Recovering Barnes TSX/TTSX's?

[Pathfinder76]

I see a lot of comments about the lack of recovery of the above bullets. Some saying that they have yet to recover one. This baffles me a bit. Now I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but four family members, including myself, hunt with them quite a bit and without fail we usually recover a couple each year. Most all of them are up against the hide on the far side, many have gone through most of the animal more lengthways than sideways, many have encountered big bone, and many have been shot into fairly large animals.

IMO they still penetrate like no other but I get the feeling that if you are seeing them pass through everything you shoot that they might not be necessary. IE, your hunting style, cartridge, or quary might do just as well with a bullet that might not be known for as much penetration.

Thoughts?

[Lefty-Canuck]

The cup and core bullets I use usually are recovered in the offside hide so I have never seen the need to use a mono metal bullet myself.

Mind you I do my best to place a bullet behind the front shoulder and not directly on the front shoulder.

LC

[Cowtown guy]

I don't find a bunch of them. We did find this one in an Eland last week though. It weighs 269.5 grains. It started as 270.



While they may not be necessary in the smaller game, I think they are great to use and have confidence with in case a shot at a Moose or Elk is encountered while hunting deer if the tags are in hand.

[Coiloil37]

I've only ever recovered one and it hit a whitetail in the spine well behind his front legs. It continued straight up through the spine to his neck and I found it under the hide by his wind pipe. Prob traveled through 2' of bone, shot him at about 30m, muzzle velocity of 2850 and it weighed exactly 180.0 grains before and after the shot. Every other bullet has exited everything I've hit with them.

[bulletman]

In my wet newspaper tests the Barnes Triple Shocks are the undisputed ''penetration'' champion. They penetrate @ 24 inches in my 7mm's. Similar mono metals like the Hornady GMX also do the same. With 2 feet of penetration a hunter would have to shoot his animals lengthwise in order to re-cover Triple Shocks consistently, or shoot a huge beast like an eland in a previous post. I prefer the cup/core for deer, however I certainly understand why guys like these Triple Shocks for bigger game. I have personally only shot 3 animals with the Barnes Triple Shock. A coyote, a doe deer with antlers and a 3 year old bull elk. I shot the bull elk facing me, however I still didn't recover the bullet. He dropped as though struck by thunder. The main thing to remember, it's not whether we recovered our bullet, whether it be a Berger VLD, Nosler Accubond, Partition or Hornady SST or dozens of others. As long as we recovered our animal, and it was dispatched humanely, that is the main thing. I like to recover my bullets but lately not too much luck in that regard.

[Pathfinder76]

I guess sample size would matter and in our case is likely well over 100 animals.

[elkhunter11]

I have only recovered one TSX, generally I use lung shots and they exit. I might not need that much penetration for most of my shots on game, but it's nice to have , when heavy bone is struck, or for those raking shots.

[Andrzej]

If you use them for long enough you will recover a few...

[bdub]

Originally Posted by chuck

I see a lot of comments about the lack of recovery of the above bullets. Some saying that they have yet to recover one. This baffles me a bit. Now I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but four family members, including myself, hunt with them quite a bit and without fail we usually recover a couple each year. Most all of them are up against the hide on the far side, many have gone through most of the animal more lengthways than sideways, many have encountered big bone, and many have been shot into fairly large animals.

IMO they still penetrate like no other but I get the feeling that if you are seeing them pass through everything you shoot that they might not be necessary. IE, your hunting style, cartridge, or quary might do just as well with a bullet that might not be known for as much penetration.

Thoughts?

A bullet that exits most of the time is a good thing. I prefer an exit hole, usually leaves more blood sign for easier tracking in my experience.

[Dick284]

Originally Posted by bdub

[/B]


A bullet that exits most of the time is a good thing. I prefer an exit hole, usually leaves more blood sign for easier tracking in my experience.

Didn't Barnes utilize that same theory as a marketing?

I've recovered a few, mostly lighter for caliber pills, and if large bone was encountered.( I normally try for behind the shoulder shots)

[Homesteader]

Originally Posted by bdub

[/B]


A bullet that exits most of the time is a good thing. I prefer an exit hole, usually leaves more blood sign for easier tracking in my experience.

Exactly. Some guys prefer all the energy be expended in the animal, she others prefer complete penetration. I like the bullet to exit.

[silver lab]

I would like to know what weight and caliber everyone is using? I have shot one cow elk and two deer with 130gr TTSX out of my 300 win. No recovered bullets so far, all shots have been behind the shoulder and recovery has been under 50 yards.

[Kurt505]

Here's one

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by Kurt505

Here's one

I've seen this with three TSX's.

[twofifty]

Kurt how did that play out?

[Homesteader]

Originally Posted by twofifty

Kurt how did that play out?

Diito. What was the impact velocity do you think?

[FishHunterPro]

I seen ttsx in a 6.5x55 hit a buck in the lungs and go all the way through the ass.

[Traps]

I have recovered two on two animals. I shoot really light, 160 ttsx in 338 and 120 ttsx in 7 mm both for moose, worked great.

[Jordan Smith]

I have a nice collection of recovered Barnes bullets. They nearly always exit, and after killing and seeing killed right around 100 head of game with Barnes bullets, I'd say I have recovered less than 10 bullets from various cartridges.

For close-range shooting, I like the fact that I can penetrate as much as necessary, regardless of the required shot angle.

[elkhunter11]

For close-range shooting, I like the fact that I can penetrate as much as necessary, regardless of the required shot angle.

Exactly! I drive the 140gr TTSX at 3500fps, and the 150gr TTSX at 3400fps, and I don't have to worry about them coming apart and not penetrating adequately. As well, with those muzzle velocities, they still expand nicely past 500 yards.

[Pathfinder76]

Have you shot game with them past 500 yds?

[buckbrushoutdoors]

I have only recovered 2 barnes ever. One was the 300gr muzzle loader version on a whitetail buck at 220 yards and the other a 110gr ttsx out of a moose.

I really like them in my magnum calibers in case a close range shot opportunity presents it's self or a quick make it happen fleeting shot at game that isn't broadside. I know that bullet will get to the lungs every time no matter the angle. And to me that equals more success and cleaner, quicker kills on game.

On my non magnum calibers I'm really enjoying the success I've had with sst's. All have been very dramatic kills with very short blood trails. Massive trauma. Only down side is meat damage on deer sized game.

[Slash8]

I got my first recovery two years ago in a buck I took down with a .257 Weatherby. I had always used TTSX and TSX bullets before and always had a full pass through. In this case I was using 100gr soft points. The bullet was against the hide on the far side of the animal after a 100 meter shot. Expansion was as expected and the animal expired immediately. Should it stay in the animal or exit? I only ask because I don't know.

[ab_hunter]

Here is a 130 grain Barnes TTSX from a 50" bull moose.

[shooter]

168 gr TTSX. Elk at roughly 330 yards.

[Homesteader]

Originally Posted by shooter

168 gr TTSX. Elk at roughly 330 yards.

Cartridge?

[buckbrushoutdoors]

110gr ttsx 270wsm

[Roughneck Country]

I have recently switched to the Barnes ttsx and hornedy gmx for my 25-06, cant wait to try it out, several guys have told me a 25-06 is enough gun to drop a moose or elk with these bullets not that its my first choice but still nice to have the option, thinking of switching to one of these bullet choices as well for my 270. Is the winchester XP3 similar to the ttsx or GMX?

I have only heard about pass through on the ttsx with long range shots where there is not enough velocity for proper bullet expansion, suposidly it acts lik a full metal jacket at slower speeds.

[Roughneck Country]

They need to add a "like" button to the forum there is a lot of pics I would give the thumbs up to!

[Kauna]

Originally Posted by FishHunterPro

I seen ttsx in a 6.5x55 hit a buck in the lungs and go all the way through the ass.

you actually seen this ...too funny