Barnes TTSX Long Range Performance

[Hunter 257W]

I had another chance to test the Barnes TTSX at longer range where velocity has started to drop on December 20. Just now getting around to reporting. I got this 1 1/2 yr old buck, which I thought was a doe at the time, at 290 + yards using the 100 grain .257 TTSX in the 257 Weatherby loaded with 72 grains of IMR 7828. It chronographs at 3,590 in my rifle. The deer was slightly quartering away from me so that it hit about 8" behind the shoulder and exited just behind the offside shoulder. The bullet entered between two ribs so had a minimum of resistance to start expansion, but centered a rib on exiting. Both lungs were hit but too high for the heart. Performance and expansion were identical to a 300 yard deer I shot a few years ago with the same load where a rib was hit directly to initiate expansion. Exit hole was about an inch in the hide for both deer. I've gotten the same wound channel in deer shot at 30 yards with the TTSX also. For high velocity cartridges such as this, this bullet is truly superior as it allows good killing performance without leaving a big pile of blood shot meat when impact velocity is high yet gives the same performance at long range. I didn't lose a bit of shoulder meat on this deer even on the offside shoulder where the bullet passed just behind.

At 1st I was having trouble finding a blood trail but part of that was due to the fact that I was walking into the sun and the glare was giving me fits trying to see fine detail on the ground. There wasn't a lot of blood for 25 or so yards but after that it looked like somebody had sloshed a bucket full for the next 50 yards. The deer did run somewhat further than normal going 75 to 80 yards. At the shot, I instantly heard that loud THUMP of bullet impact (I love that "no time delay" impact with such high velocity cartridges) and the deer kicked it's back legs way up in the air, stumbled and took off behind a little rise in the field and I lost sight of it. Even as I was starting to have doubts about the shot while searching for the blood trail, I knew that THUMP was a solid hit on meat so kept searching for blood till I found it. I'm still amazed at how these hard bullets can open up and perform well at such a wide range of impact velocities. As much as I;d like to try the Nosler Accubond in the 257W, I have a couple hundred of the TTSX's and can't see changing my load.

 

[ThorThor]

If your not shooting past 500 or so yards I would not change your load to accubond. The accubond does have a higher BC at .418 vs .357 for ttsx however that will not matter unless it's really long range. The accubond will open more at long range as well when velocity gets down to around 2000 fps. Starting at 3500 ish, that takes awhile.

 

[Boll Weevil]

I shot a doe last week at about 360ish with a 110gr Accubond. Bullet left a dIme sized entry/exit and "jellified" just about everything in the forward chest cavity. She probably thought she ate a bad soybean...dead before she hit the ground.

 

[EastTNHunter]

Have you compared results with the regular TSX? I've never used Barnes bullets, but I'm about to start load development for my .338 with TSXs, but had considered the TTSXs. I'm a little concerned about the tip, as the factory SSTs that I am shooting in it now get deformed tips in the magazine from recoil when I shoot. I won't likely shoot past 300 yards, and definitely not past 400. I've heard mixed reviews on both opening up and expanding, but I think that a lot of that is just internet banter.

 

[Deer Assassin]

i have pushed the 110 ttsx to 3675 fps

killed 3

2 close one at 170 works great


i love the nosler e-tip (basically same bullet) great results bobcat to bucks

 

[Hunter 257W]

Have you compared results with the regular TSX? I've never used Barnes bullets, but I'm about to start load development for my .338 with TSXs, but had considered the TTSXs. I'm a little concerned about the tip, as the factory SSTs that I am shooting in it now get deformed tips in the magazine from recoil when I shoot. I won't likely shoot past 300 yards, and definitely not past 400. I've heard mixed reviews on both opening up and expanding, but I think that a lot of that is just internet banter.

I've never used the original TSX bullets in anything. Since I only use these premium bullets in the high velocity 257 Weatherby, I wanted the higher ballistic coefficient of the TTSX for longer shots across big fields around my place. Recoil of the 257W is very mild too so haven't had any problems with deformed tips. In fact, they are so hard and tough that I've joked about the ammo almost being dangerous to carry in your pocket as you would be skewered to death if you fell on one! :shock: :mrgreen:

Regarding either bullet opening up on impact, wasn't that one of the reasons for the creation of the TTSX? The polymer tip forces the hollow cavity to open as it get's shoved back into the hollow.

 

[Hunter 257W]

i have pushed the 110 ttsx to 3675 fps

killed 3

2 close one at 170 works great


i love the nosler e-tip (basically same bullet) great results bobcat to bucks

That consistent performance regardless of range or target animal size is what I love about these TTSX bullets too. I shot a bobcat a couple of years back too at about 100 yards and it punched the same thumb sized hole in the offside with a bullet diameter entrance hole. If I'd been using a standard soft lead core bullet at 3,600 fps, I'd not have had a bobcat to get mounted that day.

 

[Hunter 257W]

If your not shooting past 500 or so yards I would not change your load to accubond. The accubond does have a higher BC at .418 vs .357 for ttsx however that will not matter unless it's really long range. The accubond will open more at long range as well when velocity gets down to around 2000 fps. Starting at 3500 ish, that takes awhile.

Yeah, the BC of the TTSX in .257 isn't that great. I have some Berger 120 grain "Hunting" VLD bullets that I've yet to give a try. I could certainly justify them in the field I was hunting in when I shot the above deer. I was watching a crossing where deer come from a long fence row towards a 20 acre strip of trees branching off my main woods. The closest side where the deer enter the woods is 300 yards from my hidden blind. The far side is 500 yards. Not really sure I would ever need to shoot beyond 500 anywhere on the farm though. I've never even tried a deer rifle beyond about 300 yards although I did shoot one groundhog years ago at 435 yards with a 22 CHeetah.

 

[dirtturner]

What rifle is that in the picture? Doesn't look like a Weatherby. I have been using partitions forever had had very good luck with them. Dropped a buck, biggest so far, at 473, according to Leica, with a 240 with a 100 grain partition. Am moving to Accubond across the board. Not that they are that much better but more to save my partitions that will one day go by the way side, probably because of the damn EPA. I use all 4 of my Weatherbys or rather they are all being used. My daughter's BF has my 270. I just put a nice looking Sig on my 300. Love my Weatherbys but price of ammo keeps that love in place.

 

[Hunter 257W]

It's a Remington 700 CDL stainless fluted. The only real Weatherby I have is a Mark V in 460. I had wanted at 257 Weatherby for years but always balked at buying another Mark V. When Remington started chambering the 700 CDL's for it I resisted about a year then got one. I agree with you on the cost of Weatherby factory ammo. Neither of my Weatherby chambers has ever had a single round of factory ammo run through them for that reason. The 460 is especially expensive but even the 257 runs over $70 a box when loaded with the same TTSX I am hand loading. That's too rich for my blood.

I agree about the Partitions being great game bullets. That's what I used most of the time in my 25-06. The only reason I changed when getting the 257 was to gain a bit of an advantage in ballistic coefficient for big field hunting. I know that it'snot really significant for the ranges I've shot so far. One thing that keeps coming back to me is how many instant kills I got on deer using Partitions and I've never used the high shoulder shot most guys do who get a lot of instant kills. I got several of them using behind the shoulder hits. I think you get the best of both worlds with the Partition as far as terminal performance is concerned because the nose blows up and gives lots of damage while the tail end plows on through.

Not sure what you mean by "Nice looking SIg on my 300."??????

 

[mimitk]

Congrats

 

[JKC]

Congrats!

 

[Bone Collector]

Congrats on the buck! Now I'll leave all the bullet talk to you ballistic :ugeek: :lol:

 

[dirtturner]

Sig Arms is having scopes made and putting their name on them. Not really sure who actually makes it but I got one , a Whiskey 5- 5x25 x52. It looks good. Looks like Japanese glass. Will shoot it when it quits raining. I have 4 Weatherbys now. Bought 2 in a Vanguard SubMOA. Love them. A 257 and a 300. Have a 240 and 270 in Mark V's. Up till this year my daughter had been using my 257 but it is so long its hard to use in a single blind. She is loving and using my Remington SPS in 308 with a 20" bull barrel, a Timney trigger and a Trigicon scope. It is shorter and she won't give it back. The Vanguard SubMOAs are great. Looking at getting her her own weapon in a 270 or 300. Not sure if I can swing it but looking at getting her a Cooper , either a Jackson or a Schnabel. Worried about weight. I have a Cooper model 22 that weighs like a M-60. Ever shoot a Cooper?

 

[Luckybuck16]

Good info fellers

 

[Hunter 257W]

Sig Arms is having scopes made and putting their name on them. Not really sure who actually makes it but I got one , a Whiskey 5- 5x25 x52. It looks good. Looks like Japanese glass. Will shoot it when it quits raining. I have 4 Weatherbys now. Bought 2 in a Vanguard SubMOA. Love them. A 257 and a 300. Have a 240 and 270 in Mark V's. Up till this year my daughter had been using my 257 but it is so long its hard to use in a single blind. She is loving and using my Remington SPS in 308 with a 20" bull barrel, a Timney trigger and a Trigicon scope. It is shorter and she won't give it back. The Vanguard SubMOAs are great. Looking at getting her her own weapon in a 270 or 300. Not sure if I can swing it but looking at getting her a Cooper , either a Jackson or a Schnabel. Worried about weight. I have a Cooper model 22 that weighs like a M-60. Ever shoot a Cooper?

Ah, I wasn't aware SIG was selling scopes now. Yeah, the MOA guarantee on the Vanguard has tempted me as they aren't expensive at all. I'd love to try a 240 Weatherby. That would be one flat shooting varmint buster. I have a heavy barrel custom job built on a single shot 98 Mauser action in 6mm Remington that I hardly even think about most of the time as I only bought it because a friend was wanting to reduce his numbers somewhat and he made me an offer I couldn't refuse. It should outperform a normal 6mm or 243 because of it's 28 inch barrel. Speaking of that 28" barrel, I can understand your daughter's love of the short barrel SPS 308. Even the 26" barrel on my 257W makes it noticeably awkward to handle and carry.

I've never even seen a Cooper in person but I've drooled over their listings on the website. I have one of the original Kimber 82 rimfire rifles built in Oregon in the real early 1990's and as I understand it, the Cooper company was created when Kimber went in a different direction and started building pistols and centerfires. If my Kimber is a indicator of Cooper quality, I know I'd love to have one. Especially one of the older smaller 22 centerfires. Those have always been my main weakness.