Barnes tsx

[62flint]

not to derail the post on the partitions,
But how about a comparison of a 300gr tsx vs A frame.
I have had really good luck with 30cal 180g ttsx on Pg and in NA. But what about a 300tsx on a cape buff?
I will get a few A frames to load when I can, but right now with availability I am making the tsx do.

 

[Ptero]

I don't have any experience with the A Frame, but I used factory Barnes Vortx .375 H&H, 300 grain TSX on my hunt in Limpopo earlier this year and took warthog, impala, blue wildebeest, and cape buffalo with one shot. All complete pass throughs (including the buff, which was impressive!) and all dropped without taking a step... except for the wildebeest that managed about a 100 yard run even though its heart and lungs were completely destroyed. After that kind of performance, I stopped looking for another round to try. YMMV, but I am very impressed with the TSX.

 

[mdwest]

I shoot 300gr TSX in my 375 H&H exclusively.

It will absolutely do the job on Cape Buffalo.

When I started loading for 375 I specifically wanted something suitable for DG that was also accurate enough for PG hunting out to about 200 yards…

The TSX won by leaps and bounds in my rifle (Winchester 70) in the accuracy department..

Many buffalo shot by members of AH have been taken by TSX… I’d guess TSX and A-Frames are the most popular buffalo bullets by a pretty significant margin..

 

[NDWoods]

Cape Buffalo
1 shot at 110 yds
Slightly quartering to me so it went through both shoulders and stopped just under the skin on the far shoulder. Buff went a short distance in the thick stuff and sounded the death bellow within 20 seconds.

Since first experimenting with the TSX 14 years ago, it is all I use for hunting medium and large game. If one is literal, I will clarify that I use TSX, LRX, and TTSX depending on the caliber and distance. All of my plains game, including Eland, were with 300 PRC and 190 LRX.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

All complete pass throughs (including the buff, which was impressive!)

This is exactly why I am not a fan of TSX on Buffalo. To each their own, and other PH's and hunters can do their own thing. I just know where we hunt buff, you can just never say if he's alone in that thick stuff or not and don't know what is behind him.
I was surprised how much weight was shed by an Accubond during a 2022 hunt. More than I would have liked. The 300gr Accubond we recovered ended up with 200 gr. Dead is dead, and it worked, but that was a bit too much for my liking.
Don't think that there is anything better than a Swift A Frame on the market but was extremely impressed with the Trophy Bonded Bear Claw on Buffalo. Pretty much as good as any A Frame we have recovered, but my sample size of the TBBC's is not big.

 

[buffybr]

I used 300 gr Barnes TSX reloads in my .375 RUM in 2005 on hunts in Zimbabwe and South Africa. One shot kills on my Buffalo and Nyala and several other PG animals. I was very happy with those bullets.

On another hunt in 2007 in the Eastern and Southern Cape regions of South Africa I used 270 gr TSX bullets for a variety of PG animals. Again, I was very happy with the results with those bullets.

 

[Daisy]

not to derail the post on the partitions,
But how about a comparison of a 300gr tsx vs A frame.
I have had really good luck with 30cal 180g ttsx on Pg and in NA. But what about a 300tsx on a cape buff?
I will get a few A frames to load when I can, but right now with availability I am making the tsx do.

I cant imagine it would do anything but magnificent.

 

[poco]

My tail with two friends on a buffalo hunt in the Omey , the son loaded up his M70 with 300gr TSX and one shot 2 buffalo and a eland zero problems
the father bought Horndey 300gr DGX for his Sako and lost 2 buffs and had a long follow up after hitting a Giraffe!
I would say the barns & A-frame are definitely worth the effort to have on safari and are about equal in field testing

 

[Doug3006]

Triple Shocks are my go-to bullets for everything in Africa. A-Frames are excellent as well, however I generally get superior accuracy from TSXs. Either will do a fine job. The only potential drawback with TSXs is that they penetrate exceptionally. Almost guaranteed exits on the smaller stuff and a high probability on Buffalo if shot broadside. So, I treat them like solids. Only shoot when beyond the animal is clear. Good hunting!

 

[Andrew62]

I have taken several buffalo with TSX, no issues, 3 with Hornady DGX, no issues, 1 with A-frame, no issues. Several years ago I was on a hunt in Zimbabwe, it was early November, they had a tuskless permit available, so I took a tuskless with Barnes TSX. I shot her just above the eyes, straight on, she fell back on her butt, I put 3 in her chest, she never went 10 steps. I have a buffalo hunt in Uganda this March, I am using Swift A-frames.

 

[SRvet]

My tail with two friends on a buffalo hunt in the Omey , the son loaded up his M70 with 300gr TSX and one shot 2 buffalo and a eland zero problems
the father bought Horndey 300gr DGX for his Sako and lost 2 buffs and had a long follow up after hitting a Giraffe!
I would say the barns & A-frame are definitely worth the effort to have on safari and are about equal in field testing

Was this down to the bullet or the shot placement?

 

[poco]

Was this down to the bullet or the shot placement?

Probably both , Chad drove a tsx though the port shoulder quartering back DRT !
doc ? Exuasted from 10 mile stalk ? Bad angle with unbonded old dgx .

 

[DLSJR]

The 300 grain .375 TSX is a great buffalo bullet. But so are the A-Frame and Bearclaw. My experience with TSX’s in .338, .375 & .416 has been that they’re exceptionally accurate bullets.

Pass through is a definite blessing/curse for a TSX as two holes drop more blood and help collapse lungs, but unless a bull is alone there is always a risk of wounding a nearby buffalo. My son and I shot 2 Dugga Boys from a group of 3 Last August. The bull I shot with my .416 had a .375 bullet that hit him midship from my son’s first shot. It was behind and off to the side of my son’s bull, about 10 yards away and the bulls had separation visually. We had no idea the bullet had exited on a 45 degree course and hit another bull that was not directly behind it until we were dressing out my bull and found the bullet.

This is precisely why I’ll have a Bearclaw in the chamber on my upcoming Lord Derby hunt, but with TSX’s in the magazine. If I have to shoot a departing bull headed away, Alan Vincent wants TSX’s for their superior penetration. But with eland in large herds during the rut, he doesn’t want to risk a pass through on the first shot.

 

[JimP]

The problem as I see it is that just about any DG bullet may and can shoot completely through a buffalo and it is up to the PH and shooter to make sure that if it does happen that another animal isn't hit.

I have passed up quite a few shots on plains game just because of knowing that my bullets would pass completely through the targeted animal. This has always been with the first shot, I can understand about problems with a second and third shot if the animals group together, but then isn't that what waiting for a good shot is what it is all about?

But I have also read that on DG to have your first round being a soft point to do the most damage to the targeted animal, then having solids just encase the rodeo starts, but then isn't there a problem with those solids passing through the targeted animal and hitting another one?

 

[Qc_BearHunter]

If passing trough is a potential problem on buffalo, try a 270 grains instead.

From my experience of one buffalo, bullet from a frontal shot will end in the paunch, and bullet on broadside shot will stop in the hide of the other side.

That's what I'll use on my next hunt. They also perform great on plains game.

 

[poco]

If passing trough is a potential problem on buffalo, try a 270 grains instead.

From my experience of one buffalo, bullet from a frontal shot will end in the paunch, and bullet on broadside shot will stop in the hide of the other side.

That's what I'll use on my next hunt. They also perform great on plains game.

I have asked just about every major manufacturer about this and have never had a negative response, Barnes 270gr they said it’s an excellent choice, hornday 250 CX said excellent buffalo load . Swift same answer on 270gr
375 ruger
I try to follow every post and suggested bullet, because the lack of factory load for the ruger

 

[375Ruger416]

Great info- thanks everyone. I’ve had great experiences with 160 tsx out of 7 RM on deer and moose but they have all passed through.

Was planning on the 300 gr TSX for everything in my 375 H&H and 127/130 gr LRX, CX, or Terminal ascent in my 6.5 PRC for Africa. Think I’ll give another ponder to the A-Frame instead of the TSX and the Terminal Ascent or even a ELD-X for the 6.5 PRC on smaller plains game.

Here in Alberta, game is almost always solitary so pass throughs are not a concern and I’ve come to really like the monometals.

 

[WyoBull]

I would like to know the % of pass through shots on Cape Buffalo using the Barnes 300 gr TSX in 375 H&H. My guess is that it is pretty low. Buffalo are a big animal and can soak up a lot of lead.
In my head, I would not drop down in bullet weight just because you fear a pass through.
Now, with lighter skinned animals, even the larger bodied plains game like Gemsbok, Kudu, Zebra etc. pass through shots with the TSX are a very high probability.
On my plains game hunt, we shot 13 animals with my 7mm RUM using 160 gr TSX’s and only recovered 1 bullet and it hung up in the off side of a Blue Wildebeest after going through both front shoulders.
Know what is behind the animal you are shooting at and if not sure, don’t shoot.

 

[DLSJR]

As I said in my previous post…. The 2nd bull that was hit was not only behind but off to the side of the bull my son shot. As in they could see plenty of daylight between the two bulls, with one bull closer and other bull off to the right and farther back. I don’t know any experienced buffalo hunter who would pass that up when the back bull is off to the side.

The bullet came out at about a 45 degree angle from its original course.

 

[Rickmt]

I am no expert on this subject , but my son and each killed our only buffalo at less than 50 yards with 375 HH Barnes TSX 300 grain. Very clean kills with 2 shots. After each first shot in shoulder the buffalo spun and gave us broadside shoulder shots on opposite side. Neither buffalo went more than 10 yards.
Prior to our trip our PH Cullen Kelly from Garry Kelly Safaris practically insisted we leave our Swift Aframe at home and bring Barnes ammo.
I don’t shoot anything until it clears any animal behind it.