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

Axlrod

WKR
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SW Montana
With a 1-9 twist is the eld-m 73gr where it’s at? I have read it is on the boarder for stabilization. Going to try to pick up a box this week and load some.
Just a side track on those 73 Eld-m's.

In my 7 twist 22 Creed, the 88 Eld-m's would come apart before reaching the target. But I have over 100 rounds with the 73 Eld-m without any issues.
 
Joined
Jun 27, 2022
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Just a side track on those 73 Eld-m's.

In my 7 twist 22 Creed, the 88 Eld-m's would come apart before reaching the target. But I have over 100 rounds with the 73 Eld-m without any issues.

That’s a somewhat common problem with ELD-M’s and is more based on certain lots than particular bullets but it’s most commonly reported with 147gr 6.5’s most likely because that bullet it so popular in 6.5’s. I had over 50% of them going poof in a 24” 6.5 Creedmoor Bartlein AI barrel shooting the factory 147gr ammo. I also know people who’ve had it happen with the 140’s too. I’ve heard of them doing it with .224’s, 6mm’s, 7mm’s, and .30 cals too though. It happening to you with the 88’s isn’t at all surprising and it’s certainly not because of twist rate because those 73’s are running faster RPM’s.
 

MEdude

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 12, 2023
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How do you know it went poof, vss you just plain missed?
I started shooting 88 ELDM’s this summer, & during load development had a couple shots that never landed on paper at 100 yds, but the rest of the group was sub-M.O.A.
I was guessing it self disassembled enroute, but how to know…. 🤷‍♂️
 
Joined
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How do you know it went poof, vss you just plain missed?
I started shooting 88 ELDM’s this summer, & during load development had a couple shots that never landed on paper at 100 yds, but the rest of the group was sub-M.O.A.
I was guessing it self disassembled enroute, but how to know…. 🤷‍♂️

There was about a dozen people on glass spotting the stages that saw the grey poofs and shrapnel raining down. I only caught the shrapnel through the scope.
 

MEdude

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 12, 2023
Messages
175
There was about a dozen people on glass spotting the stages that saw the grey poofs and shrapnel raining down. I only caught the shrapnel through the scope.

I shoot alone, and am trying to learn to spot my own shots. Gaining…
Does it sound different? Thought one shot in the string sounded odd, and then was missing one on target.
 

JohnDough

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Sep 20, 2023
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SWMO
I am working my way through this thread and have really enjoyed it so far. I killed my first deer with a 5.56 (RA556B), and each year give my friends different rounds to hunt with (One year it was 70gr TSX, one year it was 75gr Gold Dot, etc). So far we have harvested deer with:

RA556B (The entrance was more impressive than the exit, the deer ran 75m with minimal trail and died. Interior damage was "what one would expect")

75gr Gold Dot (Blood everywhere, deer stumbled around in a stupor an died. Interior damage was "worse than my .30-30!"-Friend)

70gr GMX (This one was variable. My friend shot a deer at about 120m and the projectile ice-picked and tumbled. It was a 5.56 Black Hills loading, and fired from a 16" gun. The deer had a minimal reaction to being hit and required follow-ups). (I shot a deer with this round from a 14.5" gun at 27m, and there was tons of blood, the deer ran about 80m, and literally hit a tree. The damage could be described as "the same as I see from TMK in this thread".) I have also shot a deer with this round at 74m, and the deer died instantly as it was a shot that intersected the spine. Damage was reasonable. In water jug testing, I noted that this round from my 14.5 would often shear the petals off. I believe that this round is "brittle" and either fragments or fails to expand, with a very small "goldilocks" zone where proper expansion will occur. My 74m deer may have been within that zone.

70gr TSX: This one has reliably just killed stuff. No insane damage, no poor damage, it just tends to poke 0.5-0.75 inch holes through things.

I have bought a case of 77gr Black Hills TMK this year to try out. I found it for $700 shipped, and figured I'd snag it.
 
OP
P

PNWGATOR

WKR
Shoot2HuntU
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I am working my way through this thread and have really enjoyed it so far. I killed my first deer with a 5.56 (RA556B), and each year give my friends different rounds to hunt with (One year it was 70gr TSX, one year it was 75gr Gold Dot, etc). So far we have harvested deer with:

RA556B (The entrance was more impressive than the exit, the deer ran 75m with minimal trail and died. Interior damage was "what one would expect")

75gr Gold Dot (Blood everywhere, deer stumbled around in a stupor an died. Interior damage was "worse than my .30-30!"-Friend)

70gr GMX (This one was variable. My friend shot a deer at about 120m and the projectile ice-picked and tumbled. It was a 5.56 Black Hills loading, and fired from a 16" gun. The deer had a minimal reaction to being hit and required follow-ups). (I shot a deer with this round from a 14.5" gun at 27m, and there was tons of blood, the deer ran about 80m, and literally hit a tree. The damage could be described as "the same as I see from TMK in this thread".) I have also shot a deer with this round at 74m, and the deer died instantly as it was a shot that intersected the spine. Damage was reasonable. In water jug testing, I noted that this round from my 14.5 would often shear the petals off. I believe that this round is "brittle" and either fragments or fails to expand, with a very small "goldilocks" zone where proper expansion will occur. My 74m deer may have been within that zone.

70gr TSX: This one has reliably just killed stuff. No insane damage, no poor damage, it just tends to poke 0.5-0.75 inch holes through things.

I have bought a case of 77gr Black Hills TMK this year to try out. I found it for $700 shipped, and figured I'd snag it.
Please post your experiences with the TMKs.

Glad you’re enjoying the thread and thanks for contributing.
 

JohnDough

FNG
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Sep 20, 2023
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None of those bullets will consistently exit. All of them will caught by the offside hide about 50% of the time on 120-150 plus pound deer.

The monos are your best bet for an exit, however even they aren’t guaranteed, and you will deal with the relatively slow deaths they provide.
My friends and I have used 75gr gold dot, 70gr gmx, 70gr tsx, 64gr ra556b (nosler bonded), and none of us have recovered a single projectile on 120-180# deer, even hitting spine diagonally and ribs in and out etc.
 

BLJ

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@JohnDough
How much experience with the 64 Nosler bonded? Any pictures?
These caught my eye earlier this week but I could find a lot of information on them.
The pictures of gel tested bullets looked impressive.
 

JohnDough

FNG
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Sep 20, 2023
Messages
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SWMO
@JohnDough
How much experience with the 64 Nosler bonded? Any pictures?
These caught my eye earlier this week but I could find a lot of information on them.
The pictures of gel tested bullets looked impressive.
It was almost 8 years ago, but Ill look. It broke 3 ribs on the way in, and 1 on the way out iirc. 160# or so doe. 25m. Broadside. Double lung and heart. Lungs soupy, heart a neatish hole.
 

WestTN2288

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 26, 2022
Messages
130
@JohnDough
How much experience with the 64 Nosler bonded? Any pictures?
These caught my eye earlier this week but I could find a lot of information on them.
The pictures of gel tested bullets looked impressive.
@BLJ: do you have a load for these bullets? I have a few but can’t find a load that makes me happy with them
 

BLJ

WKR
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Jan 19, 2020
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WV
@BLJ: do you have a load for these bullets? I have a few but can’t find a load that makes me happy with them

I don’t. I ran across them in factory loaded form this week online. Looked very interesting to me. Especially if you had something with less than an 1/8 twist.

All assumptions, though.
 

JohnDough

FNG
Joined
Sep 20, 2023
Messages
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Location
SWMO
You can get larger wounds with larger calibers if you maximized the bullets, however almost no one does that, and almost no one would want that.







No hesitation.





If I were given the task of exterminating an entire region of grizzlies say, it would specifically be an AR15 with 77gr TMK’s.






Nah. Those are cool too.
Is this gest? Has anyone shot a large, mad bear frontal charge with a TMK 77?
 

Boltgun

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 13, 2023
Messages
157
Does anyone have the BC for 77TMK? Running the AAC stuff from a 14.5” barrel if that matters.
 
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