The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading Reloading Barnes TSX or XLC dilemaGo | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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| One of Us |
I have a desicion to make before hunting season. I have my thoughts on this but would be interested in yours. I am shooting a 7mm Stw and 140 gr bullets and have been shooting Barnes TSX with 81 gr of RL22. This shoots 3/4 of an inch at 100 yards which is fine for me. I also have just loaded 140 gr XLC's which shoot 1/2 inch groups but with 83 gr of RL22. I like the TSX bullet better but I think I will get more velocity out of the XLC and they also shoot tighter groups not to mention I can load an extra 2 gr more powder than the TSX. Which one would you use and also keep in mind that this is also a long distance gun and I wonder which bullet would fly flatter but also wonder which one will perform better. It is a compicated thing yet simple and I hope I have explained it well enough. | ||
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| one of us |
You're 1gr over Barnes' max for Rl22 in the #3 manual, they show 82gr max for the 140gr XLC, the 140gr TSX has the same max load of 82gr. http://www.barnesbullets.com/images/7mmSTW.pdf The TSX has an outstanding reputation for terminal performance, the same can't be said for the X in general. Since the XLC is no longer made, I'd just use the TSX. | |||
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| One of Us |
I understand it is over the max but it seems to be doing just fine with no major pressure signs. I am shooting it out of a Blaser so I think the gun can handle it just fine. | |||
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One of Us |
Because of its accuracy, I really like the 7mm 140 gr. Barns XLC bullet and managed to accumulate a lifetime supply when I learned they were being discontinued so you know what my pick would be. I also look at cartridge pressure signs and don't go 100% by manuals in deciding what maximum loads are (though the majority of the time the manual is right). | |||
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one of us |
WHAT PART OF ALBERTA ARE YOU FROM? IF THE TEMPS ARE AROUND 50*F OR SO YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE ANY PRESSURE PROBLEMS, BUT WATCH THE WARMER WEATHER. i like the tsx Dave | |||
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| one of us |
100 yards is for a 30-30 Win. Why not do your evaluations at "long distance" and then compare groups? | |||
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| One of Us |
You might look at the BC's for both bullets, and shoot them at long ranges as well to see how they really do. Barnes recently revised the BC's for their bullets, driven by the significant differences in the TSX. According to Ty at Barnes, with the TSX they went from a Secant Ogive to a Tangent Ogive, which made the bullet more forgiving and accurate. They also opened up the tips a bit on some bullets....and the TSX groves add drag too. As a result, they have done a comlete reshoot of their current bullet offerings. Check their websight. I don't know how to figure the old version of their bullets. You might do best by shooting both at range and seeing the difference at 300yds or so to get some idea. Calling or emailing them directly works too. The company is very helpful. The change if BC's of some bullets I was using was so shocking as to cause me to rethink their use (.375 270g BC dropped from .505 to .326 IIRC) Be happy you have the VLC's. Wish I had more. Cheers, Dan | |||
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| One of Us |
I agree with the two previous posters. You need to shoot these at range to see how the accuracy is there. You might or might not have a surprise. I doubt you'll have a meaningful difference in drop between the two, but the accuracy results could vary considerably. LWD | |||
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| one of us |
140gr BCs, XLC = .477 from the #3 manual, TSX = .394 from their web site. | |||
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| One of Us |
so with the higher BC and the fact that I have higher amount of powder and that the XLC is coated I would think it would shoot flatter. This is why I have a hard time deciding on it. I like the TSX and here great things about it but with the XLC's I am shooting t seems to look better than the TSX. You are right in thinking I need to shoot them at long range just have not had time. I don't mind spending a pile of money to buy a lifetime of bullets either if I choose to go XLC. I hunt in Alberta nd it is cold here when I hunt. Most times below zero. This would be better for presure problems. I don't have any pressure problems now and I shoot a Blaser R93 so it is a good quality gun. I should also test them in the winter to find out if they shoot the same. When I first shot them it was in the spring and was about 15 celcius above freezing. | |||
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One of Us |
fly shit out of pepper Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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| one of us |
Neither you are the game you are shooting will ever tell any difference between those bullets, so just shoot the TSX's if you like them better. With the case capacity of the 7mm STW, personally I wouldn't bother with bullets under 150 grains. I'de probably only use the higher BC 160 grainers, depending on the game I was hunting. | |||
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