After yesterday’s successful hunt, I’ve a few random thoughts and pages to link to.
First, about 6.8 performance.
I admit, I was unsure of performance. It was a few things. First, all my past problems with this rifle. Was it the rifle? The ammo? The scope? The shooter? Something else? Too many factors in the equation, but over time I narrowed things down and am now 99% sure it was the scope. Still, you get your faith shaken that much, it takes a lot to bring it back. The range time I’ve had with the setup (plus rangetime with the old scope on another rifle), then with the 2 deer from yesterday, yeah I feel better about things, but I still want more field time to validate things. I’m pretty sure tho the problem is resolved… I just want an excuse to use the rig in the field more often. 
The other thing was the bullet itself, the 95 grain Barnes TTSX. I know Barnes Bullets are solid, no question there. I know the 85 grain TSX and 110 grain TSX have been well proven in the 6.8. And while the 95 grain TTSX is still relatively new, all signs point to the bullet being sound and good. Then looking at the performance the 95 TTSX handloaders are getting, comparing that to the Wilson Combat load, and of course knowing that Bill Wilson makes solid stuff (including his research on this load), I know — on paper — it’s all good. The question is, where’s the threshold of what the bullet and load can do? Granted, you can take almost anything with almost anything, e.g. many deer have been taken with a .22 LR. But even in doing so, there are parameters you have to operate within, such as those .22 LR deer harvests are headshots. So what are those limits with this bullet and load?
I search the 68forums.com for such threshold information. It’s hard to get exactly the information I’m wanting (maybe I need to start a specific post on there about it). It seems you can take bull elk with 6.8… but then, what’s the limit? Should it only be neck shots? How about distance? I figured I would be OK taking a red deer, but still… were there any such parameters to have to operate within? I still wonder that, but after seeing first-hand the devastation those 95 grain TTSX’s cause? well… that gives me something to measure against in the future.
So to that end, HTR @ 68forums just posted this informative thread. Using the 95 grain TTSX in a load/rifle that slightly underperforms my setup (due to being an SBR), and nailed a hog to 300 yards. Looks like a neck shot (versus say going through the shoulder/shield), but still, hogs are tough to put down and if that 95 grain performs to 300 yards on a hog? That gives you some general knowledge about distance limits of performance.
Here’s another, of a big trophy whitetail buck taken with the 6.8 and 95 grain TTSX.
HTR posted a different thread with 2 useful tidbits. First, someone asked about the 3 Barnes bullets: 85 grain TSX, 95 grain TTSX, vs. 110 grain TSX. This is the best summary I’ve read comparing the three:
Well….hmmmm….best. tap, tap, tap.
Here are some minor differences. You will have to decide which is best for you:
1) The 85 has the flattest trajectory. You can get it to strike no more than 3″ from the LOS at up to 250 yards, and then only 8″ below LOS at 300. It requires around 1900-2000 FPS to open. It also has the lowest BC of the .277 X bullets.
2) the 95 has medium trajectory, a bit more drop than the 85, but opens at slower speed….1600 or so. The BC is .296, and it is accurate with a reasonable variety of powders. It has proven itself to me, in the field, over many kills, including a hog I shot at just under 300 yards this past weekend.
3) the 110 has the highest BC but also requires at least 2000 FPS to open. Given that its hard to drive it past 2650 in a 6.8, your range will vary accordingly. It will also have a little less flat trajectory than the lighter X bullets.
All 3 work, but my opinion is that the best compromise of all the features that make the TSX / TTSX line great, is the 95 TTSX, for a variety of game.
And the reference to “a hog I shot at just under 300 yards” is the very hog I linked to above.
BTW, HTR speaks with a lot of credibility. Take a look at his posts and performance on that forum, and you can know he knows what he’s talking about.
The other thing in that same thread, rather the main point of that thread — neck shot.
Everyone tells me about taking the neck shot, and I’ve thought about it, but was still not 100% sure just where to place it. HTR’s post — with pictures — did a great job of describing and showing exactly where to put it. I’ll spend a bunch of time visualizing it, trying to make sure I know it solidly. Heck, next time I go to Cabela’s I’ll look at some of the full-body deer in the dioramas and make sure I’m seeing what I need to (nothing like a 3-D model). Next time I’m out in the field, I’ll try it.
Anyways, I’m growing more comfortable with the 6.8. Now that I’m pretty sure there are no issues with equipment, this is going to be my primary rig for the foreseeable future.
Filed under: Guns, Hunting Tagged: Guns, Hunting
