Hunting Washington Forum

Equipment & Gear => Guns and Ammo => Topic started by: jdb on May 05, 2021, 06:11:35 PM

Title: All copper bullets
Post by: jdb on May 05, 2021, 06:11:35 PM: I’m looking at switching too an all copper bullet for my .270. Anyone with any experience?
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: Wanttohuntmore on May 05, 2021, 06:24:59 PM: 130 Ttsx by Barnes was very accurate in my son's 270 and did a number on his bear.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: highside74 on May 05, 2021, 06:33:32 PM: Son killed his bull and buck with TTSX. Elk was 89 yards buck was 250.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: Taco280AI on May 05, 2021, 06:39:03 PM: I only use the LRX these days
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: 280ackley on May 05, 2021, 06:58:16 PM: Barnes TSX shoot great out of my Ackley.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: carpsniperg2 on May 05, 2021, 06:58:39 PM: I have run some nosler etips with good luck. Nice solid bullet. Had to give them a go when hunting in cali and shot a few hogs and a bear with them.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: 7mmfan on May 05, 2021, 08:08:10 PM: Not in 270, but 7mm. Have had good luck with both the TTSX and LRX. The LRX has been insanely accurate for me. I've killed 5 animals with them now, they all died... quickly.

I'll add that when you start the load testing process, do a complete copper fouling scrub and then refoul with the all copper bullets. I found that helped my accuracy for testing a lot.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: Buckjunkie on May 05, 2021, 08:12:27 PM: Killed a few and watched another with 7mm 145 g LRX. 3 deer and one cow elk. Good results on all. Accuracy is good, but you have to seat them back .070 - .090 off L & G to get them to shoot.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: 92xj on May 05, 2021, 08:17:12 PM: Try some hammer hunters. Easy to work a load on. Kill great. 100fps fasting then most anything else. I've dumped 3 deer and a bear and have had great results. No complaints at all.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: BigGoonTuna on May 05, 2021, 08:22:03 PM: I have a load that I worked up with the 110 ttsx in my .270 pushing almost 3500 fps with Ramshot Hunter. That’s essentially the same ballistics as a 110gr bullet from a .257 Weatherby mag, using Barnes’ published data.

I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot any big game animal in this state with that. The big advantage of copper bullets is that they don’t tend to blow up when they hit bone.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: RobinHoodlum on May 05, 2021, 08:32:14 PM: While some might advocate for a heavier round, the 130 grain TTSX in my Tikka 270 have been great medicine for bear the past few seasons. Would have no hesitation to use the same for deer or elk, but I tend to chase those with a lesser weapon during less crowded seasons.

I got into Barnes rifle bullets because of the incredible performance I've had with their muzzy rounds (250 grain TMZ)
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: TooTallMike on May 05, 2021, 08:49:42 PM: Cutting edge bullets
Hammer bullets

Or Barnes if you want it off the shelf locally
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: Mtnwalker on May 05, 2021, 09:14:40 PM: Reloading or factory ammo?
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: Weatherby92 on May 05, 2021, 09:17:21 PM: I found my 300wm shoots the LRXs really well. .5 MOA on a stock tikka lite. Excited to try them on game. Also following this thread for feedback on performance while hunting.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: Stein on May 05, 2021, 09:21:33 PM: All I have used are 168 TSX in my 30-06. I get .5-.7 MOA out of my factory rifle and the animals I hit all die, so no complaints other than trying to find some these days.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: DUCKDUDE on May 05, 2021, 11:01:54 PM: Been shooting the 140 TSX for years lots of boom flops. Very impressed with Barnes bullets.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: Wetwoodshunter on May 06, 2021, 05:55:50 AM: A few people already recommended them but you may want to look at hammer hunters. I tried them last year and took a mule deer and an elk.

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,253803.msg3435287.html#msg3435287
This thread has my load development and performance on game. I also found and weighed bullets and shed petals. Granted you are loading for a .270 you will be loading a slightly lighter bullet than the 181 gr. I selected.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: RobinHoodlum on May 06, 2021, 02:42:48 PM: FYI - recovered Barnes muzzleloader bullets. If the pic a actually posts.

I haven't recovered a .270 round yet since they seem to pass through. No reason to believe the expansion and retention or razor sharp petals are any different
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: 7mmfan on May 06, 2021, 02:57:37 PM: The mule deer that I shot this year with my 7 mag and 145 LRX was hit quartering away, shooting fairly steeply downhill. Entered mid chest, right behind the shoulder and exited low through the offside leg. The trauma was unreal. Nothing I've ever experienced with a lead bullet. I had the distinct impression that there was so much energy as it left that the vacuum tried to pull the lungs out of a .75" hole. It nearly actually severed the offside leg. Not just broke it as it passed, but almost severed it. I was quite impressed. Needless to say, he went nowhere.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: BNAElkhntr on May 06, 2021, 05:17:39 PM: I Use 180 grn Nosler Etips in my 300 wm and 250grn Etips in my 338rem ultra Used them mostly in Africa 1400lb Eland Dropped where it stood with the 338. Kudu, wildebeest, gemsbok The same Shot those with 300wm
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: Farmer72 on May 06, 2021, 06:15:36 PM: I have been using Barnes X bullets since the early 90's and love them. As long as your firearm will shoot them they have performed excellent. I started with the original X bullet. Now depending on which caliber I shoot TSX, TTSX, and LRX. Of all the deer, elk and antelope I have shot I have only recovered 4 or 5 bullets. First one I recovered was a 140 gr X from my 270 Win. I shot a spike bull at 250 yds laying down facing me. When I shot he turned his head and I hit him right at the base of the eye-guard it completely passed through 2 inches of horn and hit the top of the skull to which it went through another inch of the top of the skull where it continued through hitting the backstrap and lodging next to the spine. Unfortunately it didn't hit anything vital to kill him but I am sure it rung his bell something fierce. He got up and moved to a small opening where I was able to put one through the lungs. When i recovered the first bullet than went through the horn, skull and was found next to the back it had lost all 4 petals. It started at 140 gr. and weighed out at 129 when recovered. Seeing the penetration and how well it held together changed my dad that day to shooting Barnes bullets.

I have over the years recovered 2 more from elk using my 8mm Rem mag and one from an antelope using a 300 WSM. I could have recovered one more from an antelope using a 223 Rem but didn't want to dig through the brain for it.

Here is the one I recovered from antelope buck. He was facing square at me and I hit him in the chest at 350 yds. I recovered the bullet just under the hide in his ass. When completely from stem to stern. It was a 168 gr. TTSX and it weighs out at 167.1 grs. now.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: Stein on May 06, 2021, 08:26:29 PM: Quote from: 7mmfan on May 06, 2021, 02:57:37 PM
The mule deer that I shot this year with my 7 mag and 145 LRX was hit quartering away, shooting fairly steeply downhill. Entered mid chest, right behind the shoulder and exited low through the offside leg. The trauma was unreal. Nothing I've ever experienced with a lead bullet. I had the distinct impression that there was so much energy as it left that the vacuum tried to pull the lungs out of a .75" hole. It nearly actually severed the offside leg. Not just broke it as it passed, but almost severed it. I was quite impressed. Needless to say, he went nowhere.

I had the same thing, but with my first MT goat and TSX. The opposite leg was literally hanging on by about a 1/4" strip of hide. The heart was 90% gone, like nothing there. The blood marks at the point of impact were incredible. It went 50 yards which is still one of the most impressive feats of an animal I have seen.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: Bob33 on May 06, 2021, 08:42:11 PM: I've had very good success with TSX and TTSX bullets on game from antelope up to elk sized animals. I have recovered a few bullets but most of the time they're full pass-throughs. I like two holes because it increases the chances of leaving a blood trail.

Here is a 165 grain TTSX shot from a 300 WSM recovered from an eland bull. The bullet went through both shoulders and stopped on the far side hide. The bullet weighed 164.9 grains after recovery.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: thinkingman on May 07, 2021, 10:17:59 AM: Barnes have shot very well through my 300WSM and 7-08.
Wish I had a dead animal to prove it!

Nice thing about all-copper is they're long for weight.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: Igor on May 07, 2021, 10:20:04 AM: Quote from: thinkingman on May 07, 2021, 10:17:59 AM

Nice thing about all-copper is they're long for weight.

Maybe.......but it you are using a compressed load that's a problem.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: thinkingman on May 07, 2021, 02:56:22 PM: Quote from: Igor on May 07, 2021, 10:20:04 AM
Quote from: thinkingman on May 07, 2021, 10:17:59 AM

Nice thing about all-copper is they're long for weight.

Maybe.......but it you are using a compressed load that's a problem.

Good point.
I was thinking of it ballistically.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: Igor on May 07, 2021, 03:10:50 PM: Quote from: thinkingman on May 07, 2021, 02:56:22 PM
Quote from: Igor on May 07, 2021, 10:20:04 AM
Quote from: thinkingman on May 07, 2021, 10:17:59 AM

Nice thing about all-copper is they're long for weight.

Maybe.......but it you are using a compressed load that's a problem.

Good point.
I was thinking of it ballistically.

I was experimenting with some 140-grain TSX BT in .270 Winchester and compressed loads. Turns out they weren't all that accurate compared to some
others, so I gave up on that particular load.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: elkboy on May 07, 2021, 03:47:57 PM: Quote from: Bob33 on May 06, 2021, 08:42:11 PM
I've had very good success with TSX and TTSX bullets on game from antelope up to elk sized animals. I have recovered a few bullets but most of the time they're full pass-throughs. I like two holes because it increases the chances of leaving a blood trail.

Here is a 165 grain TTSX shot from a 300 WSM recovered from an eland bull. The bullet went through both shoulders and stopped on the far side hide. The bullet weighed 164.9 grains after recovery.
That's impressive! Thanks for sharing, Bob33.
I haven't recovered any copper bullets from the deer I've shot with .243 Win PowerShok Copper. All pass-through, nothing left behind!
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: wadu1 on May 07, 2021, 05:12:57 PM: I've used the 150gr TSX on 6 different BT, in both .308 and 30-06 all one shot no recovery all thru and thru. Longest shot was 198 up hill about 60 degrees thru the shoulder and out the spine. I'm still waiting on harvesting another with my 6.5X55 with 130gr TSX. I've put each on on a scale all have been as advertised. I did have to play with powders for my .308.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: Taco280AI on May 07, 2021, 06:28:18 PM: I wish I could speak on retention of the LRX, but no recoveries on six deer from 45-293 yards. Distance ran after the shot has ranged from zero to 35ish yards with the average being roughly 11, three of which dropped at the shot. The ~100 yards one rolled down a hill doesn't count :chuckle:
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: idahohuntr on May 07, 2021, 07:54:19 PM: I've used Barnes TSX in several rifles for more than a decade and been very pleased. If I recover the bullet it has always shown perfect expansion and nearly 100% weight retention.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: Bob33 on May 07, 2021, 08:32:11 PM: This 165 grain TTSX bullet shot from a 300 WSM was recovered from an elk shot at 360 yards. Weight after recovery was 164.6 grains.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: jdb on May 07, 2021, 08:43:07 PM: Thank you for all the data! I’m now thinking I’ll shoot them in my 7/08
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: The scout on May 07, 2021, 09:33:21 PM: I really wanted to use Barnes bullets because of how they pedal and retain there weight, but I could never get them to shoot worth a darn in any of my rifles, hammer hunter bullets were way more accurate for me. And just as devastating on game.
Title: Re: All copper bullets
Post by: dan11011 on May 07, 2021, 10:16:08 PM: I use 150g Barnes TTSX in my 30-06. They leave the muzzle at just shy of 3,000 fps. I've been pleased. Have taken antelope at 374 yards and elk at 35 yards.