kansaswiderack

of the bullets i have shot so far this one shoots the best on the range. anyone had any hunting experience with them? i am planning on hunting elk this fall. last night i shot 2 3 shot groups and the second one moved left about 1" based on center of group. anyone had similar experience? is this caused by me not being consistent on the way i setup on the scope? i am shooting from a rock solid rest.

Big Uncle

When I shoot Barnes in some (most) barrels the copper fouling changes the first group or so. In my experience the clean barrel vs fouled barrel issue has been more evident with these bullets than with bullets with gilding metal jackets. There seems to be a "sweet spot" with the all copper slug between a clean barrel, a fouled barrel, and a badly fouled barrel.

I wouldn't worry too much about an inch in POI, but your barrel might act differently in different temperatures so you might want to keep an eye out for shifting groups. Sometimes bedding issues are the reason that groups shift. I always glass bed Remington actions in magnum chamberings.

skiftcky

I agree with Big Uncle. My first rounds at the range with my .270 would always be about 1" off. Once I fired my 2nd and 3rd group I would have a 1" shot group or less for the next few consecutive shots. I was told that it was the difference in having a clean barrel. I know the round is a bit different from your 225 but not by much. I hit a deer this past season at about 100 yards full standing shot with my .270 and did as my range safety suggested. If you are going deer hunting with your rifle, do not clean the barrel until after you make a kill or if you must clean your gun, fire 2-3 rounds prior to the hunt.

kansaswiderack

I would still like to hear from someone that has used these bullets on elk. Were they as good as advertised? In talking with an elk outfitter he didn't like them. Said they didn't bring game down as quick as other rounds. I guess I am thinking that would almost have to be a fluke and not the rule given what I have read about them. Of course what I have been able to read to date basically is advertisement type material. Any other really good factory loads out there for my 338wm? I have tried the corelocks and federial premium in 210 nosler partition. Neither one grouped as well as the nxt.

skiftcky

Are you going to be hunting at Fort Riley? I'm actually stationed here and worked at the Base Conservation Office. I had a good friend who drew an elk tag and he shot a 225. He shot a 6X6 back in 2011 and it did not put it down right away. However, the 1st 100 yards or so of the blood trail was enormous. There were puddles every 2-3 yards that looked like he layed down and bled for a while. After about 500 yards of this the puddles dissipated and eventually dissapeared. I'm thinking that the he may have gut shot it or hit high and to the back. We looked for that elk for 3 days and finally got a call from another hunter saying he found it about a half mile away and was sure there were some satisfied coyotes in the area. Anyhow, a week later he shot a cow elk with the same gun (Winchester 70). He hit her perfect vitals and she went maybe 200 yards before she dropped. He actually never even lost sight of her.
I guess the moral here being shot placement with this round is crucial. And if you want I can contact this guy and ask him anything else about your 225 and shooting elk that you might want to know.

kansaswiderack

i have been putting in for kansas tags ever since they started having a season in the southwest corner of the state. i'm thinking it has been something like 20yrs plus. no luck so far. from what you described it sounds like my outfitters concerns maybe justified. i am going to colorado and i bought the 338 to reduce the tracking and or chasing i had gotten into with my 7 mag. i had shot 2 elk and a moose with the 7 and all three had gone down and gotten up again requiring a followup shot. i do understand your comment about shot placement and bullet size can't compensate for a poor shot but i was hoping to have more knock down and staying knocked down power out of the larger caliber. consequently i also wanted the most accurate bullet i could get out of my 338. was your buddy using the bullets i referenced in my question or some other 225 bullet?

Big Uncle

The last three game animals that I took with a 225 TSX from a .338 Win Mag were:

1. Kudu (big one - maybe 600 lbs) at 50 yards. Very good expansion. Ran 20 or 30 yards.

2. Red Hartebeest (big bull - maybe 350 lbs) at around 300 yards. Good bullet placement but poor expansion. Ran 200-300 yards or so through the mopane. Found standing but not mobile and required a finishing shot.

3. Impala (size of deer) at 100 yards. Good bullet placement, no expansion that we could see, or the skinners could see later. Ran 100 yards and fell over dead.

The bullets hit where they was supposed to, and the game all ended up in the skinners shed - so they did the job. Some PH's like the TSX, and some do not.

kansaswiderack

big uncle-based on your experience what would you recommend? sounds like the tsx is less than perfect. can't imagine why i would want to shoot a bullet that doesn't expand as advertised. i'm still looking for an accurate bullet with excellent expansion.

Big Uncle

The TSX is not a bad bullet. It should do the job as long as you keep distances reasonable. I know other guys swear by them (and all internet rifles shoot .5 MOA five shot groups). If your impact velocity is high enough they should work well.

My favorite .338 elk bullet is the old Nosler partition 210 grain in my handloads. It always expands and I have never been able to recover one from an elk. It does lose most (or all) of the lead in the front section, leaving an expanded solid to finish the work. However, if your rifle really does not like the partition it is not of much use to you.

Have you tried the AccuBond? It shoots great out of everything I load and holds together well.

I have never shot anything with the TSX that lived through the experience. A .338 hole through the vitals should let the air out of them, even if you don't always get perfect expansion every time.

Are you hunting in an area that may require shots much longer than 300 yards?

kansaswiderack

last year my shot was about 250 but the outfitter wanted hunters to be ready for 4-500 yd shots. no one shot that far and i don't think i would shoot much past 400 but would like to know that what i am shooting will do the job on out there which i think the energy of the 225 would do that. i like the 210 nosler partition and would like to shoot it but my 100 yd groups were right at 2". the last time i shot the noslers i shot 6 that max group was 2 1/2". am i being to picky? i guess i am thinking that by the time you get out to 400 your groups would be really large and become a matter of luck on your shot placement. remembering that the current groups are based on rock solid bench rest and not field conditions which will make the size of the groups increase.