I've lurked around these forums a bit and finally have a bit of relevant information that some may find useful.

I had searched the interweb in search of some reloading data for the 375 H&H pushing the 250g Barnes TTSX with very little to no information. This weekend I finally got some ammo crammed together and out to the range for some testing.

After getting this gun early this year I was determined to find an accurate load that should cover just about anything from Deer to Elk to Bear.. I figured that the 250 grain Barnes with it's boat-tail design and Ballistic tip with a BC of .424 would make a nice flat shooting round.

I read a few articles about people not having good luck with some of the Barnes bullets and others where they shot great for them. Some of the better advice (as it turns out) was that the Barnes bullets are very sensitive to copper fouling, I had some symptoms of this with some other rounds so I Decided to get some of the Barnes bore cleaner and give the gun a good once over.. Wow.. at a glance the bore looked clean, after running a patch down the barrel it came out nearly cobalt (Blue) .. so following the instructions on the back of the bottle I finally got the barrel Very Very clean.

I loaded up 5 rounds to test the accuracy and check for signs of over-pressure and headed to the range the next morning (along with some 235 grain Barnes)

The Gun was originally sighted in at 200 yards with 270grain loads, so these were expected to hit high, the previous 3 235 grain shots are above this picture, and the 5th 250 grain was fired at the same POI to compare elevation, I then adjusted to fire at the bottom of the bulls-eye and finished the last 4 rounds to get a group

Gun: CZ-550
Scope: Leupold 3x9
Cal: .375 H&H
Bullet: Barnes 250 Grain TTSX
Case: Remington (New Brass)
Powder: RL-15 - 76.5 Grains
Primer: Fed GM215M
OAL: 3.60
Velocity: (unknown at this point) est 2900
Temp: 75
Wind: 2mph (ish)
Range: 100 yards


Pictured above is a 4 shot group (can be covered with a nickle) .. I can get a measurement if anyone really needs it

I have full confidence in these bullets and this gun

I consider this "Done" .. I went home and loaded up 25 more rounds and will continue pushing this out to longer ranges getting ready for Elk Season (drawn this year!) .. I'm confident I can put an elk on the ground if I do my part.

78 grains in my .375 Wby so, yep, you're there. Good job!

Strong 1st post! Great shooting'!!

Welcome to the 'fire and thanks for the info....I bought some of the 250 ttsx at the Barnes booth at SCI and I have not had a chance to load them yet....was thinking of starting at 75gr Rl 15 which is my pet load for the 270 tsx.....now I think I will start out by trying your load....nice shooting!... good luck on the elk hunt too

RidingBlind thanks for the info, real curious about this bullet and the 375's. I think it would be a great combo, let us know when you chronograph the load.

I'll dig this one up to ask for more information on this bullet's performance in the H&H.

I have a Kodiak hunt coming up and am currently set up with 300gr Accubonds going ~2450fps.

Would it be worth while to change to a Barnes 250gr TTSX or 270grn TSX? Would these options have more penetration than the 300gr AB?

Great shooting. Heavy hitters don't affect your aim. Welcome to the fire.

+1

And welcome to the Fire.

DF

Original post on this thread is from 2012, and is the first and last post by that fellow; "RidingBlind".

SpartanGunner brought the old thread back to life with his question about 300 gr Accubonds vs Barnes 250 or 270 gr bullets. I have no experience with any of his three bullets... So I'll wisely defer.

Regards, Guy

Just checked latest Barnes load data.

They now show the 250 gr. TTSX, B.C. of .424, accy load/max 73.7 gr, Varget, compressed, at 2,821 fps.

Their other load/max is 76.7 gr, RL-15, also compressed, at 2,863 fps, 24" Krieger bbl.

My .375 is 21", so maybe around 2,800, plus or minus.

RL-15 has forever been the go to powder, I was surprised to see Varget taking the lead with accuracy.

DF

And only with that bullet.

Can't speak to the 250, but as I remember Kodiak is mostly close in hunting, unless your shooting on a specific bait station, or boat. So any 375 bullet weight will work, really with this caliber shot placement is going to the thing not bullet weight. I usually just go for most accurate bullet/load and adjust my hunting for ballistics.

Even so, I'll probably stick with RL-15, not "waste" Varget on a big, hungry round like the .375 H&H...

My Varget is earmarked for higher and better uses, have plenty of RL-15 to burn.

DF

Yep, my 375 sees RL-15 and the 270 gr TSX exclusively. Varget is doing very well in my 348 Win.

Ed, have you tried the 250 TTSX? I know the 270 TSX is a great bullet. It seems popular in Africa and on tough BG, almost has a cult following.

The 250 TTSX is sleeker, has better B.C.'s, shoots faster/flatter and one would think it's about as lethal as the 270 TSX.

Your thoughts.

DF

RidingBlind,

FWIW, I shoot the 250 gr. Barnes TTSX in my .375 Ruger, and took it to Africa a couple of years ago for game ranging from Springbok to Sable. The only bullet recovered was this one, from the shoulder of a Sable at about 200 yards. This bullet performed perfectly on everything I shot it with.

Velocity from my Ruger Hawkeye African is 2880 fps. Accuracy is sub-MOA.

Thanks, Bighorn.

Looks like the 250 TTSX did everything you asked of it.

It has been said, the TTSX with tip and bigger HP opens faster and wider than the TSX with smaller HP and no tip. That may be more of an issue with smaller calibers, not as much with bigger ones.

But, mono'e being mono's, and from your testimony, probably not a lot of terminal performance difference on game.

And, the 250 TTSX has some ballistic advantage over the 270 TSX. The 270 has a head start and a loyal following. It will be interesting to see if the 250 makes any gains on the 270.

DF

I bought a .375H&H CZ550 last summer and have been experimenting with loads since.

I started with Reloader 15 because I use it with my Whelens and from what I've read here. I never found a combination that was really accurate, using about four different bullets . Then I tried H4895 and results were no better. Then to my surprise I went to IMR4350 which is kind of considered a slow burning powder for the .375, but I've gotten much better results.

With this load:

Hornady brass
Winchester magnum LR primers
79.0 grns IMR 4350
270 grn TSX
COL 3.578"

This past weekend I shot two consecutive three shot groups right at 5/8" with this load. The only disappointment is that I measured only 2511 fps (average). It was a sunny day and sometimes I get inconsistent results with my chronograph, so I need to check that again next time we get a cloudy day.

Always knew you were a big bore speed freak!

😀

From you, gunner, that's a real compliment.

DF

That's the problem with 4350 in the H&H in my experience as well, you simply can't get enough in the case to get standard velocity. I've had good luck with W-760 in several 375 H&H's.

Yep, the .375 H&H seems to work best with mid range burn rate powders, RL-15 being the go to for many. And as posted earlier, Barnes shows Varget as their accy load for the 250 TTSX.

It would be interesting to see how some of the newer mid range powders, like CFR-223/Pwr Pro 2000 MR, IMR 4007ss, etc., would work. I've seen Big Game mentioned.

RL-15 has such a foot hold and works so well, looking around for other options may not be on anyone's bucket list...

DF

LOL, You're most welcome.

I used W-760 back in the day to push the Hornady and Sierra 300 gr BTSP's to 2700 fps in one of my old 375 H&H's, thought I was in high cotton ;]

They damn sure shot great!

I guess a ball powder like 760 is denser, can get more in a case than a stick powder like 4350. In a previous post it was pointed out how hard it was to get enough 4350 in the case for optimal velocity.

Some have mentioned RL-17 for top velocities, others have mentioned Big Game. RL-17 is a high performer in a bunch of rounds. I've had great results with Big Game in the '06, very consistent, meters well.

I'm amazed by the variety of great components we have today, compared to when I started reloading in the late '60's. Big contrast, almost overwhelming the choices we now have, which is a high level problem, for sure.

It takes a lot of effort to test all these powders, more variables/possibilities than time.

DF

If I'm not mistaken, W760 is the same powder as H414, which I use to push the 250 gr. TTSX bullets in my .375 Ruger.

From what I've read, 760 and H-414 are the same.

What 250 TTSX/414 load are you using in the .375 Ruger?

DF

Look at the St. Mark's MSDS info and it's pretty evident! :-)

10-4 on the 760 density, I did get enough IMR-4350 in my 375 hulls back in the day to reach 2700 with the 300's, my old Safari Grade Browning was tailor made for it, IIRC col's were 3.6" and I just neck sized the brass enough to get a slight crush on closing.

Charges were in the lower to mid 80's with both 760 and 4350, they both gave equal accuracy, need a boot in the butt for selling that one too.

You bet, I'm using RL-17 right now in a pre-64 375 I bought from BSA, have developed a very accurate 300 gr BBW #13 solid load that runs 2700 fps, it will cluster em dead on zero into a ragged 1" hole at 50 yards with the factory barrel sights.

Can't wait to start load development with the 300 gr Partitions and RL-17, will be looking for 2700 fps and equal accuracy there too.

I compressed 4350 to the point it bulged my cases making clambering near impossible and still couldn't get up to speed with 270, 285, or 300 grain bullets.

I got nearly 2800 fps with 270 grn TXSs using 76 grns of Re15, but accuracy was awful - in the range of 2-3 moa.

Not sure what to try next, maybe Winchester 748?

No, not 748, use W-760. 760 worked very well for me in several 375 H&H rifles given excellent accuracy and top velocity.

I've been a proponent of compacting denser slower powders for a given cartridge shape from the get go, max speed, lower pressures, did you use a drop tube?

I had Gramps make me a 30 incher out of some copper tubing he had.

And don't forget the RL-17 in case your rifle doesn't care for the 760.

I hope the family still isn't missing a section of copper tubing...

DF

In my .375 Ruger, I am using 83.0 gr. of H414 with the 250 gr. TTSX.

No stills were harmed in the making of this drop tube.

Shooting almost the same load as the 2012 post. In my rifle it also shoots the 250 Sierra to the same POI so good for practice and they work fine on deer too.

Haven't tried R17 may get around to it someday just haven't felt the need as R15 performs so well in my rifle.