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

[woods89]

A little off topic I realize......

But I have a bunch of 130 TMK loaded up for my 6.5 Creedmoor. I assume I can also expect havoc from these? I think I'm going to use them next week for our firearms season.

 

[Castle Rock]

In my limited experience, 3 medium size deer they are a bit harder than I would like, 139 scenars make bigger holes

 

[woods89]

In my limited experience, 3 medium size deer they are a bit harder than I would like, 139 scenars make bigger holes

Thanks!

I've also got some 156 Berger EH loaded up at about 2650 fps. I may just carry those. Shots will likely be under 200 yds.

 

[Formidilosus]

A little off topic I realize......

But I have a bunch of 130 TMK loaded up for my 6.5 Creedmoor. I assume I can also expect havoc from these? I think I'm going to use them next week for our firearms season.

They are a bigger version of the 77gr. A bit deeper penetrating than ELD-M of the same class.

In my limited experience, 3 medium size deer they are a bit harder than I would like, 139 scenars make bigger holes

What animals, ranges, and angles? Did you open them up to check the full wound paths? TMK’s definitely fragment more and faster than equivalent Scenars. Exits may be larger with a Scenar on some animals/shots due to the front end fragmenting on the TMK’s earlier and leaving mostly the base to exit. Scenars actually are one of the “hardest” match bullets made. Not usual to see little to no upset for 4-8 inches of initial penetration.

 

[woods89]

A little off topic I realize......

But I have a bunch of 130 TMK loaded up for my 6.5 Creedmoor. I assume I can also expect havoc from these? I think I'm going to use them next week for our firearms season.

I got a chance to fill an antlerless tag tag tonight and answer my own question. Yea, they work, alright. Not a very big deer but one of the most impressive bangflops I've seen. Deer was quartering away with entry through the scapula and exit in front of the shoulder on the off side. Caliber size entry and golf ball plus size exit with gore sprayed all over the ground on the off side. Obviously there was some spinal damage with the exit at the base of the neck which probably was responsible for the fall in it's tracks. I did the gutless method but could hear all sorts of gurgling from the chest cavity.

I feel sooo unethical for using a match bullet on game..........

Edited to add: Shot was 70 yds, impact velocity around 2700 fps.
I wish they would make about a 145 gr version......

 

[Ndbowhunter]

3 mule deer in 5 days with the 75gr eld-m at 2900fps

no pics but unless I’m pretty sure shots are over 400, sticking to the 77gr tmk.

 

[Tartan]

OK, I've been following this thread for a long time and am bought in. Just moved into a new house, as soon as our old house sells I'm going to pull the trigger on a tikka 223. Shot a lot texas whitetail and pigs with my 30-06 and the wound channels shown here with the 77tmk look identical if not better than the ttsx load that my rifle likes. And, I've got two little kids who will be able to start hunting in a couple years.

Does anybody know what the max coal is for the tikka lite mag and chamber? I see unknown munitions offers the 77tmk at both a 2.24" and 2.42" length. Trying to figure out if there would be a benefit going ctr instead of the lite.

Thanks!

 

[fightthenoise]

OK, I've been following this thread for a long time and am bought in. Just moved into a new house, as soon as our old house sells I'm going to pull the trigger on a tikka 223. Shot a lot texas whitetail and pigs with my 30-06 and the wound channels shown here with the 77tmk look identical if not better than the ttsx load that my rifle likes. And, I've got two little kids who will be able to start hunting in a couple years.

Does anybody know what the max coal is for the tikka lite mag and chamber? I see unknown munitions offers the 77tmk at both a 2.24" and 2.42" length. Trying to figure out if there would be a benefit going ctr instead of the lite.

Thanks!

The max factory mag length is 2.3” and the chamber allows for much longer than that. Mountain tactical makes a magazine that accepts up to 2.6”

 

[Lawnboi]

A was OK, I've been following this thread for a long time and am bought in. Just moved into a new house, as soon as our old house sells I'm going to pull the trigger on a tikka 223. Shot a lot texas whitetail and pigs with my 30-06 and the wound channels shown here with the 77tmk look identical if not better than the ttsx load that my rifle likes. And, I've got two little kids who will be able to start hunting in a couple years.

Does anybody know what the max coal is for the tikka lite mag and chamber? I see unknown munitions offers the 77tmk at both a 2.24" and 2.42" length. Trying to figure out if there would be a benefit going ctr instead of the lite.

Thanks!

My 77 load, .020 off the lands won’t fit in the tikka mag and is 2.35 if I remember right. I could go measure if needed. My throat is pretty short, Iv got a lot of bullet in the case, even so loaded where I found accuracy they won’t fit in the stock mag.

Mountain tactical 223 mags, which replace the factory mag, take 2.6”. Iv got over 1k rounds on this mag and am very happy. Happy enough I bought a few more. (75 eldm pictured below in a stock tikka and mountain tactical mag) I was going to try my stock mag with the 77s for hunting being it’s a hair more flush, but I couldn’t cram them in.

 

[Ndbowhunter]

i Didn’t notice enough of a velocity or accuracy increase to push 77gr tmk beyond 2.25 coal. If memory serves its 2.39 to lands.



That said I batch load em at a node that shoots across a few platforms so stanag confines it is.

75gr eld-m touches at 2.43

I wish they held together better up close. That said they do kill stuff, but not like 77’s.

Anyone have experience with 65gr game kings?

Got a pile of them for cheap. Kimber Montana loves them at 2900. Tempted to drop a mule deer this weekend on the opener. 77’s stabilized today at 4200 DAP, not sure how they do at 1500 tho.

 

[Castle Rock]

They are a bigger version of the 77gr. A bit deeper penetrating than ELD-M of the same class.






What animals, ranges, and angles? Did you open them up to check the full wound paths? TMK’s definitely fragment more and faster than equivalent Scenars. Exits may be larger with a Scenar on some animals/shots due to the front end fragmenting on the TMK’s earlier and leaving mostly the base to exit. Scenars actually are one of the “hardest” match bullets made. Not usual to see little to no upset for 4-8 inches of initial penetration.

i will be back to this soon, with details

 

[False_Cast]

3 mule deer in 5 days with the 75gr eld-m at 2900fps

no pics but unless I’m pretty sure shots are over 400, sticking to the 77gr tmk.

Get a little splashy?

Semi related, I put a 105 hpbt (saami 243 @ 80 yards) into a 2.5 yo northern Michigan whitetail buck’s ribs on Monday. No shoulder bone or meat - pure broadside ribs. Complete upset on a near side rib and a few small fragments made it to the far ribs. Killed well but left me happy I didn’t have to take a shoulder point shot (quartering-to).

Still have a few tags with which to use the 223 Montana & 77 tmks, which are zeroed and ready to go.

 

[TxxAgg]

Anyone have rough speed numbers for the 77 tmk in a 16.5" barrel?

I was averaging 2725 fps from a 20" barrel but just cut it.

 

[Ndbowhunter]

2700ish 16” for me

75’s did not exit on a spine shot, a lung shot, or a neck shot, or a front shoulder shot.

Neck shot, spine shot = bang flop.

Both lung/shoulder shots the animal did run. Not much, but in one case it wasn’t ideal.

Weird on the 105’s.. 108’s are Hammers. Front shoulder quartering to on a big Wyoming mule deer and got exits 24” later

 

[False_Cast]

Weird on the 105’s.. 108’s are Hammers. Front shoulder quartering to on a big Wyoming mule deer and got exits 24” later

(Re: the 105 hpbt) I was surprised. I should specify, it penetrated the near side ribs just fine. 2-3” entry hole after skinning. A few pieces made it into the offside ribs. Nothing to the hide though. I always read that they dug well. I’ll keep shooting them into deer. I have plenty of them and when they’re gone, a retube to 6cm will be in order.

Next up though, and back to topic, 77tmk out of the montucky.

Nice week’s work on the mulies, by the way.

 

[Formidilosus]

313 yards. No bone.

 

[Lawnboi]

77 tmk 2270 approximate impact velocity, from the buck a few pages back. Went through 15” of deer including rib on entry. Caught on offside shoulder. Also had some separated lead slug I found but that got tossed.

Hopefully this weekend I’ll have more deer under it.

 

[fightthenoise]

Really sucks that 2/4 states I hunt require .24+ caliber. I’m converted if I could make it my do all rifle. These fish and game departments need to get woke.

 

[Formidilosus]

Really sucks that 2/4 states I hunt require .24+ caliber. I’m converted if I could make it my do all rifle. These fish and game departments need to get woke.

Bureaucracies rarely make logical decisions. The good news is that 6mm’s are great as well.

 

[ARK_Ginger]

75gr gold dot approximately 60yrds from a 11.5" ar.