TSX - You Can't Have It Both Ways!

[Philip Glass]

Barnes TSX - You Can't Have It Both Ways!

As a lover of all things safari I encounter discussions and debates of many kinds but rifle calibers and bullets seem to be the most discussed and filled with the strongest opinions. As a self described student of everything safari I will challenge the convention wisdom where appropriate. I have no interest in dismissing history but on the contrary embrace the history of safari. There are so many nostalgic aspects of safari dating back well over a century. Being nostalgic for me does not mean I turn a blind eye to technology and live solely in a 1900's mindset. By way of example I'd mention the debate of .375 H&H versus .375 Ruger. The latter is superior by every metric yet many want to hold onto tradition by choosing the former. This is great and there is not a nickle's worth of difference on game between the two calibers. Let's just not say the the .375 H&H is superior because that would simply be untrue. My point is that we should not let tradition blind us to the reality in front of us.

I like to chime in on the debates of what bullet to use for follow up on a buffalo hunt. It seems to be one of the most opined aspects of the hunt and one that seems to be stuck in the past. I do not proclaim to be an expert on anything but have hunted quite a bit and studied and discussed this subject for many years now. The conventional wisdom is that you must shoot "softs followed by solids" on most any buffalo hunt. I've heard it over and over that an expanding bullet will not make it through the rumen from a Texas heart shot and reach the vitals. This may be true with traditional "softs" but technology has changed over the years. Enter the revolutionary Barnes TSX. The original Barnes X bullet came on the market in 1989. There was nothing like it at the time and it began gaining a following from sportsmen. 1989 was a long time ago yet there are many who go about their hunts as if the X bullet was never invented. Due to the effectiveness of this bullet on game it now has many competitors in the marketplace. I personally have seen the effectiveness of the TSX on buffalo, hippo, Lord Derby Eland as well as other game hunting in many corners of the world. I have equally seen the lack of effectiveness of solids when used in the aforementioned scenarios. The most dramatic example of the lack of effectiveness of solids on buffalo for me actually came from videos although I've had many experiences myself. I've seen so many where two guys with 500's shooting solids at close range on a buffalo just keep shooting over and over with little effect. Sometimes a dozen shots put into the bull before it finally goes down. What other hunting scenario would be comparable to this? I don't care how big the animal is you shouldn't need to shoot it a dozen times! Something is wrong.

When thinking about the results from a solid bullet versus a hollow point I revert back to my childhood where no jack rabbit was safe! I literally took thousands of jack rabbits over the years. Back in the 1970's and 1980's here in west Texas the jack rabbit, which is actually a hare, was like a plague. Farmers and ranchers loved for kids to come take a few out and reduce the grazing pressure they caused. They used to say 20 rabbits equaled a cow as far as grazing was concerned. Who knows if that is true but it was used as the excuse to go buy bricks of .22LR and fire away! My how times have changed. Now no one trusts kids with guns and the rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) has hammered the jack rabbit to minuscule numbers. As you can imagine I got to take shots with every type of .22LR on the market. Budget was a concern with the volume of shooting that took place so the CCI Stinger, the fastest and most effective cartridge in .22LR, was a rare pleasure to shoot. The cheapest were and still are a simple all lead solid bullet. I hate these lead bullets to this day. They jam in my 10/22's and cause more fouling and of course do less damage than a hollow point. My favorite overall was the Remington Golden Bullet hollow point. After taking countless rabbits with the solids it was an amazing experience to have a decent hollow point. The solids proved over and over to consistently allow the animal to run away and possibly require another shot whereas a simple body shot with the hollow point anchored them where they were.

Even today there are very few African PH's who will allow or recommend a client hunter use an expanding bullet as the follow up shot on Buffalo. There are a few who have "seen the light" and understand the penetration of the TSX. Now I'll turn to a discussion I heard recently that prompted this article. Joseph Von Benedikt was interviewing Mark Haldane of Zambezi Delta Safaris at a recent hunting show. Mark is famous for bringing back the wildlife in parts of Mozambique in dramatic fashion. Stories and videos have been produced in great volumes showcasing his success and the thriving wildlife in his hunting areas. He likely hunts more buffalo than anyone in Africa and is widely considered an expert on all subject of wildlife and hunting in Africa. Being a gun writer and highly experienced in bullets and calibers Joseph took the conversation to bullets. Of course he would and we all eagerly await the discussion! Due to the fact that buffalo in the swamps of Mozambique live in larger herds there is more of a danger of a shot passing through and hitting another buffalo than anywhere in Africa. With this in mind Mark does not recommend the TSX for hunting in this area. He states that he has seen too many pass throughs that wound up causing a big problem. I'll just touch briefly that when it comes to bullet failures or performance issues I find it often times to be reloads traveling at an improper velocity that caused the failure. Then the bullet gets unfairly blamed but lets leave that one alone for now. I have not personally had a broad side pass through myself with the TSX on buffalo but I will take it from the expert who has seen it. This means that possibly the top expert on buffalo in Africa (he and his team shoot over 200 Buffalo per year) states that the TSX has excellent penetration!

Ok, but you can't have it both ways! You can't on one hand state that the TSX does not penetrate well enough to use for follow up's and then in the same breath say that they pass through too often. Which is it?

S

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I really like them for Cape buffalo & hippopotamus (even on follow up shots), provided that I am firing them out of a high velocity caliber like a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum or .416 Rigby or .458 Lott or .500 Jeffery. Nothing tests an expanding bullet’s course holding ability like a hippopotamus body shot (barring shoulder shots or frontal brain shots on bull elephants). And the Barnes TSX (and perhaps the Swift A Frame and Trophy Bonded Bear Claw) is the only expanding bullet which I can bank on to reliably penetrate into a hippopotamus’s vital organs on a body shot while still maintaining a straight course and not breaking apart.

In low velocity calibers (such as the rimmed Nitro Express double rifle calibers), there is the occasional expansion issue now & then.

For this reason, I would personally refrain from employing them on lions or leopards (esp. for broadside heart-lung shots on specimens shot over bait). Unless if my point of aim were the shoulder bone/scapula/humerus itself.

 

[mdwest]

Well written @Philip Glass

Im a barnes fan-boy through and through... I use TSX or TTSX in pretty much every caliber I reload for.. Ive tried other bullets to varying degrees of success.. but as a rule barnes are consistently accurate across all of my various platforms, in all calibers, etc.. and my experience with them has been that as long as they a little speed on them, that they are absolutely devastating on game..

A TSX might not be my first choice on slower moving cartridges like 30-30 Winchester or 45-70... but for the vast majority of mid to high speed cartridges they are always my first stop, go-to, projectile..

I recognize that there are other bullets that have similar reputations for straight line penetration, consistency in expansion, etc like the A-Frame, CSX, etc.. I dont begrudge anyone that likes another well established premium projectile better..

But.. for me.. Barnes are readily available at my local big box retailers.. they are reasonably affordable when compared to other premiums.. and again, are consistent across every caliber I load for.. I get somewhere between very good and excellent accuracy in every caliber.. and absolute devastating downrange results on game on everything Ive shot with them ranging from little 30lb pigs up to elk, zebra, wildebeest, etc.. (my buffalo was actually taken with an A-Frame since I was using a camp gun at the time.. had I brought either my 375 or 416 on that hunt, it would have been loaded with TSX)...

 

[Doug3006]

This is interesting @Philip Glass. Real world bullet performance data is hard to come by. A man like Mr. Haldane sees more game taken in a season than I’ll shoot in my lifetime. So I respect what he says.

My own, much more limited experience with hunting bullets is a lot less definitive. I suppose I’ve shot most of my animals with 2 brands of bullets, Nosler Partitions and Barnes TSXs. I recon these 2 bullets represent the soft and hard ends of the premium bullet spectrum. I’ve never lost an animal with either bullet. Never had a bullet failure, whether it was a bullet that came apart prematurely or one that failed to expand.

So I’ve come to the (boring) conclusion that if you select the right type of bullet for the game at hand, and place the bullet reasonably well, you’ll kill your animal. I say boring, because this conclusion doesn’t play well during campfire bullet arguments!

 

[PARA45]

@Philip Glass, I'm by no means an expert on African hunting, with only four safaris under my belt, I'll consider myself a novice compared to some on here. On three of my four safaris, I used a 375 H&H with 300 grs Barnes TSX factory ammo, and all I can say is the more I shot the ammo, the more a believer I became.

On my second and fourth safari with Game-4-Africa I shot an array of animals to include the following (2022 Safari) Warthog, Black Wildebeest, Red Hartebeest, Cow Buffalo, Bushbuck, Kudu, and Nyala, (2025 Safari) Cape Buffalo, 2 Kudus, and a Waterbuck. I also made my longest shot this year on a Kudu at 312 yds, quartering away, shot went in the back stripes and exited on the chest. The only bullet recovered (see picture) was from the Buffalo. All were one shot kills with the exception of two animals that needed an extra insurance shot.

Third safari was with Hans De Klerk, for a Lioness. One shot one kill, with devastating internal effect.

Like I said earlier, the more I shoot this ammo, and more of a believer I become. All the PHs I hunted with gave me the thumbs up with asked if Barnes TSX ammo was good for the safaris.

This is the effect of the 300 grs TSX on the Lioness organs.

Exit wound.

 

[375Fox]

I think over penetration on a broadside shoulder shot is very different than penetration on a Texas heart shot running away. I don’t know if I’d trust a Barnes TSX to reliably make it there, but it definitely has best chance of the current premium softs available. I think you wrote something backwards though from my experience. Most PHs are recommending premium softs only. The number that recommended a soft followed by solids is less every year.

 

[coreydb]

Poor bullet placement and bullet selection were my early hunting mistakes. Nothing else came into the equation for me.

 

[375Fox]

I do have to point this out. My argument has been 375 H&H is superior to the 375 Ruger because of ammo availability. Barnes TSX is only available in semi-custom loads in 375 Ruger (and still only in Hornady brass when they decide to make it).

 

[uplander01]

I've been on a handful of safaris now, have used Barnes TSX almost exclusively. I would wager that some form of the Barnes TSX is used far more than any other bullet in Africa, like a lot more, and when it does fail people seem to really grab onto that low percentage failure. I made this same comment on a previous thread, I'd guess you could total up the use of Swift, North Fork, and Woodleigh together and they still wouldn't equal the amount Barnes are used in the last 30 years.

 

[375Fox]

I've been on a handful of safaris now, have used Barnes TSX almost exclusively. I would wager that some form of the Barnes TSX is used far more than any other bullet in Africa, like a lot more, and when it does fail people seem to really grab onto that low percentage failure. I made this same comment on a previous thread, I'd guess you could total up the use of Swift, North Fork, and Woodleigh together and they still wouldn't equal the amount Barnes are used in the last 30 years.

If you ask PHs to see their rental gun ammo, you’ll see TSX is common but doesn’t have nearly this kind of market share. Maybe 25% at best? I’ve never seen North Fork bullets in rental ammo left from previous clients or on PH’s ammo belt. Barnes brand ammo has become cheaper than Hornady recently so it will likely become increasingly common.

 

[pilar]

Barns fan boy here too , but I might be biased towards them because way back in the 1990’s my uncle and I were field testers for barns, and they were mind altering from the beginning on nilgai, elk , oryx , and everything smaller. ( after we figured out the loadings)
Very different from bonded or H core type ( nosler partition) in terms of performance
I am not Nostradamus but I can see most bonded stuff disappearing over time
TBBC , swift, woodley , Speer grand slam are already on their way,
Hornday bonded has been obsolete for years now . Trend is towards higher B.C tipped explosive Cup and core or a specialty company for larger caliber rifles bonded solid base V core & H core .
I have a 375 ruger and yes it’s turned me into a horder , dumpster diver , reloader .

 

[SFRanger7GP]

If you recover the bullet, did it really fail or did it just not meet your expectations? Now when the bullet "fails" and the animal is not recovered, did the bullet fail or did the shooter fail to do his part? Do we really know who failed unless the animal is recovered? Personally, I prefer a bullet that has the ability to penetrate and hit vitals regardless of the target's presentation. As said above, there is no free ride. If you want that type of penetration you have to take other factors into consideration such as trying to avoid wounding other targets in the bullets path.

On our deer lease where I can wait for the perfect shot and time is not an issue, I use more standard cup and core or Nosler partition bullets. I have killed and dropped multiple pigs (2-3) using Barnes TSX and TTSX in 30-06. The penetration was what I hoped for and expected.

Safe hunting

 

[Tundra Tiger]

If you recover the bullet, did it really fail or did it just not meet your expectations? Now when the bullet "fails" and the animal is not recovered, did the bullet fail or did the shooter fail to do his part? Do we really know who failed unless the animal is recovered? Personally, I prefer a bullet that has the ability to penetrate and hit vitals regardless of the target's presentation. As said above, there is no free ride. If you want that type of penetration you have to take other factors into consideration such as trying to avoid wounding other targets in the bullets path.

On our deer lease where I can wait for the perfect shot and time is not an issue, I use more standard cup and core or Nosler partition bullets. I have killed and dropped multiple pigs (2-3) using Barnes TSX and TTSX in 30-06. The penetration was what I hoped for and expected.

Safe hunting

IMHO, an outstanding observation good sir.

 

[Red Leg]

Well written and you echo my experiences with the TSX. I would simply add that I have had and witnessed equal performance with the Swift A Frame. I would also add that of the PH's I have come to know, I only know one that would still recommend solids for follow-up. During that hunt I had two TSX's in my Blaser S2 (in the Zambezi Delta of Mozambique - go figure) and we didn't get to test his personal preference because the bull promptly expired on the first shot.

They also work like the hammer of Thor in smaller calibers on lesser game. I would not use it on a nilgai, but my R8 mounting a .257 WBY firing a 100 gr TSX is the closest thing to a death ray I have ever owned for deer-sized game.

 

[Hornedfrogbbq]

I do have to point this out. My argument has been 375 H&H is superior to the 375 Ruger because of ammo availability. Barnes TSX is only available in semi-custom loads in 375 Ruger (and still only in Hornady brass when they decide to make it).

I might argue the H&H is better in the selection of rifles shooting it relative to the Ruger. The Ruger very well be the better designed bullet...but the limited rifles shooting it don't make it as attractive to me.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Barnes TSX - You Can't Have It Both Ways!

As a lover of all things safari I encounter discussions and debates of many kinds but rifle calibers and bullets seem to be the most discussed and filled with the strongest opinions. As a self described student of everything safari I will challenge the convention wisdom where appropriate. I have no interest in dismissing history but on the contrary embrace the history of safari. There are so many nostalgic aspects of safari dating back well over a century. Being nostalgic for me does not mean I turn a blind eye to technology and live solely in a 1900's mindset. By way of example I'd mention the debate of .375 H&H versus .375 Ruger. The latter is superior by every metric yet many want to hold onto tradition by choosing the former. This is great and there is not a nickle's worth of difference on game between the two calibers. Let's just not say the the .375 H&H is superior because that would simply be untrue. My point is that we should not let tradition blind us to the reality in front of us.

I like to chime in on the debates of what bullet to use for follow up on a buffalo hunt. It seems to be one of the most opined aspects of the hunt and one that seems to be stuck in the past. I do not proclaim to be an expert on anything but have hunted quite a bit and studied and discussed this subject for many years now. The conventional wisdom is that you must shoot "softs followed by solids" on most any buffalo hunt. I've heard it over and over that an expanding bullet will not make it through the rumen from a Texas heart shot and reach the vitals. This may be true with traditional "softs" but technology has changed over the years. Enter the revolutionary Barnes TSX. The original Barnes X bullet came on the market in 1989. There was nothing like it at the time and it began gaining a following from sportsmen. 1989 was a long time ago yet there are many who go about their hunts as if the X bullet was never invented. Due to the effectiveness of this bullet on game it now has many competitors in the marketplace. I personally have seen the effectiveness of the TSX on buffalo, hippo, Lord Derby Eland as well as other game hunting in many corners of the world. I have equally seen the lack of effectiveness of solids when used in the aforementioned scenarios. The most dramatic example of the lack of effectiveness of solids on buffalo for me actually came from videos although I've had many experiences myself. I've seen so many where two guys with 500's shooting solids at close range on a buffalo just keep shooting over and over with little effect. Sometimes a dozen shots put into the bull before it finally goes down. What other hunting scenario would be comparable to this? I don't care how big the animal is you shouldn't need to shoot it a dozen times! Something is wrong.

When thinking about the results from a solid bullet versus a hollow point I revert back to my childhood where no jack rabbit was safe! I literally took thousands of jack rabbits over the years. Back in the 1970's and 1980's here in west Texas the jack rabbit, which is actually a hare, was like a plague. Farmers and ranchers loved for kids to come take a few out and reduce the grazing pressure they caused. They used to say 20 rabbits equaled a cow as far as grazing was concerned. Who knows if that is true but it was used as the excuse to go buy bricks of .22LR and fire away! My how times have changed. Now no one trusts kids with guns and the rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) has hammered the jack rabbit to minuscule numbers. As you can imagine I got to take shots with every type of .22LR on the market. Budget was a concern with the volume of shooting that took place so the CCI Stinger, the fastest and most effective cartridge in .22LR, was a rare pleasure to shoot. The cheapest were and still are a simple all lead solid bullet. I hate these lead bullets to this day. They jam in my 10/22's and cause more fouling and of course do less damage than a hollow point. My favorite overall was the Remington Golden Bullet hollow point. After taking countless rabbits with the solids it was an amazing experience to have a decent hollow point. The solids proved over and over to consistently allow the animal to run away and possibly require another shot whereas a simple body shot with the hollow point anchored them where they were.

Even today there are very few African PH's who will allow or recommend a client hunter use an expanding bullet as the follow up shot on Buffalo. There are a few who have "seen the light" and understand the penetration of the TSX. Now I'll turn to a discussion I heard recently that prompted this article. Joseph Von Benedikt was interviewing Mark Haldane of Zambezi Delta Safaris at a recent hunting show. Mark is famous for bringing back the wildlife in parts of Mozambique in dramatic fashion. Stories and videos have been produced in great volumes showcasing his success and the thriving wildlife in his hunting areas. He likely hunts more buffalo than anyone in Africa and is widely considered an expert on all subject of wildlife and hunting in Africa. Being a gun writer and highly experienced in bullets and calibers Joseph took the conversation to bullets. Of course he would and we all eagerly await the discussion! Due to the fact that buffalo in the swamps of Mozambique live in larger herds there is more of a danger of a shot passing through and hitting another buffalo than anywhere in Africa. With this in mind Mark does not recommend the TSX for hunting in this area. He states that he has seen too many pass throughs that wound up causing a big problem. I'll just touch briefly that when it comes to bullet failures or performance issues I find it often times to be reloads traveling at an improper velocity that caused the failure. Then the bullet gets unfairly blamed but lets leave that one alone for now. I have not personally had a broad side pass through myself with the TSX on buffalo but I will take it from the expert who has seen it. This means that possibly the top expert on buffalo in Africa (he and his team shoot over 200 Buffalo per year) states that the TSX has excellent penetration!

Ok, but you can't have it both ways! You can't on one hand state that the TSX does not penetrate well enough to use for follow up's and then in the same breath say that they pass through too often. Which is it?



View attachment 708267

Philip, I agree 100% with Mark, and you know my personal stance on Barnes on Buffalo.

Ok, but you can't have it both ways! You can't on one hand state that the TSX does not penetrate well enough to use for follow up's and then in the same breath say that they pass through too often. Which is it?

To answer your above questions for you, when we we speak of follow ups, we are saying that we are not trusting the Barnes TSX to have enough penetration from a Texas Heart Shot on an already wounded Buffalo. I'm not trusting a Barnes TSX to go through the rumen and reach the lungs. It might get there, I know a solid will get there. ( This is the reason why I carry two or so solids in my belt always), but I also don't trust a Barnes TSX/TTSX on a broadside shot in fear of overpenetration.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

I think over penetration on a broadside shoulder shot is very different than penetration on a Texas heart shot running away. I don’t know if I’d trust a Barnes TSX to reliably make it there, but it definitely has best chance of the current premium softs available. I think you wrote something backwards though from my experience. Most PHs are recommending premium softs only. The number that recommended a soft followed by solids is less every year.

Exactly this.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

There’s a big difference in solids, not all solids will kill the same. Shoot a few round nose and a few flat points at a cardboard box and you can see a difference in the hole the cut.

 

[BJH65]

I think over penetration on a broadside shoulder shot is very different than penetration on a Texas heart shot running away. I don’t know if I’d trust a Barnes TSX to reliably make it there, but it definitely has best chance of the current premium softs available. I think you wrote something backwards though from my experience. Most PHs are recommending premium softs only. The number that recommended a soft followed by solids is less every year.

I’m in agreement. I have always loved Barnes TSX because they have been very accurate in my rifles and devastating on large game. On a broadside shot on buffalo with TSX, you’ll get a complete pass through, however the bullet reacts differently when traveling through liquid and rumen filled guts, encountered on a going away shot. I’m not certain it will reach the vitals of a buffalo, at best breaking the rear spine and hip bones.

This point was brought home to me which I outlined on the bullet performance database here on AH. I deliberately took a going away shot on a nice impala ram with my CZ 416 Rigby with factory Barnes 400 grain TSX at 2400 FPS, range was approximately 80 yards. The impala ram immediately dropped to the shot, stone dead but was I was shocked to find the bullet slightly protruding from the neck of the impala, I’m guessing the ram weighed about 150 lbs. The bullet entered the rear of the impala ram and travelled approximately 3 1/2 feet to its neck before stopping just under the skin.

It’s been said that a 400 grain .416 bullet is well known for its penetration yet I believe passing through the rumen filled guts of the impala ram significantly slowed and expanded the TSX. The same bullet easily traveled all the way through a buffalo on broadside lung shot. Of course this was just one impala ram but I’m not certain on a going away shot it would reach the vitals of a buffalo? I suppose it’s all academic if you place your first shot well.

I really have no idea what common bullets are used in African rental rifles. My last PH hand loads Peregrine bullets in his rental 375 Ruger that work very well on Buffalo. I believe they perform similar to TSX. I think it was common 30 years ago to use a premium bullet for your first shot on Buffalo and follow up with solids, but it seems the vast majority of African PH’s are fine with premium bonded soft points or expanding lead free copper bullets like TSX for buffalo and no solids.

 

[pilar]

I just ran a AI search on bonded bullet, and this is what it kicks out ( a definite trend to mono and cc , V based bullets )
On dangerous game I have complete trust in the TSX over what is trending
I assume the gold dot / federal fusion is their version of bonded

“”It appears that manufacturers have been reducing their product lines and discontinuing some bullets, including some popular options. This might be due to various reasons, such as changes in raw material availability or a focus on other product lines like the Gold Dot series.

Potential Alternatives
If you are looking for alternatives to the bonded , consider researching:

• Barnes TTSX bullets
  : These are frequently mentioned as a suitable replacement and are a popular choice for hunting.
• Nosler AccuBond bullets
  : Another high-quality option, particularly the long-range versions, considered by some to be the best available.
• Hornady InterLock bullets
  : These are considered effective, particularly in certain calibers.
• Sierra GameKings
  : These bullets are known for accuracy and effectiveness on game. “”