Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Barnes TSX Changes.

Don't know when this happened, haven't loaded up TSX's in a while, but was just sitting down to load up a couple hundred rounds of .270 130 gr. TSX's. Had almost 2 boxes of some TSX's I've had sitting on the bench for a couple years. Loaded those up, and grabbed one of the new boxes I'd just bought a few weeks ago. Imagine my surprise when I went to check OAL with the calipers and comparator, and the OAL (ogive) jumped .049. A quick glance told the story, completely different geometry on the bullet.

So, I'm a little pissed. Leaving soon for a scouting / shooting trip, and don't have time for d!cking with this. My brain tells me this is a new bullet, and I should be working up new loads from scratch. I don't have my OAL gauge handy (4 hours away), so now should probably d!ck around with the old method of determining OAL (magic marker / split brass).

On top of that, there's the difference in b.c. Haven't even begun to look at that yet.

Spent a lot of time working up a load with the old TSX's that would shoot extremely well out of my rifle, and for which I knew and verified in the field actual trajectories out to 600 yards. I had it dialed in. Now this.

Can anyone tell me their experiences with the switch? Did it completely screw up your loads / trajectories?

I'm extremely hesitant to just seat to my usual OAL using the comparator and giving it a shot with this last 100 rounds. Going to really pizz me off to have to pull all those bullets if they group like hell or if I get pressure signs (I'm a little bit below max now at 54.0 of IMR 4350 with WW brass).

Anyone who's dealt with this change, please chime in!

They made the change two, maybe three years ago, but there may still be some of the older design bullets on store shelves. I called Barnes about this; the bullet was re-designed in the interest of improved accuracy. The BC is a bit lower than the original bullet. I worked up loads for my rifle with the latest bullet and had great success, then unknowingly purchased a box of the older bullets and saw the difference. I traded them back for the newer bullets.

OAL and your charge weight may have to be adjusted slightly. I've been using a load similar to yours, 54 grs. H4350.

If you like your Barnes bullet, you better stock up (�cause they�re sure to be different soon!)

The phenomenon is not a new one. They all do this ; Barnes has just crafted it to a higher level than some.

Barnes has changed their bullets many times. Glad to have left them behind.

Nosler caught me with their 30 cal 200 gr accubond and the 6mm 85 gr partition the same way.

Sierra has never changed a bullet. If they do they give it a different product number.

I feel your pain. Perhaps you have enough of the older bullets for the hunt? You can always develop a load with the new ones at a later date.

Hornady, Nosler, Speer, they all do the same thing. If you find a load that you're set on keeping exactly the same with no changes, you best stock up on the same lot of bullets, and buy enough to toast the barrel.

Interesting. Just discovered the same thing with Nosler 180 gr Partitions over the weekend. The ogive moved ~ 0.035" as measured by the comparator. Even more interesting, the OAL was very similar. Discovered that the ogive on the seater die hits the bullet up high, close to the tip, my 30 cal comparator hits the bullet at 0.300 or close to the base. The ogive changes between those two points such that the OAL is very similar - you could miss it, but the comparator, and therefore the rifling hits in a different place making your set back off the lands and grooves different between bullets.

I loaded dummy rounds based on the "newer" bullets to the OAL I use in that particular rifle. Although the OAL was the very similar, the comparator measurements were not. I had bullets from 0.005 to 0.035 off the lands and grooves. I tried to adjust my loaded rounds by varying the OAL but keeping them all 0.020" off the lands and grooves. It was a waste of time and components. I'll be segregating the older bullets from the newer ones before I start again.

I had the same thing happen 3-4 years ago with 160 gr Partitions. I simply adjusted the OAL till they were the same distance off the lands and grooves and shot them. They shot identical to the originals. Not so with the 30 cal Partitions.

Yep - have 3-500 for each cartridge dedicated only to hunting. I have load development done for each of these rifles and doubt I'll fling 3-500 bullets at game in each rifle the rest of my life. I'd have to shoot a couple thousand big game animals to do that. Not likely in my lifetime.

the TSX have changed ? or comparing TSX to the old X or TTSX or ???

Follow up...

Took some time to do some shooting while out elk scouting. Shot 3X 4 shot groups at 100 yards with the new bullet design before I settled in for some longer range work on the gong. Same load, with OAL determined and adjusted for the new bullet.

Group 1 @ .62

Group 2 @ .68

Group 3 @ .73

Very pleasantly surprised. Was obviously concerned about having to work up new loads, but not needed. Shoot better than the old TSX's outta the 77, with which I was maintaining right at 1".

Looks like I'll be stocking up on these before they possibly change the design again.

Kiss,find pressure and rock on. If it takes more than 5 pokes to build a load,you dropped alotta balls.

Then gun confirmation dope,with a coupla more pokes at say 300,500,700yds.

No thang............