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

[Jake Leibke]

I recall earlier in the thread that the 69 gr smk shot very similar to the 69 tmk but don't recall how the 77 smk vs the tmk did? it'd be nice to save the tmk's for critters.

 

[FLS]

SMKs shoot as well or better than TMKs in every rifle I own. Performance in tissue is inconstent. If you load your own, 24.5 Grains of TAC in LC brass lit by a BR4 primer loaded to 2.260” is the load I shoot for practice and tactical matches. I crank them out on my them Dillon 550 and they shoot sub MOA out of my 18” Match AR and 24” CTR.
I get 2876 out of the 24” 1-8 twist CTR and 2750 out of my 18” 1-8 Wylde AR.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

I had been wondering how tac was for accuracy, thanks for sharing. I landed I heap of 75 bthps for training, looks Luke tac will be the powder to use for them.

 

[FLS]

Ive shot a ton of 75 BTHPs. The 24.5 grain TAC load workedwith them too. RL 15, 4895, 8208, Varget, 2520, Match Rifle all worked well, some better than others.

 

[MEdude]

1-8” will generally work for the 88’s in a 22-250, but a 1-7” or 1-7.5” is better.


And we need a 90+ grain TMK.

@Formidilosus

I’m 80% through the thread
I know this quote is from a while back…

What advantage(s) would you anticipate with added TMK weight?

I just bought a Howa .223 with a 1:8 twist
If shooting ELD Match, which weight 75, 80, 88 Grain would you recommend?
I’m thinking / imagining, heavier / slower may equal less ”splashy”, more penetration thoughts / experience?

 

[MEdude]

Observation by others, is of course also welcome.

 

[BBob]

I just bought a Howa .223 with a 1:8 twist
If shooting ELD Match, which weight 75, 80, 88 Grain would you recommend?

None of those are going to fit into a Howa Mini magazine unless you load them with the ojive back into the neck. The only ELD-M’s that will load seated normally into a case and that magazine are the 73’s (and 52’s).

 

[Davisjj8]

“Bullets matter more than headstamps.”

“Spent primers offer the supreme tutorial”.

I’ve read it here and elsewhere online. It got my attention. I started digging and asking questions and listened.

The 77gr TMK delivered by a .223 is where I ended up after many discussions and objective data regarding bullet performance and numerous pics of field results.

Now for the delivery system. Accurate. Repeatable. Reliable. Reasonable weight to afford steady shot placement and the ability to spot my own impacts yet packable. Tikka T3x, vertical grip, Sportsmatch rings, SWFA 6x MQ in mills. Replaced the trigger spring with a yo Dave, adjusted to my liking, then degreased everything and locked all of the screws down with loctite and got started.

The package checks all of the boxes. Plus, it’s FUN! Time at the range is spent learning to call wind, trigger control, spotting your own impacts and figuring out why a shot did or did not end up where you wanted it. No brake. No flinch. Inexpensive to shoot. The fun factor plus the ability to be able to afford to shoot a lot goes a long way to learning and understanding shooting, accuracy and precision.

With all of that said, I’ve decided to use 77 TMK out of a .223 from this delivery system for bear, deer and elk this season.

Opportunity presented itself a couple of days ago. I killed a mature, dry sow with the 77 TMK. Bullet performance exceeded all expectations! The terminal performance is on par with anything I’ve seen in a .284 or .30. Unreal performance. The bullet is a BEAST!

Practice will continue throughout the summer in preparation for the upcoming deer and elk seasons.

Based on my sample of one, the 77 TMK out of a .223 is truly a lethal combination well suited to a dedicated lower 48 big game rifle.

Would love to hear about others experiences with this bullet or similar bulletts!

I’m all for shot placement argument. And don’t believe many of the old ft lb arguments that people use against smaller cartridges. What distance are you planning on being able to kill an elk at? They’re tough animals…

 

[fwafwow]

I’m all for shot placement argument. And don’t believe many of the old ft lb arguments that people use against smaller cartridges. What distance are you planning on being able to kill an elk at? They’re tough animals…

The answers are in this thread.

 

[PNWGATOR]

I’m all for shot placement argument. And don’t believe many of the old ft lb arguments that people use against smaller cartridges. What distance are you planning on being able to kill an elk at? They’re tough animals…

Personally, I’d poke a 77 TMK into any big game animal inside of 450 yds.



That said, see post #2853…just sayin.

 

[MEdude]

None of those are going to fit into a Howa Mini magazine unless you load them with the ojive back into the neck. The only ELD-M’s that will load seated normally into a case and that magazine are the 73’s (and 52’s).

Does anyone know if setting up the Howa mini with the Oregunsmithing bottom metal, allows greater O.A.L.
And thus heavier heavies… Suppose I could call them….

 

[letrbuck]

2.45" if I remember correctly is max COAL with the Oregon bottom metal

 

[4090Sharps]

2.45" if I remember correctly is max COAL with the Oregon bottom metal

I’ve got one and that’s what I’m showing.

 

[Grundy53]

77 TMK ammo back in stock.

Stand 1 Armory RCP 223 77gr Sierra Tipped Match King (TMK) - Stand 1 Armory

Stand 1 Armory 223 77gr Sierra TMK 77g Sierra Tipped Match King (long-range precision): These polymer tipped 77g Sierra TMK bullets buck the wind very well and produce extremely consistent results at distances out to one mile. These are the best long-range 223 bullets on the market, and are...

u16982964.ct.sendgrid.net

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

 

[Jim1187]

I did a thread search but no bueno!
Is the 52 grain ELD Match viable for deer inside say 150 yards? Looking to minimize recoil as much as possible for a 10 year old. He’s so thin he can get out of the rain by standing under a clothes line.

55 grain speer gold dot is a decent choice if hamstrung by twist or trying for your goal.

 

[4090Sharps]

77 TMK ammo back in stock.

Stand 1 Armory RCP 223 77gr Sierra Tipped Match King (TMK) - Stand 1 Armory

Stand 1 Armory 223 77gr Sierra TMK 77g Sierra Tipped Match King (long-range precision): These polymer tipped 77g Sierra TMK bullets buck the wind very well and produce extremely consistent results at distances out to one mile. These are the best long-range 223 bullets on the market, and are...

u16982964.ct.sendgrid.net

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Seeing powder spilled on their nice press always makes me feel better about running into similar issues myself.

 

[Grundy53]

Seeing powder spilled on their nice press always makes me feel better about running into similar issues myself.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

 

[Juan_ID]

77 TMK ammo back in stock.

Stand 1 Armory RCP 223 77gr Sierra Tipped Match King (TMK) - Stand 1 Armory

Stand 1 Armory 223 77gr Sierra TMK 77g Sierra Tipped Match King (long-range precision): These polymer tipped 77g Sierra TMK bullets buck the wind very well and produce extremely consistent results at distances out to one mile. These are the best long-range 223 bullets on the market, and are...

u16982964.ct.sendgrid.net

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Code “welcome” gives you 5% off

 

[Fartrell Cluggins]

SMKs shoot as well or better than TMKs in every rifle I own. Performance in tissue is inconstent.

How many have you put into tissue? What kind of damage to tissue when they didn't perform well?

 

[FLS]

Not exactly sure, I’ve shot a bunch of deer on nuisance permits with a lot of different rifles. Guesstimate is 15-20 with the SMKs. They either expand violently or pencil thru. Most worked fine and the deer piled up quickly. The ones that didn’t, the deer went a ways even after being hit in the vitals. I’ve shot 10 times that with 64 grain power points. They worked great. None ever went more than a few yards. Shot a few with 75 ELDMs and they work really well. Lots of damage and deer piled up quick. I shot a coyote with my 16” AR and a 77 smk last week at about 100 yds in the field beside my house. Shot was quartering to and he went down in a heap.