I Have To Hand It To Federal Ammunition, They Came Through.

[JeffDilla]

A while back I started a thread about an entire box of Fusion ammo that wouldn't chamber properly in my 300 WSM Tikka T3. I sent the ammo back to Federal and they informed me today that they are sending me 2 boxes of their premium Vital Shok ammo with the Barnes TSX bullets.

I am more than pleased with Federal, I just hope these rounds chamber properly.

Does anyone know anything about the Barnes TSX bullets? I don't see them available in any of the 300 WSM loads Federal has listed on their website, only in large dangerous game calibers. But it appears to be one of their top of the line bullets. Any info anyone has to add would be welcomed.

I will be using these primarily for deer hunting and they are sending me the 180 gr. bullet loads, as that is what I've always used.

Thanks.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Does anyone know anything about the Barnes TSX bullets?

They are known for good weight retention and deep penetration.
Don't expect to recover any bullets if you're shooting whitetails inside of 200 yds. I actually like that part. I want an exit hole.

 

[JeffDilla]

Don't expect to recover any bullets if you're shooting whitetails inside of 200 yds. I actually like that part. I want an exit hole.

Same here. I like the sound of that.

 

[jmr40]

TSX is the older design. They are generally better used in the larger calibers and don't expand as reliably in guns of .30 or smaller. The newer TTSX is a better choice in smaller calibers. All of them will retain near 100% of their weight after impact, but need lots of speed to expand. Shoot them too slow and they don't expand at all and act just like a FMJ.

The 180's, especially the TSX, are not a good choice for deer. The key to using Barnes, or any solid copper bullet is to drop down 1 or 2 bullet weights lighter than you would normally use. A 180 TSX is equivalent to a 220-250 gr conventional bullet. That is the load I'd use on an Alaskan brown bear.

For deer a 130 or 150 gr TTSX is what I'd use out of any 30 cal rifle. The 130's will hold together and end up weighing more and penetrating deeper than most 180 gr conventional bullets. The lighter weight ensures enough speed to expand. I'm shooting 130's @ 3050-3100 fps from my 308. I'm thinking about 3600 fps is what you'd get from a 300 WSM.

 

[Eb1]

It is to tough for medium skin game IMO, but so is a 300 WSM. LOL

Should be good for bear, elk, sheep, wildebeest, lions, etc.

I am not saying it will not kill a deer, but it will probably just zip on through. Then again. It might be the best thing since sliced bread.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

^ That would be my only concern as well, whether or not they would open up on a thin skinned animal like a whitetail.

I will say though, I know a guy that shoots them in a .300 Rem Ultra Mag and that's all he likes to shoot. He hunts whitetail with it, though I have no idea why.

 

[hardluk1]

TSX Great bullet but I would save them for a elk , moose and big bear hunt. Federal did you right and looks to be giving you some one off ammo or something not on the market yet.

 

[JeffDilla]

I understand that many people feel the 300 wsm, especially the 180 gr, is too much for deer. To each, their own.

While I can't speak to the performance of the Barnes TSX bullet, I've taken deer with the Winchester 180 gr silver tips out of my Tikka 300 wsm and have been very pleased with the performance. No excessive meat damage and the deer didn't complain about being "over-killed".

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

IMHO I think jmr40 nailed it. Also, watch for copper fouling. Or, think of it this way; they gave you 40 brass to reload so nothing's lost.

900F

 

[JeffDilla]

Well, if the general consensus is that the TSX might not be great for whitetails, perhaps I'll hold on to them for a rainy day. You know, keep them aside for the off-chance that my name gets drawn for the Maine moose lottery in the next 200 years.

Either way, I'm still impressed with Federal's customer service, considering they haven't even analyzed the original ammo yet and are replacing the one box with two boxes of premium ammo.

 

[Eb1]

You can never really have to much gun. I was saying that my opinion is that I would never likely need a 300 WSM to kill whitetail. I figure it works really well to kill whitetail. I'd just be weary of shooting a solid brass "expanding" bullet into a medium skinned animal. You might end up with a pencil hole through and through.

 

[JeffDilla]

To be honest, the 300 wsm wouldn't have been my first choice in caliber, but the rifle was actually a gift from an ex-girlfriend. She knew I had been looking at the Tikka T3 line and she found one in a gun shop, not really knowing about calibers. It turns out that it's one of my favorite shooters. The rifle just fits me well and I can shoot it extremely well. That's the main reason it's one of my go-to rifles for stand hunting. My other go-to rifle for brush hunting is my 45-70 Guide Gun, but that's another conversation about too much gun.

 

[twofifty]

"....but that's another conversation about too much gun."


lol

 

[22250Rem]

The folks at Federal are good people; but let us know if those rounds chamber... I've had a 300 WSM since 2004 in a Savage Mod. 10 and really like it. The cartridge seems to be inherently accurate, at least in my gun with my handloads. When chronographing the 300 WSM handloads I've gotten some of the most consistent velocity figures I've ever had and I load for about 16 different rifle cartridges. And yeah; 180 gr. bullets are overkill for deer but if they're accurate and you wanna use 'em then by all means go for it. Biggest thing mine ever dropped was a big bodied 4x4 Wyoming mule deer in his tracks at a lasered 192 yds. back in 2006. That was with a single 150 gr. handloaded Nosler Accubond launched at 3207 fps.

 

[Gtscotty]

If federal gave me some ammo loaded with tsx bullets, and they shot well I'd probably give them a go on deer just to form my own data point and see for my self. I usually opt for more basic bullets myself, but hell, some folks swear by the tsx and will hunt with nothing else. If you are worried about them not opening up enough, you could always go for high shoulder shots, they should punch right through without messing up too much meat.