375 H&H - DGX/DGS or TSX?

[Javaman]

This May we are chasing buff in SA. Our reputable PH’s will not let us bring DGX/DGS due to poor on-game performance. They recommend TSX or AFrames. YMMV but that’s what we’re being told.

 

[Green Chile]

Many here have taken buff with a single TSX and probably one insurance shot afterwards. You do have to be careful as they will exit on many broadside shots. Watch your background.

 

[WyoBull]

Barnes TSX 300 gr is what I shoot exclusively in my 375 H&H. No reason to even look at anything else.

 

[One Day...]

In 375H&H, what would be your choice of 300gr bullet manufactured cartridges for heavy game, in particular Buffalo, but also Eland or Sable: Duo DGX/DGS or TSX?
Note that A-Frame is out of scope, impossible to find any Federal apart Power-Shok...

Bonjour d' Arizona Olivier

I have used both, and objectively both work with some caveats:

1-- I would not use solids on Buffalo, at least on a first shot. Modern solids, including the DGS, will generally pass through Buffalo and you are at risk of wounding or killing a second animal behind your intended target. Intuitively, solids make sense for the follow up, especially if you think in terms of follow up shots at a Buffalo lengthwise (from the front or from the rear), but it is hard to predict in a follow up, and if all you are presented with are side shots on a Buffalo running among other animals (a very common scenario, if not the most common), you better not shoot with solids.

2-- Although the original DGX had documented issues, the DGX Bonded that replaced it a few years ago has proven reliable. Whether it will be able to shake the bad reputation of early failures, is a different issue, just like the .458 Win reputation still suffers from the original 1956 load failures... At the present I would say that the answer is no... regardless of actual performance.

When everything is considered, the reality is that the TSX is an "expanding solid": it is physically a solid homogeneous bullet, and it penetrates like one, and its hollow point allows it to have controlled expansion, and its nose does that. In so many words, the TSX performs double duties as soft and solid, first and follow up shots. I now use nothing else in my .375 H&H, but also in my .458 Lott, my wife's 9.3x62, and TTSX in my .300 Wby and .257 Wby, and her .270 Win, and I would recommend that you select it.

A word of caution: if anything, the TSX is almost too much of a solid, and in a perfect broadside shot where it only encounters ribs and lungs, it will punch through a Buffalo... Actually, and to the profound chagrin of a few AH members who swear by overweight truncated solids, there has been entirely reliable feedback of a professional using the TSX to cull elephant with frontal brain shots. I have personally zero doubt that a TSX will penetrate Buffalo, Hippo and Elephant skulls like hot knife in butter.

Beside, the Barnes factory ammo is extremely consistent, always available, and very reasonably priced.

Bonne Chasse!
Pascal

 

[Gilgalad]

I haven't used the DGX but have used the DGS on a couple of elephant. On frontal head shots you can expect to find the bullet had exited the back of the head and penetrated to the shoulder blade area. On broadside heart/lung shots expect it to exit the off side. Be careful of shoot throughs with it. Boddington and Tim Herald who both post here speak highly of both bullets but then again Hornady sponsors both of them. So?

 

[Olivier]

Merci Pascal & Gilgalad.

I used 168 TTSXs in 308 Win and they performed remarkably well.

I now understand, thanks to the experienced hunters on this blog, that TSXs are now the reference for africa hunting in 375 H&H and I may go down that route...

But first I am curious to test the DGXs which pour out more energy / stopping power because of their construction. I simulated on a ballistic calculator zeroing the 3 cartridges at 25m, and I could get acceptable trajectories up to 200m (thread < 2inch).

Final selection :
- European Huntings + African PG + DG Cats : mix of Interlock (0->300m) + DGX (0->150m)
- Heavy DG : mix of DGX + DGS (0->150m)

It seems a bit complex but I like to adapt my bullets to the situation, want maximum stopping power at close range, good expansion at longer range, as well as avoiding copper fouling of the barrel.

All my best

 

[375Fox]

But first I am curious to test the DGXs which pour out more energy / stopping power because of their construction. I simulated on a ballistic calculator zeroing the 3 cartridges at 25m, and I could get acceptable trajectories up to 200m (thread < 2inch).

Final selection :
- European Huntings + African PG + DG Cats : mix of Interlock (0->300m) + DGX (0->150m)
- Heavy DG : mix of DGX + DGS (0->150m)

It seems a bit complex but I like to adapt my bullets to the situation, want maximum stopping power at close range, good expansion at longer range, as well as avoiding copper fouling of the barrel.

All my best

There is no difference in energy with same bullet weight and velocity. The DGX might impart more energy initially, but it would sacrifice penetration compared to TSX in exchange. Here’s a good video to watch. He got very acceptable results but talking with PHs they don’t always see this. I’ve also never seen a copper fouling issue in larger calibers only 223. They design current copper bullets to minimize this.