The Ultimate hunting projectile??

[JJHACK]

If all the serious hunters in the world got together and made a wish list of what they wanted in a bullet what would that list look like?
 
Bench rest deadly accurate( each bullet cut on an automated lathe for concentricity)
Mushroom well at 500 yards
Don't go to pieces at point blank
don't foul the barrel
expand to double bore diameter
Don't flatten the tips in the magazine during recoil.
 
For starters that would be my short list.  With that set of parameters we have a brand new projectile..........sorta which will be available to the public this fall. The TSX with a plastic tip.
 
I'll have some on Monday for test and to just fool around with. I'll feed back some personal test data in a week or two after I get to load them and shoot a bit.
 
 
Seems to me this is the final word in projectile developement. What more can we ask for in a hunting bullet?
 
 
 
 
The new Tipped TSX™ bullet has already been tested in Africa this past May by Dave Scovill –editor of Handloader, Rifle and Successful Hunter magazines.
Dave was the first to try this new bullet out. He used a .300 belted magnum and our 130-grain Tipped TSX bullets. He took impala, warthog, blue wildebeest, kudu and jackals. Dave said the results were unbelievable. He said the internal damage these bullets created was like nothing he had ever seen before. Even the guy who cut up the meat in camp took the time to come to Dave and, in total amazement say, “I don’t know what you shot these animals with! I have never seen the kind of internal damage this bullet caused.”

Dave said the bullet gave explosive results, adding that, “everything inside looked like hamburger, but the bullet still exited the animal.” Dave said it seemed to him that, with both the Tipped TSX and Triple-Shock Bullet, “the faster you shoot these bullets the better they work.”




The Tipped TSX (TTSX™ ) bullet features a polymer tip extending into a specially engineered nose cavity in the all-copper TSX body. The combination of tip and cavity initiates rapid expansion the instant the bullet strikes game. The streamlined tip also increases the ballistic coefficient of the TTSX bullets for superior long-range performance. This bullet expands reliably over a broad range of velocities.

Some of these bullets will be available near the end of 2007, and will be offered in four different calibers beginning 2008.







Initial Tipped TSX offerings:

Caliber Weight
.270 110-grain
.270 130-grain
7mm 120-grain
7mm 140-grain
.308 130-grain
.308 150-grain
.308 168-grain
.338 210-grain
.338 225-grain

[Redhawk1]

Wow sounds like a great bullet.

[Don Fischer]

I think I see a trend in what they are doing. A good deal of their bullets are light for caliber. Note the 110gr 270 and the 120gr 7mm. 130 and 150gr 308. These offerings are not even used much in standard cartridges for heavy game. I suspect that energy has to be being scraped in favor of velocity. Probably because those light bullets hold together? There is no plastic tip offered in 150/160gr 7mm, 140/150gr 270 or 180/200gr 308. I wonder what happens to penetration now? Obviously the TSX bullets do that greatly already. But if a lighter weight bullet is substituted for a heavy bullet, relying on velocity to over come mass and a marginal shot is taken, huh, I wonder what? Lets say someone decides to use the 130gr 308 in their 30-06 and takes a marginal shot at an Eland. Will the bullet have enough mass to penetrate say thru a hip up into the chest area? I wouldn't recommend that with any bullet but what if.

[JJHACK]

I think that it's not realistic to consider a 308 with a 130 grain bullet on a 2000 pound animal and still take a rear ender on that size animal with it's level of durability.

If you're using this as just an example of light bullets and higher velocity VS heavy for caliber slower bullets then I understand. One thing to understand is the frequency of exit holes with the monolithic solid copper TSX bullets. They exit about as much as a solid but they also expand.

I have never in 100's of animals shot with 180grain cup and core bullets seen them penetrate anywhere near like a 150 or 165 grain TSX bullet in 30 caliber. I can also say that a 165 grain TSX from a 30/06 will out penetrate any cup and core bullet from  300magnums.  You have to see a few things shot with the TSX to fully grasp it's potential. In another post on this forum, you can see an impressive eland shot with a 9.3X62 using a premium Northfortk bullet, and my 165 grain load from a 30/06. Both penetrated equal, but the 165 grain bullet went through the scapula. Now how much more penetration could you want from that light for bore 165grain bullet?

Although I've not shot the 130's out of the 30/06 yet on bigger species of game, I expect that they will have exceptional penetration. It may make up for the weight with the 300 fps greater speed? I cannot say without more testing, but the monolithic bullets cannot be compared to lead core bullets where penetration is concerned. And as far as muzzle energy.................without question the most worthless measure of any thing related to ballistics..........EVER! This measure of power is completely unrelated to lethal effect, or killing power.

[The Sodbuster]

I think I see a trend in what they are doing. A good deal of their bullets are light for caliber. Note the 110gr 270 and the 120gr 7mm. 130 and 150gr 308. These offerings are not even used much in standard cartridges for heavy game.

I'm hardly an expert in these matters, but I think part of the reason the bullets seem light for any given caliber is because they're all copper and lack a denser, lead core.  Maybe someone who knows more about 'em than me can give the final answer, but I'd suspect the 150 grain .308 caliber bullet is as long as a 168 or 180 grain lead-core bullet.  Maybe a 180 grain copper bullet would take up a lot of powder space in a short action cartridge (.30 caliber).

[Grumulkin]

Actually the "new" TSX bullets sound a lot like the bullet Nosler is coming out with this fall.  I'll be most interested to see if prices get more reasonable and if the Nosler bullets shoot as well as those made by Barnes.

Barnes TSX bullets are excellent in some applications but all those grooves have their downside.  In some cartridges it's difficult, as least for me, to get the case neck to grip the bullet firmly (for instance in the 375 H&H Magnum).

[Syncerus]

JJ, you missed one point of performance:

Costs $0.10 each.

Lol.

[Prebanpaul]

I like the MRX better than that, but hey its  an opinion.  But the perfect bullet for me JJ has nothing to do with your criteria, as far as I am concerned there all over rated. I just want some one to come out with the first hit anywhere guarantee the one shot kill bullet.  Now where talkin.  See all those other things just go out the window.   LOL   

[JJHACK]

I would not be banking on the MRX being around much longer. Way too much to manufacture, and not any better then this plastic tipped TTSX

I see the MRX going bye bye in the next year.

[Syncerus]

Preban:

They make one of those bullets already. It's called a "paintball."

[Prebanpaul]

no its called the 950 JDJ      .95 caliber bullet moving at a modest 2200fps and uses a 3600 grn bullet.  Now that is a one shot on anything and I mean anything killer.  But who wants to carry around a 118 lbs rifle not me.   That is no type "O". 3600 grns
"
JJ

I bought 5 boxes of the MRX bullets after I found out how they shot in my lazzeroni.  Love them, and boy do they perform.  I will never  shoot that gun that many times in my life time so I am good if they get rid of them.  I have mine.