By staff writer: Charles Coker
I have been a Barnes bullet user for years, they make a fantastic hunting bullet that has in my experience always worked flawlessly.
They are accurate, I have always been able to get under .5″ groups hand loading. Terminal performance on game has been flawless, I have never lost an animal with a Barnes bullet. I can count on them expanding just under the hide on entrance, staying together through even heavy shoulder bones and 99.99 of the time get an exit wound. They don’t come apart and send lead fragments into the meat either..
We have ran the 243 80g TTSX Vortex ammo in an old Sako and it shoots under .5 center to center and has killed numerous deer and hogs. My oldest son got his first buck last year with the ammo.
Recently I received a Weatherby Vanguard II in 7nm08 in the Hog Reaper model which sports a lightweight 20″ barrel.
The 120g TTSX load from Barnes was the first thing I wanted to try in it. For Texas hogs and deer it would make an ideal round out to 300 yards with just a basic duplex reticle and no dialing running a 200 yard zero.
Well, that is of course if the gun likes it…
Well, my first two shots at 50 yards dialing in the scope were touching, that’s a good sign!
I moved out to 100 and a few adjustments later I was getting what looked like about an inch group at a quick glance with not much effort on my part. Looking good.
I dialed in 1.5″ high at 100 and rattled off 3 quick shots on steel, I could see the impact all basically making one hit on the target. I walked down and said “pretty good, probably a 1/2″ group” My buddy Chad said he thought it was better than that..
I checked it with a caliber and it was under .5, center to center avearge was .4 and a nickely covered the group easily.
Not bad for a rifle with about a dozen rounds through it and I am sure they can be made even tighter.
Very impressed with the ammo and the gun. I know I got lucky finding a load this gun liked right off the bat.. But my experience with the Vortex loads in the 243 and two 25-06s has earned my respect and makes them the first choice I go to in factory ammo.
ccoker
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Great deer cartridge. Should be wicked in the Barnes TTSX.