Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Barnes TSX to TTSX- worth the switch?

been shooting the older 165 tsx out of my '06 gvt model 70 for 3 years. 7 deer and 3 hogs later, I have not recovered a bullet, but recovered all game about 18-24 inches from where they stood a second or two before


I have a wildcat that prefers the tsx 180s to the ttsx 180s though. Go figure.

Big ass hole, might be the new style..

I encountered several boxes of Accubonds that did the same thing. Nosler said they fixed the problem...

That's what she said.

Thanks!!

Now I've got a whole box of big ass holes. Kinda surprised at how easy they came out. MeanXX

Vic, you're welcome.

The TTSX are a little different since they are longer. You can't play with bullet jump to the lands since COL becomes a problem in getting them to fit your magazine. My experience has been that you just have to seat them so the last groove is even with the case mouth and go shoot. If they shoot well you are ok, if they don't, seating depth is not one of the variables you can play with.
I never had an expansion issue but most of my experience was with 308 and above. The TTSX have been accurate and reliable IME except I can't get the 250TTSX to shoot worth beans in my 375. Might have to stick with the 235TSX on that one.

I have used the original X, the TSX and the TTSX and have had wonderful performance from all. Elk, moose, black bear, eland, wildebeest, gemsbuck, kudu...

16Bore .... I'd be giving Barnes a call.....

It was few that snapped, then I just pulled out the rest for schits and giggles. I'm making my own line called HXX. Hammershocks. Not too worried. I'm sure ill get some yada had story and lot number, blah blah, send them back we'll test them and get told they are spec. Then since the were molyed that the vibrations caused harmonic fractures that destroyed the integrity of the polymer tip.

It has made me want non plastic tipped bullets for hunting. Aint no thing, probably never happen again anyway.

Laupa Scenars, Partitions, lotsa bullets abound.....

I was living in a lead free zone for a long time and forced to use the X, TSX and TTSX longer than most. They have all gotten progressively better in regards to consistent expansion. Since going TTSX on everything I can I have yet to see a failure to expand. I can dig up a classic Barnes performance photo for reference. Same deer took two slugs TSX from a 7mm mag. One was a pencil hole the second one right next to it performed perfectly.

djones here had a SST tip come off and disable his DPMS 308 on a hog hunt. Wouldn't be a fun thing. Not sure if the TTSX's are made the same, but I'd guess it is possible. He switched to core-lokt's for awhile and killed just as many hogs.

I shot the 168 TSX for years out of my 300 RUM, it was a phenominal bullet, amazing pentration and lots of dead critters. I switched to the TTSX last year when my initial suply of TSX ran out. Since then I have shot two animals with the TTSX. A black bear at a couple hundred yards and a caribou at 519 yards, my longest shot at game. Performance was as to be expected, Obvious expansion and complete penetration. I did notice that the TTSX seemed to open up a little quicker as there as more initial damage when compared to similar hits with the TSX.

My take away was it doesn�t make that much difference. I like the bigger hole in the TTSX so have decided to make the switch but I would feel completely comfortable shooting either bullet.

Those things look mean

Decided to 'bite the bullet', so to speak, and tried some 140 gr. Barnes TTSX in my .280, ahead of an initial charge of RL19 powder, which I found at last week's gun show.

Anyway- loaded up a few rounds with a starting load of 56.5 gr. of RL19.

First three-shot group at 100 went into a ragged, one hole group measuring .28 in. Chrono velocity for 9 shots was 3000 fps.

Largest group opened up to .6".

I then shot a 3-shot group with my 140 gr. TSX handloads. Three-shot group went into its usual .6".
Guess I'll try some TTSXes next deer season, but this kinda seems like win/win either way.

I bought a box of the 243 80gr TTSX. I open the box had 6 bullets that didn't have the tips in them, call Barnes and they shipped me a free box of bullets for free and told me to keep the others, used the ones with no tips for follow up shot in the magazine. Last year had two doe standing at 175 yards, first one with the tipped TTSX went down at the crack of the rifle, second doe ran like 25 yards and stopped, shot that one with the non tipped TTSX, when impacted it sounded like it was hit with a v-max or something. when cleaning the deer it showed the non tipped TTSX did alot better job on killing the doe. both were shot in the neck. Since then I been pulling the tips out of my TTSX

Interesting.....maybe you and 16 bore are on to something.

Shod

Barnes has always been careful not to admit that there might have been problems with their product until they feel comfortable with the correction in the newest iteration. The tips were originally touted as a "BC enhancement" (but some of us knew better).





I had a few problems with the XFBs being resistant to opening on occasion. However, they typically opened better than these TSXs.

I don't use them much anymore and have only used the tipped ones a few times, but I don't see how the tips cannot improve consistency.