Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Premium bullet "shootout" - good pictures of 10 bullets.

The oryx expanded much more at high velocity,but the article stated that is also penetrated the least.

The Oryx opened like a prachute ( and almost turned wrong side out) and had the least amount of penetration. No penetration, then no wound channel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif" alt="" />

Oryx is best suited for "ordinary" calibers.Works very well in a 30-06.

Let me throw in my 2 cents. After seeing more than 300 large animals shot in game control work in Africa in the days before so many quality premium bullets were available, it is my experience that the soft nose bullets of that day performed so uncontrolably that the game rangers used solids 80 % of the time because two holes were better than one. Time after time the game would run off and not be found until the next day when vultures were hanging out. True, the shots were often misplaced and/or were taken as the animal ran away, showing only his butt.

There are more than one quality bullet available that will hold together and penetrate. Find the one your rifle shoots and stick with it. I personally like a homogeneous bullet but that's not to say the others that have lead in them don't perform.

I like to see the animal drop in his tracks when the bullet whacks him so I make a shot that breaks him down, i.e., a through the shoulder shot and I want the bullet to make two holes. Although I've got to say that adequate bullet performance (really most often) with deer sized game can be achieved with just about any 'regular' bullet.

I really do not think the TSX in the pictures performed too hot at either velocity. Not enough expansion at 2000 fps and loss of the petals at high velocity making the projectile basicly a .30 cal wadcutter.
I have wanted to try the TSX, but articles like this scare me. Maybe the work better on game than media?

Maybe you should look at the picture agian the blunt end of the TSX was certainly larger then 30 cal more like 2X............ <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />
The performance of the TSX puts game on the ground fast BT/DT............................ <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

The a frame and the TBBC looked impressive,

How does this look?It is a 180gr tsx recovered from my 2005 elk after it took out a large section of spine.It was fired from a 300ultramag,and the impact velocity was estimated to exceed 2900fps.Notice that all petals are intact even after striking heavy bone.The expanded diameter was .800"


http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d128/stubblejumper11/PA050015.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d128/stubblejumper11/PA050019.jpg

I would not go as far as to say they had expansion problems.If you read the article it said that the petals were designed to stop when they reach the bottom predetermined expansion cavity in the bullet for consistant expansion. It seem as though you are not impressed with the bullet because it did not shrink to 25% of its original size like a lead based bullet.If you look at some , not all, of those lead cored bullets in that study you can tell by the naked eye which ones are gonna loose weight retention there for reducing penetration. Of all the LC bullets in those pics I would have to say if I was looking for a lead core , the A frame,
the speer throphy bonded, and the hornady would be considered.I have been hunting now for 30 years and have only lost one game animal in my career and it was not because of bullet failure , it was a shooting errror on my part. I have used a ton of different bullets on a lot of different animals, barnes , sierra, ctfs , remington , hornady , nosler. One thing I can
tell you for sure is that It is impossible to measure different levels of "Dead". Is there one perfect do all bullet in my opinion "no". I like the Tsx for large boned game Elk, Moose, Bear or MT goats and certian African species. I think that the tsx is a bit overkill for anything the size of a mule deer or smaller. I also prefer to use a LC bullet in heavily wooded area's . There is no right or wrong on this issue and it has been beaten to death here on the fire the TSX has a strong following here .Are they the be all end all bullet not IMHO but they fill a niche for me just like some of the LC bonded bullets do. Putting the bullet in the right place should be more of a concern.Sorry for the diatribe.

That one looks much better.

Ever seen the wound channel from a non-expanding cast bullet, at over 2,000fps impact velocity, with a meplat between .280" and .300"?

I'd guess not....

Have put hard cast blunt bullets from my .35 Rem (.280" meplat) and .444 marlin (.300 meplat) through critters at an impact velocity of around 2,000fps.... the wounds were a sight to behold.

If it's blunt, and anywhere near .30 cal, it will make a hell of a mess......