.375 all around north america bullet

1899 said:
I've posted this before, but I stopped using the 270gr after working up a load and then shooting it into newsprint at about 90 yards. I can't remember the exact velocity but it was over 2700fps. Result:
270gr.jpg


for comparison that is a 7mm 160gr XLC on the left shot into the exact same print at the same distance. Notice that it opened up really nicely. I also tried the 285gr GS and it worked very well.
Xbullets.jpg


I believe Why Not? had a haywire experience on a moose with those 270gr TSX too.
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Looks somewhat similar to the 300gr TSXs recovered from my Cape Buffalo, well OK looked again and your 270 barely opened. And Even TSXs don't always hold together. It is in my eyes far more of a penetrator than an expander.

 
Ardent - and I suspect a Cape Buffalo is a bit "harder" than a deer, bear or even moose. And what if the game was at +250 yards? I remember emailing Barnes at the time and while I can't remember their exact response, it was to the effect that these bullets are designed for heavy, thick skinned game. So fair enough, if that is what they are designed for.
 
Yep, certainly not always the best choice, though I used to preach that. Have yet to find something they won't kill efficiently though on the other hand, but do note more knock down with some other bullets as Dogleg points out. One of the most impressive bullets I've used for shock value is the Hornady RN SP 300gr- considered junk. But on game Elk sized and down, have taken Bison with it too actually as mentioned above, it's dynamite. I say this under the belief that's what Federal loads in the blue box, and I know some here have had terrible performance from them, so far so good for me.
 
I agree. I shoot a 375 Whelen Improved, loaded to just under H&H velocity. I use 235 Speers on deer, and using 270 Hornady Spires I dropped 2 Bison in their tracks. One at 100 yards, one at 150. 1800 pounds and 2200 pounds, weighed on a scale.

Northman999 said:
My father and I shot most of the "older" bullets in .375 H&H; no monometals or accubonds. The 285 grain Grand Slams of a few years ago were great bullets. For an all arounder though, Sierra's 300 grain Gameking is excellent. Reasonably priced, very high BC, accurate, with good penetration and predictable expansion. The only reason we shoot anyting else anymore in the H&H is just to use up what we have on hand.
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Ardent said:
Yep, certainly not always the best choice, though I used to preach that. Have yet to find something they won't kill efficiently though on the other hand, but do note more knock down with some other bullets as Dogleg points out. One of the most impressive bullets I've used for shock value is the Hornady RN SP 300gr- considered junk. But on game Elk sized and down, have taken Bison with it too actually as mentioned above, it's dynamite. I say this under the belief that's what Federal loads in the blue box, and I know some here have had terrible performance from them, so far so good for me.
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Not really on topic, but the 400gr RN from Hornady was similar in my .416 RM - it was really impressive.
 
Phil Shoemaker, brown bear guide extraordinaire, said that that he had great results with Woodleigh and Partition but has the most faith in the 270 TSX for chasing wounded brown bears for his clients. If he's using a .416 or a .458, he liked the discontinued Hornady Interbonds but now uses A-Frames.
 
win22 said:
There are No bad bullets for the 375. The caliber is Superb! Bad bullet stories are usually the shooter and poor bullet placement not the Bullet!
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Not always true, though I see what you're trying to say. I had a 235gr Speer Hotcor break to pieces and all but fail to get through the muscles and into the vitals (African game). Why not, it's been suggested in this thread, had a very poor experience with a 270gr TSX. They happen, but I do agree that when a cartridge carries high average sectional densities (235gr aside), and arrives with a fair amount of bullet weight, good things generally happen. It's better than average, but not immune to bad bullets, I've had one bad bullet experience in dozens of head of game.
 
Ardent said:
Not always true, though I see what you're trying to say. I had a 235gr Speer Hotcor break to pieces and all but fail to get through the muscles and into the vitals (African game). Why not, it's been suggested in this thread, had a very poor experience with a 270gr TSX. They happen, but I do agree that when a cartridge carries high average sectional densities (235gr aside), and arrives with a fair amount of bullet weight, good things generally happen. It's better than average, but not immune to bad bullets, I've had one bad bullet experience in dozens of head of game.
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There are many reports of problems with the monos - OK "many", but still a tiny fraction when considering the amount of game taken with them. On 24hr campfire there is a fellow whose handle is Klikitarik (sp?) who has posted a couple of recovered Barnes that certainly don't instill confidence. He isn't the only one either. I am going to give the LRX version a try and not because of the BC, but because they are supposed to open to a lower velocity - hopefully that will equate to consistent performance at higher velocity.

John Barsness had an interesting post about bullet performance too - I believe it is in the Africa forum on 24HCF. He said that out of the hundreds and hundreds of game he has personally shot and seen shot, there is only one bullet that he has never seen fail. The Nosler Partition.
 
There are no flies on the Partition, for sure, or the A Frame. I'm on the no lead bandwagon when hand loading (factory, don't sweat it) and that's the biggest reason I go for the monos. I tend to salivate over hunting rather hard creatures too and my daydreams guide my loading press.

This is a pipe dream, but hunting lion I had an epiphany of sorts regarding bullets and especially monos. I'm not bad on a lathe and I'm going to turn up some concept bullets to try this fall, if I like what I see I'll bring them for the next dangerous game hunt in November. A lot of iffs in there, as I have to get them to shoot, so please construe this as internet dreams for the foreseeable future. I just think many monos are going the wrong way if knock down is the goal, as in Africa.
 
Have you looked at the Norma Kalahari and the RWS Bionic Yellow? They offer some fragmentation in a mono. The RWS Evolution Green is also interesting, as it replaces the lead core with tin - softer in the front, hard in the rear, with a semi-partition. Just some neat things to look at and consider.
 
I've used the 270 TSX on deer and black bear, and never had an issue with expansion or quick kills. One deer bounced downhill and I found him within a few yards. Lots of blown up vital organs, just as I've come to expect with the Barnes bullets. That said, Barnes rates the 270 TSX as suitable for big heavy game, so I doubt it's ideal for much in North America other than big grizzlies, big moose and bison.

1899 sent me a couple of his 270 TSX from a different lot than mine, I'm going to test them in some newspaper against mine, see if they do anything different. Had forgotten about them until I found them in a reloading room cleanup the other day! :)
 
I would think that the 270 TSX construction would definitely be on the heavy side for deer? I've only shot two large bull elk with the 270 TSX, and oddly enough, they are both the only X Bullets of any construction that I have recovered in 25+ years of using them (I've used them since they were first released). Both recovered 270 TSX's could be used in ads - perfect expansion, one weighed 269.3 grains after recovery, the other 268.7 grains. Of course I didn't weigh them before firing, but in weighing the remnants of one box, they all weigh within +- .3 of a grain.
 
Blacktail deer

Entrance:

11047_212073190515_6643490_n.jpg



Exit:

11047_212073920515_1952279_n.jpg



I've certainly seen bigger exit wounds, but it shows expansion without hitting bone. And as always, it's what's inside that counts. His lungs were mulched up nicely. Here is how I found him after a few jumps down hill.

11047_212072515515_5735719_n.jpg
 
Gatehouse said:
1899 sent me a couple of his 270 TSX from a different lot than mine, I'm going to test them in some newspaper against mine, see if they do anything different. Had forgotten about them until I found them in a reloading room cleanup the other day! :)
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I've been waiting for this! I am really curious as I firmly believe that there is a lot to lot variation - the vast majority will work perfectly, but it does not take much to sour a person.
 
1899 said:
Have you looked at the Norma Kalahari and the RWS Bionic Yellow? They offer some fragmentation in a mono. The RWS Evolution Green is also interesting, as it replaces the lead core with tin - softer in the front, hard in the rear, with a semi-partition. Just some neat things to look at and consider.
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Yep, and you also read my mind. None of them do what I have in mind yet, but getting better.
 
Ardent said:
Yep, and you also read my mind. None of them do what I have in mind yet, but getting better.
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You could look into Cutting Edge Bullets. The ESP Raptors are a 6 petal mono bullet that sheds its petals, can be shot as a hollow-point, a plastic tipped bullet or flipped upside down and used as a well designed flat nosed solid.
 
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