8mm 256gr Cutting Edge Bullets MTH - Minimum velocity

[Dinger]

Evening gents,

I'm seeking some feedback on game performance from the CEB MTH projectiles.

Whilst I'm no LR hunter, these projectile are claimed to expand down to 1600fps which makes them very attractive to me. My go to deer rifle is a 8x57R and my launch velocity of a 256gr bullet, according to QL, is about 2400fps. They are made and marketed for the long range hunter.

I'm a long time TTSX user and have a self imposed lower velocity threshold of approx 2300fps with the Barnes....below this I find expansion in the 8mm projectile to be less than what I'm happy with. Once the TTSX slows down it really has to pick up something solid in the shoulder or hit the CNS to give a fast kill.

I'm sure someone will recomend Bergers or such, but I choose to run mono's on my meat animals....there are plenty of other conventional projectiles I use depending on the situation.

Given the data below the CEB MTH look like business.....they are one of the most expensive projectiles I can buy, but if they do what they advertise I'll happily use them all year to fill the freezer and consider them cheap. Even if the lower expansion threshold is actually 1800fps I'll still buy some to try out.

Cheers,

Dinger

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

I've been hunting barnes for 4-5yrs successfully and I agree on the higher velocity (I try to stay above 2100ish with the LRX). I got a new 300wsm and will be trying the 181gr hunter from hammer bullets. Its a petal shedding design like the cutting edge is and with that in mind I feel a bit more comfortable with lower velocities since they still "open" and shed. That said my preference personally is to start out at a high MV still and keep that slower expansion potential for LR only and keep the majority of my hunting in a zone I absolutely know will perform. Thus I'll be using a 181gr mono in said 300wsm rather than one of the heavier bullets, its a great fit for my rifle throat where as the heavier bullets would be jammed into the case in addition to already being slower.

I haven't studied 8mm offerings but I'd likely step down in bullet weight some if it was me. Do you even have a long enough throat on your gun to fit the really long heavier monos?

 

[Dinger]

I won't know if the rifle will take them or not but the Blaser K95's are noted for having long throat's. I can't seat the TTSX out long engough to contact the lands. I can model it in Quick Load and and get a sense of seating depths with the final overall length.

I can step down in weight to the 225gr, but the data tells me I'll have a similar velocities with a reduction in energy.....plus the 225gr are only available on back order. Good point though with the overall projectile length, may be an issue.

I would be on the LRX like a fat kid on chips if they came in 8mm.

Edit: I should say that LR for me, with this rifle & chambering, the mountain area I'm hunting in and quarry pursued (Sambar - similar to a small Elk) 450 would be the outer limit of reasonable shot distance. I just need reliable expansion on a high lung shot.

225 data below.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Looks like there's only 1 size TTSX in 8mm and that's only 160gr which is pretty short so no surprise on not hitting the lands. If you have quick load to play with can you measure a known bullet in that program that you have on hand and see where it hits the lands on your gun to figure out your throat and work backwards to see if you can fit the heavier mono 8mms before ordering? Just a thought.

If you're hitting at 2k fps based on the ranges you mentioned that would make me less skittish if I was in your shoes. Some of those further slower velocities are what worry me a bit not having experience with what the petal shedding bullets do at that speed.

 

[marty0]

I wonder if those will stabilize in your 9.4 twist? They’re started fairly slow and are very long... what twist does cutting edge recommend?


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[TauPhi111]

I have some experience with the Cutting Edge MTH so let me offer my thoughts. First thing you have to be cautious of when shooting the heavy MTHs is twist. If you have a twist any slower then what they specify, your bullets will tumble. Second, when seated to the seal tight band as intended, will the cartridges even fit in your magazine and cycle through your rifle? Some of the very heavy ones are labeled single shot only becaue the COAL will not allow them to cycle in most rifles. If the first two issues are all well and good, then by all means use them. You should get good expansion down close to when they say is the min expansion velocity. However, 256 grains is a really heavy bullet for a 8x57. 2400 FPS seems a little like wishful thinking unless you have a very long barrel. I'd be cautious of what actual muzzle velocity you might get and what the minimum expansion velocity is vs a lighter bullet.

I just loaded some of the 160 TTSX in 8x57 Mauser for my cousin's deer rifle. I was getting 2650 FPS out of his 18" barrel. If you have a longer barrel, I'm sure you'd get more. Also, Barnes designs each bullet for a specific speed and family of cartridges, so not all TTSX have the same min expansion velocity. I'd contact Barnes to see what the specs on that bullet are. You might also want to check out Hammer bullets for a monolithic offering. They may have some shorter/lighter bullets and they are also to expand at lower velocities than Barnes.

 

[TauPhi111]

Also take a look at Hodgdon reloading data for the 8x57 and the 160 TTSX. Supposedly you get get 2900 FPS with CFE223