barnes tsx bt
 

i am new to reloading barnes bullets. i usually seat my bullets .010 - .020 from the lands with no problems.

i am reloading 120gr. barnes TSX BT's. my o.a.l is 2.740. the c.o.a.l for this bullet through barnes reloading manual is 2.735. i have heard people saying minimum .050 is that true? or can i go with the usual .010 - .020 ?

also does anyone put a light crimp if it is close to the band on the bullet?

thanks for any info.

The .05 is measured from the lands of the rifling, which should not be anywhere near the 2.734 listed in the manual. Basically what they mean is, if the bullet is seated long, it will jam into the rifling, and the round won't chamber. If you gradually seated the bullet deeper, till the bolt just closes, you are at zero jump. They want the bullet seated .05 deeper than that, so the bullet hits the rifling with a little speed, and engraves into the rifling instead of stopping, which would cause a pressure spike to get it moving again.

Because the tsx is solid copper, and not soft lead, it needs the jump. It is not just people saying that, it comes from Barnes. You might get away with less, but it is your face or eyes that catches heck if you don't.

I'm a big fan of Barnes bullets and I've found that I get my best accuracy at more than .050 off the lands (OTL). My X-Bolt 30-06 prefers 168 gr bullets seated .055" OTL and my A-bolt 25-06 prefers 80 gr bullets .075" OTL. I start by seating .050" OTL and find the most accurate powder, primer, case combo and then seat bullets in .005" increments deeper & deeper, say .055" to .080", and head for the range. The differents in groups will surprise you. Barnes bullets are assume! Their ability to stay together allows you go to a much lighter bullet with considerably higher muzzle volocities. The added hydroshock at higher speeds turned the animals innards to jello! Even marginal hits will drop animals in their tracks. Good luck.