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

[ihookem]

I dont think I read every page . However, the .243 Win . seems to be much more like the 223 Rem . than the .270.. A .243 " diameter is close enough that I found one on my bench and had to really look at it to determine it was a .243" Soon we will see 90 gr. .224 cal. bullets and it will be much the same as 22-250 for big game and .223 right behind it. .... When I was a kid , dad told me not to get the 30-30. Get a 30-06 , has more oomph. We all thought that was the standard in Wisconsin 50 yrs. ago . I hunted with an old man that used a .243 WIn with 87 gr. Hornady for deer. I thought he was nuts till he informed me he got a deer almost every year and none ever got away. He even shot a 300 lb bear with it . In the 80's were the WInchester mags, and even some Weatherby mags. Then Short mags and slowly went smaller and smaller . Now it is 450 Bushmaster, 350 Legend and the 22 cal. Caliber preference went 180 degrees.

 

[Shraggs]

I dont think I read every page . However, the .243 Win . seems to be much more like the 223 Rem . than the .270.. A .243 " diameter is close enough that I found one on my bench and had to really look at it to determine it was a .243" Soon we will see 90 gr. .224 cal. bullets and it will be much the same as 22-250 for big game and .223 right behind it. .... When I was a kid , dad told me not to get the 30-30. Get a 30-06 , has more oomph. We all thought that was the standard in Wisconsin 50 yrs. ago . I hunted with an old man that used a .243 WIn with 87 gr. Hornady for deer. I thought he was nuts till he informed me he got a deer almost every year and none ever got away. He even shot a 300 lb bear with it . In the 80's were the WInchester mags, and even some Weatherby mags. Then Short mags and slowly went smaller and smaller . Now it is 450 Bushmaster, 350 Legend and the 22 cal. Caliber preference went 180 degrees.

There are 5 other threads I think showing 22 creed, 6mm 6.5mm killing with these frangible bullets and traditional bullets at various distances. Very informative.

 

[wind gypsy]

I never shot anything with a 22 cal. center fire. I have read for decades 22 cal. are great. I started out with a .270 Win. If I shot a deer through the shoulders, it went down, if shot through the lungs/ heart it ran quite a long ways. My son turned 12 and a .243 WIn . was in order. Our 1st deer with a .243 WIn. was hid big doe. I was amazed how fast it killed the deer. I shot 5 with the .243 Win. Deer go down sooner with a .243 Win. when shot in heart lungs . I think I have it figured out. A smaller bullet is really better and this is why . It has nothign to do with knock down power . The animal goes into shock cause it hits the boiler room with such violence that it separates arteries . It makes the blood run backwards in the veins and that is shock power and a small bullet does that better than a big bullet... I could be wrong , but nothing else explains why deer die so fast with a smaller bullet . This is a big doe I shot with a 100 gr. Rem. coreloc in .243 Win. The bullet likely deflected off a branch cause it was only 25 yds. away . The deer dropped right on the spot and was dead in 30 seconds. There is no other reason for this deer to die that fast. It was the worst darn shot a hunter could have and it dropped it right there, spun around a few times and that was it. Because of this , I wont bother with a .270 Win. and will likely use my .243 WIn and my new Savage 10 Hunter Light . I bought 500 70 gr. Speer bullets and will use them for deer . It wont shoot 55 gr. bullets so far but looking for a load that will work for 55's cause have so many .

Apples to apples a 243 is not more terminally effective than a 270.

A 270 can push a larger bullet of similar construction/terminal behavior as fast as a 243. Apples to apples it would incapacitate animals at least as fast. The catch is a 243 does just fine so the extra recoil and action length isn't necessary.

 

[Shotgunman28]

Thought I’d add my .22 cal deer in the mix.
378 yards bang flop through both shoulders.
80gr Eldx

 

[khuber84]

Thought I’d add my .22 cal deer in the mix.
378 yards bang flop through both shoulders.
80gr Eldx

223 rem or larger case?

 

[HGL]

Thought I’d add my .22 cal deer in the mix.
378 yards bang flop through both shoulders.
80gr Eldx

How do you like the Iota stock? I've been tempted to try one, they look like they would have good ergos.

 

[Shotgunman28]

223 rem or larger case?

22 creed

 

[Shotgunman28]

How do you like the Iota stock? I've been tempted to try one, they look like they would have good ergos.

Yep love it

 

[JohnDough]

I'll be trying federals 64gr boat tail version of trophy bonded bear claw this year as my 11.5 seems to like it. Runs 2673fps average at 15ft from the muzzle.

 

[david2duck]

@HighUintas I shot this 20 round group as fast as I could with the AAC 75bthp. I think I could definitely tighten it up a little, but it will also do just fine for its intended purpose. If I get out again next weekend I’ll slow down and post info.

 

[HighUintas]

Has anyone tried blackarc Hornady 77otm reman?

Here is the response they gave me when I asked about the brass source and consistency:

"
They’re all the same brand, matched headstamp and once fired certificate. They’re 5.56 wolf gold. They’re purchased from a range company and that’s all they use. They’re all within spec and go through a 2 step resizing process. 1 MOA or better is what I’ve been seeing. Let me know if you have any other questions! "

I haven't been able to find any reviews of their 77gr reman online

 

[AZ_Hunter]

Wife shot this Corsican this weekend at a family get together. 16” 223, 62gr TTSX handloads. Impact velocity at 150 yards of 2400 fps.

She hit too far back, 100% liver. Goat ran/walked about 30 yards then rolled over backwards. No blood trail at all, couldn’t even see the exit until skin was off. Caliber sized entry, pinky sized exit, full pass through. But… liver was completely shredded.

 

[Randle]

Congrats to your wife, thats a cool looking animal.
Love the colors

 

[ihookem]

Wife shot this Corsican this weekend at a family get together. 16” 223, 62gr TTSX handloads. Impact velocity at 150 yards of 2400 fps.

She hit too far back, 100% liver. Goat ran/walked about 30 yards then rolled over backwards. No blood trail at all, couldn’t even see the exit until skin was off. Caliber sized entry, pinky sized exit, full pass through. But… liver was completely shredded.

How big was it? looks like a small deer size. It is a perfect example of how you can take a " marginal caliber" and it does more damage and has more killing ability than a larger caliber. I also wonder if the fast twist does something too.

 

[bcmntgoathunter.]

How big was it? looks like a small deer size. It is a perfect example of how you can take a " marginal caliber" and it does more damage and has more killing ability than a larger caliber. I also wonder if the fast twist does something too.

I really do think the 1-7" twist helps with keeping these long projectiles on the straight penetration path and the Xtra rpm throws extra shrapnel causing more damage.

 

[ihookem]

I really do think the 1-7" twist helps with keeping these long projectiles on the straight penetration path and the Xtra rpm throws extra shrapnel causing more damage.

That sure seems to be the case.

 

[Tahr]

How big was it? looks like a small deer size. It is a perfect example of how you can take a " marginal caliber" and it does more damage and has more killing ability than a larger caliber. I also wonder if the fast twist does something too.

It certainly demonstrates that an animals' liver is a mushy old thing and a hit with any caliber is most likely to be fatal. I wouldn't draw any further conclusions than that from a single instance.

 

[AZ_Hunter]

How big was it? looks like a small deer size. It is a perfect example of how you can take a " marginal caliber" and it does more damage and has more killing ability than a larger caliber. I also wonder if the fast twist does something too.

Yes. Small deer sized. The barrel is a 1/8. That rifle is as pictured is under 6lbs. Built it for my son. Who also shot a hog with the same load this weekend. Domed him at 50 yards, through and through.

 

[ztc92]

For those wondering, the AAC 77g OTM shot pretty well in my tikka. About 1.5MOA 10 shot groups. Also happy to report all 1000 rounds are the same lot. Overall, I am quite pleased given the price.

 

[andrew_hood27]

Hey all, I’m VERY late to the party here but between this thread and the match bullet thread I’ve learned a ton. I’m an “adult onset” hunter and have hunted the last three years with a 7mm Rem Mag because that’s what all my buddies told me I needed and I didn’t know any better.

One question I’ve got (I’ve made it through about 60pgs so sorry if the answer is in here already) is this… the TMK is touted as being great because it expands immediately, and one of the downside of the Berger is that it has a slightly longer neck length before expanding. I would think the slightly longer neck length would be a positive, since it would minimize meat damage through a shoulder but still cause sufficient damage to the vitals. What am I missing? Thanks in advance!