85 Grain TSX 243

GLA.OR

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Anybody have any experience with this round on game. I tried these out of my savage 243 the other day and liked the way the performed. I have never used any non lead rounds and was wondering how they would perform on a deer or antelope size critter.
 
I have used the 80 grain TTSX on mule deer and cow elk here in utah. Factory loaded by barnes. Been happy with the performance. I have not used this bullet on coyotes.
 
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They are act alot like a full metal jacket. Great penetration, little expansion, and you will have to do some tracking.
 
My experience with them, as well as the experiences of 2 good friends has been absolutely positive. This is with the .270 and .284 caliber bullets. They do not act like a fmj, most kills on elk and deer have been drt. I have some 80 gr ttsx that shoot very well in my 25 wssm that I plan to hunt with this year. I really like the tsx and ttsx, and have a hard time hunting big game with anything else anymore. I like knowing the bullet will do the job from any angle w/o blowing up or damaging a lot of meat.
 
Originally Posted By: jlh321They are act alot like a full metal jacket. Great penetration, little expansion, and you will have to do some tracking.
You must be one of the few that feel this way.
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I've tried the old Barnes X 85 gr and they worked GREAT. I've shot 62gr TSX in my .223AI and they work very good on bobcats,yotes and pigs. Deer in the future . They penetrate and EXPAND very well,no worries.
 
The Polymer Tipped Triple Shocks will expand quicker, I used the 110gr Tipped Triple shocks in my 270wsm, 3500fps, yes, even at 90-100 yards the bullet expanded and did quite well anchoring the dog
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Your regular TSX may be a little more stubborn.

I may try the MRX in my 308, looks like an interesting round. Wish Federal had a 150gr version though, 180 is a bit much.

I know one thing, when I get the funds, this 308 is becoming a 243
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The Barnes 80 gr Tipped TSXs have shot more accurate for us than the Barnes 85 gr TSX bullets did. Both of these Barnes bullets did not do much fur damage and they both drop coyotes in their tracks.
 
Originally Posted By: jlh321They are act alot like a full metal jacket. Great penetration, little expansion, and you will have to do some tracking.

Maybe some of the original barnes bullets did this and I guess the possibility is there for any bullet to act this way, but it is not what a lot of people are seeing. I have shot big mule deer as well as quite a few whitetails and never felt undergunned and no tracking involved to date. I guess proper bullet placement counts for something. This guy here didnt know he was hit with a 85gr TSX and not a Accubond, partition, (insert any good bullet brand here).
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That is a good looking buck.

I have shot deer with 85gr XLCs(blue bullets) aa well as 70gr TSXs and larger.

The newer bullets do tend to expand better, although many do punch right through. Dead deer has always been the end result, nonetheless.

Do you need such a tough bullet for deer? Absolutely not. But they will work reliably.

Have shot a couple doggies with 70gr TSXs. They do very little fur damage on yotes......
 
I've been using Barnes since 1992, and have nothing but praise for on-game performance.

You will find that to be a great bullet in 243 for big game.
 
Originally Posted By: LWILLIAMSOriginally Posted By: jlh321They are act alot like a full metal jacket. Great penetration, little expansion, and you will have to do some tracking.

Maybe some of the original barnes bullets did this and I guess the possibility is there for any bullet to act this way, but it is not what a lot of people are seeing. I have shot big mule deer as well as quite a few whitetails and never felt undergunned and no tracking involved to date. I guess proper bullet placement counts for something. This guy here didnt know he was hit with a 85gr TSX and not a Accubond, partition, (insert any good bullet brand here).
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This deer didnt know if he was getting hit with a 85 tsx or a FMJ he was hit 5 times before he went down all bullets had small holes in and small holes out.
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That's a good one!!!


I can't add a whole lot to the thread with the latest TSX's. However, I shot several with the older X bullet. 120gr in 7mag. At 3400 fps, it was tearing the "pedals" off & punching small holes going out. The ones of today may be all "rainbows & unicorns" some people say??? I have always found our NC whitetails don't need ulta-penetration. About any hunting bullet on the marked will work. I'm sure any monolithic will result in a dead deer, regarless of how quick.
 

Like I said any bullet can fail, what distance was your deer shot at. The general concensus is that the bullets have improved alot since first coming out.

Originally Posted By: jlh321Originally Posted By: LWILLIAMSOriginally Posted By: jlh321They are act alot like a full metal jacket. Great penetration, little expansion, and you will have to do some tracking.

Maybe some of the original barnes bullets did this and I guess the possibility is there for any bullet to act this way, but it is not what a lot of people are seeing. I have shot big mule deer as well as quite a few whitetails and never felt undergunned and no tracking involved to date. I guess proper bullet placement counts for something. This guy here didnt know he was hit with a 85gr TSX and not a Accubond, partition, (insert any good bullet brand here).
DSC007003.JPG


This deer didnt know if he was getting hit with a 85 tsx or a FMJ he was hit 5 times before he went down all bullets had small holes in and small holes out.
p_704f0b04f716c936b472c630c4d715e8.jpg
 
JLH321,

Nice buck.

Can I ask where the 5 shots hit him and how far did he go after the first shot? What was the shot distance?

Small hole in and out is standard Barnes. Generally, you can 'eat right up to the holes' when using Barnes.
 
Fist shot was behind shoulder out the opposite shoulder,another one through both lungs,one through the guts,2 through the hind quarters.He traveled about 300 yards.He was on his feet long enough for me to shoot 7 times.
 
Sound like you should of stopped after the double lung, he probably would of laid down and bled out. Instead you kept chasing him with lead and shot up a mighty nice buck.
 
Originally Posted By: LWILLIAMSSound like you should of stopped after the double lung, he probably would of laid down and bled out. Instead you kept chasing him with lead and shot up a mighty nice buck.
Or he could have ran onto the property I did not have permission to hunt.
I generally shoot until they are on the ground. I have seen people shoot once think they made a great shot then watch the animal run off, never to be seen again.
If I had been shooting a different bullet that would have caused more damage he would have not went so far.
 
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Originally Posted By: jlh321Fist shot was behind shoulder out the opposite shoulder,another one through both lungs,one through the guts,2 through the hind quarters.He traveled about 300 yards.He was on his feet long enough for me to shoot 7 times.

Interesting. Behind the shoulder out the opposite shoulder is often a heart shot, unless at an extreme angle. Plus a broken shoulder and or leg. Many deer will drop on the spot from such a shot. I have to assume you missed the heart, given the distance it traveled. Bullet probably exited the chest or grazed the shoulder blade ahead of the leg. I did this once myself. Seemed like a perfectly good shot at the time, although it was not the shot I wanted to take. However, it was the only shot presented.

Double lunger is an obvious kill, but they will run until out of oxygen.

Gut shots are runners, as can hind quarter shots be, depending on whether you break bones or hit arteries.

Don't take it the wrong way, but it sounds to me like shot placement played a bigger role than bullet performance.

Of the last 30 deer I've shot with centerfire rifles, only one went over 30 yds. That was a double lung shot from a 444 Marlin @ 50 yds. The deer ran 75-80 yds and crashed in a giant briar patch. Nasty stuff. Even more nasty at night. My bud's dad gave me [beeep] the whole time we drug it out. My next 7 deer were shot in the neck because of this. All DRT.

With any decent deer bullet, you could easily get the same results from shots similarly placed as yours. The end result would still be a dead deer. Just not DRT.......

 
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