Barnes TSX questions

[Desertrat357]

So here we go... I've been using the Barnes TSX 165 gr. exclusively for my big game hunting for 8 years now. I've had nothing but good luck. I have however always heard from some guys that complain that the TSX isn't a reliable expander once you get below a certain velocity. I'm just wondering if there is some personal experiences on here of you guys running into that problem? Or perhaps an in depth article researching the subject. I.E. the Barnes TSX ideal velocity range for good expansion is... Not wanting to be argumentative, just curious if there truly is an issue there.

 

[steve4102]

Like all hunting bullets the Barnes has an approximate Minimum velocity needed for proper expansion. Some say somewhere around 1800-1900fps. If you call Barnes I'm sure they will tell you what they recommend fro a Min velocity.

I called a few years ago and asked about their 110gr .308 TTSX. I was told about 1800fps.

 

[Desertrat357]

Thanks for the info

 

[GJgo]

I think in this case there's a difference between a real issue & a perceived issue. I've killed a lot of deer & elk with TSX, that's all I use to hunt. In all this time however I've only ever recovered one bullet & it was a perfect mushroom. Usually what I find is a small hole in, vital soup in the cavity, and a small hole out. Just looking at the holes you'd think it didn't expand but when you field dress it & the innards pour out...

My perception from these experiences is that the TSX does not always "fully" expand. Sometimes perhaps just partially. In reality though, I always end up with a dead animal a few yards from where I shot it so how real can the issue truly be? Put a TSX into the boiler room and you'll fill your tag without worrying about lead fragments in your meat.

My personal answer has simply been to step down in bullet weight from 180gr to 150gr & get the speed up. I do think these bullets expand the most consistently when pushed faster, and a 150gr TSX is plenty of bullet for my hunting.

 

[jmr40]

If you can find some photos of recovered bullets you'll see that expansion below 2000 fps is very minimal. I know Barnes shows about 1800 as minimum, but most hunters who have used them report about 2000 fps as the minimum and closer to 2200 for good expansion.

I found this link showing some recovered bullets. Notice the last bullets minimal expansion. It was recovered after a 500+ yard shot. Not sure of impact speed, but at 500+ couldn't have been too fast. The others, hitting at greater speed and from much closer show much better expansion.

http://www.thediyhunter.com/big-gam...hock-bullets-tsx-ttsx-243-wssm-270-wsm-rifles

Since these bullets retain near 100% of their weight and are longer than conventional bullets of the same weight I have no doubts about penetration from very light bullets. If you can't start them at at least 3000 fps, you need to drop down in weight or use another bullet. I'm shooting 130's in my 308 and 150's in my 30-06 @ between 3000-3050 fps. I wouldn't go any heavier in either. The 165's are probably best reserved for 300 mags.

If you plan on shooting at long ranges where impact speeds will drop below 2000 fps you probably need another bullet.

Where these bullets shine is giving smaller caliber guns like a 243 the penetration to work well on larger game. At least at reasonable ranges.