Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles TSX/TTSX Comparison

Gents, I have an excellent load for my 25-06 using 100 grain barnes TTSX. I was able to find a great buy on some 100 grain TSX bullets , and was wondering if any of you have done side by side comparisons between the two? I certainly don't expect them to be exactly the same, but I would expect they'd at least shoot similar to each other.

My 2 cents, I would stick with the TTSX. I tried the 100 TSX in a 257 Wby. Very accurate, no complaints there. Shot 3 antelope with them. Lopes usually fold where they stand when hit good. With the TSX, there was no reaction to the shot, 2 just stood there and one ran about 50 yards. All 3 were hit broadside behind the shoulder. They all died, just not what I was used to with antelope.

There wasn't a whole lot of internal damage, and the exit hole wasn't all that impressive. Granted, I don't shoot bone on lopes if I can avoid it. I am sure others will chime in here soon calling me an idiot for not busting shoulders. I don't see a point doing it with antelope, since there isn't much cover for them to run off into.

I did shoot the TTSX in a 308 Norma Mag, used it on antelope, and it was a dramatic difference. Those goats dropped at the shot, internal damage was more like a C&C bullet and none of the 4 took a single step. All but one were hit broadside, behind the shoulder. Not the best comparison in regard to caliber. Some state that the smaller caliber TSX need to hit bone to show better expansion.

I never experienced a failure to open on a TSX but enough guys here that I actually listen to and trust, could provide proof that they had experienced failures, so I switched to TTSXs and have never had an issue, nor have I heard of any issues out of the choir of trustworthy naysayers...

I haven't tried the TTSX in my .243, yet.

I'm still using up my TSXs, and having ordered more, I'll be using them at least another year.

I have not had one not kill a deer. Nor have I failed to get an exit, even at the rather close ranges I get to shoot deer, deliberately going for bone, which is turning out to be a different story with a typical C&C bullet in that cartridge.

Right now, and in the .243, the only thing I would consider other than the TSX would be a TTSX or either a 95 or 100 grain Partition, and I fully intend to give at the TTSX a try and pick the most accurate one between the two (TSX or TTSX).

I have used TSX for years with no problem but they were all 308 cal and above. There are stories of TSX not opening but as far as I have heard, they were all with smaller diameters. I think the TTSX gives more reliable expansion and I am switching over as I run out of TSX. If I had a bunch of TSX (and I do) I would certainly use them up.

My 25-06 is being a picky bitch about giving me both the velocity and groups that I want with both the TTSX and the TSX 100s. Have killed quite a few deer with 243s and both TSX and TTSX and 270s with TSX and TTSX. I couldn't see the slightest difference in performance. Same with calibers further away from 25-06. For my money, all the holes I've made and seen in deer with X, TSX and TTSX bullets look the same. No way would I try to guess caliber, much less X or TSX or TTSX based on looking at the wound.

I shot a 200 lb+ doe a few weeks ago with a .223 and a TSX 53 grain. The bullet passed through the muscle of the off side shoulder on the way out (no bone) and made a 3 inch hole. More or less what I have seen out of my 300 WM.

As far as loading differences, you have to expect seating depth differences to get accuracy. You may not have to seat different, but expect it. Otherwise I don't remember and powder/charge weight differences necessary for any of the rifles I have used both in.

TTSX all the way. Never had a failure with them or seen one.

I tried a 168 TSX bullet on a hog hunt in Georgia. Shot was approximately 130ish yards? The pig was around 125lbs. At the shot the guide said the pig hunched up and ran off into the palmettos. I put the crosshairs on the shoulder of the hog as he quartered to the right. We found bone shards and and a little blood. Followed the on and off blood trail for a good 1 1/2 until it was lost it and dark approached. It was my only experience with the TSX and could have happened with any other bullet but it put me off of the TSX enough to not use it again! I did buy some TTSX's for my 7mm-08 so hoping the results on game is better than that one pig.

what caliber? in 308, 30/06 i wouldnt go higher than a 130 TTSX and drive as fast as possible

Even with a 308 shooting the 168 at 2700 fps and an impact velocity of over 2500 fps.......

That should have worked.....

30.06

so about 2800 fps muzzle 2600 impact........

that's bad business.

How so?

I can see why you would question a bullet's effectiveness after losing the first animal you shot with one but 1 animal certainly doesn't make a trend. My experience with them has been excellent over the last 25 years on game from warthogs to elk and calibers from 223 to 375. Probably 75 head of game with the vast majority DRT. YMMV.

Your correct blacktailer, but I was not impressed on a "pay" hunt to lose the only shot I had.

I decided to try the Barnes TSX for the first time since they shot incredibly well (3 touching at 100yards cloverleaf configuration).

But decided to jump back to the 165 Hornady BTSP and Nosler Ballistic Tips which I have yet to not find an animal. The blood trail and bone fragments tend to make me think I hit him high. But the blood trail/lack of blood appeared the bullet had "penciled" through like a FMJ would?

I'm hoping the TTSX will prove to be better but think I will stick with Nosler Partitions and Hornady bullets in the 06.

No flies on either of those.

I had excellent performance on two African hunts with TSX bullets in my .375 RUM. The first hunt with 300 gr bullets and the second hunt with 270 gr TSX bullets.

I also had excellent performance with 168 gr TSX bullets from my .300 Weatherby on 3 Texas exotics and one Montana bull elk. Just before I went to South Africa in 2012 I tried 168 gr TTSX bullets in my .300 Weatherby. They grouped slightly tighter than the 168 gr TSX bullets, so I took them on that trip. They also performed superbly on that hunt as another one did on this years bull elk.

That made 10 for 10 one shot DRT kills with my .300 Weatherby and 168 gr TSX/TTSX bullets. I can't do better than that.

their is a 110 TTSX in .308 that has me wondering what i could launch it out of my 308 win....

im thinking 3300 potentially and im betting it would work well...only issue is the BC sucks so it would be a shorter range load.... for woods hunting inside of 200 yards or so it might create quite an impact with that frontal area at that speed

I know some guys swear by the TTSX 130 grain out of a .308 at 3000 fps?

================================================================

Barnes load data show two loads for the 308win fastest is upper 3500 using A-2230 powder.
3511 fps with varget being more accurate.

--------------------------------------------------------------

130 barnes load over 3200fps.