Barnes VOR-TX 308 Win 150gr TTSX BT – Reliable Deer Load

Description

The Barnes VOR-TX 308 Win 150gr TTSX BT is the light and fast option in the Barnes 308 lineup. It leaves the muzzle at roughly 2820 fps carrying about 2649 ft-lbs of energy. The 308 Winchester has been the most sensible short action hunting cartridge in the world since 1952, and a monolithic copper bullet is what brings it up to date without changing anything about the rifle. Each box holds 20 rounds.

• Barnes VOR-TX 308 Win 150gr TTSX BT Overview
• 150 Grain TTSX Boat Tail Performance
• Why Hunters Choose 308 Winchester Deer Ammo
• Specifications
• Range Notes For This All Copper Hunting Bullet

Barnes VOR-TX 308 Win 150gr 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 from it. A polymer tip caps the hollow nose, protects it in the magazine and drives rearward on impact to start expansion immediately.

The nose opens into four sharp copper petals at roughly double the original diameter and stays attached to the shank, with weight retention close to 100 percent. That is what lets a 150 grain bullet behave on game like something considerably heavier.

150 Grain TTSX Boat Tail Performance

Barnes loads three weights in this cartridge and they are different tools. The 130 grain is the fastest and flattest, this 150 grain is the traditional deer weight, and the 168 grain carries the most sectional density for elk and bear.

Barnes machines relief grooves into the bearing surface of the projectile. Those grooves reduce bore contact, lowering pressure and cutting copper fouling, which helps the load group well out of an ordinary short action sporter.

Why Hunters Choose 308 Winchester Deer Ammo

The 308 Winchester does almost everything a 30-06 does from a shorter, lighter, stiffer action, and it does it with slightly less recoil. Rifles chambered for it are everywhere, ammunition is the most widely stocked centerfire in the world after 5.56, and barrel life is effectively unlimited for a hunter.

What this 308 Winchester deer ammo changes is the bullet rather than the cartridge. A 150 grain lead core soft point at 2820 fps can still come apart on a close range shoulder shot. A copper bullet keeps essentially all of its weight and drives straight through, which is the difference on a quartering deer.

It is also the practical answer for hunters in lead free required areas who own a 308 and have no interest in buying a different rifle.

Specifications

Range Notes For This All Copper Hunting Bullet

An all copper hunting bullet prints to a different point of impact than the lead core ammunition your rifle was probably sighted in with. Zero with this exact load, foul a clean barrel with a round or two first, then leave the scope alone.

Twist rate is not a concern. Most 308 barrels run 1 in 10 or 1 in 12, and both stabilize a 150 grain copper bullet without difficulty.

At 2820 fps the Barnes VOR-TX 308 Win 150gr TTSX stays above reliable expansion speed past 400 yards in most barrels. Note that several retailers list this load at 2900 fps; the published energy figure only reconciles with 2820, so chronograph your own rifle if you are building a drop chart.

Lead Free Short Action Ammunition Availability

Deer and antelope hunters running the most common short action cartridge in the world, hog hunters, and anyone in a lead free required area will get the most from this lead free short action ammunition. Full factory ballistics are published by Barnes Bullets.

Compare it with the faster Barnes VOR-TX 308 Win 130gr TTSX, shop more rifle ammunition, or browse the full ammunition selection at MAG5 Firearms.