Has anybody here not had good accuracy with Barnes TSX?

When I was developing loads for my .338 rum, I tried and tried to get them to shoot better than 2 to 3 moa. I took 1 cow elk with the 225 TSX at only 40 yards so accuracy wasn't really an issue but it bothered me that I couldn't get them to shoot better using RL-22 and Retumbo.


I finally tried Sierra and Accubond 250s and got groups down to 1 moa with 90 grains of Retumbo. I settled on the 250 Accubonds.

I've always heard glowing reports of their accuaracy and performance. Just wondering if anyone has had an experience similar to mine.

I've had mixed results. In a Tikka .300WM, my experience was exactly the same as yours, despite that rifle shooting virtually anything else accurately.

In other rifles, I've been able to get good groupings. The latest go around was with the 250TTSX in my .375H&H. It was very accurate in that rifle for about 10 rounds. After that the groups would open up which I attributed to copper build up. After cleaning, the groups would come back, but again only for a relatively small number of shots.

Mark,

quote:

.....with 90 grains of Retumbo .....

Gotta love those RUM's!



Yes, I have encountered issues getting Barnes TSX' to shoot accurately in several rifles. One ancient 8x57IS Mauser98 pops to mind (yes, it was an "I" bore not a .318").

After having accuracy issues with both my & other folks rifles, My two fallbacks hava always been:

1. Scrubbed, re-scrubbed and scrubbed the barrel again ..... did I mention clean the barrel? Yeah sounds silly but many of my Buddies who have shot Cup'n Core bullets in their barrels for years apparently didn't get the hint. I mean get it down to bare metal - all the previous guilding metal from Cup 'n Core bullet fouling has to go.

2. Crimped the bullet (whatever caliber) in the front/foremost relief groove with a Lee Factory Crimp Die. Appears Barnes bullets like a good running start to the lands depending on the rifle/load.

Not Rocket Science I know but if it helps get you on the right track - great.

After the two steps above I've always received great accuracy from Barnes TSX's or TTSX's.

My 375 H&H is scary accurate with a full charge of IMR4064 and the 300 grain TSX.

I've never been able to get them to shoot well in any .224 caliber gun. They shoot VERY well for me in a 30/06, in a 375 H&H Magnum handgun and in a 378 Weatherby Magnum.

I've had pretty good luck with them in a 257 Wby,270,270WSM,(2)300WSM,280AI,30-338mag,35 WhelenAI. I do follow Barnes rec on seating depth.

Well good luck

The Barnes Triple Shock bullets need at least .050 to the lands. One of my loads is .090 and shoots great. The Varminator, Match Burner and Varmint Grenades all load the same as any other cup and core bullet. Give The TSX a good big jump and you will like the results.

On the other hand, I struggled to get my blaser k95 to shoot tsx using the .050 or greater, so I went the other way. I have now found that some of my rifles like them closer, .010 to .030

I've found my 338 Win Mag does not digest them well - prefers noslers. Every other rifle I've tried them in from .243 to .458 has really liked them.

I am no expert but in my limited experience the TSX is far more accurate than the old Barnes BT & FB without the bands.

My TSX loads shoot as well as most other good loads - 1" or less in a hunting rifle. I have got some 0.5" loads too. I have regularly taken deer & wallabies out to 330+ meters with my Kimber 7mm08 TSX load. My 9.3X62 and my 280 ack imp also shoot very well with TXS bullets.

With the old Barnes X bullets the best I ever got was 1.5" while 3" groups were not rare.

Yes, I seat mine 0.050" off the rifling after I got a big fright with a 243 Win 19 years ago!

I use TSX in my 223 and TTSX bullets in my 6.5-06 and 375 Ruger.
They all shoot very well with those bullets.

The 225 grain version might be a tad to long to shoot well in your gun.
Maybe you will get better results with one of the 185 or 210 grain TSX/TTSX versions.

I haven't spent enough time to develop a fair opinion but the TSX loads so far in my 243 are not nearly as accurate as the cheapest 100 grain Remington Corelokt factory loads.

The TTSX however has been very accurate in both 150 grain 7mm Rem Mag and 180 grain 300 Weatherby loads. The Nosler ballistic tips have always shot best for me but they just aren't in the same league for bone breaking stopping power as the Barnes.

My experience has been to seat them deep and clean (clean, clean, clean) the barrel.

I get the same results as Fjold in .375 H&H, with the same load. I also find the .270 gr .375 to be very accurate.

My experience with them in terms of accuracy is very positive.I believe that if you are having accuracy issues that is because of another component or the rifle.They are the most accurate hunting bullet I have ever shot.
I once had issues while shooting them when they would shoot all over the place-a foot apart.I solve the issue (Remington brass was bad) and super tight groups came back instantly.I had a 300WM that shot a 5 shot one hole group with them at 200yds from a 8X scope.

IMO every rifle shoots different. I have really good luck using TSX in my 7MM STW, 7MM Weatherby, 300 Win Mag, and 340 Weatherby. It seems the hotter the load (velocity) the better the accuracy. My 280 Remington doesn't like TSX but loves Nosler Accubond. I have a 6.5-06 that will only shoot 140 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips. My 30-06, 375 H&H, 416 Rem Mag shoot Swift A-Frames with great accuracy. My 416 Weatherby shoots the TSX wonderfully. Just my experience fooling around hand loading. With a lot of these rifles it has been a systematic trial and error process of powder, powder weight, bullet manufacturer (swift, nosler, sierra, barnes, berger...)good brass like Norma and Winchester, Federal Primers, overall length. Final Answer.... It depends!!

Mark

I've had superb accuracy in 270 WBY, 30-06, 375 H&H and 375 WBY with the TSX. As has been mentioned you need to start with a squeaky clean bore or you may get lots of fouling and therefore poor accuracy.

Mark

They're all over the map for me, too. I have had very good results in .30-06 and 9,3X62, very mediocre in .243.

Sometimes they shoot with great accuracy. Likewise, sometimes they also expand when striking an animal.

Then there was the Frenchman who, when asked if he was faithful to his wife, replied "Yes, often!" Barnes bullets shoot and expand quite well, at least a significant percentage of the time.

I've never had a rifle that will not shoot TSX bullets very accurately, ONCE THE BARREL HAS BEEN PROPERLY CLEANED. Removal of all the copper fouling is paramount before working with TSX bullets. Clean the barrel down to the steel and start from there.

I've shot them and loaded for some friends in: .243Win, 25/06, .270Win, 7mm Mag. (3 rifles), 30/06 (2 rifles), 300H&H, 300WBY (2 rifles), 338Win Mag. (2 rifles), 340WBY (3 rifles), 375 H&H (3 rifles), 416 Rigby, 458Win Mag (2 rifles), 500NE (2 rifles). Never had a rifle yet that wouldn't shoot them well. Now, of course, my idea of shooting accurately may be different as I'm a hunter, not a bench rest competitor. Therein may the be difference in opinion concerning accuracy.

I've also never had one fail to open and expand on an animal, and there have been quite a few of them shot with this bullet. I have seen evidence to the contrary from other hunters, and that is something that has left me scratching my head as my experience with them is 100% to date.

I have yet to find a caliber they won't shoot well in.

I have found them to be some of the most accurate bullets I have ever shot.........in a 257 Weatherby, 270, and 35 Whelen.

Ed

I too have had mixed results. I would suspect accuracy is quite dependent on the internal dimensions and consistency of the barrel that they are being fired through since the solid copper bullets will not expand with pressure as a lead core bullet can be made to do.

Have yet to have them not shoot good in any of my guns. (Hunting accuracy .5 to 1.25" groups or so) I generally also buy them in bulk before I have even fired one down the barrel of a new gun because I have had such good experiences with them.

0.050 jump and you should be good to go...

250gr TTSX in my 375H&H gives me this 3 shot group at 100m



150gr TTSX in my 3006 gives me this 3 shot group at 100m



I love them and my rifles as well.

Groups in my 9.3x62 are horrible. Here's the evidence

I have never had a rifle that didn't like the TSX or TTSX bullets. The "X" and the XLC is a different story though. Never could get them better than 1.5" out of the 25-06 and 300WM.

Clean the heck out of your barrel with the CR-10 from barnes and make sure all the fouling is out.

Then follow their recommendations on seating depth and you will be pleased with the results

The only time tht I've seen them produce poor accuracy (once the barrell is clean) is when the twist is a little slow; TSX bullets tend to be long for their weight, and need a correspondingly fast twist. But with that qualification, they're given me good accuracy in every rifle that I've used them in.

Singularly the most accurate bullets I've ever loaded from the 100gr 257 to a 400gr 416, nothing comes close on average.

180gr TTSX, Model 70 300 H&H:


100gr TTSX 257 Wby U;tramark:


270 TTSX 70 375 H&H:


210 TTSX 340 Weatherby=200 yards:

I get target bullet accuracy out of every caliber and weight TSX I've ever played with. From .224 up to .474 and lots of stuff in between.

One of the keys to shooting a mono metal bullet however is to make sure your bore is clear of dissimilar guilding metals. Try Wipe Out you'll be more happier. However I haven't found the TSX to be nearly as finicky with a copper fouled bore as was the old Barnes X.

Every Barnes bullet I,ve ever loaded shot way better than I am capable of. We (my wife & I) have used 7mm,30,35,and 423 bullets for years with absolute perfect results!

quote:

I finally tried Sierra and Accubond 250s and got groups down to 1 moa with 90 grains of Retumbo. I settled on the 250 Accubonds.

.

90 grains seems awful light.

Experiment with seating depth. These bullets seem to like a significant jump to the rifling.

I was hoping for great things but only got mediocre performance from my 25 WSSM and the 100g TTSX BT......about 1" at 100, notably worse than either Berger or Sierra. I'd try a Factory Crimp die but it's not made in that caliber....

Cheers,

Dan

quote:

Originally posted by Dan H:
I was hoping for great things but only got mediocre performance from my 25 WSSM and the 100g TTSX BT......about 1" at 100, notably worse than either Berger or Sierra. I'd try a Factory Crimp die but it's not made in that caliber....

Cheers,

Dan

Lee Precision will make you a custom factory crimp die. In addition, using it to crimp Barnes bullets is one thing I think helps accuracy. I use the Factory Crimp Die in a 30/06 and a 378 Weatherby; the latter custom made.

There are many variables that come into play for tight groups. My 300 SAUM with 165 TSXs shoots 3/4 groups at 300 yds. I do have a new Kreiger barrel on it but that just proves the bullet is accurate if the other components and shooter can do their part. I shoot the 140s just as well from my 7mm08 with Kreiger barrel so in my opinion Barnes makes very accurate bullets.

I have had great accuracy from my Winchester and Ruger rifles in .30-06 and my CZ 550 in .375 H&H. Great for me means 1 MOA. BTW I keep my rifles clean an I'm fastidious about cleaning until patches come out white using modern "foaming" bore cleaners.

BTW I use Lee Factory Crimp Dies in any caliber available.

quote:

BTW I use Lee Factory Crimp Dies in any caliber available.

+1!

Crimp 'em all in the front relief groove; has always produced great results.

A call to Lee never hurts, too because I know for a fact they manufacture their FCD for almost all common (to us anyway) Metric cartridges because they're on the market here.