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

[Pharmseller]

75 ELDM at 288 yards.













Just kidding.

 

[hseII]

I have a RA Ranch 5.56. I love it. Granted it’s not a Tikka, but it has done very well for me. I’m at around 500 (I think) rounds through it now without any issues. I’d like to buy another one.
The only drawback with this setup (kinda, IMO) is having to load the longer bullets to AR mag length. But, it uses AR mags. I’m okay with it. It’s an MOA gun with 69 SMK or 77 TMK.

Do a little poking around- I believe those came with both an AR magazine & a rotary.

This being a LH it came with the rotary- I swapped it for the $29 AICS kit from Ruger customer service that comes with most of the newer RH models. ELDXs kill.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[PNWGATOR]

What’d you kill it with?

 

[Castle Rock]

@Formidilosus , and anyone else.

If a guy wanted an exit 80% of the time, even catching one scapula, inside 2-300 yds, on mid size whitetails, what's the best way to get there? 80+gr bullets out of a really fast twist 223? Hotter 22 cal and 88s? Mild or mid 6mm with 100+ gr bullets? I know my 6.5 with 130-140s basically always exits.

It may sound weird but I hunt some steep, thick country every year where more leaking is better. I've pondered putting a rifle together for that specific type of hunting and wondered just what I would choose.

Dead on the ground is easier than looking for leakage

 

[BLJ]

Do a little poking around- I believe those came with both an AR magazine & a rotary.

This being a LH it came with the rotary- I swapped it for the $29 AICS kit from Ruger customer service that comes with most of the newer RH models. ELDXs kill.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I didn’t mean to sound like I was complaining. I like the AR mags for simplicity and availability. And when I swapped to XBR powder I ended up with an acceptable velocity.
Thanks for the help, though.

 

[KHntr]

@Formidilosus , and anyone else.

If a guy wanted an exit 80% of the time, even catching one scapula, inside 2-300 yds, on mid size whitetails, what's the best way to get there? 80+gr bullets out of a really fast twist 223? Hotter 22 cal and 88s? Mild or mid 6mm with 100+ gr bullets? I know my 6.5 with 130-140s basically always exits.

It may sound weird but I hunt some steep, thick country every year where more leaking is better. I've pondered putting a rifle together for that specific type of hunting and wondered just what I would choose.

Personally, in that scenario you describe, I’m busting shoulders every single time with a 223AI. I’m a few pickup boxes deep with the 75 Amax out to 400+ yards on deer and black bears and prefer to see them ball up inside 20 yards. That said, last year’s whitetail made it about 60 yards. (For what it’s worth though, I once shot a spike whitetail in the same presentation- quartering in, bullet placed in the front edge of the onside shoulder - with a 300 Ultra and a 180 TTSX and he made it over 300 yards).
However, on a deer farther out than your requirements I would expect an 88 Eld m to exit after crunching both shoulders from what I have seen to date.
Should have a few more data points after the end of this month though.

 

[fwafwow]

I got a bit ahead of myself/excited and purchased these - not withstanding a domestic ammo embargo (although delivered at home - I don’t have the stones to have ammo delivered to work), and my lack of a RS Special. My ARs will be considered, but I’m sort of on the fence. Reminds me of when I bought the Asteroids Atari cartridge, but I didn’t have Atari. Yet.

 

[Pharmseller]

What’d you kill it with?

7mm Rem Mag, 162 Eldx

 

[260madman]

I got a bit ahead of myself/excited and purchased these - not withstanding a domestic ammo embargo (although delivered at home - I don’t have the stones to have ammo delivered to work), and my lack of a RS Special. My ARs will be considered, but I’m sort of on the fence. Reminds me of when I bought the Asteroids Atari cartridge, but I didn’t have Atari. Yet.

View attachment 478703

ARs are just fine. Might not be a “cool kid” but gets the job done. I’m slumming a couple Salvages this week, I want to get a deer with my 26” stainless fluted varmint. I’ve said it before that I’ll hunt with every rifle I own regardless of weight.

 

[fwafwow]

ARs are just fine. Might not be a “cool kid” but gets the job done. I’m slumming a couple Salvages this week, I want to get a deer with my 26” stainless fluted varmint. I’ve said it before that I’ll hunt with every rifle I own regardless of weight.

One of mine is short, so at least I’ve got that going for me.

 

[260madman]

One of mine is short, so at least I’ve got that going for me.

I guess if it makes you feel better keep telling yourself that

 

[fwafwow]

I guess if it makes you feel better keep telling yourself that

[original risqué reply deleted]

Well played!

 

[260madman]

[original risqué reply deleted]

Well played?

I’m catching up on memes, hold my beer…

 

[fwafwow]

I’m catching up on memes, hold my beer…

Sorry for the typo “?”

 

[ARK_Ginger]

Since I haven’t secured any 77 TMKs yet and I wanted to try something different than my usual 75gr gold dot, I loaded up some 75gr ELDs. They’ve worked great so far on the hogs I’ve been seeing.

 

[LimeSpoon]

I got a bit ahead of myself/excited and purchased these - not withstanding a domestic ammo embargo (although delivered at home - I don’t have the stones to have ammo delivered to work), and my lack of a RS Special. My ARs will be considered, but I’m sort of on the fence. Reminds me of when I bought the Asteroids Atari cartridge, but I didn’t have Atari. Yet.

View attachment 478703

Do they look to be cannelured?

I'd love to have an additional source of factory 77 gr TMK to complement my Black Hills stuff but I'd like to see something with cannelures and ideally the same POI; to that end, I wouldn't mind seeing some chronograph and zeroing information, if anyone gets the chance to test them on the range. The quoted 2700 FPS @14.5" barrel mentioned earlier is actually a touch fast for my taste as I'm getting the same velocity numbers from the Black Hills ammo out of a 16" barrel, but then again I'm the sort of person who's perhaps irrationally averse to dialing.

 

[Formidilosus]

@Formidilosus , and anyone else.

If a guy wanted an exit 80% of the time, even catching one scapula, inside 2-300 yds, on mid size whitetails, what's the best way to get there? 80+gr bullets out of a really fast twist 223? Hotter 22 cal and 88s? Mild or mid 6mm with 100+ gr bullets? I know my 6.5 with 130-140s basically always exits.

It may sound weird but I hunt some steep, thick country every year where more leaking is better. I've pondered putting a rifle together for that specific type of hunting and wondered just what I would choose.

I would shoot bone with 77TMK’s and be done. However, baring that- in 223 for exits generally, the 75gr Hornady HPBT will usually exit, but doesn’t kill as quickly. 88gr ELD-M’s will usually do it as well from 223’s on up. 6mm’s like the ARC, 243/6CM with the aforementioned 95gr NBT, 108gr ELD-M, etc will do it. Also for exits, the Hornady 105gr HPBT does really well.

 

[Billy Goat]

I would shoot bone with 77TMK’s and be done. However, baring that- in 223 for exits generally, the 75gr Hornady HPBT will usually exit, but doesn’t kill as quickly. 88gr ELD-M’s will usually do it as well from 223’s on up. 6mm’s like the ARC, 243/6CM with the aforementioned 95gr NBT, 108gr ELD-M, etc will do it. Also for exits, the Hornady 105gr HPBT does really well.

2 evenings ago I had no exit with the 6 arc and 108 eldm. 200ish yards, no heavy bone impact, just behind the shoulder. Absolutely grenaded the insides tho. 150#ish Doe. It's also a sample of 1. Seemed to be one that was just tough, she reared back and hit the dirt, thought it was a drt, but got up and took off. Went about 100 yards, then went down in the field.

Guess I'll put the next one thru the shoulder.

Good bit of experience with .260 and 6.5C with Amax snd ELD-M’S (140&147), seems to be a consistent exit performance on WT.

 

[Billy Goat]

I got a bit ahead of myself/excited and purchased these - not withstanding a domestic ammo embargo (although delivered at home - I don’t have the stones to have ammo delivered to work), and my lack of a RS Special. My ARs will be considered, but I’m sort of on the fence. Reminds me of when I bought the Asteroids Atari cartridge, but I didn’t have Atari. Yet.

View attachment 478703

 

[fwafwow]

Do they look to be cannelured?

I'd love to have an additional source of factory 77 gr TMK to complement my Black Hills stuff but I'd like to see something with cannelures and ideally the same POI; to that end, I wouldn't mind seeing some chronograph and zeroing information, if anyone gets the chance to test them on the range. The quoted 2700 FPS @14.5" barrel mentioned earlier is actually a touch fast for my taste as I'm getting the same velocity numbers from the Black Hills ammo out of a 16" barrel, but then again I'm the sort of person who's perhaps irrationally averse to dialing.