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Joined: Dec 2008
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OP
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Joined: Dec 2008
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Any of you guys using Barnes bullets in a 338 Win Mag for elk? Results and thoughts on this please. Thanks
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 3,881
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2006
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They will work. I shot 225 grain Partitions into elk with mine for a few years until I tired of the muzzle blast and lost too much hearing, beyond what the USMC did for me back in the 70s. I use mainly TSX/TTSX now for all big game hunting. Last bull I killed with a 165 grain TSX from a 30-06. Partitions do just as well. I'm just caught up in the TSX/TTSX fad right now.
Maybe it will pass...
"Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right." Henry Ford
If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot them?
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,431
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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I just shot a grizz with a 338WM and 210TSX. Loaded to about 338-06 speeds, it performed amazingly well and anchored the bear at about 140 yards. Great performance!
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 46,247 Likes: 1
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 46,247 Likes: 1 |
I load 225 gr TTSX's to around 2850 fps with H-4350 in my 338 WM, haven't hit anything to speak of with this combo yet, but have loaded that bullet as well as the 225 gr TSX's for a few friends that have killed Bison, Elk, Moose and big Canadian Black Bears.
All reports have been, very nice accuracy, clean quick kills, and IIRC no bullets recovered to date, if they have recovered any I haven't seen 'em.
Gunner
Trump Won!
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,336
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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I've shot several elk with the old Barnes X bullet, 225 grains. All very quick kills. I just have to get rid of them before buying any TSX bullets.
Last edited by troutslayer; 06/01/13.
I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.
John Wayne
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 8,168
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2010
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I loaded 210 gr Barnes TSX in my 338 WM for my African plains game hunt. Went 10 for 10 on everything from Impala to warthog to wildebeast and Kudu.
Should definitely kill an elk.
donsm70
Life Member...Safari Club International Life Member...Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Life Member...Keystone Country Elk Alliance Life Member...National Rifle Association
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Joined: Nov 2002
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 33,721 Likes: 2 |
I used the 185 gr TSX in 2005 on a pretty nice 5x6 bull at a lazer'd 280 yards from my 338-06. The bull just dropped at the shot, a pretty well placed slightly quartering facing shot. The recovered bullet, launched at 2900 fps, weighed 122 grs with all petals gone.
Conduct is the best proof of character.
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 17,491
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2003
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I've killed 2 or 3 Alaskan moose with the 225 in a 340 as well as a couple more with 225s in 358. They work fine. I would not have any doubts about dropping down to 210, especially if elk were on the ticket.
Sometimes, the air you 'let in'matters less than the air you 'let out'.
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,748
Campfire Outfitter
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Put two 185 TTSXs into a smallish 6x6 with an impact ~2500-2550 FPS. Both went through. Bull staggered 20-30 yds. Very pleased.
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Joined: May 2012
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Used the 210 gr TTSX to take 2 Alaska Yukon moose in the last 3 years. Pushed these a little over 3000 fps and they are pure death. Use them with complete confidence on anything you hunt.
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Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 140
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 140 |
have shot a number of whitetails with my 338, lots with the old original X bullet in 175 gr and now with the TSX in 185 gr. All worked very well. Only recovered 1 bullet. That deer was hit in rear and went forward and found under the skin in front shoulder, 28" penetration and still intact. Plan on shooting a elk this fall with 185 gr bullets. Do not feel the need to go any heavier. Lots of elk killed with much lighter bullets. Plus I know where these shoot and groups are excellent.
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Joined: Sep 2009
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2009
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I've shot several elk with the old Barnes X bullet, 225 grains. All very quick kills. I just have to get rid of them before buying any TSX bullets. LOL, I saw 3 boxes of the older blue coated 225 gr .338 cal Barnes bullets at a favorite gun shop in Ft. Smith, Ar. the last time I was there. Gunner
Trump Won!
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Joined: Mar 2007
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Have shot two elk with the 225 grain TTSX's using the Vor-Tx ammo.
Off a concrete bench with no wind and a lead sled getting just under 5 inch groups at 600 yards. Which means exactly nothing to me in the real world.
Both elk were shot on the long side of 370-390 yards. That's about my limit in the field.
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Landkiller,
My wife has taken 5 or 6 elk,1 moose, and a black bear with Barnes 225X's (the old style,we had lots of them) all being one shot kills. She's pretty particular about bullet placement!! The closest was 30 to 35 yrds. on a cow elk and her longest was a small bull elk at a measured 400 yrds. She's convinced that they work. Will be working on a 225 TTSX load before fall!! memtb
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
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Campfire Tracker
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Last 2 elk shot with 180gr Barnes (30/06). No bullets recovered due to pass throug. Work for me.
All of them do something better than the 30-06, but none of them do everything as well.
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 280
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
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Shot a 6x6 in AZ last December with a 225 gr TSX at 150 yards or so. Hard quartering away shot, took out last rib on nearside, exited offside shoulder, bull dropped at the shot.
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Joined: Apr 2011
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Campfire Tracker
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I used the 185 gr TSX in 2005 on a pretty nice 5x6 bull at a lazer'd 280 yards from my 338-06. The bull just dropped at the shot, a pretty well placed slightly quartering facing shot. The recovered bullet, launched at 2900 fps, weighed 122 grs with all petals gone. Now, that's a first! Barnes bullets weighing more when recovered than when fired!
The way life should be.
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 27,500
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 27,500 |
I used the 185 gr TSX in 2005 on a pretty nice 5x6 bull at a lazer'd 280 yards from my 338-06. The bull just dropped at the shot, a pretty well placed slightly quartering facing shot. The recovered bullet, launched at 2900 fps, weighed 122 grs with all petals gone. Now, that's a first! Barnes bullets weighing more when recovered than when fired! Last time I checked, 122grs was less than 185grs. Maybe the poster edited his post when he coaught an error? However, if his bullet HAD weighed more, that would most assuredly not be the first time such had happened. Quite common for a Barnes bullet to not lose any of its weight or mass when passing through, but pick up some meat etc in the proccess of blasting through the now decesed critter and then weigh in at more than the original spec unless cleaned thouroughly. To the original question, I use exclusively 225gr TTSX bullets in my 340 and to great effect. I see the 224TTSX as the best overall or all around bullet to use in a fast 33 (338WM or larger/faster) of any flavor. In my wildcat 340 Tyrannosaur aka 338-8mmRemMag I am getting 3100fps at the muzzle and they flat out kill stuff DRT.
LOVE God, LOVE your family, LOVE your country, LIKE guns and sports.
About 2016 team "R" candidates "We definitely need a crew with a sack of balls the size of hot water bottles, bloviated estrogen leaking feel-gooders need not apply." Gunner 500
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,246
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2004
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Having never killed an elk, I don't want to talk out of my posterior end, but I have been around elk before. Looking at the 210gr TTSX, I can't imagine it not being enough for any elk-sized animal. This is one pictured to the right of a 223AI loaded round. I load them for my father's old M77 338WM and it is not difficult to hit 2,900fps with 65gr of RL-15. It hits hard and doesn't beat the shooter to death either. You are basically looking at uppper-end 30/06 165gr ballistics, just packing 45gr more copper. I'd shoot an elk up the butt with it if need be.......
Now with even more aplomb
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,485
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2005
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Shot everything from 210 to 250 in the 338 win mag in alaska.
Have never ever recovered a bullet that I"m aware of. One hit a 4 inch alder, a B/C blackie, and through a similar alder after the exit never to be found.
Have worked from very close up to just a bit over 800 yards on a caribou so far.
My buddy uses it as his backup gun when guiding for Brownies and still hasn't caught a bullet that I"m aware of.
Though the tests are probably over since he now has a 416 Ruger...
Re bullets weighint more when recovered... they can if the tissue and dirt isn't totally off them....
We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
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