300 RUM Barnes

[Brushcrawler]

I finally found a factory load my 300 RUM does not like. It has shot everything I have tested around 1 MOA, with Nosler 200 ABs and 210 ABLR slightly better. I thought I would test some non-lead options. First try: a box of Barnes 190 gr VORTX LR. Grouped a legitimate 10-12 MOA. Shot ABLR before and after to make sure this was ammo related only. As a side note, or maybe related, the cases had some small dents (straight out of the sealed box) and the bullets also looked slightly pitted and/or tarnished. Anyone else have a copper bullet that works or doesn’t work in your 300 RUM?

[yorketransport]

I shot the 168 TTSX out of my 300 RUM specialty pistol with excellent results, but they were handloads. The 168 TTSX uses a different nose profile and shoots better in some guns.

Are you looking at factory loads or do you reload?

[Brushcrawler]

Looking at factory loads at the moment. Barnes has factory 165 gr TTSX BT. Interesting that they also make a 168 bullet.

[Randonee]

My understanding is that they have a different shape and that drives the use rather than the small weight difference.  The 165 is shorter in the tip and can be loaded for a shorter overall length (like for 300 WM’s that are sometimes constrained by magazine length).  The 168 is sometimes more appropriate for a 308 Win that can be loaded longer.  This info is based on a call I made to Barnes a few years ago when I had the same question. Maybe someone chime in with a more technical explanation.

[Randonee]

I just found a FAQ from the Barnes website that addresses this.

http://www.barnesbullets.com/faq/

“These bullets have different ogive geometries. The 165-grain TSX incorporates a shorter tangent ogive in the nose profile. It’s designed for cartridges with short magazines such as the .300 WSM and .300 Win Mag. The 168-grain TSX BT has a secant ogive which lengthens the nose profile and has shown superb accuracy downrange. It offers the best of both worlds because it’s also a premium hunting bullet offering exceptional terminal performance. It is best suited for cartridges such as the .308 Winchester, .30-06 and .300 Weatherby.”

[Brushcrawler]

Took a while to continue this experiment. The 165 TTSX BTs shot right at MOA. Nosier 180 gr E-tips just slightly better. Still trust the 210 ABLR, but it is nice to have some copper options.