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Thread: .30-06 with Barnes 168gr TTSX?

  1. #1

    .30-06 with Barnes 168gr TTSX?

    Anyone have experience with this bullet in .30-06?

    My go-to powder and bullets for my .30-06 hunting load (RL-19 and 180 Accubonds) are both pretty much unobtainium right now... And of course this is the year I drew my dream hunt limited entry elk tag. I have enough loaded ammo, and a small amount of components to backfill what I might shoot to verify zero, but I'd really like to practice a bit with the load I end up hunting with. I really don't want to work up a new load... but if I want to practice with the same load I hunt with, I'm gonna have to change things up it seems.

    Which brings me to this thread. I can get 168gr TTSX bullets in a decent quantity right now, and I can probably find a few suitable powders in the short term. I have plenty of primers and brass to load several hundred rounds. Barnes recommends IMR 4064 with this bullet, but I'm open to using others, especially if its more available ( Ramshot Hunter and Big Game are two I'm looking at). The 168gr bullet is supposedly designed with .308/.30-06 velocities in mind, as it expands down to to around 1500fps... with full "magazine ad" expansion probably down to around 1800-1900fps. Which gives me full expansion out to 400-500 yards if I can get ~2800fps from them. I'm not one to shoot beyond about 300-400 on game, so this should meet my needs.

    I'd like to buy 200 or so bullets and 5-8lbs of a good powder, and have things all sorted out this summer, so I can practice before the hunt in September. My rifle is an older pre-accutrigger Savage with a 22" barrel. Nothing fancy, but it shoots quite well. I believe its a 1/10 twist, so bullet length should not matter much.

    Worst case, I stick with the known load, and practice a bit with other ammo before the season.

  2. #2
    Site Supporter Paul D's Avatar
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    Feb 2011
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    Scottsdale, AZ
    @WDR. My current 30-06 load is a Barnes 180 gr TTSX with H4350. It leaves my Tikka T3x a little over 2800 fps. It killed everything big and small on my hunt this past August.

    IF you like, I have plenty of extra Barnes 180 grain TTSX I can give you if you want to experiment with it. PM me your address if you are interested. I'll send 100 bullets.

  3. #3
    The Nostomaniac 03RN's Avatar
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    Aug 2017
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    New Hampshire
    That would be a pretty sweet bullet in a m1

  4. #4
    WDR:

    I have attempted to develop a load using the Barnes 168 TTSX bullet for an professionally accurized Winchester Model 70. Despite changing powders (IMR 4831, RL-19, and IMR 4350), changing primers (Winchester, Federal), changing cases (Winchester and Remington) and doing all the things I normally do (full length sizing, trimming cases, deburring flash holes, varying seating depths etc.) to produce accurate ammunition, I could never get the Barnes 168 grain TTSX to shoot anywhere close to a minute of angle. My rifle reliably shoots Nosler and other bullets into sub minute of angle groups. I did what Barnes suggested by deep cleaning all of the copper out of the bore. It helped but not enough to satisfy me. I am a big fan of Barnes bullets, but I concluded that in this instance, in this rifle with the components mentioned, that my rifle didn't "like" the Barnes bullet. I am in the process of developing loads with other bullets. This isn't a knock against Barnes, just a realization that they don't work in my rifle.

    Hope that helps.

    Bruce
    Bruce Cartwright
    Owner & chief instructor-SAC Tactical
    E-mail: "info@saconsco.com"
    Website: "https://saconsco.com"

  5. #5
    I have shot over ten elk, mule deer, caribou and moose with the 180 Barnes out of a .300 WM.
    Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.

  6. #6
    Site Supporter
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    Feb 2011
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    Allen, TX
    Why not just get a quality 165 such as Nosler, Speer, etc. and load the Townsend Whelen load of 57-58 grains of 4350 and be done with all of it? It's only worked for 70+ years.
    Regional Government Sales Manager for Aimpoint, Inc. USA
    Co-owner Hardwired Tactical Shooting (HiTS)

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Wayne Dobbs View Post
    Why not just get a quality 165 such as Nosler, Speer, etc. and load the Townsend Whelen load of 57-58 grains of 4350 and be done with all of it? It's only worked for 70+ years.
    Much wisdom here if you can find 4350.

    A buddy of mine used to guide hunters on plains game in Africa. His loaner was a 30-06 with 165-grain TTSX bullets at 2,950 fps over H4350, and it had an enviable record when aimed well. I think you'll be fine if you can get close to that.

    If you can't find 4350, then I'd look at Hunter and Big Game. Both seem to be more available than any of the 4350s these days.


    Okie John
    “The reliability of the 30-06 on most of the world’s non-dangerous game is so well established as to be beyond intelligent dispute.” Finn Aagaard
    "Don't fuck with it" seems to prevent the vast majority of reported issues." BehindBlueI's

  8. #8
    Site Supporter OlongJohnson's Avatar
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    My local hole-in-the-wall reloading shop has gotten 4350 in a few times this year so far. Unfortunately, they don't do mail order. They send out email updates when they get product in and you have to get to the store and buy it in person. But it's out there.
    .
    -----------------------------------------
    Not another dime.

  9. #9
    Member
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    Mar 2019
    Location
    NW Arizona
    Quote Originally Posted by Wayne Dobbs View Post
    Why not just get a quality 165 such as Nosler, Speer, etc. and load the Townsend Whelen load of 57-58 grains of 4350 and be done with all of it? It's only worked for 70+ years.
    Yes, same can be said about 45acp/hardball

    I'm not sure if it's sarcasm or serious

    But either way I got a kick out of it because 1) I've shot a lot of things with old cup and core out of 30-06 with great success so I can get on board, and 2) I was late to the TSX/TTSX party but I really appreciate the performance they bring to the old '06.

    I still love the ancient Nosler Partition for what that's worth.

  10. #10
    Prior to Barnes, Nosler Partitions were my go to. I figured given all the effort I was putting into harvesting high quality, free range protein, I might as well avoid lead.
    Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.

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