- Location
- AB foothills
Have seen quite a few of these now with TSX's, but all died quickly and the insides were a mess that no living thing could live through.
Someone Convince me to Reload/Hunt Big Game with Barnes TSX
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- Start date
Even though I'm not a Fan of the Barnes Copper bullets, ive come to the conclusion that its point-less to argue over what types of bullets are better,because if some razor blades going 300' per\sec will kill an animal,well........ any bullet going about ten times faster than them razor blades is going to get the job done,but with more authority of coarse 
Johnn Peterson
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Chemainus B.C.
I haven't switched over yet from TSX's and still undecided if I will or not.
Here is a bighorn sheep killed at 550 yards, shoulder shot with a 150g TSX(legs removed already in the pictured). Broke both shoulders and exited, sheep folded on the spot. The whole front of that sheep looked like jelly.
That is a lot of damage, especially at the range you've mentioned. What calibre? Oh, the primary change over to Barnes I stated was from some of your more readily available lead core bullets I mentioned in a previous post. While the 'plan' is to go with TTSX, I do have some 165gr TSX and 180gr TSX to 'try' in 30 cal as well as some 225gr TSX for my 358NM. And somewhat similar to the TSX style, I was given some 30 cal Berger 168gr VLD Hunting bullets to 'try'. I like shooting and that's the beauty of opting for early retirement. I now have the time to 'play'
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The cabinet/shelves on the right of the little window shows some of my selection. Cast bullets are in the shelves under the reloading bench on the left.
- Location
- AB foothills
.308 caliber 150g bullet, 300SAUM was the cartridge.
- Location
- AB foothills
Hitting shoulder bones messes up some meat.
Yup, it sure does. In the above example the shoulder was exactly what I wanted to hit. I wanted that sheep anchored where he stood and it worked.
Why wouldn't I not tell the truth and just make up a story? My son was a witness to the hunt, and as well not impressed with the results from the bullet wound. Upon approaching the deer and examining the small wound channel after gutting, we concluded that was the reason for no blood trail................small wound channel, very little or no blood trail. As you can see in the enclosed photo, I was leaning on the deer and very little blood came out of the entry area. Like I mentioned before, I was impressed with the bullet on paper but not where it counts. After reading some posts on this thread I don't think that Barnes have improved to have their bullets expand for a larger wound channel, except maybe the TTSX. I don't want any animal to run off and die elsewhere without a good blood trail.
Johnn Peterson
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Chemainus B.C.
Very close, calibre wise, to what I've reloaded for my son in law. He had a custom made 300WSM and I used the 'recipe' for the accuracy load the gun maker used, with Barnes 180gr TXS.
RememberTheSomme
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nova Scotia
That is a lot of damage, especially at the range you've mentioned. What calibre? Oh, the primary change over to Barnes I stated was from some of your more readily available lead core bullets I mentioned in a previous post. While the 'plan' is to go with TTSX, I do have some 165gr TSX and 180gr TSX to 'try' in 30 cal as well as some 225gr TSX for my 358NM. And somewhat similar to the TSX style, I was given some 30 cal Berger 168gr VLD Hunting bullets to 'try'. I like shooting and that's the beauty of opting for early retirement. I now have the time to 'play'
The cabinet/shelves on the right of the little window shows some of my selection. Cast bullets are in the shelves under the reloading bench on the left.
John a cozy set up indeed there. I see alot of green on the bench there, way to go.
Johnn Peterson
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Chemainus B.C.
John a cozy set up indeed there. I see alot of green on the bench there, way to go.
RCBS quality I've found to be very good for my needs and their customer service,
second to none.
Take a look at the pic boys. The deer ain't cut in half so the bullet didn't work. if that is he entry wound under the glove, that isn't a pencil hole. I doubt the deer went 500yds but at your age it may have felt like that.
I watched my father punch a whitetail at roughly 60yds with a 130gr Hornady out of a 300 WM. it should have been moving at 3400fps or so still, and that buck made it 200 yards through some tough messy bush before it plowed dirt. I skinned and emptied that deer and the whole front two quarters were garbage and I found half a lung and the top of the heart still attached. Sometimes the critters are tough and blood trails are never guaranteed.
I watched my father punch a whitetail at roughly 60yds with a 130gr Hornady out of a 300 WM. it should have been moving at 3400fps or so still, and that buck made it 200 yards through some tough messy bush before it plowed dirt. I skinned and emptied that deer and the whole front two quarters were garbage and I found half a lung and the top of the heart still attached. Sometimes the critters are tough and blood trails are never guaranteed.
Take a look at the pic boys. The deer ain't cut in half so the bullet didn't work. if that is he entry wound under the glove, that isn't a pencil hole. I doubt the deer went 500yds but at your age it may have felt like that.
I watched my father punch a whitetail at roughly 60yds with a 130gr Hornady out of a 300 WM. it should have been moving at 3400fps or so still, and that buck made it 200 yards through some tough messy bush before it plowed dirt. I skinned and emptied that deer and the whole front two quarters were garbage and I found half a lung and the top of the heart still attached. Sometimes the critters are tough and blood trails are never guaranteed.
I was 50 at the time when I shot the buck, but I can still hump hills, drag deer, cuss like a sailor, spit like a hockey player and shoot like Buffalo Bill.
Seriously Andrew, has Barnes improved their bullets to expand? I love them on paper, crono and phone book........................but. The buck on the bottom was the second buck that was lung shot with the Barnes TSX and it went 200 yards before dropping. No witness at the time but it's the truth. Do you know if the TTSX expands more than the TSX?I take trophy whitetail hunting very seriously and would be quite ticked to loose one because of improper bullet selection. I have to go now, it's 7:00 am and I have a Zone 212 cow elk tag and it's cold out there today. 
Here is the buck I shot this year with the 140 gr. Nosler Accubond out of my 280 AI. It dropped like a sack of potatoes.
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
I was 50 at the time when I shot the buck, but I can still hump hills, drag deer, cuss like a sailor, spit like a hockey player and shoot like Buffalo Bill.
Here is the buck I shot this year with the 140 gr. Nosler Accubond out of my 280 AI. It dropped like a sack of potatoes.
Many, myself included, have had great success with the Barnes, one big reason being the fact there's usually an exit hole,not much meat damage and they hold together fairly well at short range when fired at high velocities.
If you dislike Barnes bullets and you've had great success with Nosler, I don't quite understand the point of starting this thread other than hoping to initiate a Barnes bashing?
I've stopped using Ballistic Tips, SST's and most non-bonded copper/lead bullets due to their erratic performance out of the high velocity calibers. I still use Nosler Partitions occassionally, but they can cause some serious jelling and unnecessary meat damage at times.
Jordan Smith
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Calgary, AB
Simple answer- "yes".
Johnn Peterson
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Chemainus B.C.
I'm still not firmly committed as to what weight I'll use with which calibre but some of the initial tests indicate some not too shabby hunting accuracy.
Well Gary, they have expanded on everything from yearlings to 300lb deer out to 454yds with me and no deer moved more than 50yds.
I believe thy both the TSX and the TTSX expand very well and I have used them mostly in a .284 Winchester the last couple years starting at 3000fps.
I would say it acts like the Accubond performance wise with alot more penetration.
I believe thy both the TSX and the TTSX expand very well and I have used them mostly in a .284 Winchester the last couple years starting at 3000fps.
I would say it acts like the Accubond performance wise with alot more penetration.
Thanks for all the interesting posts with effective counter-examples.
My question to all of those with experience is how the Triple Shock compares to a premium bonded boattail like the Nosler Accubond. In my limited experience, I've found that ABs and TSXs shoot to a very similar point of impact and take basically identical loads. My experience on game with these bullets has been rather limited, however -- two deer each. In all cases, the bullets hit VERY hard (pushed from .30-06 and .300 Win Mags with maximum charges of Vihtavuori N560 behind them) and the deer did not go far. In fact, in all but one case (where the shot was poor) they dropped on the spot without taking even one step.
FYI, one of my worst tracking situations involved a small blacktail on Texada Island that was hit with a .30-06 pushing a 165-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip... at about 25 yards. The exit hole was literally a foot-long oval and organs spilled out onto the ground as the animal ran away. Despite this, the animal made it through brambles, under downed logs and over a winding trail for at least 300 meandering yards before finally giving up the ghost. Interestingly, for about the first 50 yards from the shot, there was not even any indication of a hit, not even one tiny fleck of blood. If this experience proves anything, perhaps it is that, despite even catastrophic damage, animals can do amazing things after being shot. (FWIW, I take full responsibility for that bad shot. If I had hit the shoulder, the animal would have gone down almost immediately.) Therefore, it is probably not appropriate for us to expect bullets to do magic.
Having said this, and since this post seems to be essentially Nosler vs. Triple Shock, what are people's thoughts about the use of the Accubond as a general purpose bullet for deer/moose/elk/black bear hunting, as compared to the Triple Shock? I've personally found both of them to be phenomenally accurate -- as have most of you.
My question to all of those with experience is how the Triple Shock compares to a premium bonded boattail like the Nosler Accubond. In my limited experience, I've found that ABs and TSXs shoot to a very similar point of impact and take basically identical loads. My experience on game with these bullets has been rather limited, however -- two deer each. In all cases, the bullets hit VERY hard (pushed from .30-06 and .300 Win Mags with maximum charges of Vihtavuori N560 behind them) and the deer did not go far. In fact, in all but one case (where the shot was poor) they dropped on the spot without taking even one step.
FYI, one of my worst tracking situations involved a small blacktail on Texada Island that was hit with a .30-06 pushing a 165-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip... at about 25 yards. The exit hole was literally a foot-long oval and organs spilled out onto the ground as the animal ran away. Despite this, the animal made it through brambles, under downed logs and over a winding trail for at least 300 meandering yards before finally giving up the ghost. Interestingly, for about the first 50 yards from the shot, there was not even any indication of a hit, not even one tiny fleck of blood. If this experience proves anything, perhaps it is that, despite even catastrophic damage, animals can do amazing things after being shot. (FWIW, I take full responsibility for that bad shot. If I had hit the shoulder, the animal would have gone down almost immediately.) Therefore, it is probably not appropriate for us to expect bullets to do magic.
Having said this, and since this post seems to be essentially Nosler vs. Triple Shock, what are people's thoughts about the use of the Accubond as a general purpose bullet for deer/moose/elk/black bear hunting, as compared to the Triple Shock? I've personally found both of them to be phenomenally accurate -- as have most of you.
Still not understanding why people shoot the shoulder, i have not shot for the shoulder once and have only tracked one animal more than 75 yds, that one was shot with a TSX.
The thing is i put a shot behind the front leg with partitions the animal goes down, seems a lot of people who use the tsx shoot the shoulder, then the animal goes down.
Just curious why waste any meat with a shoulder shot?
To be honest, I haven't had much experience with direct shoulder shots, either. But I agree that they offer a bit of insurance. Like all insurance, you have to pay a "premium" -- in this case, a bit of damaged meat. If you break one or both shoulders at the same time that you destroy the heart or lungs, the animal can't go far, even if its adrenaline orders it to do so (though, even here, there are exceptions to every rule).
