Barnes TSX and Swift Scirocco Terminal Performance + Pictures

[jguill]

Over the last year I experimented with the Swift Scirocco and Barnes Triple Shock X-bullet (TSX) in a custom 270 Win using 130gr bullets. I am on a lease in South Texas that is overrun with feral hogs and the landowner wants us to eliminate as many as possible. This has allowed me to shoot numerous wild hogs and experiment with bullet terminal performance. Most of the hunting is done between 80 and 150 yards down narrow senderos cut into thick brush. The bullets shown below were recovered from shots between 100 and 130 yards with Scirocco muzzle velocities averaging 3100fps and TSX muzzle velocities averaging 3215 fps.





Last year I shot a nice whitetail in the low shoulder/heart using a Scirocco. The buck immediately ran into thick brush and I did not see which direction he bolted. At the impact point there was one drop of blood and a few pen head sized pieces of flesh. I spent 45 minutes looking for more blood and finally found 1 drop on a branch 30 yards from the impact point. Five minutes later I found the deer buried in heavy cover. The Scirocco performed very well and completely destroyed a shoulder and the heart, however the bullet stopped in the fat on the opposing shoulder. There was no exit hole and the buck was nearly impossible to track. The recovered bullet is shown in the above pictures. After this incident I decided to experiment with the Barnes TSX. I was surprised with the TSX. Almost immediately I developed a high velocity handload that averaged 0.5” to 0.6” groups. TSX copper fowling is minimal as many people claim. I began testing the TSX early this summer on hogs. I shot 6 hogs in the skull, neck, and shoulders and never recovered a bullet. All were 100% pass through. Last weekend I shot 3 hogs (182lb, 125lb and 80lb) with one TSX. I encountered a group of 10+ hogs tightly bunched up feeding. The TSX went through the skull of the first hog, neck of the 2nd, and lungs of the 3rd. The TSX was not recovered and passed through all 3 hogs. After this incident I took the 182lb boar and used him for bullet testing at 100 yards. I shot TSX loads into his skull(what was left), low shoulder, high shoulder, lungs, and hip. All bullets passed completely through creating large wound cavities and shattering any bone encountered. In order to stop a TSX I had to put 2 one gallon milk jugs filled with water in front of the boars shoulder blades. That TSX was finally recovered on the opposing shoulder just underneath the skin after passing through both milk jugs and the entire boar’s shoulders/chest.

I never lost a single animal with either the Scirocco or TSX. Both bullets produce massive wound cavities and are deadly accurate. The Scirocco expands quicker and sheds weight faster. The TSX has far superior penetration, however potentially too much for deer and smaller game. I am confident you can lung punch 2 to 3 whitetails in a line with the TSX and it will not stop. One needs to be very careful when shooting the TSX and watch behind the intended target.

If you want to shoot small game and deer in the lungs or at long distance I would recommend the Scirocco. If you want to shoot heavy deer in the shoulders or large hogs I would recommend the TSX. All of my tests were done at close range and I am not confident about the TSX’s long range expansion characteristics yet. I plan to repeat the above boar test at 300-400 yards later this season to test lower velocity, longer range TSX expansion.

Gig’Em
Jarret

[royinidaho]

Jarret,

Really good job. You're lucky to to be in such a target rich situation.

Glad you explained the 2 milk jug thing in the narrative. That really had me thinkin' "How'd the guy get the two milk jugs in between him and the hog?"

Just a personnal thing but I appreciate the subject cartridge being a 270 Win. Just fond of it.

You may wish to "hire out" to do terminal bullet testing. Think otta the box a bit. Bet there's a way to make that worthwhile.

Just my tho'ts

[älg]

Nic pics. I never tried the tsx on game, my scirocos (recovered) have had similar expansion although retained mass was higher since shots were at around 220 yds. However i recoverd one shot at 110 yds, and it had shed also a lot of weight. <I posted some pics here, check them and compare,

[jwp475]

I killed an Antelope on 10-06-05 at 777 yards with the 30cal 180 grain TXS and the wound channel looked identical to one taken at 280 yards from my experience I wound say that the TXS opened just fine at the longer range

[jguill]

Roy, Thanks for the nice comments. I am an engineer and enjoy researching then testing. Hunting bullet accuracy and terminal performance keeps hog management interesting.

Alg, your link did not come through. Can you please try again.

Jwp475 : Should I ask if you had 100% pass through with the TSX? I would be willing to bet every dime I own that you did not recover the TSX in any antelope. Were you using a WinMag or RUM? I am going to start testing 300WM 180gr bullets later this year once my LSR rifle is finished.

I received several emails asking if I had pictures of the hogs. Below are a couple of pictures of the terminal performance from the hogs standpoint. Both bullets produce tremendous hydrostatic pressure and large wound channels at these high velocity, short distance shots.

After the first picture the remainder of the pictures are pretty graphic. I warned you!

[jwp475]

You are correct complete pass through and no bullet recover. I was shooting a 300 win mag, muzzle velocity about 3073 fps

[älg]

search " recovered sciroccos" in bullets and ballistics. I don´t know how to put the link here.