I hated Barnes or any other monolithic bullet for a couple of decades. Then I realized that all of my opinion was based on what other people had said. I had never tried them myself. Wow. Very accurate on the bench. In the field the terminal performance of the TTSX was devastating. Meat damage was less than lead due to the fact that an all copper bullet does not fragment like a lead core. I still use lead core for predator hunting but for big game I am exclusively using Barnes.
I shoot the TTSX because it is the most accurate bullet I've found for my 7 Rem Mag. It is indeed a premium bullet. As a deer hunter i've not lost an animal and never recovered a bullet. Thanks for the video...well done. Sorry that California has turned into such a hell hole.
I've been using Barnes bullets since long before California forced me to go non-leaded. Even the old Barnes 'X" bullets served me well with seven one shot kills in a row on Black Tail deer. They worked the best for me when I could break at least one shoulder bone and then go through the chest cavity. Those deer dropped in their tracks as the bullet really seemed to "shiver their timbers." I did need follow up shots when I didn't shoot well and made a lung shot. Thanks for this video. You always have good down to earth content because of your experience in hunting, shooting and reloading.
I love your content! I share your opinion on everything I've heard you say so far and your attitude and commentary about the things that are ridiculous have made me and my wife laugh our assess off. Thanks for just being yourself, it helps me feel normal!
My medicine for mulies, whitetail, and pronghorn is a 243 win, loaded with 100 grain Barnes ttsx. I have taken shots to 450 yards, all successful, save one that was a clean miss. I am a Barnes TSX and TTSX fan for life, now. I have stockpiled thousands of Barnes bullets, in case the company goes out of biz, so my sons can handload them, and hunt with them for life
I use 85 grain TSX in my 243 Xbolt long range 26" barrel. It loves em & animals hate them! 11 point taken this year on KANSAS rifle opener @ 250 yards. Night before guide called my rifle/243 a Coyote rifle. Told him if i saw a shooter come across this field i would change his mind. He dressed my deer & said Damn @ the internal damage! I said, Nuff Said! He's a believer now. 🤣🦌🦌🦌🦌
I have used TSX and now TTSX since the fail safe bullets went away. The TTSX is fantastic on moose, and I'm confident it would break shoulders on a brown bear. (I use a .300 win mag). I believe the mass retention of the TTSX makes it especially effective for hunting. Interesting discussion.
Shot Nosler Partitions for hunting most of my lifetime and they always performed well in all medium to large calibers. Loaded the original Barnes X without grooves for my 375 H&H and 7x64 in the early 2000th and they all performed well on game. Shot placement within ethical hunting distances is the key! I do not even want to know how many animals are wounded and never recovered by long range shots with inappropriate calibers and poorly constructed bullets.
Well said. We find wasted animals every year after the season. Either the "223 is a deer rifle" crowd. Or, the guys who have rifles named " Creedmoor" and " PRC" that think a lot of rifle makes up for a little skill.
I tried the X BULLET when it first came out. Gave up on it because of accuracy issues. After watching your videos I now use TTSX. I have found everything you said to be true especially accuracy of these bullets. Please keep the great videos coming!
Very informative. I believe lot of people do not use barnes correctly and complain. Barnes tsx( 2000 fps ) ,ttsx ( 1800fps ) and lrx ( 1600fps ) minimim velocity is... If used toward their minimum velocity they will work
Yeah, this is true of bullets in general. Soft bullets at too high a velocity fail to penetrate. Hard bullets at too low a velocity fail to expand. Know your impact velocities (not just muzzle velocity) and choose a suitably hard or soft bullet construction accordingly.
100% Desert Dog! Love the 300 H&H and the shoulder shot! I've been shooting barnes bullets for years and started with the original X version.Barnes offers a lot of lighter weight bullets in all the different calibers which can turn your favorite bigbore into a long range game getter.The last 5 caribou I shot in Quebec before they closed it, were shot with my .458 win mag and 350gr Barnes X bullets at 2550fps! 4 of the 5 were shots over 300yds. One was over 400yds! Half inch hole in, two inch hole out, very little meat damage. Some people say the shoulder shot ruins too much meat. I say BS! Yeah, maybe if you hit the shoulder with a Sierra or Corelock because cup and core bullets will generally just blow up when hitting heavy bone and not penetrate to the vitals! Depending on the angle, the shoulder shot breaks the animal down and with dangerous game like buffalo it slows them down making it easier to finish them off! Break that shoulder and it takes the fight out them! Seen it, done it! Nice review.
Very informative. I really appreciate your hunting ethics. I've walked away from several hunts because of the ethics of my camp companions. I love to hunt, I also love to target practice at long range. But don't target practice with the game you hunt.
I cannot believe when you were telling Barnes to "get your butt in gear" about the dated reloading manual, you didn't tell them to "get the lead out". Missed opportunity, man. It wrote itself.
Good informative video. Can tell you know your stuff...solid! I've been using Barnes ttx and ttsx for 7 years. Very accurate and effective. I've had to rethink some things: lighter for caliber bullets, faster, and shoot through shoulders not behind. Have to clean barrel more often and better! Will have to try LRX. Thanks
I very much appreciate and admire your straight forward approach. Thank you for the truth. I got a chance to shoot a blacktail in the shoulder and it was beautiful the result. Bullet hit the heart on the way through. And basically was dead before I could find it after it fell down the embankment. Another buck was about 70 ish yards away and lower on elevation. I got a shot right through the spine. 6 in hes of spine was pulverized fragments. In fact my hunting buddy had my cutlery and I had to make it work. Because of the massive damage I was able to split thr buck into two pieces, else wise I would have been there a lot lot longer. There is no such thing as perfect, but I love what happens when the tipped bullet hits bone on a game animal.
Excellent! I live in interior Alaska and have been reloading and hunting with TTSX for the past decade. For .270 I use 130 gr TTSX with IMR4350 (sitka blacktails, Dall sheep, black bear, caribou). For big bull moose, I reload 180gr TTSX with IMR4831 in 300 H & H. Typically good expansion, full penetration, 90% weight retention, and an exit hole, and good accuracy. Accuracy is most affected by bullet seating depth off the lands. Barnes recommends starting 50 thousandths of the lands as a starting seating depth. I shoot about 20 TTSX every week, so at $30 per box a 50 they are half the price of Hammer monolithics. I love your 5 shot groups...I think 3 shot group can be misleading.
130 gr TTSX with .270Win great combination! Hunting Oryx, Kudu, Black and Blue Wildebeest in Namibia with mine. Would really appreciate some load data, if youa re willing!... also starting to load now. Much appreciated erongo@yahoo.com
@@antonfaul4047 I always start with minimum published loads, and work my way up www.barnesbullets.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/270WinchesterForWeb.pdf I am not a long range shooter...in 28 years of hunting Alaska most of my kills have been less than 200 yards. The last 2 were less than 50 yards (Sitka black tail at 15 yards, bull moose at 35 yards).
A friend of mine uses 165 TTSX bullets in his 300 WSM and they are very accurate and deadly on everything from buck antelope to bull elk. Great bullets.
I can attest from experience that the TTSX bullets are awesome. I shot a 6 point bull elk at 380 yards with the 300 win mag and the bullet broke both shoulders and found the bullet inside the hide on the far side and expanded perfectly. The 180 grain bullet retained 90% of its weight.
Been hunting with the same 270 Weatherby Mag for 36 years. Some years ago, when I bought more cartridges, Weatherby had switched over to Barnes. After all those years with Nosler, I was concerned. Love the Triple Shock. Been reloading about 5 years now. They are the only bullet I reload all my family's rifles with. Match them with a magnum rifle. THEY HIT HARD. I figured my cost on reloads is $.99 each! Outstanding hog bullet. 2536 ft/lbs of energy at 200 yards, 130 grain bullet. 3/4 inch groups out of a well maintained rifle with about 900 rounds thru it. Talked to a Barnes rep, he said the plastic tip only really help you past 400 yards.
Thanks for another great video; you always do a fantastic job. These bullets have always been great for me. Easy to reload and put on animals for nice kills. Remember* Shot placement is critical. Like with any bullet, placement is key! Take care.
Thinking about trying Barnes in a 270 Win I’m currently using the Hornady sst 130 GR and noticed that LRX has basically the same BC the sst is 0.46 and the LRX is 0.463 does Ballistic Coefficient have anything to do with your zero?
Great review, this convinced me to go with the TTSX in my 243 Win. as I was looking for something tough for our conditions here in Africa. Keep the great videos coming. Keep well
Thank you for your thoughts on the great Barnes bullets. Remember that you can use a lighter bullet for caliber and get adequate penetration as a lead bullet because it keeps all of its weight. I use a 130 Green tea TSX bullet in my 308 Winchester. I am using Tac powder which drives the bullet at about 3100 ft./s. 130 g/3100 ft./s… Sound familiar. 270 Winchester? Great load shoots under an inch and will knock down anything that poops in the woods.
I totally agree with your points in this video... Only point, I have used Barnes TSX "308 168 gn on dear and small black bear, the results were perfect, and not much meat damage.... So even on soft skinned animals, Barnes bullets are perfect.
Desert Dog, I first ran across your channel viewing this video on Barnes Bullets, which I used in my 270 Win and latter in my 300 H&H. I was able to get my hands on some 225 grain E-Tips in 338, basically because everything is in such short supply, but coming back slowly. Do you have any advice on the GMX’s or the E-Tips? I’ve come across a new sources saying they expand a bit better. I think many of us would like to know what you think.
I'm also wondering about the GMX. I came across a great deal on 150 of them for my .270 and they print fantastic groups but I haven't hunted with them yet. Did you use them anymore since you posted this?
Good info, thank you sir. I’ve seen a bunch of mule deer drop easy with a bunch of different calibers. I’ve seen some just plan refuge to die. Happy hunting everybody
I am shot Barnes bullets for a number of years and my biggest complaint is they really need to step up their game and update their reloading manual because I am constantly trying to go online to get load data on different rounds and I reload a lot of different calibers and I also like to see some more bullets for the older cartridges
Based on my experience you are totaly right, the bullets are outstanding accurate for a hunting bullet and the killing performance is great as long as you hit a tough structure of the animal. I will not go back to lead core bullets.
Thanks for a very good, informative, and ethical sound video.👍 Just a single comment on the “drop dead or run dead” issue. Several different researches in USA and in Europe have confirmed, that the “drop dead” scenario is primarily caused by placing the bullet in the upper part of the body. The reason for this is simple. The chock wave in the animal tissue will for 3-5 seconds paralyse the spine. And normally when that time has elapsed, the blood pressure has falen so the animal no longer can coordinate the movements and run away. We all know that animals can run away with the heart shot to pirces. But they cant run witout legs..😊😊 BR Jan
Makes sense. I smoked a 21 3/4 Blackie out of a stand not 20 yards out earlier this year.. 45-70 with the factory load 325 Hornady FTX, right below/behind shoulder blade for double lung clean pass through even with ballistic tip bullet. He plowed though 70-80 yards of timber before running along side a creek he knew he couldn't cross and piling into a tree along side it. Ran so far into the thick that it was not possible to get ATV's in to haul him out and we had to skin him out on the ground in a mess. Just the Idea of dumping a 325 grain round with a lethal shot into animal like this in a close range self defence situation and having him still be able to run you clean over with energy to spare was an eye opener to say the least. Best tip I have gotten from experienced hunters since then is to use a round like this TSX and if you want to stop the animal, shoot through the front shoulder blade.
Thank you for the video I m in the same situation living in CA and Im new on the reloading world I m definitely going to try this barns bullets, how much thousands of the lands you shooting ?
My loads are anywhere from. 030" to .100" I usually start at .040" from jam, find a good powder charge and lastly back the seating depth off to fine tune the load.
Your 300 H&H rifle is gorgeous and a real performer. My big-30 is the 300RUM and it shoots 130 grain TTSX's at over 3700 fps! I also use 7mm 140 grain TTSX's in a 280 Remington and in a 7mm Rem Mag. On the other end of the spectrum I use .224 50 grain Varmint Grenades in .223 Rem. Excellent information in your review, thank you.
Best hunting bullet on the market in my opinion, and you are right these bullets are not tack driving accurate. But hey when your hunting you not trying to clip holes your trying to kill an animal as quickly and cleanly as possible. You can achieve a 1/2" MOA if reloading with them though, just need to check the twist of the rifling and make sure you have enough turns per ft. to stabilize this round as it has to be made longer to get the weigh that is needed. (Great hunting round Barnes)
In the 90is I shoot through one big cape buffalo and two smaller with one 300 grs Barnes x from a 378 Wbm. The problem with the x bullet was cleaning the metal out of the barrel. Less barrel contact on the new bullets makes them better. They are excellent hunting bullets. Maybe the best?
Great video! Great content, I love the 250gr and 300gr TSX in 45-70, my usual round for Deer and Black bear, but this season, I want to try the LRX in 6.5 Creedmoor. Good shooting you have there, my hopes are up! Thanks for the video.
Just switched from Norma Oryx 11 gram (170 grain) to 139 grain LRX in my 7x57R bockbüchsflinte - which I actually use as a single shot rifle topped with a Zeiss 2,5-10x50. This season so far 3 fallow deer, distances from 12 to 125 meters. No complants from my side.
I use 250gr. Barnes TSX in my 9.3x62. It may not be an ideal combination, but it works very well on wild boar on distances up to 150meters. Thanks for the video.
@@dimmacommunication it works well. I hunt in Germany, the distances for this type of hunt are rather small (around 50 meters and almost always below 150meters). The bullet causes less meat damage as compared to smaller and faster rounds (I also use a 6.5Cr), but still kills quickly, which is why a lot of hunters use it for driven hunts (quite popular here - although not for me...). Recoil is a little bit more than a .308, however I shoot a rather heavy Blaser R8 with a semiweight barrel, and this combination makes it very managable. Aditionally, although this is subjective, I would say that recoil of the 9.3x62 is gently pushing, instead of kicking hard. I also used it on roe deer (which is really small as compared to boar), however there is also very quick effect and almost no meat loss. I would not use it on wider distance, for example on chamois in the mountains. Good day to you!
Personally speaking, I prefer the Barnes TTSX bullets. I use them in both, my Browning Bar 30-06, and 300 Winchester Mag, and I've found them perform exceptionally well. With regards to you folks in California, all I can say is that you have my sympathy!
Thanks for this video. I'm making the switch away from lead ammo this year. Just ordered some 150 and 168gr TTSX in .308 to see how it groups. Thanks again for the info.
Thank you for this video. Your logic and presentation are much appreciated. Going to AK this spring after brown bears with a 30-06. Your information is helping me narrow it down to either original TSXs or maybe the TTSXs. Long shots will NOT be taken, we want to be very sure Griz is hit hard where it counts.
I personally would not use a 30-06 for Griz, although a well placed shot will definitely kill one. It is very hard to get a perfect shot on a big bear because of thick fur, fat, muscle, and vitals that shift all over the place depending on the orientation of the bear. I like using a round that gives a margin of safety for a not-so-perfect shot. I would step up to 375 or a minimum of 338 win mag. On Kodiak Island, I would take my 416. A well designed gun like an M70 in 375 H&H really doesn't kick much harder than a 30-06.
The 200gr tsx is the heaviest bullet Barnes makes for .308 caliber. I dont personally think a grizzly bear is going to know the difference if its shot with a 30-06 or a 300 win mag at a reasonable distance. For longer distance or more energy requirement then the 300 win mag is what to take to the dance.
Really informative. I'm shooting 300WSM in California and am transitioning to non-lead ammo as well. I haven't done any reloading in 300WSM but intend to. Sounds like Barnes is the way to go. I typically am hunting ranges no further than 300 yards but occasionally have ranged out to beyond that. You think the LRX is the way to go over the TTSX?
I also use a 300 wsm. My load for reindeer out to 300m is 168 ttsx over 66grs H4350. Very good accuracy with a BC of .47 and high velocity for broad expansion. Barnes bullets like velocity.
Great video, very informative. I'll be using the 145 gr LRX (with my 7 mag) this year for the first time. I hunt blacktail, muleys, and elk. In your opinion, is the 145gr a solid round for these three game animals?
Hey Brett, I've so far only got one deer and one moose with Barnes bullets, but you can get away with a lighter bullet than a copper/lead bullet because of the super high weight retention. If a 180 grain lead cored bullet ends up being recovered at 120 grains, you might as well go lighter with a Barnes anyway! That and the extra velocity helps them expand better anyway. I would rather a lighter one going fast. Cheers
It really depends on the rifle I am loading for. I have some that like the Barnes to be .020" off the lands and others that will not shoot good unless I back them 0.090" off the lands.
great video, thanks. just shot barnes an e-mail to bug them, still no 5th edition, its been over 12yrs.... looking at the 190g LRX for elk. the extra BC is buying me some effective range in 30-06. Estimating off book numbers I should maintain the minimum 1500ft lb out to 550yds, and be at about 1900fps, more than enough to expand reliably.
Just put together a ttsx load for my 7.62×39 bolt action that grouped .83" at 100 yards going 2300 fps. That will be my daughters hunting load this year.
A short question For hunting Red Deer Stag in the rut with a 308win. Which bullet weight would you choose en Barnes TTSX?? Distances may be anything between 40 and 340 yards Never used copper bullets but eager to try them out
Thank you so much for your extremely truthful reviews! You help with your knowledge and experience without any advertising and swagger! Health and hunting fart!
I’ve been using the 0.338 caliber, 225 grain TTSX for six hunting seasons. It’s performance on game is exceptional, I don’t know it could be improved. It always exits the animal and turns any organ it hits into soup.
Quick question…lots of success w eldx 6.5cm and 130gr federal psp…over the last 40 years…o ly complaint if a sometimes Lack of blood trail … although I’ve o ly lost one deer in that time … would you expect Me to see any meaningful Improvement by using the tsx bullets…ranges in my area are well under 200 yards…thanks in advance Lee Morgan
I loaded some 130tsx in my 270wsm just to shoot for practice and they were so accurate I used it for deer and it worked good deer dropped iam happy with Barnes
Moving from Oregon to Montana soon, I hunt with two rifles, 280 Rem & 300 Win Mag. I thought I'd load the 140gr TTSX in the 280, and the 180gr TTSX in my 300 Win. Are these good choices for deer, Elk, or an encounter with Grizzly?
Does the tipped bullets (ttsx) affect COAL? I loading 168 gr ttsx in federal gold medal brass. I’m setting the COAL at 2.810 as Barnes says but I can still see one of the indented rings above my crimp. The brass was trimmed to 2.005 as Barnes calls for. Just seems like all the rings should be seated below the case mouth/crimp
The rings are not cannelures like typical bullets; they are "driving bands" intended to regulate pressures and reduce copper fouling. Your only limiting factor with these should be magazine length. Try NOT crimping this bullet; you will see much better performance without a crimp. Probably 99% of reloaders don't crimp until they get to loads like 338 Win Mag or 375 H&H. With proper neck tension, you won't see bullet set-back with a 30 magnum with no crimp.
Wow - I never thought I would sit thru a 20 minute video showing four bullets and a pair of hands ;-) Your vast experience really becomes apparent when I listen to what you’re saying. I really appreciate your video and hope you will make more. Am thinking about bullet choice for a 300 Weatherby and TTSX is definitely on the short list. I am actually thinking of the 150 grain version at ridiculous velocity for a super flat trajectory. Will not make any shots past 300 yards so a 230 yard zero would be fun and be able to hold straight on at all distances from zero to 300 yards. What do you think? Is a heavier TTSX preferable? Will the 150 grain version shear its petals?
Personally, I think the 175gr LRX would be a much better fit for that cartridge and the twist rate of most of the barrels chambered in it (1:10). You would still be holding dead on at 300 yards with the 175gr LRX, and it would hold together better on those close shots.
I started out hunting in a shotgun only area. The best slugs we ever used were the Federal loaded Barnes expander. They were beautiful 6 petaled copper hollow points. That on impact opened up to approximately 1.5 inches. The deer seldom went far. I'm currently using 250g in my 454 casull and the 250g TTSX in my 375 Ruger. Took a doe last year with the revolver, she dropped in her tracks, never took a step. To get the load data for the 250 TTSX in my 375 Ruger, I had to call Barnes to get what I needed.
Going to reload my 22-250 with these this year for the coyote season. Consumer market for varmint round seems to be eating up all of the light weight flangeable and ballistic pre loaded ammo to the extent that it is hard to find the big chains stocking anything that doesn't fit the above description. Shot a factory load box of TSX from this Tika T3x and the groupings were solid despite being off the aim point of any of the ballistic tip rounds tested at the same time. Only issue I found is that it was the last box available at Cabelas so was no worth sighting into for only 20 shots. Haven't seen the preloads back in stock for 3 years since. The V-Max style ammo shoots great and really dumps most of the energy into a pest.. destroys gophers crows and magpies; but what about pest control when you are actually trying to skin the animal for the pelt? Main thing with this specific bullet vs the ballistic tips and the extremely flangable varmint rounds on the consumer market today for preloadeded ammo is that I won't be seeing football sized exit wounds on my coyotes pelts with a solid core bullet like this, and as long as I make a solid hit in the vitals they will go down just the same.
If you use these on coyotes, you'll guarantee having to sew up two holes, entrance and exit. I've been using 55 grain soft points with good results, usually an entrance and no exit. Occasionally I'll hit no bones or graze a rib, and then you'll get an exit, but those are few and far between.
Ross Siegfried guns+ammo shooting editor tested these bullets for a couple years before barns introduced them to the public. He shot water buffaloes and wild donkeys in Australia and raved about they’re performance. Ross said a good hunting bullet should make two holes entrance + exit the exit being very important! Forgive me if I misspelled his name.
Hey, I am a believer, I started loading ttsx 120 gr Creedmoor. I didnt even see what was coming, I put 5 bullets through 1/2 inch at 100yds , IMR4350 40.5gr. Savage 10fcp 20in barrel. These things are accurate. Then I shot the same load through a 22in barrel savage and had almost the exact results. Shoots more consistant then GMX. I have been messing around with those too.
@@foonus406 1/8 Also started loading 127gr LRX with Superformance, getting some good results. I thought i would see why this powder was less expensive, so far it has done well with this combo. And the rifle was 22in savage TH/10 with 1/8 and a boyds stock, no bedding.
I recommend you use a 338 Win Mag, 35 Whelen, 9.3x62, or 375 H&H in a hunting weight rifle; then stalk within 100 yards of the Bison (very easy to do), and put it down. Bison hunting should be an up close and personal, ethical experience. Leave the long range plinking guns at home.
I love Barnes x bullets of all types. Best bullet made for Elk and larger game ! Never once have I had an issue with one not expanding. They fixed that issue back in the 90s by softening the nose.
Take a look at the 168 TTSX. That’s the only one that resembles an LRX for me out of my .308. I do reload, and love the 130 TTSX @3000 fps! But if you just need a shelf LRX…
Despite hunting for over 50 yrs, I have only relatively recently discovered and listened to these videos. 'Desert Dog' is one of my favourites. Barnes monolthic projectiles changed hunting forever. Ask any PH in Zimbabwe which bullet he prefers his clients to have and Barnes always features in the top 2-3. My one criticism is than the metal alloy used by Barnes has been refined over 3 decades and the reaction on impact has changed considerably... and I cannot find any research on this regarding 'best impact velocity'. I clearly remember an article in the excellent 'Magnum' magazine describing how the best impact for Barnes (type unknown) was 15-1750 fps. Anything above 1900 fps and the bullet 'petals' simply broke off losing about 35% of the bullets weight. Without exception the author had full penetration through soft skinned antelope of about 150lbs eg Impala and reedbuck rams. Invariably the exit wound on the other side was massive and antelope died where it stood. PLeeeze do a piece on the best IMPACT velocities for various monolthic bullets. The bushveldt of Southern Africa is not suited to high velocity cartridges as ranges are seldom more than 150 yards and often half of that. Antelope and Cape Buffalo move in large herds and numerous times 'too much gun' results in: i) horrendous venison damage ii) other animals behind the target animal are killed/wounded. IMO MV of 23-2400 fps is best. Less if using a heavy-for-calibre projectile. Note i have never paid for a hunt and used to shoot antelope for the pot on friends ranches. But I do know a few experienced PHs.
Exactly correct. That is why it is important to step down a little in bullet weight and push them faster. These bullets are very easy to find accurate loads for.
Yes the lack of loading data and components is a problem, I cant find much on the LRX in 175gr and the only powder I've managed to find is Accurate 4064. No Accurate powder loads on either Accurate site or Banes site for that bullet. here's one more for you I have a box of 190gr LRX and Barnes doesn't even list them in their load data. I have no clue where to even start with those.
I agree with your ethics trying to shoot deer or other big game at 800 plus yards is foolish and not really hunting. Plus your comments on internet bowl shitters is so true.
All of California in 2019 has to use lead free for hunting thanks for the video I ordered some lrx in 7mm and 270 we will see how they group I tried nosler etips and hornady gmx bullets they were terrible 6 inch groups at 100 yards like you I used the Accubond and would get 1 moa or less at 100 yards.. I sas very discouraged till I saw this video.
Barnes is from Utah a state that allows lead they created the 50 BMG and 1911 and all the browning guns as that’s another Utah company mormons engineer guns well and bullets
So I have NOT had the same experience with the 127gr LRX in my 6.5cm. I have been doing load development but am struggling to get it under 1.5 inch @100yard. So far I have worked with IMR 4350 and seating the LRX .050 off the lands. I have worked from the minimum charge to a bit over the published max of 41.5. I have some ready to try that I have pushed to .075 off the lands. Other than changing powder what else can I try with these monolithic bullets? I am shooting a Begara Ridge with a 1-8 twist; the 143 eldx’s will easily shoot 1/2 inch @100.
Did you do an OCW, ladder, or Saterlee velocity test? Do an OCW or Saterlee test with several different suitable powders like H4350, RL17, Varget, or H4831sc. Load em all about .040-.050 off the lands and fine tune seating depth AFTER you find the best powder combination.
No doubt the all copper bullets are king in my opinion. I can shoot what ever bullet I want and still shoot the ttsx and lrx in 6.5 Creedmoor/Grendel . Hands down my favorite bullet!!!
I put a 180g TTSX into a wildebeest on an open chest shot. The skinners dug it out of the hind end still in one piece. Put it on my scales and it still weighs 180g. Fantastic ammo.
@Blake I process all my own game at home. I also have a lot of respect for the guys who do that job when I'm hunting in Africa and am very happy to pay for their work. All the meat from the animals I've hunted out there went into the food chain. My money went into the economy.
@Blake When you hunt in Africa, you are hunting on private property or a reserve. (whether a rancher, company, co-op, government, or tribe owns the land). They will not just turn you lose to do what you want; you will be provided a Professional Hunter, driver, tracker, skinner, cook, and possibly even a government observer depending on area. If this bothers you and offends you, don't hunt in Africa. Also, on most African hunts, the choice cuts (tenderloins/straps) are kept in camp and cooked for meals; the rest of the meat is donated to local people, which is often the only protein they will get. You cannot transport game meat back to the US after an African hunt; it is against US law.
@faultroy It depends. Some SA game farms might bring the meat to market, but not the ones I have hunted with. The private property outfitters I hunted with gave the unused meat to local villagers, as the skinners and staff usually get their fill of meat pretty fast during hunting season. On tribal land, the local tribe gets the meat and will often put on a dance and give thanks to the hunters for the meat and for the tribal revenue generated by the hunt. On Government land, the meat not used for camp is also donated. Nothing goes to waste.
You can go to Barnes's website and get the new data for The TTSX & LRX. If it's not updated, one of the expert consultants will give your info. I've used almost exclusively Barnes bullets since 1999 and have shot California hogs and blacktail deer with excellent results. I moved to (back) to Idaho in 2003 and still only use my 257wby mag for hunting anything that walks. 100gr TTSX has accounted for more deer and elk than any other caliber I've ever owned. I currently own a 257 wby, 250 Savage, 300win mag, 308 win, 6.5 cm and a 9.3x62. I shoot barnes bullets exclusively for hunting and the others are for cheap target shooting. Good hunting!
they have not updated LRX or TTSX data for many of the cartridges I load for. When you call, the "expert consultants" tell you to use TSX data, which is no help at all because the bullets are vastly different.
Great video I have shot Barnes bullets since they first came out I have killed over 30 elk and deer and have only recovered 3 bullets I love two holes and they kill ..... now they are accurate and even better, TTSX and LRX are the best bullets on this planet if you are a serious hunter and I agree if you can not get within 400 yards your skills suck... great video...
It is great for you healthy guys to spot and stalk but there are many of us who are disabled and can't stalk anymore. I have not harvested a deer in several years because of my disability and inability to walk far or be on my feet for very long. I saved my meager funds to buy a long range rifle and glass so that this year with practice I won't have to beg game meat from others but may have a chance at a 600 yard doe or even an elk. I am just saying before you guys climb up on your soap boxes and bash the rest of us just try and think of those of us that can't stalk anymore but still appreciate wild game meat on the grill. Different needs and means for different people.
I hated Barnes or any other monolithic bullet for a couple of decades. Then I realized that all of my opinion was based on what other people had said. I had never tried them myself. Wow. Very accurate on the bench. In the field the terminal performance of the TTSX was devastating. Meat damage was less than lead due to the fact that an all copper bullet does not fragment like a lead core. I still use lead core for predator hunting but for big game I am exclusively using Barnes.
I shoot the TTSX because it is the most accurate bullet I've found for my 7 Rem Mag. It is indeed a premium bullet. As a deer hunter i've not lost an animal and never recovered a bullet. Thanks for the video...well done. Sorry that California has turned into such a hell hole.
@RYG You should learn to converse in the English language.
Love your videos!!! Your 1 of the BEST!
I've been using Barnes bullets since long before California forced me to go non-leaded. Even the old Barnes 'X" bullets served me well with seven one shot kills in a row on Black Tail deer. They worked the best for me when I could break at least one shoulder bone and then go through the chest cavity. Those deer dropped in their tracks as the bullet really seemed to "shiver their timbers." I did need follow up shots when I didn't shoot well and made a lung shot.
Thanks for this video. You always have good down to earth content because of your experience in hunting, shooting and reloading.
I love your content! I share your opinion on everything I've heard you say so far and your attitude and commentary about the things that are ridiculous have made me and my wife laugh our assess off. Thanks for just being yourself, it helps me feel normal!
Pretty good chance Barnes is watching too! More powders in the manual too please!
My medicine for mulies, whitetail, and pronghorn is a 243 win, loaded with 100 grain Barnes ttsx. I have taken shots to 450 yards, all successful, save one that was a clean miss.
I am a Barnes TSX and TTSX fan for life, now. I have stockpiled thousands of Barnes bullets, in case the company goes out of biz, so my sons can handload them, and hunt with them for life
I use 85 grain TSX in my 243 Xbolt long range 26" barrel. It loves em & animals hate them! 11 point taken this year on KANSAS rifle opener @ 250 yards. Night before guide called my rifle/243 a Coyote rifle. Told him if i saw a shooter come across this field i would change his mind. He dressed my deer & said Damn @ the internal damage! I said, Nuff Said! He's a believer now. 🤣🦌🦌🦌🦌
Good info on the Barnes Bullets, Im pretty much a Nosler Partition guy but will give the TTSX a shot...
I have used TSX and now TTSX since the fail safe bullets went away. The TTSX is fantastic on moose, and I'm confident it would break shoulders on a brown bear. (I use a .300 win mag). I believe the mass retention of the TTSX makes it especially effective for hunting. Interesting discussion.
Shot Nosler Partitions for hunting most of my lifetime and they always performed well in all medium to large calibers. Loaded the original Barnes X without grooves for my 375 H&H and 7x64 in the early 2000th and they all performed well on game. Shot placement within ethical hunting distances is the key! I do not even want to know how many animals are wounded and never recovered by long range shots with inappropriate calibers and poorly constructed bullets.
Well said. We find wasted animals every year after the season. Either the "223 is a deer rifle" crowd. Or, the guys who have rifles named " Creedmoor" and " PRC" that think a lot of rifle makes up for a little skill.
I tried the X BULLET when it first came out. Gave up on it because of accuracy issues. After watching your videos I now use TTSX. I have found everything you said to be true especially accuracy of these bullets. Please keep the great videos coming!
Very informative. I believe lot of people do not use barnes correctly and complain. Barnes tsx( 2000 fps ) ,ttsx ( 1800fps ) and lrx ( 1600fps ) minimim velocity is... If used toward their minimum velocity they will work
Yeah, this is true of bullets in general. Soft bullets at too high a velocity fail to penetrate. Hard bullets at too low a velocity fail to expand. Know your impact velocities (not just muzzle velocity) and choose a suitably hard or soft bullet construction accordingly.
100% Desert Dog! Love the 300 H&H and the shoulder shot! I've been shooting barnes bullets for years and started with the original X version.Barnes offers a lot of lighter weight bullets in all the different calibers which can turn your favorite bigbore into a long range game getter.The last 5 caribou I shot in Quebec before they closed it, were shot with my .458 win mag and 350gr Barnes X bullets at 2550fps! 4 of the 5 were shots over 300yds. One was over 400yds! Half inch hole in, two inch hole out, very little meat damage.
Some people say the shoulder shot ruins too much meat. I say BS! Yeah, maybe if you hit the shoulder with a Sierra or Corelock because cup and core bullets will generally just blow up when hitting heavy bone and not penetrate to the vitals! Depending on the angle, the shoulder shot breaks the animal down and with dangerous game like buffalo it slows them down making it easier to finish them off! Break that shoulder and it takes the fight out them! Seen it, done it! Nice review.
And yes, Barnes, let's see a new reloading manual!
Very informative. I really appreciate your hunting ethics. I've walked away from several hunts because of the ethics of my camp companions. I love to hunt, I also love to target practice at long range. But don't target practice with the game you hunt.
Thank you for your compliment, and for your ethical approach to taking the life of a game animal.
I cannot believe when you were telling Barnes to "get your butt in gear" about the dated reloading manual, you didn't tell them to "get the lead out". Missed opportunity, man. It wrote itself.
Haha, that'd be perfect. Well played, man!
Good informative video. Can tell you know your stuff...solid! I've been using Barnes ttx and ttsx for 7 years. Very accurate and effective. I've had to rethink some things: lighter for caliber bullets, faster, and shoot through shoulders not behind. Have to clean barrel more often and better! Will have to try LRX. Thanks
I very much appreciate and admire your straight forward approach. Thank you for the truth. I got a chance to shoot a blacktail in the shoulder and it was beautiful the result. Bullet hit the heart on the way through. And basically was dead before I could find it after it fell down the embankment. Another buck was about 70 ish yards away and lower on elevation. I got a shot right through the spine. 6 in hes of spine was pulverized fragments. In fact my hunting buddy had my cutlery and I had to make it work. Because of the massive damage I was able to split thr buck into two pieces, else wise I would have been there a lot lot longer. There is no such thing as perfect, but I love what happens when the tipped bullet hits bone on a game animal.
Excellent! I live in interior Alaska and have been reloading and hunting with TTSX for the past decade.
For .270 I use 130 gr TTSX with IMR4350 (sitka blacktails, Dall sheep, black bear, caribou).
For big bull moose, I reload 180gr TTSX with IMR4831 in 300 H & H.
Typically good expansion, full penetration, 90% weight retention, and an exit hole, and good accuracy.
Accuracy is most affected by bullet seating depth off the lands. Barnes recommends starting 50 thousandths of the lands as a starting seating depth.
I shoot about 20 TTSX every week, so at $30 per box a 50 they are half the price of Hammer monolithics.
I love your 5 shot groups...I think 3 shot group can be misleading.
130 gr TTSX with .270Win great combination! Hunting Oryx, Kudu, Black and Blue Wildebeest in Namibia with mine. Would really appreciate some load data, if youa re willing!... also starting to load now. Much appreciated erongo@yahoo.com
@@antonfaul4047 I always start with minimum published loads, and work my way up www.barnesbullets.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/270WinchesterForWeb.pdf
I am not a long range shooter...in 28 years of hunting Alaska most of my kills have been less than 200 yards.
The last 2 were less than 50 yards (Sitka black tail at 15 yards, bull moose at 35 yards).
Those 180gr ttsx have an affinity for RL-17, I reload them for my 300win. The 200 TSX is an absolute bear killer also!
Thank you for taking the time to explain all this good information about barnes bullets.
Very interesting !!!!
A friend of mine uses 165 TTSX bullets in his 300 WSM and they are very accurate and deadly on everything from buck antelope to bull elk. Great bullets.
I can attest from experience that the TTSX bullets are awesome. I shot a 6 point bull elk at 380 yards with the 300 win mag and the bullet broke both shoulders and found the bullet inside the hide on the far side and expanded perfectly. The 180 grain bullet retained 90% of its weight.
Been hunting with the same 270 Weatherby Mag for 36 years. Some years ago, when I bought more cartridges, Weatherby had switched over to Barnes. After all those years with Nosler, I was concerned. Love the Triple Shock. Been reloading about 5 years now. They are the only bullet I reload all my family's rifles with. Match them with a magnum rifle. THEY HIT HARD. I figured my cost on reloads is $.99 each! Outstanding hog bullet. 2536 ft/lbs of energy at 200 yards, 130 grain bullet. 3/4 inch groups out of a well maintained rifle with about 900 rounds thru it. Talked to a Barnes rep, he said the plastic tip only really help you past 400 yards.
Thanks for another great video; you always do a fantastic job.
These bullets have always been great for me. Easy to reload and put on animals for nice kills. Remember* Shot placement is critical. Like with any bullet, placement is key!
Take care.
These Barnes bullets actually print better than any others in my Ruger M77's. My .243 groups a .30 group at 100 yds.
Thinking about trying Barnes in a 270 Win I’m currently using the Hornady sst 130 GR and noticed that LRX has basically the same BC the sst is 0.46 and the LRX is 0.463 does Ballistic Coefficient have anything to do with your zero?
Great review, this convinced me to go with the TTSX in my 243 Win. as I was looking for something tough for our conditions here in Africa. Keep the great videos coming. Keep well
Love the 50-55s in my 220 Swift.... Thats my go to when shtf for distance and devistation.
You just convinced me to order a box of LRX 175 for my 300 Weatherby 😁
Greetings from Sweden 👍🏻
Stay free in those European, socialist trenches Sweden!
Thank you for your thoughts on the great Barnes bullets. Remember that you can use a lighter bullet for caliber and get adequate penetration as a lead bullet because it keeps all of its weight. I use a 130 Green tea TSX bullet in my 308 Winchester. I am using Tac powder which drives the bullet at about 3100 ft./s. 130 g/3100 ft./s… Sound familiar. 270 Winchester? Great load shoots under an inch and will knock down anything that poops in the woods.
Barnes bullets are awesome bullets, I use them in .243 win, .257 weatherby, 7mm Rem mag., and .270 WSM.
I totally agree with your points in this video... Only point, I have used Barnes TSX "308 168 gn on dear and small black bear, the results were perfect, and not much meat damage.... So even on soft skinned animals, Barnes bullets are perfect.
Desert Dog, I first ran across your channel viewing this video on Barnes Bullets, which I used in my 270 Win and latter in my 300 H&H. I was able to get my hands on some 225 grain E-Tips in 338, basically because everything is in such short supply, but coming back slowly.
Do you have any advice on the GMX’s or the E-Tips? I’ve come across a new sources saying they expand a bit better.
I think many of us would like to know what you think.
I'm also wondering about the GMX. I came across a great deal on 150 of them for my .270 and they print fantastic groups but I haven't hunted with them yet. Did you use them anymore since you posted this?
Im a fan of barnes for sure, great accuracy and lots of drt. Thank you for video!
Good info, thank you sir. I’ve seen a bunch of mule deer drop easy with a bunch of different calibers. I’ve seen some just plan refuge to die.
Happy hunting everybody
I am shot Barnes bullets for a number of years and my biggest complaint is they really need to step up their game and update their reloading manual because I am constantly trying to go online to get load data on different rounds and I reload a lot of different calibers and I also like to see some more bullets for the older cartridges
Based on my experience you are totaly right, the bullets are outstanding accurate for a hunting bullet and the killing performance is great as long as you hit a tough structure of the animal. I will not go back to lead core bullets.
Thanks for a very good, informative, and ethical sound video.👍
Just a single comment on the “drop dead or run dead” issue. Several different researches in USA and in Europe have confirmed, that the “drop dead” scenario is primarily caused by placing the bullet in the upper part of the body. The reason for this is simple. The chock wave in the animal tissue will for 3-5 seconds paralyse the spine. And normally when that time has elapsed, the blood pressure has falen so the animal no longer can coordinate the movements and run away. We all know that animals can run away with the heart shot to pirces. But they cant run witout legs..😊😊
BR
Jan
Makes sense,thx for the info.
Makes sense. I smoked a 21 3/4 Blackie out of a stand not 20 yards out earlier this year.. 45-70 with the factory load 325 Hornady FTX, right below/behind shoulder blade for double lung clean pass through even with ballistic tip bullet. He plowed though 70-80 yards of timber before running along side a creek he knew he couldn't cross and piling into a tree along side it. Ran so far into the thick that it was not possible to get ATV's in to haul him out and we had to skin him out on the ground in a mess.
Just the Idea of dumping a 325 grain round with a lethal shot into animal like this in a close range self defence situation and having him still be able to run you clean over with energy to spare was an eye opener to say the least. Best tip I have gotten from experienced hunters since then is to use a round like this TSX and if you want to stop the animal, shoot through the front shoulder blade.
Thank you for the video I m in the same situation living in CA and Im new on the reloading world I m definitely going to try this barns bullets, how much thousands of the lands you shooting ?
My loads are anywhere from. 030" to .100" I usually start at .040" from jam, find a good powder charge and lastly back the seating depth off to fine tune the load.
Your 300 H&H rifle is gorgeous and a real performer. My big-30 is the 300RUM and it shoots 130 grain TTSX's at over 3700 fps! I also use 7mm 140 grain TTSX's in a 280 Remington and in a 7mm Rem Mag. On the other end of the spectrum I use .224 50 grain Varmint Grenades in .223 Rem. Excellent information in your review, thank you.
Best hunting bullet on the market in my opinion, and you are right these bullets are not tack driving accurate. But hey when your hunting you not trying to clip holes your trying to kill an animal as quickly and cleanly as possible. You can achieve a 1/2" MOA if reloading with them though, just need to check the twist of the rifling and make sure you have enough turns per ft. to stabilize this round as it has to be made longer to get the weigh that is needed. (Great hunting round Barnes)
In the 90is I shoot through one big cape buffalo and two smaller with one 300 grs Barnes x from a 378 Wbm. The problem with the x bullet was cleaning the metal out of the barrel. Less barrel contact on the new bullets makes them better. They are excellent hunting bullets. Maybe the best?
Great video! Great content, I love the 250gr and 300gr TSX in 45-70, my usual round for Deer and Black bear, but this season, I want to try the LRX in 6.5 Creedmoor. Good shooting you have there, my hopes are up! Thanks for the video.
The Eld and internet cowboy speech was spot on! 👏🏼 I enjoyed the soap box preaching.
Just switched from Norma Oryx 11 gram (170 grain) to 139 grain LRX in my 7x57R bockbüchsflinte - which I actually use as a single shot rifle topped with a Zeiss 2,5-10x50. This season so far 3 fallow deer, distances from 12 to 125 meters. No complants from my side.
I use 250gr. Barnes TSX in my 9.3x62. It may not be an ideal combination, but it works very well on wild boar on distances up to 150meters.
Thanks for the video.
isn't 9.3x62 a bit too much for boar ?
@@dimmacommunication it works well. I hunt in Germany, the distances for this type of hunt are rather small (around 50 meters and almost always below 150meters).
The bullet causes less meat damage as compared to smaller and faster rounds (I also use a 6.5Cr), but still kills quickly, which is why a lot of hunters use it for driven hunts (quite popular here - although not for me...). Recoil is a little bit more than a .308, however I shoot a rather heavy Blaser R8 with a semiweight barrel, and this combination makes it very managable. Aditionally, although this is subjective, I would say that recoil of the 9.3x62 is gently pushing, instead of kicking hard.
I also used it on roe deer (which is really small as compared to boar), however there is also very quick effect and almost no meat loss.
I would not use it on wider distance, for example on chamois in the mountains. Good day to you!
@@FearsomeBookling isn't the 9.3x62 comparable to 375 HH ?
@@dimmacommunication the .375 has a slightly larger diameter and is more powerful, especially from longer barrels.
@@FearsomeBookling I've read that people use it as a 375 hh substitute in Africa 🤔
Yet another honest and great video. Please keep them coming! God bless and have a safe season this coming year.
Personally speaking, I prefer the Barnes TTSX bullets. I use them in both, my Browning Bar 30-06, and 300 Winchester Mag, and I've found them perform exceptionally well. With regards to you folks in California, all I can say is that you have my sympathy!
Thanks for this video. I'm making the switch away from lead ammo this year. Just ordered some 150 and 168gr TTSX in .308 to see how it groups. Thanks again for the info.
I've been hunting Barnes bullets an absolutely love them and stand right beside you wanting a new manual
Thank you for this video. Your logic and presentation are much appreciated. Going to AK this spring after brown bears with a 30-06. Your information is helping me narrow it down to either original TSXs or maybe the TTSXs. Long shots will NOT be taken, we want to be very sure Griz is hit hard where it counts.
I personally would not use a 30-06 for Griz, although a well placed shot will definitely kill one. It is very hard to get a perfect shot on a big bear because of thick fur, fat, muscle, and vitals that shift all over the place depending on the orientation of the bear. I like using a round that gives a margin of safety for a not-so-perfect shot. I would step up to 375 or a minimum of 338 win mag. On Kodiak Island, I would take my 416. A well designed gun like an M70 in 375 H&H really doesn't kick much harder than a 30-06.
I thought AK required 300 win mag as the minimum for bear ?
The 200gr tsx is the heaviest bullet Barnes makes for .308 caliber. I dont personally think a grizzly bear is going to know the difference if its shot with a 30-06 or a 300 win mag at a reasonable distance. For longer distance or more energy requirement then the 300 win mag is what to take to the dance.
Really informative. I'm shooting 300WSM in California and am transitioning to non-lead ammo as well. I haven't done any reloading in 300WSM but intend to. Sounds like Barnes is the way to go. I typically am hunting ranges no further than 300 yards but occasionally have ranged out to beyond that. You think the LRX is the way to go over the TTSX?
I also use a 300 wsm. My load for reindeer out to 300m is 168 ttsx over 66grs H4350. Very good accuracy with a BC of .47 and high velocity for broad expansion. Barnes bullets like velocity.
Great video, very informative. I'll be using the 145 gr LRX (with my 7 mag) this year for the first time. I hunt blacktail, muleys, and elk. In your opinion, is the 145gr a solid round for these three game animals?
Hey Brett,
I've so far only got one deer and one moose with Barnes bullets, but you can get away with a lighter bullet than a copper/lead bullet because of the super high weight retention. If a 180 grain lead cored bullet ends up being recovered at 120 grains, you might as well go lighter with a Barnes anyway!
That and the extra velocity helps them expand better anyway. I would rather a lighter one going fast.
Cheers
@@joelodjick230
Thanks for your insight man, I appreciate it. I'll stick with the 145's I'm feeling pretty good about em. 👍
The 145 LRXs out of a 7mag are an absolutely devastating combination.
I use the 145 gr LRX out of my 7mm RUM exclusively for all North American big game with excellent results.
What do your seating depths on those loads end up being? How far off the lands?
It really depends on the rifle I am loading for. I have some that like the Barnes to be .020" off the lands and others that will not shoot good unless I back them 0.090" off the lands.
great video, thanks. just shot barnes an e-mail to bug them, still no 5th edition, its been over 12yrs.... looking at the 190g LRX for elk. the extra BC is buying me some effective range in 30-06. Estimating off book numbers I should maintain the minimum 1500ft lb out to 550yds, and be at about 1900fps, more than enough to expand reliably.
Just put together a ttsx load for my 7.62×39 bolt action that grouped .83" at 100 yards going 2300 fps. That will be my daughters hunting load this year.
A short question
For hunting Red Deer Stag in the rut with a 308win.
Which bullet weight would you choose en Barnes TTSX??
Distances may be anything between 40 and 340 yards
Never used copper bullets but eager to try them out
Thank you so much for your extremely truthful reviews! You help with your knowledge and experience without any advertising and swagger! Health and hunting fart!
I’ve been using the 0.338 caliber, 225 grain TTSX for six hunting seasons. It’s performance on game is exceptional, I don’t know it could be improved. It always exits the animal and turns any organ it hits into soup.
Barmes TTSX. This is the only bullet I use. they have never failed me. My choice 30-06 168gr TTSX
Do you like it in .308 ?
Yeah I’m looking into it for 308 also have you tried it?
Have you had any experience with Barnes LRX bullets’ ballistic tips being misshapen and misaligned? I have had several packets that have this..
These are absolutely fantastic
Quick question…lots of success w eldx 6.5cm and 130gr federal psp…over the last 40 years…o ly complaint if a sometimes
Lack of blood trail … although I’ve o ly lost one deer in that time … would you expect
Me to see any meaningful
Improvement by using the tsx bullets…ranges in my area are well under 200 yards…thanks in advance Lee Morgan
Watch my shot placement video, where I give specific recommendations for copper bullets.
Thanks for the videos. Very intelligent and informative!
How would you compare the LRX to the ELD-X, especially in the accuracy department?
I loaded some 130tsx in my 270wsm just to shoot for practice and they were so accurate I used it for deer and it worked good deer dropped iam happy with Barnes
Moving from Oregon to Montana soon, I hunt with two rifles, 280 Rem & 300 Win Mag.
I thought I'd load the 140gr TTSX in the 280, and the 180gr TTSX in my 300 Win. Are these good choices for deer, Elk, or an encounter with Grizzly?
Those are great bullet choices.
Does the tipped bullets (ttsx) affect COAL? I loading 168 gr ttsx in federal gold medal brass. I’m setting the COAL at 2.810 as Barnes says but I can still see one of the indented rings above my crimp. The brass was trimmed to 2.005 as Barnes calls for. Just seems like all the rings should be seated below the case mouth/crimp
The rings are not cannelures like typical bullets; they are "driving bands" intended to regulate pressures and reduce copper fouling. Your only limiting factor with these should be magazine length. Try NOT crimping this bullet; you will see much better performance without a crimp. Probably 99% of reloaders don't crimp until they get to loads like 338 Win Mag or 375 H&H. With proper neck tension, you won't see bullet set-back with a 30 magnum with no crimp.
Wow - I never thought I would sit thru a 20 minute video showing four bullets and a pair of hands ;-) Your vast experience really becomes apparent when I listen to what you’re saying. I really appreciate your video and hope you will make more. Am thinking about bullet choice for a 300 Weatherby and TTSX is definitely on the short list. I am actually thinking of the 150 grain version at ridiculous velocity for a super flat trajectory. Will not make any shots past 300 yards so a 230 yard zero would be fun and be able to hold straight on at all distances from zero to 300 yards. What do you think? Is a heavier TTSX preferable? Will the 150 grain version shear its petals?
Personally, I think the 175gr LRX would be a much better fit for that cartridge and the twist rate of most of the barrels chambered in it (1:10). You would still be holding dead on at 300 yards with the 175gr LRX, and it would hold together better on those close shots.
I started out hunting in a shotgun only area. The best slugs we ever used were the Federal loaded Barnes expander. They were beautiful 6 petaled copper hollow points. That on impact opened up to approximately 1.5 inches. The deer seldom went far.
I'm currently using 250g in my 454 casull and the 250g TTSX in my 375 Ruger. Took a doe last year with the revolver, she dropped in her tracks, never took a step.
To get the load data for the 250 TTSX in my 375 Ruger, I had to call Barnes to get what I needed.
You try Hammer bullets?
Or the newer Winchester Copper Extreme XP's. You'd probably have to pull these in order to reload them.
Going to reload my 22-250 with these this year for the coyote season. Consumer market for varmint round seems to be eating up all of the light weight flangeable and ballistic pre loaded ammo to the extent that it is hard to find the big chains stocking anything that doesn't fit the above description. Shot a factory load box of TSX from this Tika T3x and the groupings were solid despite being off the aim point of any of the ballistic tip rounds tested at the same time.
Only issue I found is that it was the last box available at Cabelas so was no worth sighting into for only 20 shots. Haven't seen the preloads back in stock for 3 years since.
The V-Max style ammo shoots great and really dumps most of the energy into a pest.. destroys gophers crows and magpies; but what about pest control when you are actually trying to skin the animal for the pelt?
Main thing with this specific bullet vs the ballistic tips and the extremely flangable varmint rounds on the consumer market today for preloadeded ammo is that I won't be seeing football sized exit wounds on my coyotes pelts with a solid core bullet like this, and as long as I make a solid hit in the vitals they will go down just the same.
If you use these on coyotes, you'll guarantee having to sew up two holes, entrance and exit. I've been using 55 grain soft points with good results, usually an entrance and no exit. Occasionally I'll hit no bones or graze a rib, and then you'll get an exit, but those are few and far between.
Have you tried hammer bullets? Curious how you think they compare to the Barnes
Yes. I've been loading them and shooting them for a year now. I'll eventually get a review video done.
Ross Siegfried guns+ammo shooting editor tested these bullets for a couple years before barns introduced them to the public. He shot water buffaloes and wild donkeys in Australia and raved about they’re performance. Ross said a good hunting bullet should make two holes entrance + exit the exit being very important! Forgive me if I misspelled his name.
I was just given some 7mm TSX bullets and loaded them for heavy game. Waiting to see how they react.
What velocity was the 127 lrx bullet did you load for the boar hunting you did?
I went to 2870 before seeing my first pressure sign. I found a node at 2815, so that's where I continued development.
@@desertdogoutdoors1113 yeah 2800 fps is a decent velocity inside 500 yards
Hey, I am a believer, I started loading ttsx 120 gr Creedmoor. I didnt even see what was coming, I put 5 bullets through 1/2 inch at 100yds , IMR4350 40.5gr. Savage 10fcp 20in barrel. These things are accurate. Then I shot the same load through a 22in barrel savage and had almost the exact results. Shoots more consistant then GMX. I have been messing around with those too.
You know the twist rate on that thing?
@@foonus406 1/8 Also started loading 127gr LRX with Superformance, getting some good results. I thought i would see why this powder was less expensive, so far it has done well with this combo. And the rifle was 22in savage TH/10 with 1/8 and a boyds stock, no bedding.
I have a rather interesting question lol. Going to hunt bison with a 338 lapua... what bullet would you recommend... shots probably within 200 yards
I recommend you use a 338 Win Mag, 35 Whelen, 9.3x62, or 375 H&H in a hunting weight rifle; then stalk within 100 yards of the Bison (very easy to do), and put it down. Bison hunting should be an up close and personal, ethical experience. Leave the long range plinking guns at home.
I love Barnes x bullets of all types. Best bullet made for Elk and larger game ! Never once have I had an issue with one not expanding. They fixed that issue back in the 90s by softening the nose.
I think your review and information is spot on! Thanks for your review! (I love barnes bullets too)
What twist rate is your rifle on the 6.5 creedmoor?
Most all 6.5 cal rifles are 1in8 twist.
For some reason they do not offer the lrx in slower calibers. 308 6.5 708. But they do in the mags and 270.
Learn to reload.
@@desertdogoutdoors1113 I want to actually. Getting closer to doing it.
It’s the only way to go. Try and find someone who already reloads, you’ll on learn a lot way faster
Take a look at the 168 TTSX. That’s the only one that resembles an LRX for me out of my .308.
I do reload, and love the 130 TTSX @3000 fps! But if you just need a shelf LRX…
I just bought some loaded ammunition: 6.5cm 127gr LRX 2850 fps .468BC #28986 Barnes Vor-TX Long Range.
In stock at Barnes and other places.
Do these bullets still expand consistently in a slower cartridge like the 308?
Yes. As long as you are above 2000 fps on impact, they work.
I also love the Barnes bullets. I’ve been reading great things about the Hammers lately as well, and want to give them a try.
Try badlands bulldozers
@@eddielombera5862 Will do!
Despite hunting for over 50 yrs, I have only relatively recently discovered and listened to these videos. 'Desert Dog' is one of my favourites. Barnes monolthic projectiles changed hunting forever. Ask any PH in Zimbabwe which bullet he prefers his clients to have and Barnes always features in the top 2-3. My one criticism is than the metal alloy used by Barnes has been refined over 3 decades and the reaction on impact has changed considerably... and I cannot find any research on this regarding 'best impact velocity'.
I clearly remember an article in the excellent 'Magnum' magazine describing how the best impact for Barnes (type unknown) was 15-1750 fps. Anything above 1900 fps and the bullet 'petals' simply broke off losing about 35% of the bullets weight. Without exception the author had full penetration through soft skinned antelope of about 150lbs eg Impala and reedbuck rams. Invariably the exit wound on the other side was massive and antelope died where it stood.
PLeeeze do a piece on the best IMPACT velocities for various monolthic bullets. The bushveldt of Southern Africa is not suited to high velocity cartridges as ranges are seldom more than 150 yards and often half of that. Antelope and Cape Buffalo move in large herds and numerous times 'too much gun' results in: i) horrendous venison damage ii) other animals behind the target animal are killed/wounded. IMO MV of 23-2400 fps is best. Less if using a heavy-for-calibre projectile.
Note i have never paid for a hunt and used to shoot antelope for the pot on friends ranches. But I do know a few experienced PHs.
re post above. The article in 'Magnum' was about 2005-2009 era aproximately.
I've used these extensively on deer and can tell you they are awesome. At longer ranges it will open less. I get 1/4 - 1/2 inch groups typically
Exactly correct. That is why it is important to step down a little in bullet weight and push them faster. These bullets are very easy to find accurate loads for.
Yes the lack of loading data and components is a problem, I cant find much on the LRX in 175gr and the only powder I've managed to find is Accurate 4064. No Accurate powder loads on either Accurate site or Banes site for that bullet. here's one more for you I have a box of 190gr LRX and Barnes doesn't even list them in their load data. I have no clue where to even start with those.
I agree with your ethics trying to shoot deer or other big game at 800 plus yards is foolish and not really hunting. Plus your comments on internet bowl shitters is so true.
All of California in 2019 has to use lead free for hunting thanks for the video I ordered some lrx in 7mm and 270 we will see how they group I tried nosler etips and hornady gmx bullets they were terrible 6 inch groups at 100 yards like you I used the Accubond and would get 1 moa or less at 100 yards.. I sas very discouraged till I saw this video.
Barnes is from Utah a state that allows lead they created the 50 BMG and 1911 and all the browning guns as that’s another Utah company mormons engineer guns well and bullets
Duke, did you find a load for the 270? I have a good one that I get a .5 group at 100y with the Barnes tsx 135g, IMR4350, and Winchester primers.
Duke, used the saterlee method to find the right SD and wow great groups I think 48.5 grains is what I use. I can check if you want
So I have NOT had the same experience with the 127gr LRX in my 6.5cm. I have been doing load development but am struggling to get it under 1.5 inch @100yard. So far I have worked with IMR 4350 and seating the LRX .050 off the lands. I have worked from the minimum charge to a bit over the published max of 41.5. I have some ready to try that I have pushed to .075 off the lands. Other than changing powder what else can I try with these monolithic bullets? I am shooting a Begara Ridge with a 1-8 twist; the 143 eldx’s will easily shoot 1/2 inch @100.
Did you do an OCW, ladder, or Saterlee velocity test? Do an OCW or Saterlee test with several different suitable powders like H4350, RL17, Varget, or H4831sc. Load em all about .040-.050 off the lands and fine tune seating depth AFTER you find the best powder combination.
Try Superformance powder and Federal 210 large rifle match primers. Absolutely incredible in my 6.5 cm Weatherby Vanguard rifle.
Try seating bullets to the grooves in the shank and crimping with a Lee Factory Crimp Die.
They do not open up very well at longer distance like you said 250 yards max on deer size game
No doubt the all copper bullets are king in my opinion. I can shoot what ever bullet I want and still shoot the ttsx and lrx in 6.5 Creedmoor/Grendel . Hands down my favorite bullet!!!
I put a 180g TTSX into a wildebeest on an open chest shot. The skinners dug it out of the hind end still in one piece. Put it on my scales and it still weighs 180g. Fantastic ammo.
@Blake I process all my own game at home. I also have a lot of respect for the guys who do that job when I'm hunting in Africa and am very happy to pay for their work. All the meat from the animals I've hunted out there went into the food chain. My money went into the economy.
@Blake When you hunt in Africa, you are hunting on private property or a reserve. (whether a rancher, company, co-op, government, or tribe owns the land). They will not just turn you lose to do what you want; you will be provided a Professional Hunter, driver, tracker, skinner, cook, and possibly even a government observer depending on area. If this bothers you and offends you, don't hunt in Africa. Also, on most African hunts, the choice cuts (tenderloins/straps) are kept in camp and cooked for meals; the rest of the meat is donated to local people, which is often the only protein they will get. You cannot transport game meat back to the US after an African hunt; it is against US law.
@faultroy It depends. Some SA game farms might bring the meat to market, but not the ones I have hunted with. The private property outfitters I hunted with gave the unused meat to local villagers, as the skinners and staff usually get their fill of meat pretty fast during hunting season. On tribal land, the local tribe gets the meat and will often put on a dance and give thanks to the hunters for the meat and for the tribal revenue generated by the hunt. On Government land, the meat not used for camp is also donated. Nothing goes to waste.
Hunting with 270 win, is the TTSX & LRX twist sensitive in the 130-140gr?
Nope, 129 gr LRX or 130 gr TTSX is nice and stable and more than enough for Colorado elk!! Barnes does not have a twist rate warning until 150 gr.
@@rosebarnes9625 Thanx !
I've used the hollow point (tsx) for over 10 years 7STW ..
If you're killing its Barns!!
You can go to Barnes's website and get the new data for The TTSX & LRX. If it's not updated, one of the expert consultants will give your info. I've used almost exclusively Barnes bullets since 1999 and have shot California hogs and blacktail deer with excellent results. I moved to (back) to Idaho in 2003 and still only use my 257wby mag for hunting anything that walks. 100gr TTSX has accounted for more deer and elk than any other caliber I've ever owned. I currently own a 257 wby, 250 Savage, 300win mag, 308 win, 6.5 cm and a 9.3x62. I shoot barnes bullets exclusively for hunting and the others are for cheap target shooting.
Good hunting!
they have not updated LRX or TTSX data for many of the cartridges I load for. When you call, the "expert consultants" tell you to use TSX data, which is no help at all because the bullets are vastly different.
I use Barnes TSX 120 grain out of my 7 mag.have taken Elk at 479 yards without any problems. Also use 120 TTSX out of my 7-08.
You have impact velocity (s) of?
Do you blow bone through out the meat.
I'm beginning to agree on the lead fragments....
Barnes hunting bullets are GREAT!! Accurate and deadly. Try to find a box of them, GOOD LUCK!!
Would you rather use the 168gr TTSX or 175gr LRX in 30-06?
168gr TTSX. Shoots a little flatter, better powder capacity and does the same thing.
@@desertdogoutdoors1113 Thanks for the help
Great video I have shot Barnes bullets since they first came out I have killed over 30 elk and deer and have only recovered 3 bullets I love two holes and they kill ..... now they are accurate and even better, TTSX and LRX are the best bullets on this planet if you are a serious hunter and I agree if you can not get within 400 yards your skills suck... great video...
Sums up my experience exactly.
It is great for you healthy guys to spot and stalk but there are many of us who are disabled and can't stalk anymore. I have not harvested a deer in several years because of my disability and inability to walk far or be on my feet for very long. I saved my meager funds to buy a long range rifle and glass so that this year with practice I won't have to beg game meat from others but may have a chance at a 600 yard doe or even an elk. I am just saying before you guys climb up on your soap boxes and bash the rest of us just try and think of those of us that can't stalk anymore but still appreciate wild game meat on the grill. Different needs and means for different people.
@@JohnDoe-ug8rs in the case of disability I agree do it anyway you can and my hats off to you.
I liked the comment on Best of the West and shooting at 400yds (13:20). Exactly what I feel.
I love Barnes in my 6mm Remington. With Sierra acquiring Barnes I believe the quality will continue or get better. Enjoyed to video.