perfect sense. Any decent cup and core bullet will kill any Whitetail that walks with good bullet placement. When the Barnes wins (even on a big Whitetal) is when you jump that monster 6x6 out of a dead fall and he is heading straight away.

The "blue box" federal will stop in the paunch, the TSX will probably come out the other end or end up in the neck somewhere.

Shots I would have passed with any other bullet (except a partition) put a Deer, Elk and Moose down with one shot each with the ancient slow 35 Whelen and a 225 TSX out to 200 paces. Messy gutting jobs, but meat is meat.

To the OP, any of the bullets you tested should work fine for deer with good shot placement - which is not in the butt.