.223 for bear, mountain goat, deer, elk, and moose.

Huh. That's pretty zippy out the gate even for the barrel length. Nice load recipe you landed on. Hopefully you'll share more of future animals taken with it!
 
Has anyone been able to make lung soup and pop the stomach on one shot from broadside? I tried 223/tmk for the first time this year on a large whitetail doe and was surprised by that.

I talked a friend into trying the 77tmk out of a 22 creed and he had the same results on a larger buck, otherwise Id figure mine was an anomaly. So high impact velocity, behind the shoulder shots. Definitely not gut shots but the stomach was popped is the only way to describe it. The lungs were mush.

I'd rather not high shoulder and lose meat on a whitetail, but im thinking I will use the tmk as a neck shot round inside reasonable ranges. No chance it's penciling through.
 
Has anyone been able to make lung soup and pop the stomach on one shot from broadside? I tried 223/tmk for the first time this year on a large whitetail doe and was surprised by that.

I talked a friend into trying the 77tmk out of a 22 creed and he had the same results on a larger buck, otherwise Id figure mine was an anomaly. So high impact velocity, behind the shoulder shots. Definitely not gut shots but the stomach was popped is the only way to describe it. The lungs were mush.

I'd rather not high shoulder and lose meat on a whitetail, but im thinking I will use the tmk as a neck shot round inside reasonable ranges. No chance it's penciling through.

Got any pictures of the entrance/exit? I'd be curious to see how close to the liver/guts you were. Is it possible a bullet fragment went that direction and popped a hole. Or are you talking the guts were completely torn open?
 
I don’t gut animals anymore but the 77 at 16” 22cm speeds, on close deer is border line too much carnage.

I posted pictures in the 22 creed thread but at 100 yards I could have stuck my iPhone through the entrance wound. Grape fruit sized hole in the rib cage and near side shoulder, which the bullet was off of by an inch or so, completely mushed. Bullet found in offside hide.

So if you want margin for error…. I’d just run it faster. I have no desire for any more damage on a deer.

I can’t imagine what a fast 130tmk would do
 
Got any pictures of the entrance/exit? I'd be curious to see how close to the liver/guts you were. Is it possible a bullet fragment went that direction and popped a hole. Or are you talking the guts were completely torn open?
I didn't take any photos. It seemed like a standard double lung with where I hit and how she went down. I was probably 3" back from the shoulder. There was liver damage as well as the stomach was opened. It was a surprise when dressing and it was too messy to clean myself up for photos.

I'm guessing it was fragments that did it. It was caliber sized entrance and stuck in ribs/hide on the other side. I just wouldn't have shot behind the shoulder if I'd have known it would be that messy. I was just curious if it was common, but 2/2 same result for my friend and I.
 
I'm not surprised by this happening. I posted pictures of a double lunged buck. The shot took out ribs on both sides, but also blew a hole up through the spine, even though the shot wasn't really even close to the spine.

Seems like the TMK can damage stuff in a pretty big radius. Doubt you'll pop rumens every time, but not too surprised that you guys did it two times in a row.
 
Anyone loaded 80 grain eldx in 1/8 223?
Would they stabilize?
I know those 77's are the "one and done" but these look interesting
I know after market mag would be needed
 
I'm guessing it was fragments that did it. It was caliber sized entrance and stuck in ribs/hide on the other side. I just wouldn't have shot behind the shoulder if I'd have known it would be that messy. I was just curious if it was common, but 2/2 same result for my friend and I.
Mr. Foster states/claims that this is due to rapid expansion of the chest/diaphragm followed by collapse creating a pressure differential that ruptured the rumen. The source I’m paraphrasing from is his 75 Amax on goats commentary from his website if you are inclined to look.
 
My how times have changed…

2019- “.223 calibers are way to small to kill reliably!!!”

2023- “77gr TMK’s cause too much damage”.


Haha.
150gr SST's out of a 30-06 can cause too much damage in a deer. On par with what my 77gr TMK did to this years deer. Seen it, through the scope this time. :)

This has been a really fun learning experience for me. And my old neck likes low to no recoil any more.

Maybe next week, a cow elk!
 
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