Barnes Bullets

[10Turkeys]

Normally I'm using Nosler Partitions in my .270 with 130 grains, but just recently I got some Barnes TSX to group out of my gun. I have a personal limit at about 400 yards where I will take a shot at an animal. Question is how much difference is there between the tipped tsx and the tsx in game getting performance?

[azgutpile]

The T-TSX is supposed to expand a little bit better than the TSX; however, I haven't seen a side by side comparison.

[AverageJoe]

Ask casey, he is the guy to ask when it comes to barnes. I would definitely choose the ttsx over the tsx. I would not recommend the regular tsx for elk. Deer they performed ok at 200 yds but still did not expand much.

[123456]

I loaded some 150 gr ttsx in my 300wsm. I shot a buck in the kaibab a few years back with them. Not only did I get great groups on paper, the wound channel was awesome. The buck did not go very far. plastic tipped bullets tend to have a little higher velocities at longer range, which also gives a little more energy. When ballistic tip bullets came out, I fell in love with them. You get the b/c of hollow points with less wind drag.

[10Turkeys]

I was using Ballistic Tips in a .280 Rem that I had, dropped Deer right in their tracks all but once, 2000, I had a shot on a med sized buck around what I figgured to be 300 yards, at the shot he just stood there then when he figgured out where it came from he ran off, when I got to where he was there was a huge circle of blood with bone chips in it, the blood trail ran out 6 foot from that circle, it was in rocky country (36b), no tracks, 4 of us looked for a day and a half for that deer, never did find a carcass, didn't see any kind of a bird circling it, nothing. That's when I started using Partitions.

[firstcoueswas80]

In short... The Barnes TTSX is the shiznit.

 

Now, to expand on that... You get the best of all worlds combined. Accuracy, dependability, deep penetration, high weight retention, decent/better than average ballistic coefficient for a strictly hunting bullet, and a polymer to help with controlled expansion.

 

There's no doubt the Barnes TSX/TTSX have taken the hunting world by storm in the past few years, and for good reason. Actually, I guess that should be reasons. I have seen animals die from a Barnes bullet from a 257 wby, 270 wsm, 7 rem mag, 300 wsm, from ranges of 15 yards, to almost 600 yards varying from fox, bobcat, coyote, javelina to deer, nyala, baboons (how many people can say they shot a baboon with a TTSX?), all the way up to red hartebesst and elk. And the result has always been the same. Stuff is dead very quickly, MOST of the time right on the spot. I can, with 100% honesty say I have NEVER lost an animal that a had a piece of copper stuck in him or her. To improve on that, only one has needed more than one shot, and that was because of a heavy cross wind that I did not account enough for in Africa.

 

To answer the question at hand... Is a Tipped TSX needed over a TSX? I don't believe so, but it adds a couple of very nice bonuses that do come in handy. First and foremost is the polymer tip. Truthfully, this is about the only distinction between the two, but it is like going from a coach, to first class. The polymer tip adds to the BC, and, in my personal opinion, the flight in general, as the tip of the bullet is sleek and smooth instead of a cumbersome and awkward hollow point. Secondly, the tip aids in perfect expansion, giving the trade mark 'X' to the bullet.

 

A lot has been said about the smallish exits of game shot with a TTSX/TSX. News flash... This bullet is not designed to give gaping exit wounds. It is designed to leave massive destruction, gnarly wound channels, penetrate deeply, and retain a high percentage (read, 95%+) of its original weight.

 

Next are a few photos for your viewing pleasure... Some of these animals died via TTSX, some died via TSX... See if you can tell the difference. The bullets attached are all TTSX, one recovered from a 80ish pound black springbok, one recovered on a quartering to coues deer, and one from a quartering away red hartebeest.

 

Their accuracy abilities at a lasered 510 yards.

[firstcoueswas80]

[kwp]

My brother shoots 180 gr TSX out of his 300 WM and that combo has performed great on 2 different bull elk over 500 yards. He likes it on coues too because it doesn't blow em up like some of the high BC bullets that are popular today. I'm working on finding a load with Barnes new LRX bullet which is designed more like the TTSX so I'm anxious to see how it performs.

[firstcoueswas80]

Bonus question... If anyone can tell me what bullet killed this deer (besides you Gabe, its your buck!) than you get a cookie! This bullet hit no bone, did not leave a huge exit wound (its the blood spot you see in the deer in picture number one), and, as you can imagine, no tracking job was needed!

 

[John O]

Shoot 110 gr barnes in .270. Between me and my boys we have shot about 7 animals with tsx, and 7 with ttsx. Almost identical in grouping, and result. Awesome softball size exit wounds every time. Wouldn't use anything else.

 

[Antmo23]

I just started using the 168 gr TTSX last year out of my 300wm. I'm getting good groups and the little buck I killed last year was DRTfrom 340. They are a nasty bullet and I recommend them, plus, you dont have to deal with the lead bullet restrictions in some areas.

[echo co.]

for me no differance in both TTSX &TSX both get same groups,i use thm as my hunting round with shots on gamefrm 10yd to 500yds they been awesome i have taken many big game with them &only recoverd 2bullets ,once i did a 2nd shot while using TSX it was on a bullelk, the bull was 40yd frm the boundary line i had to make sure sure he went down and not cross that line the rest of my shots on game all pass thru..casey that 3rd pic awesome

[izquik72]

80gr ttsx out of a .243

3 Mule deer buck

1 Mule deer doe

3 Antelope

everything has been one shot from 80yds to 356yds nothing has gone over 25 yds

havent recovered one yet!

 

Looking forward to the 127gr LRX as soon as the .260 is done

[AverageJoe]

Just dont shoot too far with barnes. I think they are good up to a certain point say around 400-500. After that they dont open, dont retain much energy, go in and out with little to no damage.

[kwp]

Just dont shoot too far with barnes. I think they are good up to a certain point say around 400-500. After that they dont open, dont retain much energy, go in and out with little to no damage.

 

I know that this is the common theory on Barnes Bullets but I have first hand experience seeing a bull elk killed at 710 yards with a 180 TSX out of a 300WM. The bull did not take another step.