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

[Pharmseller]

Good luck! I’m curious as to how the 75 ELDM works. I can’t decide on what I want next but I have been toying with the idea of a factory 22-250 with an 8 twist just to fling that bullet.

Worked very, very well last year at 475 yards. Likely he never heard the shot.




P

 

[IDHoundsman]

Worked very, very well last year at 475 yards. Likely he never heard the shot.




P

Are you shooting it out of a 223? Wondering about close range high impact velocities.

 

[Dave0317]

I have. Also read the multiple threads here and arfcom and not sure if it’s as recommended as BH given the test results and possible QC concerns. Haven’t seen any game threads on it yet. If the aac is highly recommended vs the 73eldm or gold dot or a tsx then I would go for it

I haven’t used the AAC stuff, but I’ve shot a little of the 73 grain ELD M. It’s good clean quality ammo, like you expect from the Hornady Match line. It’s also almost twice the price of the AAC. If that appeals to you, go for it. If the AAC was in stock when I was ammo shopping I would have tried it.

Not sure what the QC issues may have been, but even if accuracy is not the best, I’d bet it’s more than good enough for whitetail inside of 200 yards.

 

[SNelson]

73 ELDM
24.5 gr 4895 at AR mag length. Pretty crunchy but it shoots good and the one bear I shot it at absolutely hated it.

 

[Ajsomp]

I haven’t used the AAC stuff, but I’ve shot a little of the 73 grain ELD M. It’s good clean quality ammo, like you expect from the Hornady Match line. It’s also almost twice the price of the AAC. If that appeals to you, go for it. If the AAC was in stock when I was ammo shopping I would have tried it.

Not sure what the QC issues may have been, but even if accuracy is not the best, I’d bet it’s more than good enough for whitetail inside of 200 yards.

I grouped black hills and AAC TMK same day out of the same gun. Black hills groups were about .3-5 Moa better over all. But the AAC was more than acceptable for me and I’d use it to hunt with if I didn’t have any black hills left. I had one cartridge that wouldn’t seat - didn’t have calipers and wasn’t going to try to investigate. I just tossed it aside.

Otherwise it seems to work just fine. I think it’s gone up slightly since I’ve bought it - closer to $.60/round but still cheap and available. I don’t have the time or patience to hand load 223/5.56 - so it’s the easy button for me.

 

[Ajsomp]

I have. Also read the multiple threads here and arfcom and not sure if it’s as recommended as BH given the test results and possible QC concerns. Haven’t seen any game threads on it yet. If the aac is highly recommended vs the 73eldm or gold dot or a tsx then I would go for it

@Formidilosus I believe mentioned AAC in the last FF on shoot2hunt

 

[hunterjmj]

The easy button.

Jay

200 Round Case - 223 Rem 73 Grain ELD Match Hornady Match Ammo - 80269 | SGAmmo.com

200 Round Case of 223 Rem 73 Grain ELD Match Hornady Match Ammo For Sale SKU# 8026910 Boxes per CaseMuzzle Velocity 2790 FPS

www.sgammo.com

If you have a Scheels near by they sell it for $26.99/20 rounds. Also cabelas will price match if you have them close.

 

[The Guide]

I haven’t used the AAC stuff, but I’ve shot a little of the 73 grain ELD M. It’s good clean quality ammo, like you expect from the Hornady Match line. It’s also almost twice the price of the AAC. If that appeals to you, go for it. If the AAC was in stock when I was ammo shopping I would have tried it.

Not sure what the QC issues may have been, but even if accuracy is not the best, I’d bet it’s more than good enough for whitetail inside of 200 yards.

I have. Also read the multiple threads here and arfcom and not sure if it’s as recommended as BH given the test results and possible QC concerns. Haven’t seen any game threads on it yet. If the aac is highly recommended vs the 73eldm or gold dot or a tsx then I would go for it

I bought a case each of the AAC Sabre Blade Black Tips and the AAC 77tmk. Shot of box of each with no issues and acceptable accuracy from both bullets. The 77tmk load was about 100 fps slower than the Black Hills load. I still have 500+ of the Black Hills 5.56 77tmk loads so I haven't used the AAC ammo on game yet. The other 223 we use is setup for the 73gr ELDM ammo and i have 2 cases of that so I haven't gotten a chance to shoot any game with the 75gr Sabre Blade Black Tips either.

Buy some ammo, shoot a bunch with it, and take game to your effective range. If you are using an AR, it is a no brainer to shoot the animal multiple times if it is still standing. I used to take pride in the 1 shot/1 kill line of thought but have change my mind to a game of how fast can I get the animal to hit the ground. 3 shots and 15 seconds to hit the ground is way better than 1 shot turning into a hour long rodeo to have to take a second shot with the animal even further from camp.

Jay

 

[The Guide]

If you have a Scheels near by they sell it for $26.99/20 rounds. Also cabelas will price match if you have them close.

Scheels is where I bought my last case but their availability has been spotty and my nearest Scheels is 4 hours away. I've gotten to the point where just ordering a case to the house is easier then dealing with people. I buy a lot of cases from targetsports.com because they offer free shipping on case lots. When you add the fuel to get someplace plus the time to drive or to route your trip there during their open hours it is often cheaper and more efficient to have a case delivered on a Wednesday and leave your weekends open for shooting. If I don't need a whole case I can sell the extra locally at what I paid for it or even just under local retail prices and end up with a free box of ammo.

Jay

 

[Thegman]

Another 77TMK'd black bear. Terrible shot but the 77TMK still took care of business. Entered left side, broke spine, continued through, broke right shoulder and exited. Blew out at least 2 other spots as well.. Good angle but too high.

Bear mostly tumbled down the mountain and hit the ravine below. Maybe another 150 yards down the ravine. Pretty much done when I got to him. Just a head shot to finish him.

Bullet Path

Entrance

Exit


Apparently the 77TMK allows for some."margin of error" ability, for people like me, just like those big-boy bullets do.

 

[Pharmseller]

Are you shooting it out of a 223? Wondering about close range high impact velocities.

Yes.

Tikka Varmint.




P

 

[Tahr]

2 77TMK’s between the shoulders at 100 yards is a bit brutal.

 

[MEwaters]

Yes.

Tikka Varmint.

Would 30 yards be too close or is the threshold just at minimum velocity for results? 77tmk. I thought I came across somewhere a 2600 fps number but my brain is also mush from the reading over the past 2 days.

 

[ARK_Ginger]

Would 30 yards be too close or is the threshold just at minimum velocity for results? 77tmk. I thought I came across somewhere a 2600 fps number but my brain is also mush from the reading over the past 2 days.

Keep it off the shoulders if you want meat at that close but it'll make it to the vitals regardless. People are shooting these bullets out of 22 creedmoors and 22-250s with much higher starting and impact velocities.

 

[MEwaters]

Keep it off the shoulders if you want meat at that close but it'll make it to the vitals regardless. People are shooting these bullets out of 22 creedmoors and 22-250s with much higher starting and impact velocities.

Great, thanks. A lot of guys around here say hit the shoulder with 06 or 308 but I’ve always wondered why they wouldn’t just go for vital shot?

 

[omicron1792]

Great, thanks. A lot of guys around here say hit the shoulder with 06 or 308 but I’ve always wondered why they wouldn’t just go for vital shot?

Better chance for a dead right there with no tracking.

 

[KJ_ND]

I bought a case each of the AAC Sabre Blade Black Tips and the AAC 77tmk. Shot of box of each with no issues and acceptable accuracy from both bullets. The 77tmk load was about 100 fps slower than the Black Hills load. I still have 500+ of the Black Hills 5.56 77tmk loads so I haven't used the AAC ammo on game yet. The other 223 we use is setup for the 73gr ELDM ammo and i have 2 cases of that so I haven't gotten a chance to shoot any game with the 75gr Sabre Blade Black Tips either.

Buy some ammo, shoot a bunch with it, and take game to your effective range. If you are using an AR, it is a no brainer to shoot the animal multiple times if it is still standing. I used to take pride in the 1 shot/1 kill line of thought but have change my mind to a game of how fast can I get the animal to hit the ground. 3 shots and 15 seconds to hit the ground is way better than 1 shot turning into a hour long rodeo to have to take a second shot with the animal even further from camp.

Jay

I had issues with my first batch of AAC 77 TMK. 2 FF and case separation in one AR. So I ran the rest in my PSA beater along with AAC 77gr OTM and IMI bulk. Four more FFs with the TMK and no issues with the others. I just received another batch of TMK to test out again. Chrono data attached. The IMI and OTM was 30 shots but I outpaced the chrono shooting.

 

[BigNate]

Great, thanks. A lot of guys around here say hit the shoulder with 06 or 308 but I’ve always wondered why they wouldn’t just go for vital shot?

About 1/3 up on "the shoulder" is going to be top of the heart and lungs. As in the advice to shoot the crease. Many shoot farther back and actually do less damage.
This advice is usually with the idea of a broadside shot. Most need a refresher in anatomy.

 

[Jsmalls273]

Hey guys. Currently making space for my first Tikka. I'm buying in and moving down from my weatherby 270. But..... I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with 243 due to just liking the cartridge more as I, like many, grew up hunting with it before I thought I needed bigger. So my question is, besides a little more recoil and cost per round, why would I choose 223 over 243 when ballisticly 243 is better all around.

I Currently have an older 243 Remington 700 BDL and obviously the recoil is not much and can shoot all day long. I am a factory ammo shooter but part of me would love to get into reloading one day to be able to use the new 1/8 twist for heavier bullets. I'm almost convinced to sell my weatherby in order to afford a good scope for the Tikka I buy.

Sent from my SM-S921U using Tapatalk

 

[Robobiss]

Hey guys. Currently making space for my first Tikka. I'm buying in and moving down from my weatherby 270. But..... I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with 243 due to just liking the cartridge more as I, like many, grew up hunting with it before I thought I needed bigger. So my question is, besides a little more recoil and cost per round, why would I choose 223 over 243 when ballisticly 243 is better all around.

I Currently have an older 243 Remington 700 BDL and obviously the recoil is not much and can shoot all day long. I am a factory ammo shooter but part of me would love to get into reloading one day to be able to use the new 1/8 twist for heavier bullets. I'm almost convinced to sell my weatherby in order to afford a good scope for the Tikka I buy.

Sent from my SM-S921U using Tapatalk

It’s been said before, at least in a roundabout way, but the biggest advantage is the cost to train with/shoot with a 223 vs everything else. 223 is the cheapest rifle ammunition available, in a lot of cases close to 1/2 the price of 243 and similar cartridges. You can buy a case of 223 for peanuts and pull triggers to your hearts desire without worrying about going broke.

That, and the lesser recoil. 243 is obviously not a lot, but compared to a 223, specially a suppressed bolt gun, it’s night and day. A suppressed 223 bolt gun is closer to 22mag recoil than a 243.

Terminally, especially when talking distance and how far you can shoot things with fur, the 243, 243ai, 6creed etc. are “superior” with their longer legs.