Most accurate hunting bullet?

stubblejumper said:
Most people feel that the 165gr Nosler Ballistic Tip expands too much,and sometimes comes apart at high velocity,which reduces penetration.You are the first one that I have heard complain that they don't expand enough.
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I don't know what other people use or complain about. All I know is Nosler BT didn't work well for me for heart/lung shots for moose. They all died in a short time and the game was recovered, but regardless of any/all powder charge alterations, I've never got them to expand properly like a generic everyday soft point. I don't shoot moose through the shoulders, head, or anywhere else other than lung cavity behind the leg. They don't perform for me. If they work good for you and/or others, then you should keep using them. I used up two full boxes of ballistic tips for range fodder and still have one left collecting dust. I find that a soft point for half the cost does a superior job for moose, and yet still adequate for smaller animals like deer without blowing them apart.
 
If a rifle won't stack TSX's, you have a sick rifle.[/QUOTE]

I'm afraid I have to differ on this opinion, out of three gun safes of hunting rifles only one, a Mod. 71 Winchester 348 likes TSX bullets..... a 200 gr. and bedamned if Barnes discontinued it.
My 721 300 H&H is a sub-MOA rifle with several bullet weights none of which are Barnes.
My old pre-64 Mod. 70 is a tack driver with a 150 Nosler Partition or an old 160 CIL KKSP.... but not Barnes.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing Barnes bullets as I'm certain they are a fine bullet, they just don't work for me and I know for a fact that I have gone through more Barnes bullets than the local gun shop.
Over the years I have tried endless powder / primer / case combinations with less than satisfying results.
Every Spring I gather up all my partial boxes of Barnes bullets that don't work for me and any other disappointing bullets and put them on my table at the Kamloops Gun Show free for the taking...
 
RickF said:
I haven't tried Bergers as a hunting bullet and probably never will. But in several rifles now I have tried TSX's, and they all shoot ridiculously well. Certainly the most accurate "on average" bullet I have ever used.

If a rifle won't stack TSX's, you have a sick rifle.
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X2

Although I mostly use the TTSX now, since the blue tip looks cool...:cool:
 
I've found that if a rifle won't shoot boring old Sierra flatbases it probably won't shoot anything else either. To a slightly lesser extend the same goes for Hornady interlocks.
I've had consistant luck with TSXs and Ballistic Tips which are about as opposite as 2 bullets can be. Both can be touchy about distance to lands.

After a certain point, pure accuracy is over rated. I'll give up a bit of accuracy for the bullet performance I want, if necessary. I kill animals, but normally don't shoot groups on them.
 
Kevan said:
If a rifle won't stack TSX's, you have a sick rifle.
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I'm afraid I have to differ on this opinion, out of three gun safes of hunting rifles only one, a Mod. 71 Winchester 348 likes TSX bullets..... a 200 gr. and bedamned if Barnes discontinued it.
My 721 300 H&H is a sub-MOA rifle with several bullet weights none of which are Barnes.
My old pre-64 Mod. 70 is a tack driver with a 150 Nosler Partition or an old 160 CIL KKSP.... but not Barnes.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing Barnes bullets as I'm certain they are a fine bullet, they just don't work for me and I know for a fact that I have gone through more Barnes bullets than the local gun shop.
Over the years I have tried endless powder / primer / case combinations with less than satisfying results.
Every Spring I gather up all my partial boxes of Barnes bullets that don't work for me and any other disappointing bullets and put them on my table at the Kamloops Gun Show free for the taking...[/QUOTE]
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I learn something every day:). I wasn't aware Barnes made a TSX for the 348 WCF. In my model 71, the only Barnes bullets I've been able to get are their originals in 220gr and 250gr.

Somewhat like yourself I've picked up a selection of a number of weights for each caliber. In a couple calibers, I haven't done that much load development work with Barnes yet but from what I have tried I gotta' say the accuracy results are looking very promising.

TTSXloadtestresults-1.jpg
 
Kevan said:
If a rifle won't stack TSX's, you have a sick rifle.
Click to expand...

I'm afraid I have to differ on this opinion, out of three gun safes of hunting rifles only one, a Mod. 71 Winchester 348 likes TSX bullets..... a 200 gr. and bedamned if Barnes discontinued it.
My 721 300 H&H is a sub-MOA rifle with several bullet weights none of which are Barnes.
My old pre-64 Mod. 70 is a tack driver with a 150 Nosler Partition or an old 160 CIL KKSP.... but not Barnes.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing Barnes bullets as I'm certain they are a fine bullet, they just don't work for me and I know for a fact that I have gone through more Barnes bullets than the local gun shop.
Over the years I have tried endless powder / primer / case combinations with less than satisfying results.
Every Spring I gather up all my partial boxes of Barnes bullets that don't work for me and any other disappointing bullets and put them on my table at the Kamloops Gun Show free for the taking...[/QUOTE]+




Well put my name on em, I'll see you in four months at the show! ;)

Surprising, I have 3 pre-64's here and they all go under an inch with TSX's. A 63 year old fwt 270 barrel will chase an inch hard at 200 yards. But you are right, all rifles have their own personality. Two of the three love TSX's and Hornady's but hate Noslers, go figure.

I do seat them up to the lands and not the silly 50 thou off stuff Barnes preaches. I have never found that randomly trying different powder / primer / case combos makes much difference with a rifle. Use an appropriate powder, seat with the bullet jump it likes and you're done.
 
I've had great accuracy/performance with both Accubonds and TTSX. My only problem has been deciding whether the blue or white tip looks cooler...
 
Dogleg said:
I've found that if a rifle won't shoot boring old Sierra flatbases it probably won't shoot anything else either. To a slightly lesser extend the same goes for Hornady interlocks.
I've had consistant luck with TSXs and Ballistic Tips which are about as opposite as 2 bullets can be. Both can be touchy about distance to lands.

After a certain point, pure accuracy is over rated. I'll give up a bit of accuracy for the bullet performance I want, if necessary. I kill animals, but normally don't shoot groups on them.
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Agreed. I like to know what a caliber or specific rifle I have is capeable of and what I can expect from it. After that, no excuses, it's up to me. Pin point accuracy isn't the be all to end all I agree but I do like the confidence it builds, if and when on occasion, you have to rely on accuracy. Ideally, if I can arrive at the accuracy I want or find 'acceptable' then I won't have "to shoot groups on or at them" either. Hopefully, one shot.
 
I'm trying to think of a rifle I've loaded for in the last 10? years (can't recall when TSX came out) that wouldn't' shoot TSX or TTSX with good accuracy. Worst one so far is the .03 RUger #1 with 1.5" groups, and I've barely fiddled with that rifle yet...:)
 
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I've found best accuracy with TSX/TTSX bullets from 0.050" to 0.130" off the lands. For those of you who've been disappointed by the accuracy of TSX bullets, I recommend you try seating off the lands a bit and you may be surprised.
 
This happy young Yukoner got his eatin' bull a couple of years ago with 165 gr BTs out of his .300 Winchester. I told him to use up the BTs at the range or on caribou and save the TSXs for moose, but he took the wrong ammo box with him, so he says, and thats what he had. Meat in the freezer though! He used the BTs again this year with similar results. I suppose he'll shoot up all those TSXs we loaded, at the range!f:P:
DSC_0332-1.jpg
 
Jordan Smith said:
I've found best accuracy with TSX/TTSX bullets from 0.050" to 0.130" off the lands. For those of you who've been disappointed by the accuracy of TSX bullets, I recommend you try seating off the lands a bit and you may be surprised.
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I've heard that mentioned by others but with what little actual testing I've done with Barnes, I haven't tried it. So far, what I have done is much the same as what I found to be successful for me using Sierra bullets, which is to minimize the freebore as much as possible. The governing factor being of course dependent on available length room in the magazine. Especially in my Schultz & Larsen rifles, in many cases I can minimize that distance off the lands to 0.005" - 0.010". Again, this amount of freebore with Sierras has given me my best accuracy in hunting rifles.

Nice 'deep freeze' bull Boomer.
 
With Sierra/Hornady/Speer etc, yes, with Barnes, no. Barnes are a different animal. I've done a LOT of testing in several different hunting rifles, and best accuracy is almost always at least 0.050" off the lands, and sometimes significantly more (farthest from the lands that I've experienced yet is 0.130"). I would seat a batch at 0.010" off the lands, then another batch at 0.050" and another at 0.100" off. At least that will give you an idea of where to focus your experimentation efforts.
 
Jordan Smith said:
With Sierra/Hornady/Speer etc, yes, with Barnes, no. Barnes are a different animal. I've done a LOT of testing in several different hunting rifles, and best accuracy is almost always at least 0.050" off the lands, and sometimes significantly more (farthest from the lands that I've experienced yet is 0.130"). I would seat a batch at 0.010" off the lands, then another batch at 0.050" and another at 0.100" off. At least that will give you an idea of where to focus your experimentation efforts.
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:)Thanks for the input/info. I'll have to give that a try, ;)once the weather warms up. Thanks again:cool:.
 
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