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

[Juan_ID]

Mi amigo... haven't seen any, at all, other than the American Reloading mentioned here. I bought them because some, even at a somewhat erratic 2565 fps, are better than none. I am curious what they would do from a bolt gun.

Sounds like everyone here missed out on the drop midsouth had on the 77tmk last month, myself included.

 

[Blaw]

Only about half an inch due to it being a fluted barrel. I wanted to go 20”. I’m over long barrels.

would you be concerned about loss of velocity with the ranges your hunting at? I think 300 to 600ish?

 

[Formidilosus]

would you be concerned about loss of velocity with the ranges your hunting at? I think 300 to 600ish?

Nope. It’s still within expansion velocity past 500 with a 20”.

 

[wind gypsy]

For anyone possibly looking for tmk ammo, I found this last week. Have never ordered from them but have read on discord they are g2g. I wanted to give it a shot but with over 1k eldm’s I’m going to bite the bullet and get a mtn tac mag and shoot through some of the eldm’s in hopes I can find some tmk projectiles soon. I reached out about velocity and they reported back that they were getting 2600 FPS out of a 16” barrel.

https://americanreloading.com/en/223-rem-556/2982-am-223-rem-77gr-tmk-free-shipping-500-rds.html

Was finally gonna pull the trigger on thess and they gone.. Have plenty TMK components to keep me good but not much loading time. Would have been nice to use in an AR so I dont have to worry about beating up lapua brass.

 

[300 win mag]

Eloquent and well supported statements like these are what really makes Rokslide great.

/s

your opinion is just that.worth the same as any other.trying to demean me is ok.yet worthless.i will elaborate just slightly.i have been hunting for 46 years.in that time have assembled a collection of 15 custom built rifles in many different calibers.have hunted all over n/a which includes british columbia and the yukon.alaska and africa.you and your like minded lovers of the 223 has great merit.i belive anytime we go afield to hunt game we must take into account all possible circumstances that affect taking a game animal.shooting deer with a 223 and proper bullet load combination is fine,under the right conditions.my point is after many years and hunts you learn much.now there are many people like myself who would not hunt moose,bear or elk with a 223,especially in questionable conditions and at certain distance.i just believe the margin for error increases.its a great cartridge,just not even close for elk,moose and above average bear..no offence,just a opinion based on seeing some horrible wounding and maiming of game animals.i own the 223,22-250 and 13 others up to 416 rem mag.happy ethical hunting to all

 

[DJL2]

Dear, sweet Lord above... use the space bar and capitalize things occasionally.

If you haven't sorted through the other 40+ pages and this happens to be your first week on the internet, let alone a gun related sub forum thereof, allow me to elucidate:

1. People in this thread have made the point that they don't like .223 and wouldn't hunt with it, as well as why. In fact, they have done so at great length in a great many places, all over this forum and the internet in general. I won't say that no one cares, but I will say that most of the folks conversing on the topic identified in the thread title have already heard as much as they are inclined to on the topic.

2. You claim that you are an experienced hunter (and with clear preferences). That does not make you unique on this forum or the internet at large. That goes double when one's claims of experience are not vouched for or otherwise provable.

3. It sounds like you have quite the collection. There are a number of other threads on this forum where a well thought out, well organized, occasionally punctuated (and capitalized) conversation on those pieces and your experiences with them would be very well received.

 

[Lawnboi]

your opinion is just that.worth the same as any other.trying to demean me is ok.yet worthless.i will elaborate just slightly.i have been hunting for 46 years.in that time have assembled a collection of 15 custom built rifles in many different calibers.have hunted all over n/a which includes british columbia and the yukon.alaska and africa.you and your like minded lovers of the 223 has great merit.i belive anytime we go afield to hunt game we must take into account all possible circumstances that affect taking a game animal.shooting deer with a 223 and proper bullet load combination is fine,under the right conditions.my point is after many years and hunts you learn much.now there are many people like myself who would not hunt moose,bear or elk with a 223,especially in questionable conditions and at certain distance.i just believe the margin for error increases.its a great cartridge,just not even close for elk,moose and above average bear..no offence,just a opinion based on seeing some horrible wounding and maiming of game animals.i own the 223,22-250 and 13 others up to 416 rem mag.happy ethical hunting to all

I’ll respectfully ask how many big game animals you have harvested with a 223 tipped with one of the few 75+ grain bullets highlighted in this thread?

 

[Castle Rock]

Go easy on him, he has commissioned 15 custom rifles, he must be an expert

 

[LimeSpoon]

It appears we have some new information on the velocity threshold of the 77 gr TMK.

This video seems to show that 77 gr TMK is still expanding well at velocities of 1650 FPS, which would seem like justification to revise my previous estimates of 1650-1700 FPS down to 1550-1600 FPS. Firing the Black Hills loading of a 20" barrel, this would suggest an expansion range of ~650 yards.

Granted it's not doing a lot of damage at that point but at least it isn't simply penciling through.

 

[Lawnboi]

In any case, the 77gr TMK-

Is generally stable through transonic when fired from suitable twist rates. Consistent and wide upset should be expected to +-/ 1,900fps impact velocity. Minimum (read minimal) upset down to 1,600’ish FPS.
Wound channels in big game (deer and bigger) are... extreme to around 2,300fps impact. From 2,200 or so down to approx 2,000fps impact wounds will be similar to conventional bullet from 270/30-06/etc class rounds. Below 2,000fps wounds will be similar to solid copper monolithic bullets such as Barnes TSX.


In laymen’s terms, from 20-24” barreled 223’s with MV’s of 2750+ FPS, the 77gr TMK is an emphatic killer inside of 300 or so yards. Most would consider it too much on even big deer. From 300+/- yards to 450 yards or so, it is a solid performer terminally generally giving exits on normal sized deer, and is 50/50 on being caught under the skin on the offside on big deer or major bones being hit. Past 450 to around 550-600 yards, it will kill, but effects on animals is similar to a good broadhead, I.E.- 10-20 seconds before succumbing.

@LimeSpoon
I quoted the earlier velocities so people don’t have to dig. Me personally, I don’t want minimal upset. I want things dropping so I’ll keep them moving 2000fps. That gets me to 400yards on my rifle.

 

[300 win mag]

well,obviously some feelings still hurt.clarified why i personnally wont use them for certain game.as for expert,that is a big no.but more than enough experience with firearms and hunting.having collected and using custom hunting rifles is and was a passion.extreme accuracy means a lot to me.never said that production rifles arent good enough in anyway for any hunting anyone does.as far as being ? about honesty.well that says it all.i will provide evidence shortly.i also will avoid certain conversations that to me are poppycock..to you very young members,non sensical boloney.good day,good hunting.

 

[PNWGATOR]

There is simply no debating the terminal performance of properly designed projectiles functioning within their velocity ranges regardless of their diameter.

In my limited, yet purposeful experience, the 77 TMK is often TOO MUCH bullet!

Really looking forward to the coming big game seasons and hopefully more to share on the terminal performance of the .223.

 

[bsnedeker]

I trust anyone who's been around since before the shift key was invented.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[Gorp2007]

I trust anyone who's been around since before the shift key was invented.

You piqued my curiosity, looks like the shift key was first introduced in 1878 with the Remington Model 2 typewriter.

Remington 2 Standard Typewriter - Antique Typewriters

The Remington 2 typewriter along with other understrike machines, were among the most successful typing machines of the 1880s & 1890s.

www.antiquetypewriters.com

That being said, I may try to pick up a Tikka in 223 before this fall to see what it does to some pigs.

 

[BigNate]

I stopped in to the lgs yesterday to look just in case. They had some powders I don't need, but when I was looking at the small stack of Sierras for some TMKsi was disappointed, again.

As I was turning to leave an older gent asked what I was looking for. I told him and he began telling me about his preference. I just nodded a lot, told him I'd tried most everything he'd mentioned. Then told him several of the bullets he'd mentioned worked well on game, but the most devastating thing I'd tried was the TMK.

The lecture began. After about a minute I interrupted him and asked if he'd ever shot anything but paper. "No" was his reply.

It never shocks me how little actual experience there is involved in all the bloviating.

 

[DJL2]

Guns and ego go together like peas and carrots. Few areas of male life feature quite the same status based incentive to speak with authority... regardless of experience or expertise. We are all naturally prone to generalize our own experience - our sample of one becomes representative of the whole. While that is a flawed approach in itself, we often fail to understand our sample of one. We don't know why something works... but, we know it did (at least once, anyhow). Superstitions, routines, and rituals are often manifestations of this.

I've taught a bunch of folks to shoot, primarily pistol. It never ceases to amaze that after more or less the same basic instruction women are punching holes out of the center and dudes are loading shit in the magazine backwards.

 

[204guy]

2 thoughts.
1.If you're not willing to learn. 1 year of experience 10, 20, 40 times over means you have 1 year of experience.

2. The use of the word poppycock in a post is just malarkey.

 

[Fartrell Cluggins]

I stopped in to the lgs yesterday to look just in case. They had some powders I don't need, but when I was looking at the small stack of Sierras for some TMKsi was disappointed, again.

As I was turning to leave an older gent asked what I was looking for. I told him and he began telling me about his preference. I just nodded a lot, told him I'd tried most everything he'd mentioned. Then told him several of the bullets he'd mentioned worked well on game, but the most devastating thing I'd tried was the TMK.

The lecture began. After about a minute I interrupted him and asked if he'd ever shot anything but paper. "No" was his reply.

It never shocks me how little actual experience there is involved in all the bloviating.

I guess nobody on Sierra's staff has used them on game either.

"While they are recognized around the world for record-setting accuracy, MatchKing® and Tipped MatchKing® bullets are not recommended for most hunting applications."

 

[TheGDog]

2. The use of the word poppycock in a post is just malarkey.

(PS you have no idea how long I've sat on that meme, waiting to have just the right circumstance to use it!)

 

[robtattoo]

View attachment 309187
(PS you have no idea how long I've sat on that meme, waiting to have just the right circumstance to use it!)

This type of Tomfoolery will cause a brouhaha, mark my words!