120 TTSX Load for 6.5x47L hunting

[CTK]

Anyone have a load for above? I strangely hit pressure signs with 37.5gn Varget and the 120 TTSX (not in or at lands) and did not hit with the same load and the 130VLD Hunting. I would like to try RL16 but cannot find it. Have IMR and H 4350 as well as RL 17 and Varget. Rifle has liked lower loads of Varget and a .100" jump with the TTSX. I may have heavy compression with much H4350. Slight crunch last night with 40.5 H4350 and the 120TTSX @ .100' off lands. Thanks!

 

[rifleman700]

Give me your case capacity, OAL and barrel length and I will run a QL prediction.

FWIW I like the 127 LRX in my 6.5x47L.

 

[CTK]

Forgive me but I have never measured case capacity. Do you do this with water and a spent primer? Then you weigh it? Fill it until overflows? It is Lapua Brass. I FL resize and the shoulder has stayed at same spot, so fired and resized brass is essentially identical to new Lapua brass. Thanks for offering to run this. I would have already bought QL but do not own a Windows PC and my company will not allow the software on their system. 23" 1-8" twist barrel with .173" freebore.

 

[Zero333]

120gr TTSX is a bit heavy for the 6.5L or the 6.5CM.... Unless you're hunting elk or moose.

I would step down to the 100gr TTSX.

For deer I use 130 TTSX in a 300winmag ! @3,550 fps

These bullets like velocity for optimal terminal performance.

 

[rifleman700]

There is a lot of good advise above from Z333 and AII. The TTSX and LRX bullets are really good even at lower bullet weights. You can expect a wide expansion and almost full weight retention and usually it just the tip that keeps it from being 100%. I built a slow twist 1-11" 7mm RM and shot 120 TTSX at 3600 fps and everything I shot with it was DRT from under a 100 yards to over 600 yards.

Using my Lapua brass as a baseline.
120 TTSX seated at 2.80" OAL
38.3 grains Varget
2890 FPS
99.4% Fill Ratio
99.7% Amount Propellant Burnt
63K PSI

Powder lots will vary one to the next so just load to the velocity above and you will be in the neighborhood of the max pressure of 63,091 PSI. IME the solids like to be run hard but stay around this velocity to be safe.

Varget has almost the ideal burn rate for the 23" barrel as seen in the FR and APB prediction above. I have a 22" barrel and H4350 works well but velocity is low and Varget loads are much faster and equally as accurate.

I would not hesitate a minute to hunt deer or elk with the 6.5x47L and one of the Barnes solids.

 

[CTK]

Thanks all. I hit pressure at 37.5 gn of Varget. Could have over thrown or mis measured. I will try again with 37 and double weigh to 37.5. Will also chrono. I quit last time after saw pressure and did not chrono. Might also try 120 B Tips. Will be a whitetail to 300y or so gun this year. Will use a 280 ai with 168 vld for "bean field" type distances.

 

[rifleman700]

Velocity will tell you your pressure.

 

[watercam]

Monolithic bullets like lots of jump - .040" - .120". Barnes recommends starting at .050" off the lands. I have accurate and max velocity loads in six rifles with seating depths from .050" to .085". I went to far as to cut a throat deeper by .100" so that a mag length round would still have the jump it needs without losing powder space.

 

[CTK]

I put 3 120 Ttsx into legit .1ish" @ 100y with .100" jump and 40.3g h4350. Only got 2700fps. This is a 23" 2B contour barrel. May run with this as a light hunting load. May also keep messing with the 130 vld. I can run them faster in this rifle than the 120 ttsx. Does the ttsx expand well at lower velocities?

 

[CTK]

Will TTSX bullets expand well @ 2300-2500 fps?

 

[rifleman700]

Will TTSX bullets expand well @ 2300-2500 fps?

1800 FPS minimum for the TTSX. Below 2000 they don't open as much but still work real well. NICE GROUP!!

 

[rifleman700]

Monolithic bullets like lots of jump - .040" - .120". Barnes recommends starting at .050" off the lands. I have accurate and max velocity loads in six rifles with seating depths from .050" to .085". I went to far as to cut a throat deeper by .100" so that a mag length round would still have the jump it needs without losing powder space.

Its nice to see someone use these the way they were designed. Great bullets!!

 

[okie]

Will TTSX bullets expand well @ 2300-2500 fps?

I have shot a lot of deer with the 120 bts, my kid uses the light 100 bts has killed 5 deer and 2 pine rooters, they really perform and are easy to tune. these are little deer, havent used them on any big bodied animals...I use the 140 bergers for any of the longer range hunting

 

[CTK]

Someone told me a long time ago not to fear the jump with the TTSX. I hit pressure signs early in the x47L with a big jump and the TTSX. Can only imagine that this would be worse if they were jammed or touching the lands.

 

[FeMan]

They have expanded reliably for me down to 1800 fps. I havent tried 3d them slower but cant see you having issues above 2000.

 

[rifleman700]

Someone told me a long time ago not to fear the jump with the TTSX. I hit pressure signs early in the x47L with a big jump and the TTSX. Can only imagine that this would be worse if they were jammed or touching the lands.

I learned this the hard way with the original non banded "X" bullets. Seated them .010" off lands in a 7STW and the cases collapsed. After the first one I tried one more like an idiot to see if I could duplicate it and of course I did. Showed the cases to ML McPherson and he could not explain why the cases collapsed. I started over at .050" jump and have not had a problem since. It was right after this where I bought a Oehler 43 to be able to measure pressures in my loads.

 

[CTK]

Many think that these are an inaccurate "hunting" bullet. I have found that they go into little groups when you find their sweet spot. They are certainly not high BC bullets but for 300 or so yd. shots BC is a very small factor.

 

[AckleymanII]

We have had fantastic luck with the 127 barnes long range in 4 rifles, 120g drove us crazy, tiny groups with the 127, easy to tune at .050 jump.

6.5 Creed-45g of Win 760 cci 250 at 3030 fps, bug hole,127g LR
6.5x47L