I shot a 100 pound spike this weekend with my 223 loaded with 70gr TSX's at 2850 fps. The spike was 240 yards, lasered, with his head down feeding towards me. I aimed at the top of his neck, with his head down, trying to shoot through the neck into his pump station. The bullet hit its mark breaking his neck and spine then taking out the lungs and i think a piece of the liver and guts. I found the bullet perfectly mushroomed in its ham! The bullet struck bone almost immediately then preceded through the deer almost exiting. This is the first bullet I have recovered and have shot over 50 animals with this load. The bullet weighed 70.4 grs and expanded to .46 caliber, not bad for an inadequate deer bullet.

Perry

I assume you are refering to a .243 instead of a .223? Barnes does not make a 70 gr. .223 bullet. If this is the .243 bullet, I do find it interesting as I do use my .243 at times for Deer sized game, and have been looking for a good game bullet.

Perry,

What twist in that barrel? Those should work really well out of my 22-250 at maybe 3200-3300. Thanks for posting.

David

DW
I did mean 70gr and Barnes does make it.

X2
My twist is 1:7, I tried them in my 1:9 and they would not stabilize. Barnes does make a 53gr that I have shot in my 22-250 with great results. it does not penetrate like the 62's or 70's but it is a great medium game bullet.

Perry

My 22-250 is being done-up with a 8 twist barrel, so I might be able to stabilize them. May have to try and see what happens. Won't have it back for a couple weeks yet.

Thanks,

David

quote:

Originally posted by perry:
DW
I did mean 70gr and Barnes does make it.

X2
My twist is 1:7, I tried them in my 1:9 and they would not stabilize. Barnes does make a 53gr that I have shot in my 22-250 with great results. it does not penetrate like the 62's or 70's but it is a great medium game bullet.

Perry

Well, I'll be! Did'nt find it on the Barnes site. They only show'd a 55 gr TSX. I am impressed. I have a buddie that just loves his .223 for everything, and has killed quite a few Deer with it, but would like a butter bullet. I will let him know about it. Thanks! DW

x2
I highly recommend and prefer the 70gr TSX to the 62gr but the 62 is no slouch if the 70 won't stabilize. You will LOVE either bullet in your 22-250. Another thing you will notice about the fast twist is there is a significant more amount of tissue damage due to the higher rpm. With the "x" design these bullets really show off given a faster twist. Nothing like having a propeller at 300,000 rpm going through a deer or hog.

Perry

perry,

never thought about it that way, but makes sense. I got an email from Roger this morning. He's bedding the barreled action into the stock today and, weather permitting, he's going to the range with it on Monday. He'll be testing it with 55gr bullets of some sort and the 75gr. Amax, which is a pretty long bullet. I think it'll stabilize the 70gr. TSX with no problem. I'm also considering the 75gr. Scirroco II with it's high B.C. which would help retained velocity and energy downrange. Guess I'll just see which one shoots best from my rifle.

David

quote:

Originally posted by perry:
... not bad for an inadequate deer bullet.

Hey Perry, I'd agree that is excellent performance for a Totally Inadequate Cartridge for 100# Game.

I'd pretty much come full circle on the idea of you all using the Totally Inadequate 223Rem on Deer, until I realized most of the Deer you all shoot are around 50#. Someone posted a flick last year of one which cleared the issue up quite a bit for me.

But now the problem is Politically Correct Bullets(PCBs). Surely you are aware the Ultra-Liberal Radical-Leftist Califoney fools are doing their best to eliminate Lead and Jacketed Lead Bullets. Any support given to the PCBs simply plays right into their plans.

I don't need any stinkin' PCBs.

Best of luck with your Totally Inadequate Cartridge on Big Game.

HotCore,
I'm with you on wanting to vomit over a bullet ban BUT the TSX is my go to in all my rifles now because of its awesome performance. Been using them for 4 years now and have no plans on changing unless something better comes along.
For the record all the mature bucks we have killed this year have dressed over 150#s, live weight around 190-200. No rabbit-deer here.

Perry

x2,
The Scirocco's have really disappointed me in the .224, accuracy and performance. They are not even in the same class as the TSX when it comes to lethality and accuracy has been 1-1.5" in (4) rifles that are one hole guns. I have about 1/2 a box left if you want them. Send me your address and I will send them to you so your not out 40.00 with only disappointment to show for it.

Perry

Perry,

I reload for a number of chamberings from .224 to .45 caliber. In the past I had a hard time getting barnes x bullets to be consistently accurate. First couple of experiences with tsx's on hogs were not stellar, but upon reflection I believe that it was my fault due to bullet placement rather than the performance of the bullet itself.
I still use sierras, ballistic tips, accubonds and my old stand by, partitions, but I am grudgingly but rapidly becoming a convert.
My 338 ultra-mag loves the 210 gr.tsx's and they are no slouch at 3200fps.
My rem 700 in 300 win mag will shoot 168 gr. tsx'x into 1.5" at 300 yds and kills stuff drt.
I have a browning micro medallion in 7-08 that thrives on the 140 gr pills and has taken axis, blackbuck and numerous hogs. Only problem is out of 30 or so animals shot with tsx's I've only recovered one bullet. Shot an axis with my 7-08. Hit him in the right shoulder, found the bullet under the hide in the left hindquarter. Weighed him at 184 lbs.
GWB

Geedubya,
Not recovering bullets is not a problem in my opinion, I like (2) holes especially when one is bigger then the other. I have found the accuracy of the TSX to be excellent in all my rifles. Shot placement is still paramount, as you know, regardless the bullet. This past week a buddy of mine using my 308 with 165gr TSX's "just sorta shot at the shoulder" of a 150 lb. hog...no hog found. It was a good lesson for him on shot placement. He had heard so many glowing reviews of the TSX from hunters he placed took placement for granted.

Perry

Perry, perhaps "problem" was a poor choice of words. The reason I switched years ago from ballistic tips and sierras to partitions was that I wanted an entry and an an exit wound large enough that I would have no problem following a blood trail. Its pretty thick where I hunt and if you're animal is not DRT, you're pretty sure to lose it if you don't have a blood trail.
GWB

Geedubya
I was just taking another look at your pic with the deer - hanging from a boat winch! Clever! Great pic!

Then at the bullet. That looks real impressive! Those sharp cutting edge petals would surely cut a beautiful wound channel with less energy than a normal mushroomed soft point. (Translates into more penetration, I would think!)

Perry, what barrel length? And what powder?

thanx

CouchTater
The barrel is 17 3/8". I am using 26.3grs of TAC. The rifle is fitted for an Ops Inc suppressor that is the reason for the short tube. The Ops Inc can attaches in two spots so you can remove it, for hunting game, and re-install it with no shift in zero. It is really a neat set up.

Perry

Thanks perry. I did a rough ballistics estimate, if Barnes' BC of 0.314 is close then the speed at impact was about 2175 fps. Apparently enough to ensure expansion, though I guess if the bullet passed thru the spine that kinda helps with upset.

Not that I really plan on doing so, but your results indicate that a 16" AR carbine can be a usable deer gun within its limits. Nice to know if one's "real" deer gun goes TU at the wrong time.

CouchTater
I have shot out to 399 yards with the bullet still expanding but that is about the limit. My starting velocity is 2850. I, on a rare occasion, will take out my 16" AR to hunt with but really prefer the bolt gun. As long as you are above the 1800 fps mark expansion in the TSX is reliable, at least that has been my experience.

Perry