Barnes TSX reviews/question

[Andrew Short]

Ah, just use your .338WM with 225gr Core Lokts or the 225gr Power Points I sent you. You can kill any of the PG in the Galaxy with those, including whitetail. Save your time, energy and consternation for rebooking your flights to Africa! Ha! Ha!

The irony!! I literally just said I was planning on loading those and shooting whitetail does this fall!! Can’t wait to see what they do!

We live on what we call “goat mountains” here and the last thing you want to is to drag a deer up 400 foot of incline. The lead bullet just seems like a better option for now. I’ll experiment with the Barnes on flat land Haha

I bought 338 Norma Oryx for Africa next fall.

 

[Cleveland48]

I used the 300 grain TSX last deer season in my 416 Remington magnum. Fairly mild load at 2712 FPS, but was quite devastating on two deer I shot with them. Wounds showed excellent expansion though, and I was happy with them. I will say though that the 350 Speer Mag tip at 2610 FPS in my 416 Taylor improved was quite a bit more destructive.

 

[Rum Runner]

A 140gr tsx recovered from an Impala (.270, 2,700fps). Enough expansion? I think not...

 

[Rum Runner]

Quartering left shoulder shot, found in the right rump.

 

[Andrew Short]

A 140gr tsx recovered from an Impala (.270, 2,700fps). Enough expansion? I think not...

View attachment 398890

Looks about double the bullet diameter?

 

[Rum Runner]

Looks about double the bullet diameter?

Just measured. Yes, a little over double.

 

[Andrew Short]

That’s my biggest concern with lighter game animals and mid range velocity.

Just measured. Yes, a little over double.

 

[Lee M]

That’s my biggest concern with lighter game animals and mid range velocity.

Double the diameter expansion is good performance. Plus it penetrated the full length of the animal. What’s not to like about that?

 

[Rum Runner]

That’s my biggest concern with lighter game animals and mid range velocity.

I had the same concerns, so I found a load for the tsx at 2,900 fps. It got me thinking though, should a person even expect greater than double with TSX?

 

[Cleveland48]

I forgot about this one. 210 lb whitetail about 110 yard shot. Deer was facing me, shot entered left front shoulder and found under the hide on back of right rear hindquarter. So full length of body penetration. I don’t believe he even kicked. This was a 120 grain TTSX at 2920 FPS from a 6.5 Creedmoor. I do believe smaller calibers work better with Barnes at higher velocity. Also the large calibers seem to work just fine at moderate speeds they usually run.

 

[Philip Glass]

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?

I shoot deer all the time with my Ruger 5.56 with Barnes 70g. I took two Ibex and one gazelle in Mongolia with my 7Mag with 160g Barnes and did a great job.
No concerns on needing a softer bullet for deer or hogs.

 

[Art Lambart II]

IMO the TSX is not the best choice for deer and hogs here in the US. Hunting in Africa is totally different than hunting in the US, in Africa you never know what you will shoot on any given hunt. You'll start your day hunting Impala and suddenly your hunting Eland, your rifle, and bullet must be adequate for both. In the US we rarely hunt different big game animals on the same hunt, so we can tailor our rifle and bullet to the animal we are hunting. I prefer a bullet that expands reliably and retains 65-80% of its weight. I like to use Nosler Partitions, Accubonds, and the Trophy Bonded Tip in my 270 and 30-06. In my beloved 35 Whelen I break that rule and use the 200 grain Hornady Superformance factory load. It explodes in the chest cavity turning the heart and lungs into jelly, No Tracking Required.

 

[Andrew Short]

Good to know Philip. When using your 5.56, I would think the expansion would be adequate give the muzzle velocity. How far do you have to track these animals?

I shoot deer all the time with my Ruger 5.56 with Barnes 70g. I took two Ibex and one gazelle in Mongolia with my 7Mag with 160g Barnes and did a great job.
No concerns on needing a softer bullet for deer or hogs.

 

[Andrew Short]

IMO the TSX is not the best choice for deer and hogs here in the US. Hunting in Africa is totally different than hunting in the US, in Africa you never know what you will shoot on any given hunt. You'll start your day hunting Impala and suddenly your hunting Eland, your rifle, and bullet must be adequate for both. In the US we rarely hunt different big game animals on the same hunt, so we can tailor our rifle and bullet to the animal we are hunting. I prefer a bullet that expands reliably and retains 65-80% of its weight. I like to use Nosler Partitions, Accubonds, and the Trophy Bonded Tip in my 270 and 30-06. In my beloved 35 Whelen I break that rule and use the 200 grain Hornady Superformance factory load. It explodes in the chest cavity turning the heart and lungs into jelly, No Tracking Required.

Ive always shared the same opinion as you. That’s why I’ve looked into making the swap. In Alabama, I only have whitetails to shoot therefore I choose a rapid expanding bullet because penetration isnt crucial. In Africa, most animals are large bodied and carry more mass than a Whitetail deer with a few exceptions of certain plains game species. Penetration and expansion are most crucial when hunting across the pond.

 

[mdwest]

Good to know Philip. When using your 5.56, I would think the expansion would be adequate give the muzzle velocity. How far do you have to track these animals?

Im not Philip.. But I also have shot a number of deer and hogs with 70gr TTSX..

Ive never tracked one... Every one of them I have shot have either dropped in their tracks or have gone 20-30 yards tops..

And thats from a 16" DIY AR shooting at about 2800fps (not nearly as hot as a lot of folks shoot them)..

Also shot quite a few with the hornady "black" factory 70 gr bonded stuff.. never had a problem with it either..

Hogs arent nearly as tough as many people think they are... and I think you could probably kill a whitetail with a marshmallow if you push it to 2800 fps or faster..

 

[Cleveland48]

Ive always shared the same opinion as you. That’s why I’ve looked into making the swap. In Alabama, I only have whitetails to shoot therefore I choose a rapid expanding bullet because penetration isnt crucial. In Africa, most animals are large bodied and carry more mass than a Whitetail deer with a few exceptions of certain plains game species. Penetration and expansion are most crucial when hunting across the pond.

I hunt deer in Mississippi,and I agree with you. I much prefer cup and core bullets for whitetail. Only reason I have Barnes in my 416’s is because thats all I’ve found lately to buy. I used Barnes on three deer in 6.5 creedmoor, and while I was impressed I still prefer cup and core bullets for our whitetail.

 

[Bill DeHaan]

A 140gr tsx recovered from an Impala (.270, 2,700fps). Enough expansion? I think not...

View attachment 398890

That is full expansion. Frontal area is not much different than a typical lead core, but the retained weight of that TSX is probably over 80%. Home run stuff there.

 

[Ridgewalker]

That is full expansion. Frontal area is not much different than a typical lead core, but the retained weight of that TSX is probably over 80%. Home run stuff there.

+1 Measuring the photo, it appears to have expanded 2x the bullet diameter. I would think that would be good enough. So if the bullet is .277, then the expansion would be over .55”. Looks pretty good to my old eyes.

 

[JimP]

You have to remember that the Barnes bullet is not your old cup and core bullet that will mushroom all the way back to the base. It will expand retaining just about all of it's original weight to push through the animal.

 

[fourfive8]

Simple how it works, kind of. One thing to ponder is that kinetic energy works in both directions. Momentum on the other hand is the number (simple calculation) that determines potential for penetration. Kinetic energy effect is the process that tries to limit that penetration. Speed the process of kinetic energy effect by "softening" a bullet's structure and the effect is much more noticeable.

What's the ideal performance of any bullet on game?... now that is an extremely subjective subject. And always a compromise. Most agreed that somewhere in between Soft, with maximum kinetic energy effect potential and Hard, with maximum penetration potential is where most controlled expanding bullets should be. My experience with the TSX has been that it is a really good compromise (IMO one of the best) among four different parameters for judging a good controlled expanding bullet- Accuracy, Kinetic energy effect, Consistency and Penetration. Of course a "solid" would ideally be completely different in that the amount of straight line penetration would be the priority. And that, by the laws of physics, indicates minimum amount of kinetic energy effect.

A most interesting type of bullet is one that is a hybrid between the tough, controlled expanding and the penetrating solid. Unfortunately, one of the best, is not currently available (and may never be again)- the North Fork Cup Point Solid