165 tsx vs 180 tsx in 300wsm.

[Irina]

I've been looking at the ballistics of each of these bullets. It seems to me the 165 is faster and has more energy inside 300 yards than the 180. I've always shot the 180s and killed everything from deer to moose. My question is will the 165 do more tissue/lung damage than the 180 being the 165 is faster and more energy. I'm only choosing between these weights and only the tsx.

[Homesteader]

I would have to say there will be very little difference. If they both shot the same and availability was the same I’d pick the 165 unless I was after hungry bears or bison. Monometals like speed. The 165 will got 100fps or so faster. It’s all inconsequential, but fun to theorize once in awhile

[Irina]

Originally Posted by Homesteader

I would have to say there will be very little difference. If they both shot the same and availability was the same I’d pick the 165 unless I was after hungry bears or bison. Monometals like speed. The 165 will got 100fps or so faster. It’s all inconsequential, but fun to theorize once in awhile

Ok thanks, I guess I see the 165 retaining way more speed at 100 and hitting way harder also. Maybe that makes no difference in tissue damage. I have a tendency to therorize over billets lol.

[Dean2]

The biggest advantage to momo metal bullets is they retain near 100 percent bullet weight no matter how fast you drive them. They don't blow up on bone or hide even at very close range. You may want to look at the 150 and 130 tsx before making a final decision. I shoot the 130s out of my 308 at 3150 fps. Have killed multiple moose, elk, bear and deer. No excessive meat damage, quick kills and always complete pass through. I am just starting to load the 130 LRX to try out on game as they open better at lower velocities for longer range shots.

[elkhunter11]

Shoot whichever one groups best in your rifle, on game performance at most hunting ranges will be similar.

[Desert Eagle]

I shoot 150 TTSX in 300 SAUM, I wouldn’t go any heavier than that in a similar sized cartridge. Smashed 2 through the shoulders of a good sized moose in around 2019 and they performed excellently. They are still a bit hard on deer and don’t have the energy dump like a softer bullet, so my experience is they typically run more after the shot that with a lead core Nosler bullet.

[eric2381]

Since I’ve switched to Barnes bullets, I’ve went lighter and faster than I ever did with lead bullets and the performance is awesome for us. The kids and I shoot 80gr Ttsx in our 25-06s and my 25-06 AI. I’m shooting 3875fps and it’s a killing machine on deer and antelope.

[Mountain Guy]

I'd put money the 180's shoot better.. That trumps anything the ballistic charts will tell you.

[fps plus]

I would try 150 x with superformance powder

[wind drift]

“Monometals like speed.”

For this reason alone, I would go with 165 out to 300yds.

[Pathfinder76]

I shoot 168 TTSX’s out of my 30-06. I can assure you that it is a decisive killer out to 400 yards. I wouldn’t be concerned out to 600. It is also very accurate.

[waldedw]

Before I worked up a load for my 300 RUM with 190gr ABLR I shot some factory loaded barnes with 165gr TTSX @ 3350 FPS, I took and elk and a moose with them, never recovered either of the bullets as they were complete pass throughs, both animals were in the 175 - 200 yard range and they were both very dead, the elk went about 30 yards and the moose just stood there for a couple seconds then tipped over. Having said that I did shoot a moose with the 190 ABLR @ 3095 FPS at about 150 yards and the results were similar, pass through the engine room, 2 or 3 steps and tip over, lots of jelly in the body cavity.

My handloads shoot so good I never shot the rest of the barnes TTSX, one of these days I'll have to burn them up to farm the brass.

[GMX]

My Boy shoots a 110gr TTSX out of his 270. Flattens deer. Pretty much destroyed the entire front end. Both front shoulders were fully blood shot. I shoot a 243 with 80gr monos. Again lethal on elk and moose hide or bone makes no difference to them. They just keep on going can’t remember how many we’ve shot with the little 80gr pills but we can only managed to recover three the rest left two holes. Not that my opinion matters here but lighter is better with monolithic’s.

[Dick284]

It’s a short mag!
I’d go with the 165/168, as the 180’s are too long and will take away a bunch of powered capacity, and you’ll get low velocities because of it.

Monolithic bullets need speed to give good results, so the faster the better…….

I’d personally look hard at the 150 mono’s if it was my rifle.

[Ariu]

Originally Posted by wind drift

“Monometals like speed.”

For this reason alone, I would go with 165 out to 300yds.

^^^ this

[skidderman]

For big animals I like heavy. I shoot 200 grain accubond out of my 300 wsm and elk tell me they don't like it. Have shot a lot of 180 grain as well and little difference. From my experience faster & lighter on elk is not nearly as good as heavy. Been shooting for almost 60 years so I do have some experience. I relate it to a semi going to hit you at 80kms an hr vs a car hitting you at 110. I'll take the car every time. Won't be waking up from a semi hitting you. I don't buy this faster and lighter is better one bit. However people are entitled to whatever they want. I know what works for me & that's all I need.

[Dick284]

Originally Posted by skidderman

For big animals I like heavy. I shoot 200 grain accubond out of my 300 wsm and elk tell me they don't like it. Have shot a lot of 180 grain as well and little difference. From my experience faster & lighter on elk is not nearly as good as heavy. Been shooting for almost 60 years so I do have some experience. I relate it to a semi going to hit you at 80kms an hr vs a car hitting you at 110. I'll take the car every time. Won't be waking up from a semi hitting you. I don't buy this faster and lighter is better one bit. However people are entitled to whatever they want. I know what works for me & that's all I need.

All well and good till you make the move to monolithic constructed bullets.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by skidderman

For big animals I like heavy. I shoot 200 grain accubond out of my 300 wsm and elk tell me they don't like it. Have shot a lot of 180 grain as well and little difference. From my experience faster & lighter on elk is not nearly as good as heavy. Been shooting for almost 60 years so I do have some experience. I relate it to a semi going to hit you at 80kms an hr vs a car hitting you at 110. I'll take the car every time. Won't be waking up from a semi hitting you. I don't buy this faster and lighter is better one bit. However people are entitled to whatever they want. I know what works for me & that's all I need.

Your argument may hold true when comparing cup and core bullets, but it is badly flawed, when comparing cup and core bullets to monometal bullets. Your 200gr cup and core bullet that retained 60% of it's weight has only 120gr remaining, while a 165gr monometal bullet that retains 95%, has over 156gr remaining. So while the 200gr may start out heavier, after it sheds weight, it has less remaining weight to penetrate, as well as less velocity. So the result is that lighter monometal bullets actually penetrate more than heavier cup and core bullets. I have only been hunting for over 50 years, but my experience has shown this to be true.

[Mountain Guy]

Don't overthink it... your brain will get sore.
Try both and go with the most accurate.
I only have about 42 years big game hunting...but about 50 overall

[kingrat]

I shoot the 150ttsx out of my 300wsm and like them on elk and moose. With barnes I've also loaded lighter leads and pushed them as fast as possible. I wouldn't go any heavier than the 165.

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by skidderman

For big animals I like heavy. I shoot 200 grain accubond out of my 300 wsm and elk tell me they don't like it. Have shot a lot of 180 grain as well and little difference. From my experience faster & lighter on elk is not nearly as good as heavy. Been shooting for almost 60 years so I do have some experience. I relate it to a semi going to hit you at 80kms an hr vs a car hitting you at 110. I'll take the car every time. Won't be waking up from a semi hitting you. I don't buy this faster and lighter is better one bit. However people are entitled to whatever they want. I know what works for me & that's all I need.

I started hunting over 60 years ago too. What is very true is things have changed a whole bunch in that time and some things haven't changed at all. A 45-70 with a 400 grain lead or cup and core bullet at 1500 fps kills like a hot damn. To this day it is my favourite Bear killer and the 460 Weatherby mag at twice the speed doesn't kill any faster. That said, Roy Weatherby was right too, ligher bullets at mak chicken kill like a hot damn too. I love the 257 Weatherby mag and a 90 grain mono metal at 3700 fps is a much better idea than pushing a cup and core at that speed if you are shooting stuff bigger than deer.

Part of living this long is learning and embracing what new technology brings us. When I was 14 the idea I could make a phone call without using a pay phone was complete fantasy let alone beimg able to store the entire contents of a large city library on the same cell phone. One terabyte is almost twice the content of an old paper book library.

If you shoot monos go way lighter than cup and core. .

[heymshooter]

A 165 monometal will go through a big elk lengthwise. They are more than enough for anything in north america

[reel lucky]

Switched from 180 Nosler Partition to 150 ttsx five years ago in my 300 WSM
and have been very impressed with the performance and lot less meat damage.

[JD848]

The TTSX is a good choice in 165 ,but the TSX I won't waste the powder on a stump . I test the TSX and 90 percent never opened up ,the TTSX is a totally different bullet in mono bullets,very accurate and opens up well .Just my choice .

If your wanting a second choice the 180 accubond is a different bullet also and not a mono .but it's a hammer at 3000 ft per sec in 300wsm. Was my choice for years and they dropped every thing .Plus it's not hard on your barrel. Just my choice.

Remember your barrel twist in that 300wsm ,in mine the 180 accubonds shot better ,in my 7mm the 150 ttsx shoots better .Something to think about.

[cowmanbob]

Originally Posted by heymshooter

A 165 monometal will go through a big elk lengthwise. They are more than enough for anything in north america

That would be an amazing feat.

[JD848]

Originally Posted by cowmanbob

that would be an amazing feat.

yes .

[JBE]

Maybe if the elk swallowed it.

[Irina]

Thank everyone who replied. I will ask this, wouldn't a bullet hitting a target at 100 yards doing 2780fps and hitting with 3100 foot pounds open the same as a bullet going 3026 fps and hitting with 3050 foot pounds of energy. Both.

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by Irina

Thank everyone who replied. I will ask this, wouldn't a bullet hitting a target at 100 yards doing 2780fps and hitting with 3100 foot pounds open the same as a bullet going 3026 fps and hitting with 3050 foot pounds of energy. Both.

At 100 yards the choice of bullets is almost completely irrelevant. Bullet construction amd performance matters at 29 yards and 600 yards. Anywhere in between any decent hunting bullet kills just fine.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Irina

Thank everyone who replied. I will ask this, wouldn't a bullet hitting a target at 100 yards doing 2780fps and hitting with 3100 foot pounds open the same as a bullet going 3026 fps and hitting with 3050 foot pounds of energy. Both.

Bullet expansion is typically determined by impact velocity, and the media that it impacts. The same bullet striking the same media at a higher velocity, will typically expand more/faster.