More recovered TSX's

[Kurt505]

On a side note, here's a little interesting story, I witness a guy put 4 rounds of Barnes TSX bullets into a deer using a 30-378 before the deer finally dropped, then about 15yrs later I watched the same guy put 4 rounds of Barnes TTSX bullets into a deer with a 26 nosler before it dropped, so reading your story from this falls whitetail, I totally understood where you were coming from.

[leo]

Any bullet can fail to do what it was engineered to do. Too fast, too slow, hit a large bone. All these can change the properties of a bullet. I've shot a few animals in my day. Several years ago I shot and lost an elk that I hammered with an Accubond.The smack from that bullet hitting could be heard 2 miles away by my son, and the bull keeled over, got up and buggered off. Accubonds are a very well constructed bullet, to say a different bullet would have made a difference is questionable. I can't say the bullet failed because I never did find that bull, and I looked for 2 days. Having learned a thing or two since, I usually always try and take out at least 1 shoulder on an elk when possible. Call it extra precaution if you want but I don't like losing animals and I'm not fond of gut shot ones either. I also shot a big cow with a 280 Remington shooting 140 Ballistic silvertips. I can't say the bullet failed because the cow dropped in her tracks and died, but the bullet was total shrapnel, all copper, no lead. In my mind that bullet failed (even though it did it's job) and I quit using them. I've taken to using Barnes TTSX for my 2 main hunting rifles. Since I started using Barnes bullets, they have accounted for 1 bull moose, 4 elk and 3 whitetails, with no losses and no tracking required. I'm switching my sons 7mm rem mag over to 140 TTSX as well. Now don't get me wrong. I like Nosler bullets a lot, but Barnes bullets seem to be cheaper and easier to get, so I'm going to stick with them, for now.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by Kurt505

Now you ask? Probably would have been a good idea to ask that right off the hop. I would say between 6-8 with TSX and TTSX. I have witnessed in the neighborhood of anther 15-20 over the years guiding as well. In calibers ranging from .257 to .338

Now a more pertinent question, how many animals have you witnessed me shoot? Or better yet, where did I hit the deer in question?

Kurt if you want to drag witnessing others kills with Barnes bullets the numbers will spike. Most of the guys I hunt with shoot TSX's. There have been years where I have taken six animals with Barnes bullets alone. When you start adding numbers up and what is happening and what you see, you can get a bit of an idea how a certain bullet performs.

No I did not see you shoot your deer. But I do know with certainty you missed the target. How you can argue otherwise is baffling. A ballistic tip may have caused more damage if it hit one lung. Then again, it may have never made it to the one lung. We will never know.

[fish_e_o]

or it could pull a tsx shedding the petals or not even expanding at all and cause very minimal damage resulting in a sore but otherwise alive deer.

[Huntnut]

Originally Posted by fish_e_o

or it could pull a tsx shedding the petals or not even expanding at all and cause very minimal damage resulting in a sore but otherwise alive deer.

Even minimal damage to vital areas would result in a dead animal. They don't last all that long with holes (even from a pedal shredded tsx) through both lungs and or heart.

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by Huntnut

Even minimal damage to vital areas would result in a dead animal. They don't last all that long with holes (even from a pedal shredded tsx) through both lungs and or heart.

i've seen deer get pencil holes through them with mechanical broad heads and be in the same field the next week.

i've seen deer shot with bullets that pencil through and catch them on the trail camera

lots and lots of deer have had it happen and animals are super tough

[Kurt505]

Originally Posted by chuck

Kurt if you want to drag witnessing others kills with Barnes bullets the numbers will spike. Most of the guys I hunt with shoot TSX's. There have been years where I have taken six animals with Barnes bullets alone. When you start adding numbers up and what is happening and what you see, you can get a bit of an idea how a certain bullet performs.

No I did not see you shoot your deer. But I do know with certainty you missed the target. How you can argue otherwise is baffling. A ballistic tip may have caused more damage if it hit one lung. Then again, it may have never made it to the one lung. We will never know.

So you've killed a few, but no where remotely close to what you claimed. I get it because I'm smart enough to know that sometimes people speak figuratively....

The shot entered front left shoulder quartering towards me, more so than I thought and never exited. Broke his left leg and caused blood in the urine. I would say I hit the target, it just took the deer longer to die than it should have. A ballistic tip would have caused more internal damage with that shot placement and angle. The deer walked across the thin ice on the Athabasca River, it was a 2-1/2hr drive, plus about another 3 mile walk down the banks of the athabasca river to find where he crossed, by the time I found the track it was dark. It snowed that evening and I never did find his tracks again on the third day.

So again, yes I firmly believe that dear would have had more internal damage to its major organs from the placement and angle of that shot had I used a ballistic tip.

Leo was right, the Barnes bullets are cheap, readily available, but he forgot to mention accurate, and that's the only reason I still end up using them. After trying all others those dam things will usually end up the most accurate with about 80% of the rifles I've owned.

[Huntnut]

Originally Posted by fish_e_o

i've seen deer get pencil holes through them with mechanical broad heads and be in the same field the next week.

i've seen deer shot with bullets that pencil through and catch them on the trail camera

lots and lots of deer have had it happen and animals are super tough

Then I'm willing to bet that it wasn't a lethal shot ie. heart or both lungs.

[Kurt505]

Originally Posted by Huntnut

Then I'm willing to bet that it wasn't a lethal shot ie. heart or both lungs.

A single lung can be a lethal shot if there is enough hemorrhaging.

[Rio56]

Kurt ... you've got it right ..don't let the ole boys club lead you astray ..LOL you made a good point about some talking like they're OLDER than themselves ...

[Pathfinder76]

Oh good. The real experience has arrived.

[huntingfamily]

Originally Posted by Pilsner Man

Here is a 180 ttsx that traveled through about 4 ft of elk. Shot from a 300 rum at around 100 yards. The bullet beside it is a 150 grain scirocco ii from a 280 ackley at around 100 yards as well. Both bullets were found up against the hide on the opposite side of the elk they were used on.

Nice pic. Those scirocco II's are pretty awesome bullets.
I'm loading those until I can find accubonds again.

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by Huntnut

Then I'm willing to bet that it wasn't a lethal shot ie. heart or both lungs.

Both lungs on both examples.

[Rio56]

Originally Posted by chuck

Oh good. The real experience has arrived.

LOL... I'd say you were called and caught

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by Rio56

LOL... I'd say you were caught

Caught with what exactly?

[ROA]

Lots of guys are finally figuring out what I had been saying for years. These expanding solids just are not what the fan boys make them out to be. They are a very specialized bullet that fall to one side of the spectrum. Maximum penetration at the expense of wound diameter as well reduced audible and visual indication of a hit. Not the all an all round bullet some make them out to be. Also they have a very high instance of not expanding at all even within the velocity perameters they where meant to be used in.

These x bullets have always seemed to attact the weak minded types. You know the ones that jump onboard with something and become brain washed to the point they loose all objectivity. Or perhaps they are the guys that are not capable of being objective to begin with due to lack of understanding? Not sure.

[catnthehat]

I personaly have only shot a few animals with Barnes bullets, but have seen quite a few hit the ground when I was hunting with others that were using them. I mostly hunt with cast or cup and core bullets.

Sometimes I heard the hit dramatically like the one this year at just over 100 yards with no bone hit, sometimes not, like the one deer I shot that was quite a it further out.
I have noticed no appreciable difference in the killing power of any of the numerous bullets and cartridges I have used over the years nor in the cartridges that I loaded for the many people I know except for one big one thing.

If the animal was hit in the lungs - one or both, or in the shoulder, or the neck, they were almost without exception recovered within 50 yards or sorter, n matter the rifle or cartridge used.
ALMOST! There have been a few exceptions but few.

If they were hit anywhere else , it took a very long while or they were not recovered.
The type of bullet had nothing to do with it, the shot placement however did, and that includes everything from the 250 Savage to the big magnums.

Cat

[Pathfinder76]

Teeny tiny holes and they just get up and walk away.

[leo]

Originally Posted by ROA

Lots of guys are finally figuring out what I had been saying for years. These expanding solids just are not what the fan boys make them out to be. They are a very specialized bullet that fall to one side of the spectrum. Maximum penetration at the expense of wound diameter as well reduced audible and visual indication of a hit. Not the all an all round bullet some make them out to be. Also they have a very high instance of not expanding at all even within the velocity perameters they where meant to be used in.

These x bullets have always seemed to attact the weak minded types. You know the ones that jump onboard with something and become brain washed to the point they loose all objectivity. Or perhaps they are the guys that are not capable of being objective to begin with due to lack of understanding? Not sure.

Hey! I resemble that remark! For the record, we are talking about TTSX or TSX bullets. The X Bullet was a piece of crap, the TTSX and TSX are not. They are extremely accurate and very terminal when placed in the proper location. Unless you are using a mortar, accuracy is what counts. I would suggest that your limited knowledge of what it takes to cleanly kill animals is lacking if you can't comprehend this basic requirement! The shot needs to be in the right location first. The bullet, regardless of make, needs to be placed in the right spot! Try it before you knock it. 😉

[Kurt505]

Here's one hit with a ballistic tip, no comparisson.



But it's not the direct hit we're talking about, it's the collateral damage!


Sheesh!

[ROA]

Originally Posted by leo

Hey! I resemble that remark! For the record, we are talking about TTSX or TSX bullets. The X Bullet was a piece of crap, the TTSX and TSX are not. They are extremely accurate and very terminal when placed in the proper location. Unless you are using a mortar, accuracy is what counts. I would suggest that your limited knowledge of what it takes to cleanly kill animals is lacking if you can't comprehend this basic requirement! The shot needs to be in the right location first. The bullet, regardless of make, needs to be placed in the right spot! Try it before you knock it. 😉

When I say x bullets I am talking about the old blue coated ones all the way up to the fancy new blue tipped ones. I've never tried the rear core MRX or LRX though I expect it is exactly the same as the rest.

Fwiw I think the barns are the best of all the expanding solids out there at what they do but still not the end all be all

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by chuck

Teeny tiny holes and they just get up and walk away.

The last deer I shot, I shot with a LRAB we poured the lungs out

[Bergerboy]

Went to SGK's this year. Not very impressed with the terminal performance on Whitetails. Split between Nosler LRAB;s and Bergers for next season.

[dfrobert]

My only experience with Barnes solids was a whitetail buck. Slight quartering towards shot at under 100 yards I would estimate. 25-06 with factory TTSX. Heart lung shot that existed on offside, deer ran about 200-250 yards full tilt after the shot until he tipped over. Pile of hair at the impact location, zero blood for the first 100 yards, and small sprayed out specks of blood the last 100-150 yards. There was snow on the ground and I was able to watch the first half of the deers death run, otherwise it would of been a more difficult tracking job. This is the furthest I've ever had a deer run that was shot through the boiler room. Entrance side lung looked like I poked a pencil through it, far side lung looked a bit better. Nothing like Chucks moose heart picture. I found them to be slow killers with my one and only experience with them on a very well placed shot at close range. I have much better luck with partitions giving me large wound channels, with massive internal damage (liquid lungs), and very good penetration. Maybe the Barnes results are more pronounced with critters like elk and moose, but I prefer bullets that shed some weight internally and still get good penetration.

[north american hunter]

Originally Posted by Bergerboy

Went to SGK's this year. Not very impressed with the terminal performance on Whitetails. Split between Nosler LRAB;s and Bergers for next season.

Why weren't you impressed?

[Bergerboy]

Originally Posted by north american hunter

Why weren't you impressed?

Double lung....that ran and ran. Im used to them either dying in their shadow or a half dozen steps.

[ishootbambi]

Wow...nearly 2017 and there are still guys believing in the energy transfer myth. I hate to be captain obvious, but if you're critter had a hole in the good stuff he would not have ran away. Further, there are no magic bullets that make up for poor shooting. Whether you've killed 2 critters or 200, the facts just don't change. Don't stop spewing the crap though...it's gol darn entertaining.

[Bergerboy]

Originally Posted by ishootbambi

Wow...nearly 2017 and there are still guys believing in the energy transfer myth. I hate to be captain obvious, but if you're critter had a hole in the good stuff he would not have ran away. Further, there are no magic bullets that make up for poor shooting. Whether you've killed 2 critters or 200, the facts just don't change. Don't stop spewing the crap though...it's gol darn entertaining.

Energy transfer myth? I have never seen a deer bang flop from an arrow but I sure have from rapid expanding bullets. Hydrostatic shock is the best killer out there.

[ishootbambi]

Originally Posted by Bergerboy

Energy transfer myth? I have never seen a deer bang flop from an arrow but I sure have from rapid expanding bullets. Hydrostatic shock is the best killer out there.

Lol. Your name tells me all I need to know. Those who believe that are as logical as religious zealots. You go ahead and believe what you like, I don't care. I'll give you something to think about though....your Berger bullet in an elks arse imparts the same energy to the elk as it does in his lungs. Results tend to be a little different though....

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by ishootbambi

Lol. Your name tells me all I need to know. Those who believe that are as logical as religious zealots. You go ahead and believe what you like, I don't care. I'll give you something to think about though....your Berger bullet in an elks arse imparts the same energy to the elk as it does in his lungs. Results tend to be a little different though....

Lol what are you talking about there is no good bullet for bum shots on animals.