Those Barnes T/TSX have my interest. I was wondering if anyone would suggest them for short distances. Obviously they are much mor in cost. Was curious is short range they would hold together.
The Barnes bullets are a great choice, especially when using a gun normally considered too light for the game hunted. A 243 with the TTSX's will do the damage of many traditional magnum rounds up close. They aren't really needed in this case since any 308 or 270 load would be more than adequate for deer. But they won't be a disadvantage either, if they are used right. You will often read of them failing to expand, but that is almost always because the wrong bullet was chosen, or they were used at ranges too far for them to be effective.
They have been tested at over 4000 fps and retain 100%, or darn near that, of their initial weight. Traditional lead bullets only keep about 50% of their weight and the other premium bullets around 80% after impacting game.
The 130 gr bullets I'm shooting from my 308 will leave the muzzle at 3050 fps, and still retain more weight than a 180 gr bullet leaving a 300 magnum at the same speed. Penetration and damage should be about the same at close range.
The downside to the Barnes bullets is that they need SPEED to expand. If they impact game at speeds under about 2000 fps expansion will be very limited and damage not so great. The goal is to drop down at least 1 and probably 2 bullet weights to ensure speed. That is why I use 130's in my 308 instead of a traditional 150 or 165. If you use the same bullet weights you would normally use with lead bullets they may be moving too slow to expand reliably. Since they penetrate so much better the lighter bullet will still out penetrate the heavier lead bullet.
But at longer ranges, 300+, the speed just isn't there. Plus the heavier lead bullets retain energy better at long ranges than lighter bullets. Still at most normal ranges they do fine. Just not a good choice for guys who want to take 500 yard shots.
They are more expensive, and not a good choice for plinking at the range. But for hunting the extra cost is insignificant. Less than 30 cents more per bullet than a standard lead bullet. The difference in costs means 250 Barnes bullets = about 1 tank of gas in my truck. 250 Barnes bullets will last me a lifetime of hunting, for the cost of 1 tank of gas.