Barnes TSX vs nosler Partition?

[Jfasher]

The deer isn't going to care what you are using either will kill him. My son got his buck last year with a 300 wm loaded with a 180 grain nosler etip. He didn't take a step.

 

[NoWiser]

Your guide is completely full of it. Ignore him. Literally every single animal, from moose to antelope, that I’ve shot in the last 10 years has been with either a 130 ttsx or 140 tsx out of my 270 WSM. I have not had one single issue. And not a single animal was shot through a shoulder to initiate expansion. Ranges have been between 40 and 340 yards. Your tsx loads are absolutely perfect for your deer hunt. You’ll have a pencil sized entry hole, quarter to golf ball size exit, and your deer will likely die within sight if you hit it behind the shoulder. As an added benefit you won’t have near as much meat loss and don’t need to worry about scavengers dying of lead poisoning.

 

[Wrench]

Those two bullets are pretty much the reference standard that bullets are judged against. I'd have zero issues with either.

 

[Rickt300]

I have a deep seated dislike for Barnes due to their using us for their guinea pigs when they first started putting all copper bullets out instead of doing their own testing with the early Barnes X bullets. Cost me a lot of tracking for no good reason when at the time it was obvious the least expensive 150 gr. 30 caliber bullet on the market was a far better deer bullet than what were then the most expensive bullets on the market. That said I would run the TTSX or the Nosler Partions depending which is easier to come by.

 

[RMajors]

My dad and I have both switched to Barnes bullets exclusively for our hunting rifles. He went to Africa a few years back and killed everything from springbok to kudu with a 300 win mag using barnes factory 180 ttsx ammo. He shot the kudu going away through the right hind quarter all the way through the front left shoulder. It was the only bullet recovered out of 10 plus animals, and it was under the skin in front of the shoulder. This made a believer out of his professional hunter, who didn't like them beforehand. He killed several large animals, all dispatched with one shot. He also shot a grizzly bear through the front shoulders with a 275 grain ttsx handloaded .375 H&H, that didn't even twitch after the shot. I agree that these bullets perform better if shot through shoulders. They still work if you shoot behind the shoulder, but its more of a "pencil hole". In my opinion, if you shoot the heavier monos, the shoulder is the place to aim. If you want to shoot behind the shoulder, use light for caliber monos and push them hard so you get more internal damage. Not that the bonded core leads aren't equally lethal, I just don't like leaving microscopic lead particles in my meat. If you like the Barnes bullet, shoot the Barnes bullet. If you shoot the shoulders, that animal is going down, period. If it will traverse the length of a kudu, I think it will do just fine on an elk.

 

[marshland_max]

I'll chime in ...................... TSX, TTSX and Nosler PT all proven killers .................... if you search long and hard enough you will find stories of failures with all three.

If you worked the load, the load shoots, you love it, and are confident in it then shoot it! I would not switch at this point.

The guide has his reasons and they are probably based on a bad experience and that's ok!

Change his mind with actual proof !!!

Enjoy the hunt!

 

[longshot3631]

I've had nothing but success with Barnes. I also use some Nosler but like many have said, stick with what your gun likes and what YOU'RE comfortable with.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

There's a reason why you hear mixed reviews of barnes bullets. They don't always expand as advertised. You can argue if you want but I've seen it myself several times.

On the other hand, when's the last time you heard a mixed review of the partition or accubond?

 

[EastMT]

This was the original Barnes, not the tipped

4 pencil holes from a 7 Mag at 75 yds, almost no damage surrounding the holes. It was like a laser went through. Luckily he fell as he ran off and landed upside down between to large logs or may have never found him, he was still very alive when we got there, but couldn’t get his legs under him due to the logs.

New ones may work better, tipped may work better. I haven’t used since, but I am considering trying some 127 LRX out of a 26 Nos, be hard not to expand at 3400 FPS.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HiMtnHntr]

This was the original Barnes, not the tipped

4 pencil holes from a 7 Mag at 75 yds, almost no damage surrounding the holes. It was like a laser went through. Luckily he fell as he ran off and landed upside down between to large logs or may have never found him, he was still very alive when we got there, but couldn’t get his legs under him due to the logs.

New ones may work better, tipped may work better. I haven’t used since, but I am considering trying some 127 LRX out of a 26 Nos, be hard not to expand at 3400 FPS.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The most recent barnes fail I've seen was a 7mm 139 gn barnes lrx at 135 yards vs a broadside elk. Pencil holes... barnes claims the expand on entry to create a large wound channel.

I've always been a barnes fan but the proof is in the pudding, or, ahem, lack there of...

 

[rootacres]

I’ve had great success hunting elk with a copper 92 backcountry in 300 win mag shooting TSX 180’s and worked up a very accurate 165 load for an upcoming AZ 12aw early rifle deer hunt. Talking to my guide he is strongly against the copper TSX and has advised me to work up a different load with a lead style bullet like a partition. The 165’s are coming out of the barrel at 3200 FPS so I feel like expansion should not be a problem...any thoughts?

I would not hesitate to take that 300 wm pushing TTSX on a deer hunt. I witnessed first hand what the 180s did on a bull elk a couple weeks ago. I don't shoot a mono but am seriously considering it now. If the Barnes shoot well don't mess with it. But if you want to try something else, meet in the middle with an Accubond. They have generally better BCs than the partition and are known for being very accurate. I used the 180 accubonds on a mule deer in 2019, they did great.

 

[Rich M]

Both are proven bullets.

I was raised with the partition and am more familiar with it - hits with a good energy dump and continues on thru. The vast majority of the animals I've shot with these had dropped right there.

My favorite and most accurate bullet is the Sierra Pro Hunter.

Tried the all copper stuff in one rifle and it didn't shoot well - partition shot better. So, of course I use the partition.

I don't think you could go wrong with either. One side comment - if you are at a questionable range for expansion w all copper bullet - take the shoulder. It will expand on that and not pencil thru.

 

[bmicek]

Barnes makes top notch hunting bullets. Read through the comments, those with good experiences outweigh those with bad experiences like 10:1. If you have a good load worked up, shoot em.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

You can count me in as a big cheerleader for barnes, but I just have not seen them perform as well as other bullets over the years.

 

[25orSo]

Interesting read.

I am at a point where I am considering trying the monolithic copper bullets.

I will not consider a shoulder shot a good shot to take. I cannot see ruining meat to get a bullet to work. I believe that is why Mr. Nosler invented the Partition in the first place.

I only use a heart/lung or neck shot for taking game I intend to eat. The bullet has to do its job reliably and consistently for those shots if I am going to use it.

I have no problem with the suggestions to go with a lighter faster bullet. That may be the approach I take.

 

[wapitibob]

Elk at about 200 yards with a 140 tsx out of a 7stw. Going close to 3500. It took maybe a cpl steps as it was going down. Right or wrong, my belief is a solid needs bone and should be light for caliber; the opposite of a frangible like a Berger.