Federal Terminal Ascent Bullets - Anyone used em?

[roosiebull]

i just grabbed a few boxes for the 6.5CM, i have one and my wife does, so i'll shoot them in both.... both guns like 140gr accubonds, so no sweat if they don't shoot great, but i like the concept (always have) i'm hoping they shoot well in the 2 rifles, it's perfect for my application, though i have no complaints with AB's

on paper, these are my kind of bullets though, and i don't care about low velocity expansion, they should do well at the ranges i shoot critters at. i did watch 1 video on them and they expanded well in gel at just over 1800fps, which should suit most fine.

cool concept, hope they shoot well

did they change the TA since releasing it? they only have one groove (seen people mention 2) and semingly good BC for those concerned (again, not a make or break for my application)

 

[bline]

I shot a cow elk at about 75 yards with a 308 175 grain TA bullet. She was below me on a hill and slightly quartered away. Bullet made jelly of both lungs and shattered the humerus on offside with no exit. She ran about 50yards down a steep hill and crumpled.

 

[cooperjd]

no game yet. picked up a box to try out in my new kimber hunter 280 ackley. I plan on loading either 150gr ttsx or maybe try some hammers for the rifle, but i figured i'd try a box of available factory ammo just to test the rifle. I got 2 shots in before the rain started, and at 35 degrees outside, it drove me back inside quick! they both were right around 2950 fps according to the labradar i was using with the kimber's 24" barrel. I have a deer hunt in a few weeks so i'll likely get them zero'd and see what they do on a TN whitetail.

 

[Formidilosus]

Elk. 130GR TA, 1,940fps impact. Half inch above tip of blade. No bones-



Two more were identical. Approx .40cal expansion.

 

[Hiwayman92]

Elk. 130GR TA, 1,940fps impact. Half inch above tip of blade. No bones-

View attachment 233225

Two more were identical. Approx .40cal expansion.

If I’m reading the photos correctly, they performed terrible? All the gel tests I’ve watched ale the TA look like the ideal hunting bullet...?


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[amassi]

If I’m reading the photos correctly, they performed terrible? All the gel tests I’ve watched ale the TA look like the ideal hunting bullet...?


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A dead elk around 500 yards with 155% expansion what more do you want?

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[Formidilosus]

If I’m reading the photos correctly, they performed terrible? All the gel tests I’ve watched ale the TA look like the ideal hunting bullet...?


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Not terrible- exactly as they are designed to. Whether what they are engineered to do being good for someone, that’s up to them. Field tip sized wounds is NOT what I am looking for and that happens with extremely high weight retention bullets below 2,200’ish FPS impacts.
If the vast majority of my shots came sub 300 yards, and only very rarely did I take 400-500 yard shots, AND I believed what a bullet looks like when it’s done killing has any determiner of how well it killed... it would be an excellent choice.

However, a significant amount of my animals are past 300 yards out to the limits of bullet upset. Fragmenting bullets such as Bergers, ELD-M’s and ELD-X’s create significantly more tissue damage at all ranges, and penetrate deep enough even close. Much easier to control where projectiles go at 70 yards than planning for extremely long incapacitation times at 700 due to small wounds.

 

[Hiwayman92]

It just doesn’t quite match the hype I’d seen online about low velocity expansion. My guesstimate put that velocity closer to 400-450 yards, and if I’m looking to punch a hole through an animal, I’d prefer it to be more than .16” inches wider in diameter than the entrance.

Maybe I’m reading into this wrong and Formdilosus has more to add to his experience?


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[Formidilosus]

A dead elk around 500 yards with 155% expansion what more do you want?

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Farther than that, and incapacitation time was, and will be, much longer than is ideal with them.


To put it into perspective- a 77gr TMK from a 223 would have, and does create much larger wounds at the same range. No, they won’t penetrate 30+ inches, but I don’t need that.

 

[Formidilosus]

It just doesn’t quite match the hype I’d seen online about low velocity expansion. My guesstimate put that velocity closer to 400-450 yards, and if I’m looking to punch a hole through an animal, I’d prefer it to be more than .16” inches wider in diameter than the entrance.

Maybe I’m reading into this wrong and Formdilosus has more to add to his experience?


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No, they are engineered very well to do what Federal wanted them to do. Look at pictures showing them at different impact velocities. Then remember that with bullets that do not fragment, they have lost most of the permanent damage from the temporary stretch cavity somewhere around 2,200-2,000fps. That means very narrow wounds.
The issue is people think “expansion” means good wound channels. Bullets that are designed to retain high weight, do not “expand” in a manner that most believe. When people pull a Barnes for instance out of an animal after it has went the length of the game, hit major bone, and then marvel that it retained 99% weight and the pretty little mushroom, don’t realize that is the MAX size it reached in the animal long after it went through vitals. Very few would be pleased with what they say with those bullets after going through 6 inches or so at reduced velocities. Very little damage and the nose barely peeled back.

 

[Hiwayman92]

Well said. Hammers seem to be the mono that likely creates the widest wound channel, would that be an accurate assumption? I’m intrigued by mono’s, but haven’t killed anything with them yet.

I’ve got some 175 LRX’s loaded in my 300 WSM, but that is more of a walking around gun, so my shots would likely be 400 and in if I’m carrying that stick.


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[Formidilosus]

Well said. Hammers seem to be the mono that likely creates the widest wound channel, would that be an accurate assumption? I’m intrigued by mono’s, but haven’t killed anything with them yet.

I’ve got some 175 LRX’s loaded in my 300 WSM, but that is more of a walking around gun, so my shots would likely be 400 and in if I’m carrying that stick.


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Monos that fragment do increase the wound channel size just like lead core bullets that do the same. Fragmenting monos will not match the wound channel of comparable lead core bullets however.

The problem with Hammers and others is mainly in the relatively low BC, and for most the relatively high velocity required for upset.

 

[Jonathan Hemlock]

Thanks for the info on this, very helpful.

I bought this in .277/136 to try this year. After reading all the marketing about the BC and the special slipstream tip I opened the box to see the plastic tips had plastic molding bits hanging off them and the tip itself wasn’t seated in the bullet very well. Must have been poor quality control because every one was like that. Can’t be good for accuracy or BC.

 

[sneaky]

no game yet. picked up a box to try out in my new kimber hunter 280 ackley. I plan on loading either 150gr ttsx or maybe try some hammers for the rifle, but i figured i'd try a box of available factory ammo just to test the rifle. I got 2 shots in before the rain started, and at 35 degrees outside, it drove me back inside quick! they both were right around 2950 fps according to the labradar i was using with the kimber's 24" barrel. I have a deer hunt in a few weeks so i'll likely get them zero'd and see what they do on a TN whitetail.

Shoot the 145LRX before you load the 150TTSX. My 280AI likes them, and it's a sub half minute gun with the 155 Terminal Ascent factory loads

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[cooperjd]

Shoot the 145LRX before you load the 150TTSX. My 280AI likes them, and it's a sub half minute gun with the 155 Terminal Ascent factory loads

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thank you!

 

[My180sx]

I shoot the Trophy Boded Tips out of multiple calibers...my 7rem had at least 400 rounds of these through it. When it gets to the point you have to clean the barrel due to bad accuracy use a normal solvent that removes copper. I use Gunslick foaming bore cleaner....zero issues.

No, they are engineered very well to do what Federal wanted them to do. Look at pictures showing them at different impact velocities. Then remember that with bullets that do not fragment, they have lost most of the permanent damage from the temporary stretch cavity somewhere around 2,200-2,000fps. That means very narrow wounds.
The issue is people think “expansion” means good wound channels. Bullets that are designed to retain high weight, do not “expand” in a manner that most believe. When people pull a Barnes for instance out of an animal after it has went the length of the game, hit major bone, and then marvel that it retained 99% weight and the pretty little mushroom, don’t realize that is the MAX size it reached in the animal long after it went through vitals. Very few would be pleased with what they say with those bullets after going through 6 inches or so at reduced velocities. Very little damage and the nose barely peeled back.

I have tested what your claiming and it is not true. I have shot many gophers with my 7mm wsm with 168barnes LRX and the results were catastrophic. Hardly anything left to pick up. This proves expansion is initiated immediatly on impact. I also shoot 7 coyotes and 1 wolf with my magnums all loaded with barnes TTSX or LRX and and all have had immediate expansion and quick death on fairly small game.

 

[stan_wa]

Wanted to pull this back up and see if anybody else had experience or Input on these?


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Shot a mule deer at 270 yards, he dropped after about 5 seconds of wavering.

 

[Mule3006Elk]

2 mule deer bucks with Edge TLR 30-06 175 grain handloads 2730fps. 0.75-1" at 100 yards but hold sub MOA out to 500 yards. Regarding mule deer harvest both were cross canyon 225 yards.
Both were DRT upon impact, dropped, and rolled down the hill. I would absolutely recommend these bullets. My family and I have shot ~ 15 other animals with TTSX 150 grains. All died but they ran on average 30-50 yards FWIW. Edge TRL are stated to open down to 1300 fps which we all know is minimal opening no different than Barnes at 1800 fps (TTSX) or 1600 fps (LRX). At what impact velocity do they fully open I don't know. Barnes being a harder copper I keep impact > 2200 fps. Why 2200 fps > I did my own testing. Below 2200 fps down to 2000 fps I had inconsistent opening some were full some were a little more than the diameter of the bullet (not much). I see no reason why Edge TLR wouldn't fully open > 1800 fps. Same with Hammers, softer copper compared to Barnes, Steve the owner tested down to 1800 fps and the bullets will shed their petals. He doesn't test below 1800 fps simply because he believes in high impact velocities.
Hammers are an absolute phenomenal mono based on my research. I have been lurking on the Hammer forums for the past 3/4 of year. TONS of positive feedback and the terminal performance appears to be devastating. I'm strongly considering getting the 152 grain HH for my 30-06.

 

[Mule3006Elk]

Shot a mule deer at 270 yards, he dropped after about 5 seconds of wavering.

Not surprised.

 

[rcalmus]

I picked these up for some handloads last year for my 280 ai. My original plan with to work up 195 Eol’s and the 155 terminals. Carry my gun loaded and zeroed with terminals and consider switching to the eol’s if a long distance shot came up using my kilo 2400 ballistics and outset it provides. However, during final testing I came to conclusion it probably wasn’t worth the hassle. At 880yd the Eol’s we’re doing 5” and the terminals right around 8”.

This photo is from the second shot on my elk. The first shot probably would have done its job but he was still on his feet. It was a strong quartering to shot at 480yd and was found while skinning him out next to the hide in front of the hip.

I only have about 20 of these left loaded and am backordered for more. Very impressed so far!


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