Barnes triple shock disappointment

[Shootin4fun]

Ive shot the Barnes TSX and TTSX out of 243, 270, ...

My favorite bullet thus far is the Hornady Inter Bonds in the superformance series but I will be using the 85 gr TSX in my 243 for goats in new mexico if that tells ya anything

I have shot a lot of the 85gr TSX at the range and have a pretty decent load @ 3200 fps. It holds 2" - 3" groups at 300 yards, often 3 cloverleaved @100.

Because of the fact that I won't have time to retest my 270 loads now that Barnes has made a (UNANNOUNCED OR DENOTED ON BOX) change to the 130gr .277 (#27742) bullet profile that I previously developed an accurate load for, I'm considering taking the 243 on a hunt later this month. (I loaded a batch of 270 with the new ogive/length TSX, and they seat .020" deeper using the same die setting as on previous boxes of TSX, so I don't know how they'll behave in terms of impact point or grouping.)

Hogs I'm going after are 90 - 300 lbs., and I'm wondering if the 85gr TSX is enough. Distance will be 10 - 300 yards.

Comments?

 

[Dalebow]

sound sweet, 243 is flatter than most people think.

 

[RTK]

shooting4fun, I too am from california (central valley) and have been shooting TSX & TTSX in my 300wm for about 8 or so years now. I have shot black tail, mule deer and elk, all have been one shot kills. Most dropped right where they stood, only one took a couple of steps, haven't recovered any bullets yet but they have done their job. The accuracy has been very good too. I know some people love them and some hate them. I think shot placement is a big factor with any bullet but construction also plays into that.

 

[gerryb]

I have used most of the different companies bullets and I would have to say the TTSX and TSX are the best bullets out there for the money equaled and maybe bettered by north fork. I have shout well over 200 animals from dik dik to cape buffalo and have never had a failure. With the 25 cal 100 grain TSX I have shoulder shot over 100 white tails from 20 yards to the longest 673 and have been amazed they were DRT everyone. I can't explain why but they just kill. The 270 TSX in 375 h& h and the 300 TSX in 375 RUM have performed perfectly. I have read about these failures but I have never seen one. I can say the same for nosler ballistic tips on deer sized game.

 

[rjmarine]

what we see as a bullet failing to do the job may not be the whole story . i see alot of guys very fast to blame the bullet when it might be the guy shooting that bullet. i know i will **** a few of you off but im only calling them like i see them.
as a reloading and hunter it is my job repeat my job to see what works well in my rifle and not the salesman doing his/her job in selling all these rifles and reloading stuff. things i like to do is find a bullet or bullets that i think will work in my rifle for what game i will be using it on. just because my friend says he loves barnes or hates them it is my job to see if they will work for me if i choose to try them in my rifle. so i start by working up a good load for my rifle in this case it is a ULA chambered in 25x47 using a barnes TTSX then i shoot this this load to make sure my rifle will shoot this load with some good accuracy. if it passes that test i then start doing some bullet testing into wet phone books @ 20 yrds. this is the testing so many guys never even think about . if there gun shoots into a pie plate @ 100 yrds there heading out after deer/elk never even knowing how well those barnes work in there gun. i had a guy come over last year to do some bullet testing with me into these wet phone books. he was bringing over his 300 super mag and his loads he used the year on an elk which took 2 shots from this combo to put down. i do not know the speed he was shooting his loads or do i remember the bullet he had loaded in them . i do remember that they were not the best for his gun as they went 8 in. into the wet phone books and the recovered bullet had come apart big time, i then shot my little 25 shooting the barnes 80gr. TTSX @ 3104 fps and they go 12in. into the phone books and opened up in the 1st 1 1/2" and opened up and stayed together just fine. what im getting out here is it our job as the 1 shooting the bullet and need to know as best as we can just how well the will work in our gun with our loading not how they might work in some gun writers gun or a friend of a friend. i even go so far as to set up my wet phone books at 100,200.300,and even 400 yrds to see what any given bullet i have loaded will do at those ranges. im sure most of us know just because a bullet shoot well and will open up well at say 100 yrds does not meen it will open up at 400yrds at the speed you might be shooting it at . i have also found that the all mighty barnes bullets do not work well in all of my rifles . this is 1 more area some hunters fall short . they think because a 140 gr TSX works well in there 6.5-284 that a 400gr will work just as well for them in there 416 express
so please keep in mind that when we read a bullet/load compo works well for some gun writer it might not work as well for us. what it can do is give us 1 more load to try and see if it will shoot well in our gun then also do the bullet testing to see if that also passes the test

there is alway going to be that 1 bullet that does something so strange and works so bad on the 1 shot on a deer even after we did all our testing and may have taken 10 deer in 10 yrs with no signs of any problems.
that could be why we are also do more testing and always looking for a better mouse trap.

cheers and keep loading and hunting while we can

 

[longrangehuntr]

How is it that you are upset with a bullet that killed what you shot at? If you want what you shoot at DRT, shot placement or a round that fragments as soon as it hits the animal. I use barnes, sierra, hornady, you name it. It sometimes comes down to the velocity of the bullet in order to work properly. I have yet to have a problem with a bullet when it kills what i hit . I could care less what the bullet looks like after being shot. I have some 180 grain ttsx, 180 grain e tips, 80 grain gmx, 85 grain sierra gamekings and then the big boys 220 grain sierra round nose bullets. I plan on getting some 338 cal in those types as well. Bottom line if you get upset over one bullet that killed what you shot at because it does not look like what the pictures on the box look like maybe you should just punch paper, JMHO.

 

[captacademy]

I have used the Barnes TTSX exclusively in Africa on several different species of animals from Cape Buffalo to baboons and it has work as designed, it kills very quickly!

 

[Shootin4fun]

****, that Baboon looks deader than dead!

 

[captacademy]

The TTSX is pretty devastating! That one was slightly bent over eating at 375 yards.

 

[dave elliott]

well the good news here is you recovered the animal so thats a good job. if i may i have been shooting either winchester power points or like my dad remington core lokts since i started hunting. on deer and elk they just do the job. good hunting to ya.

 

[Christopher Porche]

I was always a Hornady guy. Of course in my younger days the old Remington core locks were all we used. Not sure why I changed. Mostly following my friends. My buddy reloaded my 06 rounds with 150 gr Nosler ballistic tips. Killed my biggest buck. 230 lb 11 pt in North Louisiana. Heart shot. Ran 40 yds and piled up. Hornady Ssts were similar but held together better. The ballistic tips from Nosler just blew up. I started out primitive arms hunting here with a 35 Whelen using Hornadys 175 ftx. Rubber tip. From 30 to 300 yds i never seen a twitch. It was like pulling the ground out from under them. Well. That was some kinda specialty bullet and yes they quit making them.

Talked to a friend to ask what I should maybe try. He suggested BARNES Ttxs. He had been reloading them and never had a deer twitch as well.

I sought out the 35 Whelen 180s very close to the 175s in Hornady. Same result. Dropped um dead. I did take note of something he said for the rest of my rifles. He said use a lighter bullet. In my 308 Long Ranger from Henry I went to tje 130s instead of 150s in the past with other brands. Because copper is lighter you need it to fly faster for proper expansion. Makes sense. I shoot sub MOA at 100 yds and about 1 1/4 at 200. Very accurate out of a 20" lever gun.

Since 2016 i have yet to have to track a deer. Im in south Louisiana and the swamp is on both sides tje ridge. Its to my benifit not to have to go chasing them in them coffee grinds like i used too at 53 yrs old. Lol

I can say i used to shoot for the heart and lungs but after watching all these hunting shows the bullet that hit high in the shoulder always seems to dump them. So much shock to the spine and neck they always drop. I wont shoot anywhere else.
My friends dubbed me the "bone chipper" in my youth with my old 243.lol. Now Ill take that old rifle from 82 and drop everything with that using the light stuff from Barnes instead of the 100 gr bullets from the other guys in lead.

Put the bullet where it supposed to go and you can drop them with any bodies bullet. I love Barnes. But i like others too. Ive made some fantastic shots with the core lock. Who knows. Im on a Barnes kick now. Could be something cooler coming soon.lol
I tried to be loyal to Hornady untill they discontinued the 175 35s. Put the bullet where it supposed to go or dont shoot. Best advise i have.

 

[Christopher Porche]

Ps. In my 308 with the Barnes 130s im getting 3125 fps. Thats a tad faster than my 300 WM. Its a smokin round. I saw a Utube video of this bullet in ballistic gel. It took 3 long ways to stop it. It had 37" of penatration and the would channel for the 1st 14 inches was crazy big. None of my white tails are that wide.lol. Just a thought.

 

[just country]

morning, I like barnes bullets. the TTSX and LRX
r very good hunting bullets. When I use the TSX I look at the chart
furnished by barnes in reference to which bullet weight to use
on game listed. never had a problem. the 53gr. TSX is a drop
killer. the 55gr TTSX used on hogs and deer kills instantly.
just me GBOT TUM I shoot barnes in all of my rifles!!

 

[Christopher Porche]

Never saw that chart. Ill have to look it up. Ive been slowly weeding out the Hornady. So expensive these days. I hate to just let them get old. May be i can sell um and finally Barnes up my bullet box.lol Thanks for the info JC