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

My son and daughter both filled doe tags on the Montana youth season. My son used my 223 with the BH 77tmk at 230 yards. He had second shot (sister had first since he already got first chance on antelope) and took the 2nd doe when she stood after sister shot the first with her Tikka 6.5CM (Hornady Outfitter 120 CX). Shooting down on them feeding below us she hit high shoulder and exited low shoulder. Dropped at the shot. He hit the 2nd doe hard quartering to us, just in front of shoulder through heart, through lungs, through liver, into paunch, caught on far side belly skin after breaking a soft rib.

Low doe 6.5CM, upper doe 223.
20231020_165227.jpg

The 6.5CM did more carcass damage than the 223 did and the 77tmk did more internal damage than the 120 CX did. The hole through the lungs on the 6.5CM deer was small and the heart was undamaged even though it was just inches from the wound channel. Might have to change her out of that ammo and into another load that works spot on in that gun the Berger factory 156 6.5CM.

Jay
 
chamois said:
It is a break open single shot made by Blaser, their K95 model. Single shots like this are popular in Europe for stalking, mostly in Central Europe in countries like Germany and Austria where they refer to them as "kipplaufs".
They are light, and accurate, and barrels for different cartridges are fully interchangeable. Their overall length is far shorter than any bolt rifle since they save the length of the action.
Broken down they will fit in a backpack, leaving your hands free, and will fit in a small hardcase, making them very convenient when travelling with them.
I almost don't use any other guns when stalking.
Click to expand...
If anyone else is interested in seeing this rifle, check out some of @THLR's recent videos.
 
My daughter harvested her first deer tonight. A good doe. Shot was 30 yards and she ran maybe 25 yards. This was the most impressive damage I’ve seen yet from the 77 tmk. Wrecked the heart and lungs. 2800 fps from my 20” AR suppressed. A great youth setup.
ce3f0a6631bf0949d228150c4f440ac7.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
jadkins223 said:
My daughter harvested her first deer tonight. A good doe. Shot was 30 yards and she ran maybe 25 yards. This was the most impressive damage I’ve seen yet from the 77 tmk. Wrecked the heart and lungs. 2800 fps from my 20” AR suppressed. A great youth setup.
ce3f0a6631bf0949d228150c4f440ac7.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
GREAT setup for anyone, regardless of age or experience!!!!!!

Well done!!!!
 
Finally have some tmk’s in route, I will figure out a rifle after hunting seasons slow down, I hate doing anything but hunting my free time this time of year, but I can shop for reloading supplies in the meantime 😏

Have lots of loaded ammo to get brass and will probably get a few hundred loaded tmk’s as I find them to have in hand… when I do finally get a rifle in hand, lion season will be open and I’ll be trying hard to test out the new toy
 
I don’t remember if this has been discussed before in this thread. I was looking at some of my black hills 77 TMK and noticed it has a cannelure and that my box of 77TMK loose bullets do not.

Is there any difference in terminal ballistics from the cannelure?

Does it have any effect on BC?

If it has no effect, why would they add an extra manufacturing step?

I also noticed the same difference with Hornady frontier 75 BTHP.
IMG_0403.jpeg
Ryan
 
Simply a guess but I'd imagine they added the extra step as you put it for reliability in detachable box magazine fed guns. The crimp will hold the bullet in place under recoil as well as neutralize the forward inertia of the bullet as an automatic bolt slams the cartridge into battery.

I shoot both the cannelured and non cannelured 77smk and I do not notice a difference. My long range where im at though is 300-400yds.
The shape of the tmk cannelure though is arrowhead shaped and it is on the ogive of the bullet it appears so it must effect BC at some range but again my guess is no significant difference.

Edited to add: I dont crimp any of my 77gr smk with or without a cannelure.
 
Last edited:
If I remember correctly black hills originally wanted the cannelure on Sierra 77 OTM for the military, and Sierra did not want to do it, thinking it would affect accuracy, but apparently it does not.
 
chamois said:
My experience with the 80gr ELDM is limited but his behaviour is quite similar to their 75gr. If I were to establish a difference between the two I would say the 80gr penetrates more with less damage than the 75gr.
Muzzle speeds in my 5,6x50R are 2,840 and 2,930.
77gr TMK penetrates as much and with more damage.
View attachment 616093
Here is a Chamois I shot with it last week in the French Alps. Distance was 250 meters ca. 275 yds. Bullet passed through biting the rear section of both scapulas. It did not touch the spine and the Chamois was dead before reaching the ground.
Click to expand...
Waidmannsheil!
Is that an original Blaser 5,6x50R barrel or are you using a custom barrel?
The caliber was suddenly more interesting if i can reload heavier bullets than the factory options...
 
THLR said:
Waidmannsheil!
Is that an original Blaser 5,6x50R barrel or are you using a custom barrel?
The caliber was suddenly more interesting if i can reload heavier bullets than the factory options...
Click to expand...
Waidmannsdank! 🌿

It is a custom barrel made with a 1:8" twist by Bix'n Andy in Austria.

Blaser's original is 1:12" if memory serves, unable to stabilize projectiles like these.

Here is my second Alpine chamois of this season, also taken with the 80gr ELDM at 390 meters ca. 430 yds.

cga2_2023.jpg
 
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