I'm gearing up for a first time antelope hunt next fall and considering the 130 gr TSX in a 270 Win. Is this bullet too tough for such a small bodied animal? Would a softer traditional lead bullet be more appropriate? Any recommendations or favorites?

I don't see the need for premium bullets on antelope. I think it will perform...just not necessary.

I would think something like the Interlock, SST, Gameking, Corelokt, or Powerpoint would work just fine. I can't speak for Ballistic Tips but I know people use them.

With that said I loaded some 130gr Accubonds for a friend's 270WSM and they shoot like a dream so I'll add those even though they are bonded. He took a very good respectable antelope this year with one.

I have shot several antelope, many with a 308 WCF.

I would prefer a Sierra or Nosler Ballistic Tip.
In the 270, one of those in 130gr would be a perfect antelope gun IMHO.

A premium will work but certainly is not necessary.

On small-bodied game such as pronghorn, a traditional cup-and-core may actually be more effective.

I don't think you could go wrong using a 130 gr. nosler ballistic tip on antelope in your 270. They certainly work on hill country white tail deer.
GWB

quote:

Originally posted by Geedubya:
I don't think you could go wrong using a 130 gr. nosler ballistic tip on antelope in your 270. They certainly work on hill country white tail deer.
GWB

+1

They would do the trick.

If you are looking for a trophy antelope and one scoring 80 plus is going dead away from you would you take the shot with a Ballisic Tip? If the answer is probably not use the TSX. It will travel all the way to the vitals. Your chances are probably very good that you'll get a great shot angle but on a 3 day hunt you've paid good dollars for why leave anything to chance? I shot the biggest goat I've taken right in the butt. He made one half circle and piled up.

Mark

Nothing wrong with the TSX on Antelope

If the TSX's shoot well in your rifle, by all means use the TSX's. I have taken many animals, small and large, with these bullets and they have never let me down or required a second shot.

Mark H. YOung wrote:

quote:

If you are looking for a trophy antelope and one scoring 80 plus is going dead away from you would you take the shot with a Ballisic Tip?

If that's the only shot I had, I'd pass -- no matter what cartridge or bullet I was using.

Then again, a trophy to me is represented by many things other than numeric measurements.

On a 100 lb animal, with a 130 gr ballistic tip (hunting, not varmint) out of a 270. I'd have no qualms about the efficacy of the bullet. I might have qualms about the distance and whether I had the skill to make the shot or not. I've killed tons of stuff with ballistic tips. Here are some examples.







I won't argue that tripleshocks will go all the way through an animal, but they are not the end all and be all if you make a bad shot.

As far as that goes, sierra spitzers will do the job also.
If you want to use a premium bullet by all means do so. I just find that the ballistic tips work well on thin skinned game.

Accubonds and partitions work fine too.
GWB

I've taken 2 antelope with the 7mm TSX at 180 and 260 yards. Bang-flop

I've taken one with a ballistic tip at 270 yards (neck shot). Bang-flop

I've taken more goats with Hornady, Sierra and Speer cup and core bullets and I'm pretty much convinced that as long as it's accurate, any hunting bullet (besides solids) will work fine on speed goats.

I just went to Wyoming on an Elk, mule deer and pronghorn hunt.

Check it out


http://forums.accuratereloadin...101038021#7101038021

I killed all 3 with my 300 Win Mag. The elk was shot with a 180 grain Barnes. Once that was done I switched to the 180 grain ballistic tip for the pronghorn and then the mule deer.

I am a hard core Barnes X user. In the past I have gotten rid of rifles that would not shoot them. with the pronghorn I just wanted to try something different after using nothing but Barnes X for nearly 10 years. I can't say enough good stuff about the BT. I think they are great an the smaller and softer stuff. I think for deer sized animals on down you can not beat a BT. The pronghorn and the muley I shot both went down like they were hit by lightning!!

That said a TSX will work fine also. If I were you I would take whatever shoots the most accuratly. You need might need accuracy and long range reach, certainly a lot more than you will need super terminal balistics on such a small animal.

Oday, could I make a suggestion,
If you want to use the TSX on lopes or deer can I suggest the 110 TSX. It will flatten your trajectory, increase your speed and there will be no doubt on expansion. I have seen the 10 TSX pencil thru lopes. For me, the 110 TSX is about the only TSX i have gotten CONSISTENT accuarcy from. Can't explain it. I just know that both the 270 Win and WSM versions shoot them well.You won't regret using them.
Bill

I have seen the 130 TSX pencil thru..sorry, hands working fater than brain..

I've also found that most rifles will shoot ballistic tips reasonably well. Sierra game kings in the HPBT fly pretty true too.
The old barnes x were kinda touchy, but the tsx's and the ttsx's have the cannelure rings that make life a lot easier.
GWB

quote:

Originally posted by Bobby Tomek:
Mark H. YOung wrote:

quote:

If you are looking for a trophy antelope and one scoring 80 plus is going dead away from you would you take the shot with a Ballisic Tip?

If that's the only shot I had, I'd pass -- no matter what cartridge or bullet I was using.

Then again, a trophy to me is represented by many things other than numeric measurements.

Sorry Bobby....but not me. I will shoot the south to north shot any time I can on a trophy animal but not a meat animal. It is a KILLER and I have used it many times and will in the future. It produces a huge shock the entire length of the animal...and as far as what day it is, well day one is late enough for me to use that shot.

Ted,
What was the old Dean Martin tune "when you're smilin' the whole world smiles with you"... All ya' gotta do is grin at them soooooooooooo big that they don't turn tail and run (you know, like Dan'l Boone or Davy Crockett). Then you never have to make a "Texas heart shot" with your balistic tips.
GWB

Thing is Geedubya, the tipped bullets I load are Accubonds. An Accubond killed the deer in my avatar south to north and I found it skinning him out. Stuck under the hide in his kneck. 65% retention.

Actually, Ted,
I shoot lots of accubonds also. They are as accurate as the ballistic tips and penetrate like partitions. I load accubonds in 25. 6.5, 7mm, 30, 338, 9.3 and 35 and 375 cal.
GWB

What I like about them is they penatrate good, hold together good, shoot great from my rifles and are a reasonably priced premium.

I have used nothing but sierras in all my rifles forever, but just last year decided to make a switch to accubonds. So far, I have been more than pleased.

Oday450,

In all honesty I don't think you can pick 270 bullet that won't work for antelope.

I have shot antelope with both the 110gr & 130 TSX, 130gr Hornady Spire point, and 130gr Nosler BT.

Put them in the right spot and you won't have a problem. Put them in the wrong spot and you will probably have to do some follow up.

I have come to prefer the monometals because they cause less meat destruction.

I did pick up some of the new Hornady monometals, but did not have time to develop anything for this year.

Although not a 277 caliber, I have also experienced what a 224 caliber 53gr TSX out of a 22-250 will do to antelope. Same statement as above. Good shot placement is good, bad shot placement is bad.

If its what you're used to shooting and your rifle likes them then use the TSX. Personally, I would only consider using a TSX or bonded or any premium bullet on antelope if I was using a larger caliber at high speeds, or stepping down to small for caliber bullets going very fast. For instance, I used a 150 NBT in my 300wsm...that bullets did a LOT of damage. Won't do that again lol but I would use a 130 TTSX in a 30 cal magnum. 270 I don't think you would ever have to worry. Now a 257 Wby or a hot loaded 25-06, or 85-87gr 6mm bullets, I'd stick with something tougher just in case shot placement is off because of misjudged distance or wind (very likely in 'lope country) so you don't blow a whole shoulder of meat off of an already small animal. Just my opinion. Standard bullet weights at moderate velocity? Cor-lokts, power points, and hot-cores for me!

quote:

Originally posted by Bo-regard:
I have seen the 130 TSX pencil thru..

Thanks for all of the feedback and experience. Bo's quote above was the reason for the question given that the pronghorn is small and light weight.

In my Husqvarna 270 the 130 gr TSX has been very accurate and TSXs in other calibers have been very effective on larger animals - all one shot kills through zebra and gemsbok.

I may try working up a load with a softer or tipped bullet. If in the end I choose the 130 gr TSX, cost for practice shooting may be lower and it will keep me occupied over the winter.

I've been shooting Nosler 140 Accubonds from my .280 ever since I got it. Every whitetail I've shot with them have been one shot drops. On the longer shots I have recovered a couple of the bullets, excellent performers.

quote:

Put them in the right spot and you won't have a problem. Put them in the wrong spot and you will probably have to do some follow up.

This is your best advice, whether you're shooting a .22 or a .300 super magnum. I've hunted Pronghorns for about 40 years in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. I've shot dozens of them and seen dozens more shot by my hunting buddies. All were shot with standard cup and core bullets like the 117 gr GameKings that I shoot from my .257 AI.

I've never found it necessary to take a rear end shot on any big game animal, in North America or Africa.

I shot TSX bullets through my .375 RUM on two hunts in Africa. I chose the TSX bullets because I would be hunting the large animals like Buffalo and Eland, but they also worked well on the smaller animals like Steenbok and Bushbucks.

For Pronghorn Antelope, I would recommend the bullet that is most accurate in your rifle, practice with it, keep your shots within a reasonable range, and have a good hunt.

If a hunter can kill an animal at 10 yds with an arrow, I see no reason to shoot at one at 700 yds with a rifle.

quote:

In my Husqvarna 270 the 130 gr TSX has been very accurate and TSXs in other calibers have been very effective on larger animals - all one shot kills through zebra and gemsbok.

If it's not broke.....
If you are coming all the way out from Maryland, I would stick with what you have used, and know what works from personal experience.

IMO, you can use a softer a bullet if you want to try something different, but I do not think that the 130gr TSX is too hard for antelope.

I've only taken one antelope in all the years I've been hunting. Seems Arizona is stingy as hell with their tags so in 31 years of trying, I haven't drawn one yet. So I went with an outfitter. I wasn't too sure what the conditions would be, whethr shots would be long or short so I took a .270 Win. with my pet load with the 150 gr. Siera game King and a stiff load of WMR powder. Too bad Winchester dropped that one. Back up gun was my 7x57 with a 140 hr. ballistic tip and a bit over book max load of W-760. I had a good guide and he got me to within 75 yards of my goat and the .270 did the job. While I did not get a "book" class head, I did get one that was very nice and beautifully proportioned. My wife who has gone hunting with me on occasion but has never shot anything has decided we'll "double date" on a goat hunt next year. We're both looking forward to that hunt.
It's gonna be fun.
Paul B.

quote:

Originally posted by Oday450:
I'm gearing up for a first time antelope hunt next fall and considering the 130 gr TSX in a 270 Win. Is this bullet too tough for such a small bodied animal? Would a softer traditional lead bullet be more appropriate? Any recommendations or favorites?

My boy uses a 270 Win . He has harvested antelope with 130 BT's and Accubonds with no problems. Unless you're using the same load for all your hunting then I do not see the need of such a tough bullet. It will work great mind you (if it exapnds). Often they do not expand.


See here for pictures.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...391042221#9391042221