Over the course of my first week hunting in South Africa, I was able to take blue wildebeest, blesbok and impala all with one shot each from my Barrett Fieldcraft using 30-06 165gr TXRG Blue ammunition. That being said, a wildebeest, gemsbok or kudu is no easy day and it takes a good bullet placed correctly on the shoulder to end things quickly. The classic behind the shoulder American shot placement is asking for trouble with plains game. I certainly don’t believe that African plains game is “tougher” than North American game, but I do feel American hunters often fail to realize that the organs in African game tend to sit lower and farther forward in comparison. It was an honestly earned, personal hunting trip using gear I selected based on performance. This wasn’t a marketing exercise or sponsored media trip. Along with my close friend Bryan James from Barrett, I traveled to the Limpopo Province in South Africa to hunt plains game with TXRG Blue ammunition and my Barrett Fieldcraft 30-06. Sellier & Bellot’s production standards are very high.Īfter years of saving and planning, I was able to finalize my first hunting trip to South Africa in 2017 with Makonya Safaris. It’s also loaded in a factory that is focused on producing military and law enforcement grade ammunition for customers such as NATO member nations. This combination of reliable terminal performance and accuracy distinguishes TXRG Blue from many other choices. It’s also very accurate, consistently delivering sub MOA level accuracy in a variety of rifles. TXRG Blue was designed as a super tough, copper hunting bullet that will reliably expand, penetrate and retain weight under the most demanding conditions. Despite our best efforts as hunters, not every shot is perfect and having a cartridge-bullet combination that performs under less than ideal conditions is what separates good bullets from great bullets. Hyper-accuracy from a thinly disguised match bullet under controlled conditions (re: a benchrest) seems to drive sales (and internet forum posts) but that doesn’t always equate to being an effective hunting bullet. Of course, it’s my opinion, but I’ve long believed that many of today’s “wonder bullets” leave a lot to be desired when it comes to taking game under sub-optimal conditions. So much for the history lesson, what is the reality of the Sellier & Bellot TXRG Blue line? First and foremost, we expect it to be an effective hunting bullet for a wide range of conditions. Magtech-S&B USA then introduced TXRG Blue into the American market at the 2020 SHOT Show. Development continued through 2016 when the TXRG Blue design was essentially finalized and formally introduced into S&B’s European markets. We found the design to be incredibly effective on animals up to elk-sized at extended ranges. Troy and I were able to use the early prototypes on hunts in Europe and America. The new bullet was called the eXergy Blue which later evolved into the TXRG Blue line. The engineers at S&B produced a completely new design featuring a modern profile with a much higher BC, polymer tip, improved accuracy and an expanded range of calibers. In 2012, Troy Duerr, President of Magtech-S&B USA, and I asked the S&B factory in the Czech Republic to develop an updated eXergy design that would better meet the needs of the American market while still offering hunters a lead-free projectile. By 2011, American shooters were discovering the 6.5 Creedmoor caliber, accurate rangefinders and more capable optics that allowed them to take game at distances unheard of in Europe. While this original eXergy design was well-received in Europe, it was clear that the American market wanted a more advanced, high BC type design. The design proved to be accurate, effective on game and met the environmental guidelines for lead-free ammunition which were going into effect across Europe and in parts of the United States. Introduced in 2008, the eXergy line of hunting ammunition utilized a traditional round nose design with an advanced copper construction and aluminum tip. While their line of rifle caliber hunting ammunition has been fairly traditional with a wide selection of accurate and effective soft points, they also offer a line of tipped copper projectiles designed for the modern hunting market. Sellier & Bellot has a long history of innovation dating back to 1825.
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