GMX vs. TSX/TTSX?

Jwg223

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How have those of you who have used/seen both used, come to feel about one vs. the other?

-Do they both deliver similar destruction/wounding and open just as quick, or is one more "explosive" than the other?
-Do the TSX rounds foul more? Less?
-Does one tend to shed more petals than the other?
-Accuracy comparison?

For me, comparing 55gr GMX and multiple TSX bullets in 5.56, I have noted that the 70gr GMX sheds petals almost to the point of un-usability. The bullet tracks terribly, often veering off in random directions. This is having shot water jugs, and pork with it. I like to shoot random things before shooting game. It also includes shooting water jugs at 100 yards to reduce velocity a bit. The round still lost almost all it's petals and wouldn't track. The 55gmx was the opposite. Beautiful expansion and weight retention at 25 and 100 yards, tracked like a laser.

The TSX bullets are accurate for me, as are the GMX. I am shooting 10-shot groups in the 1.5 MOA range, and 5 shot in the 1 MOA range with the TSX. However, when I have been shooting TSX for a while, and then switch to GMX, or SMKs or some other bullet, I get a bit of a shift in POI for the first shot or two, and the same happens when I switch back to TSX. I DO believe there IS some merit to "TSX in TSX guns, Gilding metal in gilding metal guns", as the fouling DOES seem to affect my accuracy.

I have not shot either into game, but friends of mine have, and really like the TSX. The GMX is like the dark side of the moon, although it's much cheaper...I am looking to learn more about it "in the real world".
 
I used 150gr 30 06 GMX in the superformance line from Hornady for a boar hunt a few years back. The bullet went broadside through both shoulders and the pig died quickly with a lot of bleeding. So I would say a straight line. However, the exit hole was small to the point of being hard to find.
 
I can't offer you anything on the GMX. I can tell you that I've got some very accurate TSX/TTSX loads, accurate provided the barrel has been cleaned. Once I cross some threshold of too much copper fouling the Barnes bullets accuracy drops off quickly and quite severely. Get the fouling out and the accuracy comes right back.
 
I've killed quite a large number of animals with all three and I'd rate the TTSX as the one most likely to shed petals, no doubt due to the larger nose cavity. I've seen pretty similar terminal performance from the GMX and the TSX although I would say the GMX is typically more accurate over a wide range of rifles and it definitely seems more accurate once you start stretching ranges over 400 yards. As for fouling, I haven't seen any real difference although as pointed out above, the TSX does seem more fussy once fouling occurs. The six petal design of the GMX does create more frontal area on the expanded bullet which in theory should create more tissue damage vs the four petal TSX but from my experience both get the job done quite nicely. I'd say I've seen equal petal shedding from the GMX and TSX. While we've been brain washed into believing that a bullet should look like a perfect mushroom every time, it not the case. I've seen a very large number of very dead animals with less than perfect looking bullets recovered. Here's a picture of pretty typical GMX terminal performance for me.
10499391_10153224450345400_1408662781452228018_o.jpg
 

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I've killed quite a large number of animals with all three and I'd rate the TTSX as the one most likely to shed petals, no doubt due to the larger nose cavity. I've seen pretty similar terminal performance from the GMX and the TSX although I would say the GMX is typically more accurate over a wide range of rifles and it definitely seems more accurate once you start stretching ranges over 400 yards. As for fouling, I haven't seen any real difference although as pointed out above, the TSX does seem more fussy once fouling occurs. The six petal design of the GMX does create more frontal area on the expanded bullet which in theory should create more tissue damage vs the four petal TSX but from my experience both get the job done quite nicely. I'd say I've seen equal petal shedding from the GMX and TSX. While we've been brain washed into believing that a bullet should look like a perfect mushroom every time, it not the case. I've seen a very large number of very dead animals with less than perfect looking bullets recovered. Here's a picture of pretty typical GMX terminal performance for me.
10499391_10153224450345400_1408662781452228018_o.jpg

Have you also noted that bonded/lead bullets tend to damage game more/have greater terminal effect, as one other poster in another thread of mine noted, as compared to the GMX, or not so much, or maybe an opposite observation?
 
I'd say with soft tissue hits that typical cup and core bullets result in quicker death, no doubt due to fragmentation creating more tissue damage. It's not to say that the mono metals don't kill equally well but with a strictly soft tissue hit the animal will often run off a short distance. People often confuse the small exit hole of a mono metal with lack of expansion but it's not, it's just that the bullet holds together and even a .30 cal bullet will only make a .60 exit hole. With bullets that fragment, exit holes can be more dramatic. The mono metals really shine when bone is encountered or with close range, high velocity hits.
 
The mono metals really shine when bone is encountered or with close range, high velocity hits.

Agreed. I would add the A-Frames and North Fork Bonded Cores to that list. They'll mushroom that much more but not explode which is important on the larger animals. So you can push that velocity with confidence that close range / large animal shots will not be compromised.
 
I've killed quite a large number of animals with all three and I'd rate the TTSX as the one most likely to shed petals, no doubt due to the larger nose cavity. I've seen pretty similar terminal performance from the GMX and the TSX although I would say the GMX is typically more accurate over a wide range of rifles and it definitely seems more accurate once you start stretching ranges over 400 yards. As for fouling, I haven't seen any real difference although as pointed out above, the TSX does seem more fussy once fouling occurs. The six petal design of the GMX does create more frontal area on the expanded bullet which in theory should create more tissue damage vs the four petal TSX but from my experience both get the job done quite nicely. I'd say I've seen equal petal shedding from the GMX and TSX. While we've been brain washed into believing that a bullet should look like a perfect mushroom every time, it not the case. I've seen a very large number of very dead animals with less than perfect looking bullets recovered. Here's a picture of pretty typical GMX terminal performance for me.
10499391_10153224450345400_1408662781452228018_o.jpg

Looks like it did the job.....
 
I have had the opposite results. I have had trouble with getting accuracy with the GMX in different calibers and cartridges . The TTSX(I will not use the TSX) has always given me(and friends/family) excellent accuracy and terminal performance. Often more accurate than lead core bullets. Most all shots have been pass thru with no need to trail or shoot again.
 
I have had the opposite results. I have had trouble with getting accuracy with the GMX in different calibers and cartridges . The TTSX(I will not use the TSX) has always given me(and friends/family) excellent accuracy and terminal performance. Often more accurate than lead core bullets. Most all shots have been pass thru with no need to trail or shoot again.

Funny but my 308 and 300wsm digest tsx and ttsx with equal accuracy but my 7mm mag will not shoot a boat tail so 110gr ttsx and 160gr tsx are the only barnes it will shoot. different strokes
 
Distance off the lands can make huge accuracy differences with mono metals.
 
I have shot and seen killed a bunch of game, from cape buffalo (4 - two mine) to oribi, in Africa over three of my trips, and witnessed the taking of quite a few more. Personally, I have primarily used the .375 and 30-06. I have never ever seen a recovered a bullet in either caliber with a broken petal. In fairness, that sampling doesn't represent a huge sampling even among three different hunters on those three safaris, because the TSX tends to keep on going creating a very, very desirable exit wound. Broken petals were a real problem with the original X bullet. Have never seen a TSX do that.
 
I wish I had more to offer but the only Hornadys I have used on game were the Interbond and I was not impressed, lots of weight loss from recovered slugs, over half. Barnes TSX are great bullets if your rifle likes them. Most guns I have shot them in did. On game we used a fairly light for caliber 140 gr TSX (.284 Win, at 3000 fps) on pg in '14 and didn't recover any bullets and all animals died quickly when properly hit, even wildebeest with one shot.
 
I may have caused some misunderstanding with my post. The reason I use the TTSX and not the TSX is because the TTSX starts opening faster.........even Barnes states this. I have also seen the TSX close up when striking bone at certain angles and just pencil thru. At least that is what it looked like. The TTSX have always expanded.
Yes the Barnes bullets like a lot of jump. They also preform better the faster you push them. They also seem to be more accurate the faster you push them. They work best if you go to a lighter bullet weight than you would use in a lead core bullet and they will preform like a lead core bullet 30% heaver, You do need to start with a super clean barrel.......forget #9 and use something like Sweets 7.62. Then if you shoot some regular jacketed bullets clean again before shooting barnes. Doing so I have not had fouling or accuracy troubles like I had with the old X-Bullet.

Just what I have learned using Barnes bullets and trying the GMX bullet
 
I may have caused some misunderstanding with my post. The reason I use the TTSX and not the TSX is because the TTSX starts opening faster.........even Barnes states this. I have also seen the TSX close up when striking bone at certain angles and just pencil thru. At least that is what it looked like. The TTSX have always expanded.
Yes the Barnes bullets like a lot of jump. They also preform better the faster you push them. They also seem to be more accurate the faster you push them. They work best if you go to a lighter bullet weight than you would use in a lead core bullet and they will preform like a lead core bullet 30% heaver, You do need to start with a super clean barrel.......forget #9 and use something like Sweets 7.62. Then if you shoot some regular jacketed bullets clean again before shooting barnes. Doing so I have not had fouling or accuracy troubles like I had with the old X-Bullet.

Just what I have learned using Barnes bullets and trying the GMX bullet

you are 100% correct #9 is next to useless on copper. I'm lazy and hate the smell of Sweets so I now use wipeout. I was really not expecting it to work as well as sweets but was surprised it works better without the potential corrosive effects
 
Lots of new bore cleaners out, now. No need to use sweets. Boretech is good too from what I hear, but honestly? I just use a boresnake and alg go juice. My rifle shoots 1.5moa 10 shot groups and has for thousands and thousands of rounds, using this method (chrome lined government profile 16.1" suppressed AR with a 1-4x)
 
you are 100% correct #9 is next to useless on copper. I'm lazy and hate the smell of Sweets so I now use wipeout. I was really not expecting it to work as well as sweets but was surprised it works better without the potential corrosive effects
#9 works pretty well on copper in fact, just takes longer. I get the bores good and wet with 3 patches and let them sit overnight, next morning they come out nice and green. If I am no hurry I repeat this until clean of all copper. Some bores need more help of course and for these I use Barnes CR-10 which is similar to Sweets and that will finish the job. But for general cleaning and 80 percent of copper cleanup, Hoppes works for me.
 
I'm not certain why broken petals are such a concern to many. Typically all it means is the bullet tumbled inside the animal while still going at relatively high speed. Bend metal one way when the bullet expands and then the other when it tumbles and changes direction and the petal/petals sheer off. It's typically no test of bullet strength of all but rather just the path the bullet took. I've seen everything from one petal to all petals missing with all three of mono metals mentioned. They all had one thing in common....they came from a dead animal! We've been brainwashed into believing that only perfect mushrooms are acceptable. That's not always the case depending on the path the bullet takes.
 
reminds me of that quote from someone at Remington upon hearing of some recovered bullet failure, he said "at what point in the animals death did the failure occur?"

Raises the question: "How dead do you want the animal?"
 

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