300 WSM on white tail deer?

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patrickg

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Hi,last fall I purchased a Tikka 300 wsm for moose and deer hunting,unfortunatly I did not get to see the performance of the barnes 180g all copper bullets on Mr moose but I did shoot a 5 pts deer at 60 yrds and had to track him about 80 yards before finding it. I was expecting to see a big hole but to my suprise there was only a pencil size hole right throu the boiler room. My question is if I continue to hunt deer with this rifle what is the recommended bullet type and grain weight I should be using?
 
Welcome to the wonderful world of TSXs.That's what they do when they work. If you want deer to pile up, load some Ballistip-tips, Partitions, plain ole Hornady Interlocks or just about anything you can name and drop a weight.

When you combine the hardest expanding bullet around with the softest smallest medium game animal, this the kind of thing to expect. On the other hand, if you want to shoot through moose lengthwise you're geared up pretty good right now.

Or you can just buy A-Frames and be done with it.
 
I'm using Hornady Interbonds in 165 weight and they are pretty devestating, yet retain a good percentage of their weight. I've done two neck shots and two frontal chest shots and they all dropped on the spot. I had one side shot through the heart and the buck managed to jump a fence. Left a blood trail like someone used a 6" wide paint brush.

Anyhow, my point is good performance with a budget priced bullet.
 
What would matter to me is having lead seasoned meat from the older bullet types...I'd go TSX in a milder cartridge for deer, or reload the 300 down to some slower velocities.

Just my two bitz...
 
I agree with Dogleg. I believed in the TSX, but unless for a massive piece of animal, I think I will move away from them and go with A-frames or Accubonds and Partitions for North America.

Maybe, just maybe a lighter for caliber TSX moving at say 2500 ft/sec in a 25-30 caliber is fine for our animals. Otherwise..... pencil holes.
 
patrickg said:
Hi,last fall I purchased a Tikka 300 wsm for moose and deer hunting,unfortunatly I did not get to see the performance of the barnes 180g all copper bullets on Mr moose but I did shoot a 5 pts deer at 60 yrds and had to track him about 80 yards before finding it. I was expecting to see a big hole but to my suprise there was only a pencil size hole right throu the boiler room. My question is if I continue to hunt deer with this rifle what is the recommended bullet type and grain weight I should be using?
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Obviously a 180gr bullet will kill the deer. :)

When I hunt deer with my 300WSM, I usually use a 130 or 150gr TTSX.

The exit is often a pencil size hole, but the insides of the animal are all chewed up, mushy goo. Most deer I've shot with TSX and TTSX bullets have gone down hard and fast. Only deer I've shot with TSX style bullets that I had to track very far was one that I shot at a high angle and it only hit one lung. That one went about 80 yards too. But the blood trail was so extreme it looked like someone had been sloshing red paint all over the forest floor! :)

Plus no bits of lead in my meat, which I enjoy. :)
 
For the record, that is one example of many. I shot a whitetail buck with a 165gr Hornady SP 15 years or more ago, and that buck ran 100yds. Impact distance was roughly 60yds as well, and the hole in and out was fist size.

The TTSX or TSX penetrates very well, and creates a very good and consistant wound channel. If you want boom splat, then use a very frangable bullet, and pass up all shots that could hit heavy bone. Thats the option.
 
Dogleg said:
Welcome to the wonderful world of TSXs.That's what they do when they work. If you want deer to pile up, load some Ballistip-tips, Partitions, plain ole Hornady Interlocks or just about anything you can name and drop a weight.

When you combine the hardest expanding bullet around with the softest smallest medium game animal, this the kind of thing to expect. On the other hand, if you want to shoot through moose lengthwise you're geared up pretty good right now.

Or you can just buy A-Frames and be done with it.
Click to expand...

I've had good success with the new Hornady GMX bullets on deer last year. They open up like a lead core bullet - the mushrooms even look like lead bullets. They open violently and quickly so the wounds look like they were made with conventional bullets. They even make that nice meaty 'whop' sound that you don't get with TSX bullets. But they also retain 99.9% of their weight (minus the plastic tip), and will penetrate lengthwise through a deer, even when they smash through bone and joints. The only caveat seems to be that you need to drive them really fast to get this kind of performance, otherwise they behave more like TSX's, expanding more slowly and to a lesser degree.
 
rem338win said:
Its not possible unless basic physics don't work anymore either.
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I have heard this before too. Makes no sense in the world of physics but hunters and old wives believe some strange things. TSX and TTSX do work very well and seem to me to love speed. The faster the better and blow those petals off too, they cause extra damage. Love em.
 
IMO, stick with the 180gr bullets...TSX, TTSX, Accubonds, etc. Best bullet weight for the 300WSm and 300WM IMO. I been using the 180gr premium bullets in my 300WM for years and in a 300WSM recently....elk, moose, whitetails, mulies, bears .....you are good to go.

If you reload and want more speed, 165/168gr TSX/TTSX or 160gr accubonds. Personally stick with the 180's...dead is dead.
 
from what i have seen, you are more likely to flatten a deer with a convential softpoint than with a premium bullet. but dead is dead. even a big deer is not a big animal.
 
load up some 165 gn tsx they are made for the 300 wsm. I had great results with them.

Is the 168-grain .30-caliber TSX the same as the 165-grain TSX? Is it really a match-grade hunting bullet?
These bullets have different ogive geometries. The 165-grain TSX incorporates a shorter tangent ogive in the nose profile. It’s designed for cartridges with short magazines such as the .300 WSM and .300 Win Mag. The 168-grain TSX BT has a secant ogive which lengthens the nose profile and has shown superb accuracy downrange. It offers the best of both worlds because it’s also a premium hunting bullet offering exceptional terminal performance. It is best suited for cartridges such as the .308 Winchester, .30-06 and .300 Weatherby.
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I've been pushing Nosler E-Tips (essentially the same as the TTSX minus the cannelures) through my .300 Weatherby in 180 gr weights for two seasons now. Devastating results!

I managed to recover the two slugs from my cow moose this past year. Both weigh in at less than a grain lighter than the original, and one went right through her front shoulder joint. I'm sold.

DSCF2406.jpg
 
Dogleg said:
Welcome to the wonderful world of TSXs.That's what they do when they work. If you want deer to pile up, load some Ballistip-tips, Partitions, plain ole Hornady Interlocks or just about anything you can name and drop a weight.

When you combine the hardest expanding bullet around with the softest smallest medium game animal, this the kind of thing to expect. On the other hand, if you want to shoot through moose lengthwise you're geared up pretty good right now.

Or you can just buy A-Frames and be done with it.
Click to expand...

pretty much explains everything the OP needs to know about is cartridge/bullet combo. Well said.
 
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