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01-17-2016, 10:46 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 88
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Anyone reloading 130 gr TSX in their .308 for hunting?
I'm new to reloading and I want to develop a handload during the off season for my .308 (1:11 twist) rifle for hunting purposes, mostly for deer. I want to use a mono bullet, preferably a Barnes TSX or TTSX likely in 130 gr. I have both Varget and RL 15 as powders. I noticed the Barnes manual suggests to crimp that bullet because of its length but I was wondering if most reloaders do?
And the other thing I'm looking for an answer to to is whether or not that grain is a good choice,,,,maybe I'd be better off using a heavier bullet like a 150 or a 168 grain?? Although I'll be losing FPS with the heavier grained bullets and I hear Barnes bullets produce better results at higher speeds. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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01-17-2016, 11:03 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,158
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Try to use the 130 ttsx rather than the tsx. The ttsx are longer. I had problems using the tsx because of poor neck tension due to a real small bullet length in the case. Even when crimped the neck tension caused inconsistent accuracy issues. I scrapped this load and now load 150 gr accubonds which is probably bullet construction/price over kill for a 308 win
If I were you, i would load a 150gr Sierra Prohunter or hornady interlock, or if your set on a mono metal, try the 130 gr ttsx seated excessively deep or 150 gr ttsx/tsx
Mine was a load for a sako 75. Varget or rl15 will work well. Good luck
Last edited by Deer Hunter; 01-17-2016 at 11:10 AM.
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01-17-2016, 11:34 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Back in Lethbridge
Posts: 4,647
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Haven't loaded that particular load, but I would suggest that, if you can achieve the accuracy you want, the 130TTSX or GMX would be a perfect bullet for the 308 Win.
My nickel....
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01-17-2016, 12:35 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: rocky Mountain House
Posts: 1,560
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Was trying to come up with a load for my daughters custom 308. I wasn't getting good accuracy with the lighter bullets,both TTSX and GMX but have a good load worked up with the 168 TTSX and Varget. It's a tight fit with that long bullet and a reasonable amount of powder.
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01-17-2016, 01:28 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: West central AB
Posts: 1,545
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I have thought about it but never seem to come across these bullets. Would like to try it on a deer.
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01-17-2016, 01:45 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,158
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It's hard to appreciate how little bullet to case contact there is with a 130 tsx boat tail. Unless you seat them much deeper than you would normally like, you will not have adequate neck tension.
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01-17-2016, 01:47 PM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: The elbow of Alberta
Posts: 1,374
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My experience with Barnes bullets are if you don't match the bullet with the proper velocities they perform poorly . I shot a big bull moose in the shoulder using 30 06 and 180 gr Barnes X an bullets and it deflected down the animal and took out the tenderloins. I used 168 gr. TTSX out of my 300WM on several deer and when I did hit bone I got good penetration . I'm still not a fan of Barnes with elk and moose.
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01-17-2016, 02:26 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 88
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Deer Hunter
It's hard to appreciate how little bullet to case contact there is with a 130 tsx boat tail. Unless you seat them much deeper than you would normally like, you will not have adequate neck tension.
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They do recommend on the Barnes site that you should crimp this particular bullet to get more neck tension.
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01-17-2016, 03:49 PM
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Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 7,063
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I use the load from the Barnes manual. 130 TTSX and 1 grain under the max load of Varget, it is a compressed load. Need good neck tension or crimp it or the powder will push the bullet back out. Very accurate in my Kimber Montana and average 3125 - 3150 fps muzzle velocity.
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04-21-2018, 01:08 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 197
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crimp?
What are you guys using to get a good crimp?
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04-21-2018, 01:51 PM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Dreadful Valley
Posts: 14,775
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 4570
What are you guys using to get a good crimp?
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The seating die
__________________
There are no absolutes
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04-21-2018, 03:27 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 2,986
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I tried them one year and lost the biggest buck I have shot. 130 gr tsx at 3100 fps. Shot the buck at 60 yds broad side right behind the shoulder. I was kneeling with sticks and felt really good about the shot. The impact knocked the buck over sideways and slightly behind a round bale. As the buck flopped and rolled I chambered another round and advanced for a finisher. While walking up I took my eyes off it for a few seconds to look down and when I looked up I was watching my buck run off at full speed. I shot with him him heading straight away and thought I saw his hind end buckle with the impact but he kept going. A third shot missed as he hit the tree line still at full speed. I gave him a 15 min wait before I went after him. I found his tracks but no blood I mean zero blood spots. Going back to the spot where I first shot him I found a small pooling where he had flopped over but the blood trail ended about 20 paces away from where he was shot. I spent the rest of the evening and the whole next morning looking but never found him. I never found one drop of blood outside of the area that I first shot him. My though was the round had too much velocity and never opened up.
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04-21-2018, 06:46 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 197
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Hey Dick, not need to be condescending
Hey Dick, not need to be condescending
If that is what you intended by the rolling eyes...
A guy could use the lee factory crimp die.
https://leeprecision.com/factory-crimp-die-308.html
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04-21-2018, 07:57 PM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Dreadful Valley
Posts: 14,775
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 4570
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It was sarcasm.
There’s only one cartridge where I use a separate crimp die(when I do crimp) and that my 45 colt, the cylinders are tight and I had to buy a taper crimp die.
9mm
30/30
M1 Garand 30/06
.358Win
All use the crimp on the seating die.
__________________
There are no absolutes
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04-21-2018, 08:01 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Calgary
Posts: 940
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I use a 168 gr. TTSX and it kills everything out to 650 yards. Won’t be changing any time soon
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04-21-2018, 08:10 PM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Dreadful Valley
Posts: 14,775
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Quote:
Originally Posted by obsessed1
I tried them one year and lost the biggest buck I have shot. 130 gr tsx at 3100 fps. Shot the buck at 60 yds broad side right behind the shoulder. I was kneeling with sticks and felt really good about the shot. The impact knocked the buck over sideways and slightly behind a round bale. As the buck flopped and rolled I chambered another round and advanced for a finisher. While walking up I took my eyes off it for a few seconds to look down and when I looked up I was watching my buck run off at full speed. I shot with him him heading straight away and thought I saw his hind end buckle with the impact but he kept going. A third shot missed as he hit the tree line still at full speed. I gave him a 15 min wait before I went after him. I found his tracks but no blood I mean zero blood spots. Going back to the spot where I first shot him I found a small pooling where he had flopped over but the blood trail ended about 20 paces away from where he was shot. I spent the rest of the evening and the whole next morning looking but never found him. I never found one drop of blood outside of the area that I first shot him. My though was the round had too much velocity and never opened up.
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Not be a meany but you likely hit that deer right through the “attic”(below the spine and over the lungs)
In this case I highly doubt it’s a bullet failure.
A bullet needs velocity to open up, the higher the velocity the more rapid and pronounced the expansion will be.
The TSX being a monolithic design means it won’t break up or disintegrate like a cup core bullet will.
TSX retain 90% to 99% of their original weight even at very high impact velocities.
Bullets like a Nosler Partition retain about 65% to 80% of their original weight.
So if you were using a 150 grain Partition bullet you could expect a retained weight of about 100gr to 120gr.
The TSX will retain that much and more.
The bullet is equal to the task.
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There are no absolutes
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04-22-2018, 10:41 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Near Edmonton
Posts: 15,643
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I have been shooting the 130 TSX out of my 308 for the past 10 years. WW brass, CCI 250 primer, 47 Grains IMR 4895, 3050 FPS out of a 20" barrel. No crimp and no issues with neck tension. Shoots under 1/2" 3 shot groups. Have killed deer, Elk, Moose, Antelope, Bear and pigs. Range varied from 40 yards to 560, furthest any animal went was 20 yards, most dropped where they were shot, all one shot kills and all were pass throughs. If your gun shoots them well they will kill just fine.
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04-23-2018, 11:27 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Cowtown, agian
Posts: 2,818
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I cannot speak for the 130 TTSX or the issues loading it. I can speak for the 150gr TTSX which I have developed loads for and how they perform.
Load development was easy; we started seating the bullets well off the lands (which I have found Barnes to prefer at 25 thou back). We used RL15 and worked up to 2900fps on the chrony. It produces consistent 3/4" groups out of the Kimber.
On game it's been a hammer out to 400ish on deer to moose.
The moose was over 300yds away and broke the shoulder blade and stuck under the skin on the other side. All the other animals have only had pass through performance with lots of internal damage.
He's killed close to 40 animals with that load now and doesn't feel the need to change.
I am going to be switching my little girl up to the .308 this year and I will likely try this load again. It's flat, the recoil is easy on you and it's apparently got the jam to handle Alberta.
I expect that a 130gr TTSX will perform similarly if one can find a consistent load. I will say that I am not afraid to seat Barnes deep and with some jump.
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04-23-2018, 12:02 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Blackfalds
Posts: 6,968
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im working up a load with the 165gr TTSX over Varget in the 308
Having consistency issues, so i need to spend some more time at the range figuring out what works, and maybe ill switch to CFE 223 so im not compressing the load.
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04-23-2018, 02:30 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Near Edmonton
Posts: 15,643
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DiabeticKripple
im working up a load with the 165gr TTSX over Varget in the 308
Having consistency issues, so i need to spend some more time at the range figuring out what works, and maybe ill switch to CFE 223 so im not compressing the load.
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That or BLC-2 should give you a no compression load as those two have the lowest density per grain of weight. If one of the two shoots well and gives you the velocity you want your issues are solved.
If the other two powders won't shoot and you are having trouble with compressed loads shooting consistently it is often caused by neck tension. The longer a compressed load sits with low neck tension the more likely it is to push the bullet out. Check you loads after a month and see if they all measure the same still. If push out is the issue the easiest fix is to add just a little crimp to hold the bullet in place.
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04-23-2018, 03:43 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 2,986
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick284
Not be a meany but you likely hit that deer right through the “attic”(below the spine and over the lungs)
In this case I highly doubt it’s a bullet failure.
A bullet needs velocity to open up, the higher the velocity the more rapid and pronounced the expansion will be.
The TSX being a monolithic design means it won’t break up or disintegrate like a cup core bullet will.
TSX retain 90% to 99% of their original weight even at very high impact velocities.
Bullets like a Nosler Partition retain about 65% to 80% of their original weight.
So if you were using a 150 grain Partition bullet you could expect a retained weight of about 100gr to 120gr.
The TSX will retain that much and more.
The bullet is equal to the task.
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Its very possible that I had a bad hit ( high) but the lack of any blood trail was weird. I have shot a lot of critters using the 150 tsx and 168 etip and both have killed reliably and in all cases any animal that did go a distance left a good blood trail to follow. Velocity is the only real difference between the 130 and 150-168s performance. Im no stranger to the tsx and have used them in various rifles with good results. Only problem I have ever had was the 130gr at close range
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04-23-2018, 09:06 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Blackfalds
Posts: 6,968
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dean2
That or BLC-2 should give you a no compression load as those two have the lowest density per grain of weight. If one of the two shoots well and gives you the velocity you want your issues are solved.
If the other two powders won't shoot and you are having trouble with compressed loads shooting consistently it is often caused by neck tension. The longer a compressed load sits with low neck tension the more likely it is to push the bullet out. Check you loads after a month and see if they all measure the same still. If push out is the issue the easiest fix is to add just a little crimp to hold the bullet in place.
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I lightly crimped all my compressed loads.
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07-31-2018, 12:30 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Calgary
Posts: 1,546
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Where are you guys buying 130 gr 30 cal ttsx?
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07-31-2018, 12:54 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 207
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nyksta
Where are you guys buying 130 gr 30 cal ttsx?
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X-reload where i bought my last box of 130gr. They are showing stock as of right now.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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07-31-2018, 01:28 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Calgary
Posts: 1,546
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Buckhorn2
X-reload where i bought my last box of 130gr. They are showing stock as of right now.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Thanks, hadn't heard of them before.
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07-31-2018, 02:25 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Blackfalds
Posts: 6,968
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I switched from the 165gr TTSX to the 130gr TTSX. I got 50.0gr of Varget over it and about 0.75 MOA at 3125fps. 0.050” off the lands.
I get mine at Wolverine in Red Deer.
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