Barnes TSX/TTSX vs Nosler Partition

[North61]

My 8 mag loves the 160 tsx's @ 3424 fps. Shoots them more accurately than the accubonds, e-tips, partitions, MK's, other barnes, other sierra's, speers, etc. I chaulked up two more kills with them this weekend. A 13" pronghorn buck at 669 (heart shot with a bullet sized entry and golfball sized exit), and a 15 x 15 7/8" pronghorn at 505 with a full on facing brisket shot (bullet sized entry, and baseball sized exit on the far ribs mid cage). I shot a mule deer through both shoulders at 43 yards last year and I will admit....that was messier than I would have liked because of bone fragments. Would not have shot him that close through the shoulders, but he was on the cusp of a very gnarly cliff and he had to be anchored on the spot. There was no "penciling". The petals very likely did sheer off, but not before they cored out a 3 1/2" tunnel through the hide, meat, lower spine, and bone, and kept right on truckin. I would have lost a bunch more meat using a bonded core bullet at that distance and speed compared to any monolithic projectile...A lesson I learned the hard way on an elk and another deer.

I have a Browning A-Bolt in 325 WSM. It shoots the 160 TTSX very well at 3280fps with RL 17. I am a partition guy and hard to change but I'll give these 160's a try based on your testimony.

 

[MachV]

You can get a lot of meat damage from a Partition but they very seldom walk away from it! The x Barns was a great bullet if you hit bone but have not used the newer models.....Still trying to get the copper out from the originals

 

[crazyhorse]

I have personally seen or been a part of 5 deer taken this year exclusively with barnes bullets. 2 of them were 120 gr ttsx's out of a 260 rem, and 3 were 140 gr tsx from a 7mm mag. All 5 deer were one shot kills that went down immediately or within sight of the shot, none going more than 30 yards.

I have taken A BUNCH of animals with barnes bullets and couldn't be happier with the results. The amount of internal damage done by these bullets amazes me. I do push them as fast as safely possible to maximize the design characteristics of the bullet. The only complaint I would have about them is the fact that they do copper foul more than the cup and core bullets.

 

[barnesuser28]

i agree 100% ^ i found out on friday that they work great on elk too..... gun)

 

[7stw]

I'm happy to say that I'm flying the Barnes Banner in my gunroom right now. I shoot them in my STW's,( 145 grain LRX), and my son is shooting a 140 TSX in his seven mag. I am both pleased with the accuracy, and the terminal performance. I had a horror show last year with another make of bullet, and I vowed that would not happen to me this past year.
I also shoot them in all my other calibers as well, 25, 30,. Another reason is that in the state I live, I feel that we are going to become " lead free " sooner thar later, so at least I'm that much ahead of the game when, not " if " it happens.
Otherwise, I do like the Partition. I have been able to get it to work with me.

 

[coyotezapper]

I have personally seen or been a part of 5 deer taken this year exclusively with barnes bullets. 2 of them were 120 gr ttsx's out of a 260 rem, and 3 were 140 gr tsx from a 7mm mag. All 5 deer were one shot kills that went down immediately or within sight of the shot, none going more than 30 yards.

I have taken A BUNCH of animals with barnes bullets and couldn't be happier with the results. The amount of internal damage done by these bullets amazes me. I do push them as fast as safely possible to maximize the design characteristics of the bullet. The only complaint I would have about them is the fact that they do copper foul more than the cup and core bullets.

The triple shocks are not made of the same soft copper as the original X bullet was so if fouling is an issue it might be your barrel. I shoot the newer TTSX in both factory and custom barrels from 2600 - 3450 fps and have no fouling issues. I used to coat the original X bullets with acculube 10x to alleviate the fouling but it is not needed with the newer bullets.

 

[Reel Assassin]

I have been using partitions since they first became available and have always been happy with their performance out of my .30-06. Though I have not used any Barnes bullets I have heard lots of high praise from those that do.

The Barnes TTSX bullets appeal to me very much however they are not made in the weights I am interested in. I understand their concept of being able to use lighter bullets due to the non-lead and tougher construction. It is just as I am now 63 and I am thinking at using a 7MM STW with one bullet weight for everything from coyotes to very large black bear. I like to use heavy for caliber bullets and the heaviest TTSX bullet Barnes makes is 150 grains. Companies like Nosler and Berger are producing bullets like 175 grain all the way up to the new Berger 195 grain hybrid with a B.C. of 0.672 for long range hunters. The Nosler 175 grain Partition's BC is 0.519 with a sectional density of 0.310. Now Barnes' construction is superior in my opinion but to break big heavy bones of bears and then complete penetration from any angle I want more bullet weight than a Barnes TTSX 150 grain with a B.C. of 0.450. Yes, I know that is a lot to ask for such a small caliber bullet but I no longer have the budget or the body to handle multiple firearms for specific game.

When I was younger and richer living in Wyoming, I had my deer/antelope rifle, bear/elk rifle, prairie dog rifle, and anyway you get the idea. Now I'm disabled living on a fixed income so I have to make one rifle do many tasks as we all find ourselves these days. The .375 H&H, .270 Winchester and .223 are all sold and gone. Don't get me wrong here Barnes lovers I am more than willing to become a Barnes lover to. I just want to see the bullets that meet my personal interests and wants from Barnes.

 

[barnesuser28]

I have been using partitions since they first became available and have always been happy with their performance out of my .30-06. Though I have not used any Barnes bullets I have heard lots of high praise from those that do.

The Barnes TTSX bullets appeal to me very much however they are not made in the weights I am interested in. I understand their concept of being able to use lighter bullets due to the non-lead and tougher construction. It is just as I am now 63 and I am thinking at using a 7MM STW with one bullet weight for everything from coyotes to very large black bear. I like to use heavy for caliber bullets and the heaviest TTSX bullet Barnes makes is 150 grains. Companies like Nosler and Berger are producing bullets like 175 grain all the way up to the new Berger 195 grain hybrid for long range hunters with a B.C. of 0.672. The Nosler 175 grain Partition's BC is 0.519 with a sectional density of 0.310. Now Barnes' construction is superior in my opinion but to break big heavy bones of bears and then complete penetration from any angle I want more bullet weight than a 150 grain with a B.C. of 0.450. Yes, I know that is a lot to ask for such a small caliber bullet but I no longer have the budget or the body to handle multiple firearms for specific game.

When I was younger and richer living in Wyoming, I had my deer/antelope rifle, bear/elk rifle, prairie dog rifle, and anyway you get the idea. Now I'm disabled living on a fixed income so I have to make one rifle do many tasks as we all find ourselves these days. The .375 H&H, .270 Winchester and .223 are all sold and gone. Don't get me wrong here Barnes lovers I am more than willing to become a Barnes lover to. I just want to see the bullets that meet my personal interests and wants from Barnes.

Barnes now makes a 168 grain LRX in 7mm with a BC of .550, bergers 195 grainer will have a BC close to .8, not .672.

 

[Cold Trigger Finger]

I'm definitely a Barnes man. Barnes, Swift, Trophy Bonded, Hornady, Speer and Seirra. Are the bullets I mainly shoot. Plus Norma and Lapua. .
If I could only have. 1 bullet in each caliber I shoot they would all be TSX or TTSX. . 1 shot kills are the rule not the exception. And they don't blood shock good meat like the partition does. Quite badly sometimes in fact.

 

[Tarheelpwr]

Kinda odd since they "rate thier bullets use" by weight & caliber with a picture of the critter on the box. Send me your Email & I'll send you a pic. I'm too technology retarded to post pics on LRH from my phone.
30 cal 180, & 200 gr say -& I'm quoting the box here in my hands-
"Game recommendations depending on caliber" -first line.
Next line says
"Deer, Elk, Bear, Moose, African Game"
on the box with a neat picture of an Elk under the caption.

Now it does not say this for the 30 cal 165's, or the 277 cal 140's, but they work great on Elk too from experience.

So maybe you shoot a smaller caliber gun? Or maybe prefer a lighter weight faster bullet for caliber? Maybe Nosler doesn't classify the Accubond they make for a smaller caliber to be worthy of the Deer, Elk, Bear, Moose, African Game stamp? I dunno. I have a relatiave-in-law (is that a word?) who works for Nosler. All the Accubonds are made the same way. Nosler is just down the road from my house by about 15 min. I'll try to swing into the pro shop after work next week & ask how they come up with thier rating system.
But I can certainly show you proof on the box that they are not in any way considered for light or medium game in 30 cal 180, & 200gr, or 338 cal 225 gr.
Nor can I find any literature on the box of 30 cal 165's or 270 cal 140's that indicate small or medium game thin skinned game, but I will concede that it doesn't say deer elk bear moose African game on either of those boxes.

Oh, & fyi, & to clear up miss information on this thread, you & anyone else can Google Nosler reloading, click on products, click on Accubond, scroll down & read the big red letters that say GAME RECOMENDATIONS, DEER ELK BEAR MOOSE AFRICAN GAME.
Nowhere on that page of the Nosler website did it say light thin skinned, or medium anything regarding Accubonds.

I emailed Nosler in direct response to his. Here is the email they replied, word for word:

"The AccuBond was designed to perform like a Partition in a bullet with a poly tip and boattail base. The range for game is the same. The higher BC of the AccuBond will give it a flatter trajectory and higher remaining velocity at extended ranges"

 

[Cold Trigger Finger]

Well I did some checking and I see that Nosler makes the AccuBond in 140 gr 6.5 mm so I think I'll get a box and try them. . I wish Hornady would make an Interbond in 6.5 if it had a BC of. 520 or better it would be awesome.

 

[Reel Assassin]

Thanks barnesuser28 for the info. I looked into the Barnes LRX bullets and plan to try some.

 

[barnesuser28]

Thanks barnesuser28 for the info. I looked into the Barnes LRX bullets and plan to try some.

No problem, i have been VERY impressed with the 280 grain LRX out of my 338 Lapua. If you do a search for "280 grain Barnes LRX" you will find most if not all of my tests and kills last year (2012). I found their G1 BC to be in the .7-.72 range

 

[TLGreen3]

Ive used the Barnes all copper bullets since they first came out . They have consistently proven highly accurate and most importantly ,left an exit hole. I have never recovered a Barnes bullet.