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

[DadWil]

Only because I like you…

View attachment 946672

I'll take that .. thanks

 

[coya]

Thanks all for the knowledge. That's the type of info I can't learn in the reloading manuals

 

[Big_wals]

Shot a cow elk with 80 eldms yesterday evening. 468 yards, impact velocity around 2015 fps. She ran 50ish yards, stopped to look at me, and then tipped over. Hit her a little farther back than I would like (wind reading error) but still ahead of the diaphragm, through the back of the lungs.

Full penetration through the chest cavity, broke a rib on the offside and found bullet fragments under the hide. Didn’t get any pics as I only had one pair of gloves and minimal water for washing my hands.

First elk for me personally with a .223!

 

[C_chats_choots]

That's absolutely smoking. Long barrel and some magic pixie dust(rl26)?

Yeah that was talking about post count like someone else said. If I was getting 3700fps, I’d be selling them things at a very high premium .


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[C_chats_choots]

That makes two of us. Bought a 22 creed earlier this year and absolutely love shooting it!

I have a 7prc that I am seriously considering selling and then getting a 6 creed. It’s a lightweight rifle and that 7 just bucks so much it’s not much fun to shoot more than about 10-20 rounds.


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The two things stopping me is that I just need to see the effectiveness of the 77gr TMK for myself first, and the money I’d get from selling the win mag I have won’t go that far for the bougie gun I want to build. Might as well keep the dang thing lol.


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[Thegman]

The two things stopping me is that I just need to see the effectiveness of the 77gr TMK for myself first, and the money I’d get from selling the win mag I have won’t go that far for the bougie gun I want to build. Might as well keep the dang thing lol.


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That's probably a good idea. Your 300 seems to work well for you.

Better to keep it around at least until you mess with the 223 for awhile. The 77TMK will definitely kill well, but so does your 300 WM.

 

[Broomd]

I’m not a big magnum guy, but the odds I took a .223 elk hunting (even with say 88grainers) is about zero percent...I elk hunt big roadless broken wilderness...have no interest in watching a big bull take its death run down to the bottom of a hell hole if a larger cartridge would improve my odds of putting him down right there.

Still the best response here after all of this .......

 

[Deere_Man]

Still the best response here after all of this .......

I’m not sure if I would use a 223 for elk either. But for deer and black bear it seems to work well. Some pretty experienced hunters who post on here have had good elk outcomes with 223, 22-250, 22 ARC, and 22 Creedmoor.

 

[_MountainBum]

Still the best response here after all of this .......

 

[C_chats_choots]

That's probably a good idea. Your 300 seems to work well for you.

Better to keep it around at least until you mess with the 223 for awhile. The 77TMK will definitely kill well, but so does your 300 WM.

The 300 Win Mag will probably stay around, but be limited use. I got a few more things I’d like to do to it to make it more shootable. It’s a CZ550, so it’s a nice factory rifle, but not necessarily worth enough to fund another setup.


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[77TMK]

Like walking into a restaurant and going around telling people who are eating that you just don’t want to eat there, then walking out like that’s normal behavior.

 

[fauxarms]

First post for me I do believe. I have been in and out of this thread for the last few years but have not read all 500+ pages. For the last three years I have been using .223/5.56 on depredation hunts and have seen all sorts of damage on dozens of whitetail. I run either a 14.5" or 18" gas gun and ranges are usually within 250 at night with the longest 350 or so during the day. Almost never are they within 100 yards. I have been using the 70 grain Barnes TSX almost exclusively as of late. Especially at night I can't afford to have the deer run any distance across property lines nor do I want to track something thru soybeans or a neighbors yard. Most of the time I will have someone with me and their shot placement is often so-so.

Rear ham was a doe at about 20 yards who stepped out and was quartering to while we were walking a woodbine. Buddy took the shot and it was effective, but eye-opening at this close range. Bullet traveled back about 10" and then grenades the rear ham.

Front shoulder is more typical and why I try to hit closer to the neck junction if I can to save meat. Rarely will I have an exit wound regardless with this round. Usually the other shoulder will be fine.

 

[fauxarms]

Here is a typical front shoulder hit, just ahead of scapula. Entrance wound is small and there will be immediate damage as the round hits bone/whatever.

 

[Thegman]

First post for me I do believe. I have been in and out of this thread for the last few years but have not read all 500+ pages. For the last three years I have been using .223/5.56 on depredation hunts and have seen all sorts of damage on dozens of whitetail. I run either a 14.5" or 18" gas gun and ranges are usually within 250 at night with the longest 350 or so during the day. Almost never are they within 100 yards. I have been using the 70 grain Barnes TSX almost exclusively as of late. Especially at night I can't afford to have the deer run any distance across property lines nor do I want to track something thru soybeans or a neighbors yard. Most of the time I will have someone with me and their shot placement is often so-so.

Rear ham was a doe at about 20 yards who stepped out and was quartering to while we were walking a woodbine. Buddy took the shot and it was effective, but eye-opening at this close range. Bullet traveled back about 10" and then grenades the rear ham.

Front shoulder is more typical and why I try to hit closer to the neck junction if I can to save meat. Rarely will I have an exit wound regardless with this round. Usually the other shoulder will be fine.

Surprising to me that a 70 TSX doesn't generally exit.

 

[Broomd]

I’m not sure if I would use a 223 for elk either. But for deer and black bear it seems to work well. Some pretty experienced hunters who post on here have had good elk outcomes with 223, 22-250, 22 ARC, and 22 Creedmoor.

Good for them, and the inexperienced elk hunters might fare better with a round a bit more worthy of that body mass and toughness. Just because one can doesn't mean one should. There is a reason it isn't legal in some places.
And btw, we agree, a proper .223 round on many deer and black bears would be one and done. But an early evening shot around here that doesn't anchor an animal means lost meat to thickly wooded country full of coyotes.

 

[mt terry d]

There is a reason it isn't legal in some places.

What exactly is that reason?

 

[Thegman]

What exactly is that reason?

And, what's the reason it is legal in other areas?

 

[ericmcd]

What exactly is that reason?

And, what's the reason it is legal in other areas?

Well the places you can't use em are thick so you need "knock down power" of course. /s

 

[Big_wals]

But an early evening shot around here that doesn't anchor an animal means lost meat to thickly wooded country full of coyotes.

By “anchor”, I assume you mean dropped in its tracks upon impact. What cartridge and bullet combo are you using that will “anchor” an animal 100% of the time? Obviously not counting spine/head shots, as even a .22 lr will drop an elk with a headshot.

 

[wind gypsy]

All you folks must not be hunting where there is thick cover and coyotes. Can't believe i didn't consider that.