tsx "what the ####"

[thejanitor]

thanks jj for the respose. I vaiue your opinion. I had another tsx failure or i guess partial faliure becase again im eating the animal. I shot one last night about a 100lbs at 350 with my 257 wby. A 100 grain tsx. At the shot the deer hunched up and ran and stopped at 430. I shot again and hit it in the spine and dropped it. I got over there and the deer was still alive. I cut its throat and gutted it. Opened it up and found little damage. When I skinned it at home there was some pretty massive damage on the spine but very little where i hit it through the ribs. Looked like the bullet went through with out hitting a rib. The lungs both had a dime sized hole in them and the exit was about the size of a quarter. To be honest im about ready to give up on these tsx bullets. Ive got my #1 2506 loaded with 80 grain tsxs to use next and it i get anymore poor performances out of then thats it for me.

That Lung damage is exactly what a TSX is supposed to do isn't it? Expand when it hits a liquid (wet muscle) and mushroom about 2x?
But the original post when I read it is not a reason for me to re-think my hunting based on one shot that went awry. I have used original X bullets and TSX with good results on several deer sized animals.
A buddy hunts with a .257 Roberts and had a good neck shot on a buck, (what angle the deer was at the time of the shot has never been said) he took it and down it went, he found the bullet followed the spine "somehow" and ended up up the hind quarter. This was a Nosler Ballistic tip Hunting bullet, I still used BTs after that with good results as well.
Not taking away from what happened to you, but the hunting I have done with the Barnes has yet to leave me wanting to re-think my loads and data.  And your second deer lung shot sounded like it was clock work. Maybe not bang flop but many bullets don't bang flop every shot. Please update your post if you do have some good kills as well since many are following your hunt. I hope you have better results like I have had. ( I must add I have never used the tipped tsx if this is what you are using I am sorry I piped up) I just didn't want all the guys thinking Barnes suck when I have had good results with them.  Thanks thejanitor

[Lloyd Smale]

the first one might have been a freak deal. Ive seen it with other bullets to so i wont judge. the second deal was borderline. Maybe it did what it was suppose to maybe not. All i know is there wasnt sufficent damage to put a deer down. The third deal was the straw that broke the camels back. That bullet did not open up till it hit a rib on the offside. Sorry but i dont want a bullet or load that insures that i will be tracking every deer i shoot. Only sad thing is all three of those guns did there best for accuracy with the tsx. but im not paying 3 times more for a bullet that doesnt do the job as well as a sierra or nos bt. Ive used both of those bullets extensively on whitetail and black bear and niether has yet to let me down. Theres been a few cases that animals were shot at short range that i lost maybe 5lbs max of meat but id rather loose a couple lbs of burger off a front shoulder then loose a deer due to a poor blood trail.

thanks jj for the respose. I vaiue your opinion. I had another tsx failure or i guess partial faliure becase again im eating the animal. I shot one last night about a 100lbs at 350 with my 257 wby. A 100 grain tsx. At the shot the deer hunched up and ran and stopped at 430. I shot again and hit it in the spine and dropped it. I got over there and the deer was still alive. I cut its throat and gutted it. Opened it up and found little damage. When I skinned it at home there was some pretty massive damage on the spine but very little where i hit it through the ribs. Looked like the bullet went through with out hitting a rib. The lungs both had a dime sized hole in them and the exit was about the size of a quarter. To be honest im about ready to give up on these tsx bullets. Ive got my #1 2506 loaded with 80 grain tsxs to use next and it i get anymore poor performances out of then thats it for me.

That Lung damage is exactly what a TSX is supposed to do isn't it? Expand when it hits a liquid (wet muscle) and mushroom about 2x?
But the original post when I read it is not a reason for me to re-think my hunting based on one shot that went awry. I have used original X bullets and TSX with good results on several deer sized animals.
A buddy hunts with a .257 Roberts and had a good neck shot on a buck, (what angle the deer was at the time of the shot has never been said) he took it and down it went, he found the bullet followed the spine "somehow" and ended up up the hind quarter. This was a Nosler Ballistic tip Hunting bullet, I still used BTs after that with good results as well.
Not taking away from what happened to you, but the hunting I have done with the Barnes has yet to leave me wanting to re-think my loads and data.  And your second deer lung shot sounded like it was clock work. Maybe not bang flop but many bullets don't bang flop every shot. Please update your post if you do have some good kills as well since many are following your hunt. I hope you have better results like I have had. ( I must add I have never used the tipped tsx if this is what you are using I am sorry I piped up) I just didn't want all the guys thinking Barnes suck when I have had good results with them.  Thanks thejanitor

[thejanitor]

. Theres been a few cases that animals were shot at short range that i lost maybe 5lbs max of meat but id rather loose a couple lbs of burger off a front shoulder then loose a deer due to a poor blood trail.

I agree, I used Nosler Ballistic tips for years (still have some ready to go) I have some sierra groups worked out but have not taken game with them yet.  But a buddy of mine was upset with the amount of meat lost with close range .270 kills with a Ballistic tip (when I hit the front shoulder), I just said better to have a deer and toss a little wasted meat than no deer.....
Lloyd were your bullets the plastic tipped ones or the open tip TSX? Just checking. That may be a reason for me to find older non tipped ones while they are available...  thanks thejanitor

[Lloyd Smale]

they were the tipped ones.

. Theres been a few cases that animals were shot at short range that i lost maybe 5lbs max of meat but id rather loose a couple lbs of burger off a front shoulder then loose a deer due to a poor blood trail.

I agree, I used Nosler Ballistic tips for years (still have some ready to go) I have some sierra groups worked out but have not taken game with them yet.  But a buddy of mine was upset with the amount of meat lost with close range .270 kills with a Ballistic tip (when I hit the front shoulder), I just said better to have a deer and toss a little wasted meat than no deer.....
Lloyd were your bullets the plastic tipped ones or the open tip TSX? Just checking. That may be a reason for me to find older non tipped ones while they are available...  thanks thejanitor

[Lloyd Smale]

shot two does last night one at 300 and one at 365 both with the 300 win mag using 165 ballist tip nos. Both were bang flop kills both had exit wounds and neither tore up any more meat then a guy can scrape off the ribs. Thats the kind of bullet performance i like!

[Brithunter]

Lloyd,


          Glad to hear it. Funny thing is that there is a similar discussion going on on this subject on a Deer Stalking forum here in the UK. Barnes failing to open up or when they do not producing an exit wound and deer running for long ways. Methinks I'll stick with what has worked for me in the past... plain ole cup'n'core bullets. Hornady by pref but Sierra if I must or Speer if I can get them.

[thejanitor]

Well Lloyd- I guess then that I was lucky to have used the Barnes before the tips came into play. I did like the old ones and really do like Ballistic tip performance as long as it is in the ribs. I still have a box of the old barnes I will use over the next few years but with so many bullets that do work well, I won't be buying the tipped Barnes and gamble. Thanks for the posts, it is interesting to read about an un-sponsored review.   thejanitor

[AtlLaw]

I won't be buying the tipped Barnes and gamble. Thanks for the posts, it is interesting to read about an un-sponsored review.

+1!  I guess my 243 will remain in the safe during deer season after all.   

[charles p]

I stand corrected.  I thought your expansion was too rapid, not too slow.  Hummmm.  I bought some of those bullets for my 7-08.  Might not use them now.  Thanks for the info.

[Lloyd Smale]

3 more does last night with the 300 win using 165 bt. Now this is a bullet that works. Between this year and last ive shot 11 deer with this load at ranges from 150 to 425 and none have taken a step. my hunting partner has nicknamed it thor! Surprisingly too there wasnt an overage of meat damage and I got exit wounds on about all of them. Now were talking 100 lb whitetails here not elk or moose but the  bt bullets seem plenty stout for whitetail.

[carbineman]

Lloyd, I purchased a number remaining 308 diameter 130 grain regular X bullets when they were discontinued and killed quite a few deer with them in a 30-30 single shot at around 2500-2600 fps. I also lost some deer that I thought I laid a pretty good smackdown shot at.  The last one I shot just had a penciled thru wound and I have discontinued using them. (It was a rumored problem of the original X bullet)
 
I have switched to the Hodgdon LeverEvolution propellant and 170 grain Sierra FN bullet for my 30-30's. Good accuracy and good velocity was attained using Hodgdon data for LE powder. I have not shot an animal yet with this combination.
 
It is too bad because those X bullets were the most accurate bullet in my Topper rifles. I have gone to Hornady Interlock 180's in my -06 and Speer 145 grain Hot Cors in my 7mm-08. (The Hot Cors are soon to be history also from what I understand)

[BBF]

Speer has something called Deep Curl( I think) and have no clue what that means. If they discontinue the Hot Cor process I will look elsewhere for my bullets.