Barnes VOR-TX 243 Win 80gr TTSX BT – Superb Deer and Varmint Load

Description

The Barnes VOR-TX 243 Win 80gr TTSX BT solves the oldest argument about the 243 Winchester. Barnes drives an all copper Tipped TSX out of the muzzle at roughly 3350 fps carrying about 1994 ft-lbs of energy. The cartridge has always been pulled in two directions, varmint bullets that come apart on deer and deer bullets that shoot too slowly for varmints, and a monolithic copper bullet does both jobs at once. Each box holds 20 rounds.

• Barnes VOR-TX 243 Win 80gr TTSX BT Overview
• 80 Grain TTSX Boat Tail Performance
• Why Hunters Choose 243 Winchester Deer Ammo
• Specifications
• Range Notes For This Polymer Tipped Copper Bullet

Barnes VOR-TX 243 Win 80gr TTSX BT Overview

The projectile is machined from a solid copper billet, so there is no lead core to shed and no jacket to separate. A polymer tip caps the hollow nose and drives rearward on impact to start expansion immediately rather than waiting for hydraulic pressure to build.

The nose then opens into four sharp copper petals at roughly double the original diameter and stays attached to the shank. Weight retention runs close to 100 percent, which is precisely why a light bullet like this still drives through a deer shoulder and exits.

80 Grain TTSX Boat Tail Performance

The 80 grain TTSX boat tail is light even by 243 standards, where 95 and 100 grain loads are the usual deer choice. That is the point. Copper penetrates far beyond what its weight suggests, so Barnes trades mass for velocity and gets a flatter trajectory without giving up terminal performance.

Barnes machines relief grooves into the bearing surface of the projectile. The grooves reduce bore contact, lowering pressure and cutting copper fouling, which matters in a small bore pushing a long solid bullet at 3350 fps.

Why Hunters Choose 243 Winchester Deer Ammo

The 243 Winchester has been the cartridge handed to new hunters since 1955, and for good reason. Recoil is genuinely mild, the trajectory is flat, and it kills deer cleanly with decent shot placement. It is also a serious varmint cartridge, which is unusual in something legal for deer almost everywhere.

What this 243 Winchester deer ammo fixes is having to choose. A 55 grain varmint bullet is spectacular on a groundhog and unreliable on a buck. A 100 grain soft point is the reverse. One monolithic copper load covers both, which means one zero and one box in the truck.

Be honest about the ceiling. This is a deer, antelope and hog cartridge. It is legal for elk in a few states and it is not the right tool for one.

Specifications

Range Notes For This Polymer Tipped Copper Bullet

Twist rate is worth a look. Most 243 barrels run 1 in 9 or 1 in 10, both of which stabilize an 80 grain copper bullet without difficulty. Copper bullets are longer than lead of the same weight, so if your rifle is an older slow twist varmint gun, shoot a group before the season.

A polymer tipped copper bullet prints to a different point of impact than whatever you shot last year. Zero with this exact load, foul a clean barrel with a round or two first, then leave the scope alone.

At 3350 fps the Barnes VOR-TX 243 Win 80gr TTSX has velocity to spare and stays above reliable expansion speed past 400 yards in most barrels. Buy two boxes from the same lot if you plan to practise, and store them cool and dry.

Lead Free Low Recoil Deer Ammunition Availability

New and recoil sensitive hunters, anyone who wants one rifle for deer and varmints, and hunters in lead free required areas will get the most from this lead free low recoil deer ammunition. Full factory ballistics for the Barnes VOR-TX 243 Win 80gr TTSX are published by Barnes Bullets.

Compare it with our Barnes VOR-TX 6mm Creedmoor 95gr LRX, shop more rifle ammunition, or browse the full ammunition selection at MAG5 Firearms.