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

[TheUgly]

Out to 700’ish yards, that rifle setup will have one of the highest, if not the highest hit rates of cartridge/bullet combo.

Gun shoots like a dream. Gets great speed out of a 16.5” barrel and is still quite handy with a suppressor. Only thing I’d change is get a lighter contour barrel.

Certainly would’ve liked to try this cartridge/bullet combo out further, but I can’t complain about an 87y shot - That’s automatic.

Will likely switch back to 77gr TMKs out of the .223 for the MN whitetail season. Long range shots on public land are very few and far between here in the thick woods up north.

 

[TheUgly]

What length barrel are you running, and what kind of velocity are you seeing? I have been considering pretty much that exact setup.

I’m getting 3050fps out of a 16.5” barrel. If your shooting suppressed, I wouldn’t go any longer…

 

[ShootOkHuntWorse]

Those of you who ordered Factory Seconds… 3 out of 30 that I loaded with shitty lighting on my bench tonight. Didn’t think to look over a small batch before just grabbing out of the bag. Lesson learned. Just look them over before loading.

 

[LimeSpoon]

Those of you who ordered Factory Seconds… 3 out of 30 that I loaded with shitty lighting on my bench tonight. Didn’t think to look over a small batch before just grabbing out of the bag. Lesson learned. Just look them over before loading. View attachment 469221

Call it a bonus, those plastic tips look like they're halfway to initiating bullet expansion already.

 

[Castle Rock]

Those of you who ordered Factory Seconds… 3 out of 30 that I loaded with shitty lighting on my bench tonight. Didn’t think to look over a small batch before just grabbing out of the bag. Lesson learned. Just look them over before loading. View attachment 469221

Looks like you got a bargain there

 

[Seeknelk]

88gr ELD-M @ 87y. Impact velocity was ~2910fps.

It was splashy to say the least.

No exit, front shoulder near entrance had noticeable meat loss. Heart and lungs destroyed. He didn’t make it 20y before succumbing.
View attachment 469213

No exit ,but how deep was the wound channel? Did it reach the far side at least and destroy both lungs etc? Did you go thru any bone? Thanks

 

[Lawnboi]

You guys are tempting me with these shorty 22CM stories.

@TheUgly
Any chance you got some data on the 77tmk out of that 16.5”?

 

[fwafwow]

You guys are tempting me with these shorty 22CM stories.

@TheUgly
Any chance you got some data on the 77tmk out of that 16.5”?

I had promised pages ago to share the load my buddy is getting with his custom 22CM (loads also from the gunsmith) - 80gr Berger VLD, 41.0gr RL 23, Nosler 6.5 case and OBL 2.050. I've asked about velocity but haven't received an answer. The barrel is not short, but I don't yet know the length.

 

[Lawnboi]

I had promised pages ago to share the load my buddy is getting with his custom 22CM (loads also from the gunsmith) - 80gr Berger VLD, 41.0gr RL 23, Nosler 6.5 case and OBL 2.050. I've asked about velocity but haven't received an answer. The barrel is not short, but I don't yet know the length.

My appeal to the 22 creed would be to be able to walk around with a 16” supressed barrel and still push some velocity. My worry is too much velocity. I’d also welcome the added ballistic performance.

I’d like to cut down my 223 a little more but I feel like I’m already pushing velocity lower than I’d prefer. And 20” with a 7” can is already pushing unwieldy

22br sounds fun but I don’t want to mess with brass. And I have a boat load of h4350

6 creed would be good too. For sure my next barrel will be a 16” 6 or 22 creed on my deer/predator gun.

 

[TheUgly]

No exit ,but how deep was the wound channel? Did it reach the far side at least and destroy both lungs etc? Did you go thru any bone? Thanks

Didn’t measure the wound channel, but both lungs and heart were severely damaged. None of the far side shoulder meat was damaged.

Bullet entrance


Inside shoulder


Front shoulder was completely shattered and hanging on by a thread. Undamaged far side shoulder is on the left for reference

 

[TheUgly]

You guys are tempting me with these shorty 22CM stories.

@TheUgly
Any chance you got some data on the 77tmk out of that 16.5”?

No data on the 77gr TMKs out of the 22CM, unfortunately. All my current remaining TMKs are loaded up for my .223.

88gr ELD-Ms have been very easy to come by, however.

 

[Formidilosus]

Front shoulder was completely shattered and hanging on by a thread. Undamaged far side shoulder is on the left for reference
View attachment 469425

Impossible. I am repeatedly chastised about how elk “shoulders” are bullet proof and stop all but the biggest, toughest bullets….

 

[Formidilosus]

@TheUgly

Can you please take a phot of the scapula from the side to show how impossibly thick the scapula is?



Bonus, if you hold it up to the sky and show how you can see your hand/knife through it…

 

[TheUgly]

@TheUgly

Can you please take a phot of the scapula from the side to show how impossibly thick the scapula is?



Bonus, if you hold it up to the sky and show how you can see your hand/knife through it…

 

[Formidilosus]

View attachment 469510View attachment 469511

Hahaha. My man!

 

[mt100gr.]

Armor!!!

 

[Antares]

Alright guys, I'm ready to join Team 223.

I've got some questions about the setup. Any input is appreciated.
For reference, this setup will be mostly for training, not hunting (I know, "famous last words, etc."). For me but also for young and new shooters.

Action: I'll get a RH Tikka T3x Lite in .223 Rem

Barrel: I'll have it cut and threaded for my .30 cal GEMTECH Tracker. I really don't want to buy a dedicated .223 can if I can help it. How's that 30 cal can going to work for sound suppression?

Thinking about cutting it to 18" (can is 7"), sound about right? Guessing I'll need to loctite on a 1/2-28 to 5/8-24 adapter, sound right?

Stock: I have 3 options on hand, what direction would you go?

Factory stock. Would add LOP spacers, vertical grip, and build the comb up with something.

I have a McMillan Game Scout (adj comb, standard fill) lying around I could use.

I have a KRG Bravo I could try out, but I'd probably get another one dedicated for this rifle because I like my Bravo where it is (on my 6.5CM). I'm definitely leaning this direction just because of the adjustable LOP (see above comment about "young and new shooters).

Optic and mount: I have a 6x and 10x SWFA already. I know people seem to like the 6x for this setup, but my 10x is just sitting in the safe currently so that's what I'm thinking. I guess I could just buy another 6x since they're back in stock. Thoughts?

I can't use the T084s because my long LOP means I need the scope mounted farther back than the arrestor pin will allow. Probably put on a 10 MOA rail and Seekins Extra-Lows (which I already have lying around).

Ammo: This is where I'm really looking for help. I don't reload. The 77TMKs seem to be the go-to choice here, but I'm not concerned with terminal performance since I'm just planning on shooting steel.

What's a good "plinking" round? Cheap-ish, accurate-ish, readily available-ish, etc.?

I'm not at all familiar with .223/5.56 offerings (this will be my first rifle in this chambering). Getting ammo is a pain in the a** for me where I live, so I can't just go pick up some boxes and "see what it likes." I need to buy a few cases to make the freight charges worth it. So I'm looking for direction on what factory loads to look at. Really appreciate input here.

Am I missing anything? Thanks!

 

[Formidilosus]

Alright guys, I'm ready to join Team 223.

I've got some questions about the setup. Any input is appreciated.
For reference, this setup will be mostly for training, not hunting (I know, "famous last words, etc."). For me but also for young and new shooters.

Action: I'll get a RH Tikka T3x Lite in .223 Rem

Barrel: I'll have it cut and threaded for my .30 cal GEMTECH Tracker. I really don't want to buy a dedicated .223 can if I can help it. How's that 30 cal can going to work for sound suppression?

Just fine. You won’t tell the difference.

Thinking about cutting it to 18" (can is 7"), sound about right? Guessing I'll need to loctite on a 1/2-28 to 5/8-24 adapter, sound right?

Yes.

Stock: I have 3 options on hand, what direction would you go?

Factory stock. Would add LOP spacers, vertical grip, and build the comb up with something.

I have a McMillan Game Scout (adj comb, standard fill) lying around I could use.

I have a KRG Bravo I could try out, but I'd probably get another one dedicated for this rifle because I like my Bravo where it is (on my 6.5CM). I'm definitely leaning this direction just because of the adjustable LOP (see above comment about "young and new shooters).

I would personally choose the factory. The KRG Bravo is great for shooting, however it controls the rifle so much in 223 that you lose some training value. The Factory stock is light enough that it will show if you are not correct in body positions and spotting.

Optic and mount: I have a 6x and 10x SWFA already. I know people seem to like the 6x for this setup, but my 10x is just sitting in the safe currently so that's what I'm thinking. I guess I could just buy another 6x since they're back in stock. Thoughts?

6x far and away. The 10x is fine, however part of the training aspect of the 223 is learning to spot your own hits from all positions and see that FOV matters more than magnification.

I can't use the T084s because my long LOP means I need the scope mounted farther back than the arrestor pin will allow. Probably put on a 10 MOA rail and Seekins Extra-Lows (which I already have lying around).

That will work, but I greatly prefer the factory CTR rail due to its very low profile. Glue it one as the factory CTR is.

Ammo: This is where I'm really looking for help. I don't reload. The 77TMKs seem to be the go-to choice here, but I'm not concerned with terminal performance since I'm just planning on shooting steel.

What's a good "plinking" round? Cheap-ish, accurate-ish, readily available-ish, etc.?

Hornady Frontier 68gr or 75gr HPBT shoot well enough from all the Tikkas I’ve seen to be just fine for the practice aspect.

Am I missing anything? Thanks!

Yes. You will end up hunting with it.

 

[black dawg]

What was elevation?
Daughter's 1:9 rifle shoots 69gr really well out to 500 yards, but we never bothered trying the 75 / 77gr because of slow twist ... thanks

Elevation is 5k or so. And like I said, have only shot them to 100yds as that is the max range they will get used for....for now.

 

[Castle Rock]

The T084s work better if you don’t use the supplied recoil pin but put your own in the back pin hole