Hello
I was checking in to ask if anyone here has any experience using the copper black tip Barnes TAC-TX developed for the 300 whisper in the 30-30 Winchester? I'm trying to work up some 30-30 all copper deer loads for use in a contender pistol with a 14" barrel (1 in 10 twist rate). While I've had decent results with the TSX-FN (150 grain flat nose, getting speeds of ~2100-2200 fps with 3 shot groups just under an inch at 100 yards) that combination doesn't give me much comfort at 200 yards. I loaded some 110gn black tip TAC-TX loads on top of RL7 and have speeds around 2500 fps with groups slightly better then 1 inch. Based on the 1300-1500 fps terminal velocity needed for expansion, the max range is well over 250 yards (still 1848 fps)and right around 200 yards based on the ~1000 ft-lbs of energy school of thought. I haven't shot any more then paper with this load yet, but it shows promise. My only concern is point blank shots. From what I understand, they test the black tip TAC-TX 110gn bullet up to 2200 fps and require that it retains all it's mass and petals but don't test them at faster speeds.

Also, FYI I tried the Hornady 140 gn Monoflex factory loads and got ~2150 fps (not much velocity margin with a minimum recommended terminal velocity of 1800 fps) and 4" strings at 100 yards.