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

[TradLife406]

I would love to see JVB attend a S2H course. It would make great content for him, so maybe he’d be open to it.

Him and Weatherby Reloading. Dude only shoots three shot groups off a bench with his uber magnums. Says recoil isn't an issue. lol

 

[Hoosker Doo]

Oh if anyone is interested. A grizzly bear that was close to 7 foot (I did not get great measurements) and very fat was 13 inches across the chest. I stuck a trekking poles through, marked a spot and measured it just now after forgetting about it the other day. So the 77 gr. TMK did 12-13 inches through one side of ribs and lungs before it stopped (no penetraion on the far side).

Are you 100% sure you didn't measure the wrong side of the trekking pole? According to JVB on the elk he shoots a "bullet had to penetrate 10 to 14 inches of muscle and massive bone before it even got inside the vital cavity." A grizzly bear would HAVE to have more muscle than an elk right?

 

[Luke S]

Never skinned an elk so I wouldn't know. Measurement was solid. Oh and roughly 13 inches tall on the torso in case anyone wonders if the bear was at a weird angle or something like that. So 13-14 inches side to side. A fat 9 footer would be bigger obviously but it's a ballpark.

 

[Esetter77]

Apologies as I'm sure this has been asked before but I couldn't find it with a search and I couldn't read all 677 pages but is there somewhat of a concensus on a 6mm/.243 equivalent of the .223 - 77TMK setup for folks that live in states that require .243 for big game?

 

[KJ_ND]

Apologies as I'm sure this has been asked before but I couldn't find it with a search and I couldn't read all 677 pages but is there somewhat of a concensus on a 6mm/.243 equivalent of the .223 - 77TMK setup for folks that live in states that require .243 for big game?

Thread '6mm /.243 hunting success on Big Game'

Oct 28, 2022

With the success of .223 and 6.5 threads on big game, thought I’d throw this one into the mix.

Show and detail your results harvesting big game (deer, bear, elk, moose, African game) using 6mm/.243 cartridges. Please detail bullet, MV, impact velocity, and whether hand load or factory ammo.

• BjornF16
• Replies: 3,098
• Forum: Firearms

• 

 

[Joe Holden]

@Esetter77 I am not an expert. Just read a bunch on this website.

Sierra now has a .243 107 TMK and a 116 TMK. The 95 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip also seems to be in that running. Just depends on the cartridge and twist you're shooting

 

[Deere_Man]

Apologies as I'm sure this has been asked before but I couldn't find it with a search and I couldn't read all 677 pages but is there somewhat of a concensus on a 6mm/.243 equivalent of the .223 - 77TMK setup for folks that live in states that require .243 for big game?

I think that a 243 shooting 95gr Nosler ballistic tips or Federal Fusions could take care of just about anything that I’d likely run into.

 

[Xnoheros]

JVB's bio says he is schooled in "Creative Writing", which is what the opinion piece was full of.
Example:
"Even though armed with a “cannon,” I took 3rd Place in the Open Light class."... Out of three shooters.

I was thinking this - but is that actually true?

 

[Plague]

Thought some of y’all might need a laugh.

 

[ckt3]

@Plague I’ve noticed there are a few of us in that subreddit who voice these opinions, but r/hunting is surprisingly fuddy

 

[Plague]

@Plague I’ve noticed there are a few of us in that subreddit who voice these opinions, but r/hunting is surprisingly fuddy

It’s pretty ridiculous/frustrating to constantly see so much bad information from people unwilling to challenge what they think. Sometimes a smooth brain gives you a gem like that. Laughed quite hard.

 

[MEdude]

I was thinking this - but is that actually true?

It was 100% a joke…
But here are a few details that are not jokes.

• The Peterson’s article is dated May 29, 2026

• A direct JVB quote from the article is as follows:
“Two years ago, I competed in the Sheep Mountain Shootout NRL Hunter match hosted by Gunwerks, near Cody, Wyoming. My rifle? A lightweight 7mm PRC loaded with 180-grain ELD Match bullets. I was up against some of the nation’s best shooters—most armed with 6.5 Creedmoor rifles since 6mm Creedmoor does not make the required power factor for NRL Hunter. Even though armed with a “cannon,” I took 3rd Place in the Open Light class.”

• Screen shot of a quick google search for “2024 Sheep Mountain Shootout NRL Hunter match hosted by Gunwerks results”



From a quick spin around the internet, it appears that Rokslide’s own Justin Crossley took third in the Open Light Class two years ago at that event.

This was an AI generated result, soooooo….
We will leave each one to decide which you find more believable, JVB or an AI Overview.

I really don’t know.