Barnes TTSX Performance on Elk (photos)

I haven't found any one bullet that is immune to failure. If the Barnes shoots well for you there is no doubt it will kill an elk. If it doesn't work out pick any other bullet and do a search and you will find a similar story with that bullet when it didn't work for someone else. I saw an elk last year that was killed with a Remington core-lokt. All the bullet research I've done says that isn't even possible!!
 
My buddys son shot his elk at 580yd with a 300wsm using 150ttsx. Hit him twice and he hit the ground. The problems with Barnes is they don't blow big holes when they enter and exit.
 
I learned the hard way that the barnes need speed to work well, like most others have posted here. My wife's 7mm-08 pushing 140 TTSX at 2850fps was too slow to expand fully at just 300 yards, almost lost a B&C bull elk from that mistake. I moved to heavy for caliber accubonds as my go to all around big game bullet for shots up to 600 yards. They have not ever let us down, not even one bullet on a lot of elk, moose, antelope, deer, and even a Mtn goat.
 
I had my dad's 270 set to shoot the 130gr TTSX. First kill was an aoudad. Dropped it a few moments later it stood back up and he shot it again. I did give much though to it hits were well placed. Just figured this aoudad wanted to be stubborn.

Deer season rolled around and he shot a decent 9 about 130 yards away quartering towards him. No blood trail, ran 150ish yards. I later found the bullet in a piece of meat I was cooking. It was just the shank, it had lost all of Its petals.

Needless to say his gun doesn't shoot those anymore.

I've swapped out the 300gr TTSX for a 260gr CEB Maximus for my 458 socom and have noted a noticeable difference on performance and the way animals react to being hit. Far more authoritative, first deer I killed with the 300gr TTSX acted like it hadn't even been hit until last second when he fell over. Not that had to trail but very little blood. Just a few drops between where he had been for the shot and where he fell over. Fast forward to using the CEB. Deer I shot this year got spun around by the Maximus sprinted 20 yards with me spotting a massive blood spot on him and fell over. Trail looked like someone had been pouring out a bucket of red paint.
 
I have used the TTSX in my 243 as well. Dropped a coyote on the run. Second biggest and my most unique deer took a perfect quartering towards shot. Ran 40 yards and left me with but a few tiny drops blood before it started to open up. Trailed another 20 before ultimately finding him. Figured that fast little 80gr TTSX would allow my 243 to punch in a higher weight class. Ultimately wasn't too impressed.
 
I consider the nosler BT's to be good tactical bullets, and a good 'target' alternative to the more expensive AB's, which shoot very close to the same point of aim. But for hunting, I use Barnes bullets. The AB's had very poor expansion when I used them in a 300 WM, and the BT's always explode like varmint grenade bullets when they hit anything - which is fine if I'm hunting an open field with no possibility of brush, but under normal hunting conditions I stopped using them years ago. The Barnes on the other hand have never once failed me.
 
Song Dogger said:
Two years ago, I shot an elk quartering away at 75 yards with a 7mm Rem Mag 140 grain Barnes VOR-TX TTSX BT (solid copper bullet). The elk hunched up, then ran. No blood. Didn't feel like I gut shot him, but even so, I thought it might have reached vitals given the distance, angle, and bullet. Never found him.

Same year, same ammo, I shot a different elk twice through the ribs at 450 yards. I heard the thuds and saw dust puff off the elk on both. Each shot turned him, but no obvious flinching. There was no blood trail, but my friend jumped him a few hundred yards away. I finished him with a couple shots at 350 yards. We recovered one bullet from the 450 yard chest shot, which reached the hide on the far side. See photos below for the bullet shape, weight retention (99%), and petal expansion (1.5 x original diameter).

I decided to try more power. Last year, I shot an elk in the neck at 200 yards with a 300 Win Mag 180 grain Barnes VOR-TX TTSX BT. No reaction, but I found a blood pool where he stood for a few minutes. But, no blood trail as he walked off. After a couple hour wait, I found him bedded down and shot him in the chest at 100 yards. He quickly stood up and was about to run, so I put another in the chest, right next to the first. He turned toward me and nearly reached me before slowly expiring. While processing it, a bullet fell to the ground, so I can't say if it was the 200 yard neck or a 100 yard chest shot. Again, see photos below for the bullet shape, weight retention (65%), and expansion (petals broke off, max diameter = 1.1 x original).

Prior to this, I've shot a dozen elk or so with simple Speer Spitzer Soft Points. Not a huge sample, and my memory is fading, but I generally recall better blood trails, more reactions when hit, less follow-up shots, and cleaner kills.

Before I start researching another bullet, any surprises or comments about the TTSX performance - either from my experience and photos below, or from your own personal experience?

PS) for those inclined, the ballistics for all Barnes VOR-TX TTSX BT can be found at http://www.barnesbullets.com/files/2017/11/Barnes-Ammo-Ballistic-Chart-Standard-2017-1.pdf​
SIDE VIEW​
TOP VIEW​
Click to expand...

Dogger the TTSX on left is for sure from a low velocity hit on your elk. I love Barnes TTSX but if I had a chance to shoot at those ranges I would use an AB or a Hunting version of BT. At those ranges the BTs would/should mushroom perfect.
 
You can't compare an Elk to Antelope or Deer, or Bear. Elk are tough, but that doesn't explain why I had to shoot my small Bull 4 times through the lungs with TTSX 168's. He literally soaked up 4 shots before dropping. and the 5th was on its way when he dropped. 200 yards.

If my gun didn't love the Barnes, I'd never use them. I am going back to lead.
 
the blur said:
You can't compare an Elk to Antelope or Deer, or Bear. Elk are tough, but that doesn't explain why I had to shoot my small Bull 4 times through the lungs with TTSX 168's. He literally soaked up 4 shots before dropping. and the 5th was on its way when he dropped. 200 yards.

If my gun didn't love the Barnes, I'd never use them. I am going back to lead.
Click to expand...
What's your muzzle velocity?
 
I live in California so in the Condor area so we have been shooting copper for a while i started with the Barnes in 3 different calibers we had failures with all three with well placed shoots found that it was expansion problem went to the Hornaday GMX had great luck no failures and shot very well then you couldn't get them when they redesigned them so know we are shooting the Hammers and i would never change to either one Hammer are easy to load and terminal performance is the best ruin very little meat and kill great.
 

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