Barnes TSX reviews/question

[Andrew Short]

Many members swear by the Barnes TSX/TTSX and we have all seen recovered projectiles to prove the bullets performance.
I’ve acquired Barnes bullets for every caliber I reload (7mm08, 280, 300 WSM, 404, 416) for but i still have the concern that maybe the Barnes isn’t the best bullet for deer or hogs. Maybe this job should be left to something more soft?

Does anyone have a real world experience for soft skinned game such as deer or hogs?

 

[JimP]

I have shot Barnes bullets now for 25+ years on deer, elk, and a few other North American game animals and have had zero problems with them. I have also yet to recover a single bullet from any of the animals that I have shot with them, but most have been one shot kills as long as I hit them in the vitals.

I started shooting X bullets then went to the TSX and now only shoot the TTSX out of a 7mm Rem mag, .30-06, 270 Weatherby, and a .340 Weatherby.

 

[Tgood1]

Yes, works great albeit few bang flops unless a neck shot but usually go down within sight with proper placement. Use barnes in various calibers from .22 hornet to .300 wm thru the years on deer and hogs.

 

[Andrew Short]

I have shot Barnes bullets now for 25+ years on deer, elk, and a few other North American game animals and have had zero problems with them. I have also yet to recover a single bullet from any of the animals that I have shot with them, but most have been one shot kills as long as I hit them in the vitals.

I started shooting X bullets then went to the TSX and now only shoot the TTSX out of a 7mm Rem mag, .30-06, 270 Weatherby, and a .340 Weatherby.

Good to hear. My concern is that given the bullets makeup that I would need to drive the velocity up for opening. I don’t want pencil hole the deer here... makes for a long long day.

 

[gillettehunter]

Seem like the higher the velocity the better they work. I've killed several pronghorn with them. They are "softer" than our deer. Recovered a couple out of elk after a lot of travel through them. All in all a good bullet. Not the ideal long range bullet but great at shorter to moderate ranges where the velocity is still good.
Bruce

 

[Andrew Short]

Seem like the higher the velocity the better they work. I've killed several pronghorn with them. They are "softer" than our deer. Recovered a couple out of elk after a lot of travel through them. All in all a good bullet. Not the ideal long range bullet but great at shorter to moderate ranges where the velocity is still good.
Bruce

Most of my shooting is within 200 yards with an occasional shot to 300.

How did it perform on the Pronghorn?

 

[BWH]

I shoot them almost exclusively.... from the smallest of game to large DG. No regrets.

 

[sierraone]

Agree that Barnes TSX and the like are not necessary for typical white tail and similar animals. In my opinion virtually any factory soft nose type bullet will do the job as long as you hit the lung/heart area. I've used Federal Power Shok, Remington Core Lokt and similar Winchester for most of my hunting all my life. They work just fine as long as you do your part. If I hunt buffalo again though, it will be with TSX.

 

[The Engineer]

The only insight I can offer is, on a combination crocodile and leopard hunt; my PH said my 300 Win would be adequate for both with Barnes TTSX for the crock and Nosler partitions for leopard. The recovered TTSX shattered the crock's spine and he did not move at all. The recovered bullet retained almost full weight and had surprisingly little expansion.

Unfortunately, I cannot report on the performance of the partitions.

 

[longbow70]

Barnes work great on deer and elk. BUT I shoot a .300 WinMag and don't shoot more than 350 or so, so velocity is still quite high. Supposedly Hammer Bullets, made in Montana, although pricey, work even better. also all copper. The Hammer Bullets guys are doing an African Safari right now or very soon, I believe.

 

[Andrew Short]

As stated it appears Barnes performs best with higher speeds. I’m wondering how it would work in 7mm08 or 280 where the velocity is a little slower

 

[375Fox]

I’ve never not had a Barnes bullet open. In Africa I’ve used them on game out to 350 yards with my 300 and slightly less with my 375. I took my Pennsylvania buck this year with my 270 win and 130 grain Barnes with 2 running shots at about 50-60 yards in brush. I like Barnes, but I do think lead core bullets put deer down faster and definitely make a bigger exit hole than Barnes. Do you typically have a rest and deer/hog is standing still when you shoot? or running shots? I use Barnes for the accuracy and also no lead fragments (much less lost meat especially on a bad shot not behind the shoulder), but I think they are best suited for good shot presentations with deer because they don’t have ability to kill beyond the bullet path cause no fragments breaking off.

 

[USMA84DAB]

Maybe this will help in your quest for information?

Hunt White-tailed Deer in USA

2019 Doe with hide - 375 Ruger exit I used my .375 Ruger this year on the doe I took. 250gr. Barnes TTSX over RL15 (72.4 grains) - 20" barrel - 2640 FPS/3868 Ft-Lbs/57,000 pressure

www.africahunting.com

 

[Andrew Short]

I’ve never not had a Barnes bullet open. In Africa I’ve used them on game out to 350 yards with my 300 and slightly less with my 375. I took my Pennsylvania buck this year with my 270 win and 130 grain Barnes with 2 running shots at about 50-60 yards in brush. I like Barnes, but I do think lead core bullets put deer down faster and definitely make a bigger exit hole than Barnes. Do you typically have a rest and deer/hog is standing still when you shoot? or running shots? I use Barnes for the accuracy and also no lead fragments (much less lost meat especially on a bad shot not behind the shoulder), but I think they are best suited for good shot presentations with deer because they don’t have ability to kill beyond the bullet path cause no fragments breaking off.

Most of our shots here are on feeding deer and shots are taken off the window seal of the blind. 25% of the time you will shoot of sticks during the rut when hunting needs to be more mobile.

We share the same sentiment about lead vs Barnes on killing quicker.

 

[Andrew Short]

Maybe this will help in your quest for information?

Hunt White-tailed Deer in USA

2019 Doe with hide - 375 Ruger exit I used my .375 Ruger this year on the doe I took. 250gr. Barnes TTSX over RL15 (72.4 grains) - 20" barrel - 2640 FPS/3868 Ft-Lbs/57,000 pressure

www.africahunting.com

Quite impressive!

 

[YancyW]

Barnes work great on deer and elk. BUT I shoot a .300 WinMag and don't shoot more than 350 or so, so velocity is still quite high. Supposedly Hammer Bullets, made in Montana, although pricey, work even better. also all copper. The Hammer Bullets guys are doing an African Safari right now or very soon, I believe.

Hammer bullets are great, there are a couple versions, so you have to choose the right one for the job. The shock hammers are like a lightening bolt on deer. I am thinking about using the absolute hammers in Africa this summer in a 30-06.

However, for 200ish yard shots on whitetails, there are few choices that won't work just fine.

 

[WWG]

Many members swear by the Barnes TSX/TTSX and we have all seen recovered projectiles to prove the bullets performance.
I’ve acquired Barnes bullets for every caliber I reload (7mm08, 280, 300 WSM, 404, 416) for but i still have the concern that maybe the Barnes isn’t the best bullet for deer or hogs. Maybe this job should be left to something more soft?

Does anyone have a real world experience for soft skinned game such as deer or hogs?

Yes, I live in SC and I hunt hogs and whitetails with a 6.8 spc with an 85 grain Barnes tsx. That round leaves the barrel at 2950 ft/sec and completely penetrates most animals. It will stop a 300 lb hog in its tracks!

 

[Andrew Short]

Sounds like a solid performance!

 

[Newboomer]

I use Barnes TSX in all my rifles except 6.5CR. I used Hornady ELD-X 143s on my last safari because I didn't have any TSXs to load. A 160gr TSX in 7RM is deadly on everything up to waterbuck and zebra out as far as I want to shoot. For eland and dg I like 350gr TSX in 375HH. 235gr TSX for pg. The one slug I recovered was from my waterbuck, a 160gr TSX in 7RM. It weighed 160.3gr and had 4 perfect petals. The 0.3gr was flesh imbedded in the petals. All my other shots were through and through with good exit wounds and animals dead within a few yards.

 

[Andrew Short]

I use Barnes TSX in all my rifles except 6.5CR. I used Hornady ELD-X 143s on my last safari because I didn't have any TSXs to load. A 160gr TSX in 7RM is deadly on everything up to waterbuck and zebra out as far as I want to shoot. For eland and dg I like 350gr TSX in 375HH. 235gr TSX for pg. The one slug I recovered was from my waterbuck, a 160gr TSX in 7RM. It weighed 160.3gr and had 4 perfect petals. The 0.3gr was flesh imbedded in the petals. All my other shots were through and through with good exit wounds and animals dead within a few yards.

I think we can all agree that the TSX is great for African game up to the Cape buffalo. But I’d is the right choice for whitetail deer?