Hell I’ll send you mine as a “loaner”! It doesn’t have a trijicon or swfa but the new maven 1.2 and it’s short, 16.5”
.223 for bear, mountain goat, deer, elk, and moose.
- Thread starter PNWGATOR
- Start date
If you’re willing to film a bit and take good necropsy photos, I’ll send you my 16” suppressor ready Tikka 223 stainless with Maven RS1.2.
It’s got the generic stock but I’ll eventually toss a Rokstock on it.
All this pending dates of your hunt and not interfering with an Idaho elk hunt I have lined in Oct. When is your hunt?
Edit: Looks like @Juan_ID made the same offer with virtually the same gun haha. We’re twinsies.
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I have other rifles I plan to use this fall so no conflicts there. Let’s do it!
I had an Siii 10-50 fall of the bench directly onto the bell, directly on concrete. Bent the tube and ruined the scope- 100% my fault (at least for setting it that close the edge, I’m not taking credit for the minor earthquake that put it on the ground).
They didn’t cover it, but they offered to sell me a new model deeply discounted (like sub $500 deeply discounted). Other than that event, they’ve been solid for me. Not a hunting rig, but it gets a lot of use. No wandering zero issues and tracks well.
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That will be pretty damned cool if it works out.
Luke S
Lil-Rokslider
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2019
Okay here would be the plan for a brown/grizzly bear this spring. I'm heavily involved with Cross Trail Outfitters which is basically a Christian mentoring program for young men via hunting and fishing trips. They do some great work if anyone is interested in helping out or sending a kid on a trip.
https://www.friendsofcto.org/state-giving/alaska
Last year the boys shot three black bears.
So if we see a bear there is a very high chance that I won't be the shooter. More then likely I'll have a 12-14 year old boy shooting first with me as backup. So to be honest, we'll try for a grizzly but if I have a 13 year old on his first hunt I'm not going to say "no" to a black bear that is right there to wait for a grizzly that might not show up.
Here is our basic plan for whole spring to fall hunting season
May - We put out bear baits in a couple locations (for later in June). Depending on snow levels we hope to backpack hunting in the mountains. This is fun hunting. The Kenia is one destination. I might or might not try a more remote hunt with another guy, probably an adult trip that would be a bit too crazy for kids.
June - I'll be sitting on bear baits with the CTO boys pretty much every weekend. Almost a sure thing we kill some black bears. Grizzlies tend to be less consistent but we might get a shot at one.
July - Sort of a slow month but we might go hiking in the mountains to explore for bears and scout new moose hunting areas.
August - Bears start eating berries in the mountains and they don't tend to roam as far. We almost had a grizzly this way last fall but he gave us the slip. We did get a black bear and two other friends of mine got bears.
September - This is more up in the air. Berry bears are still easy to hunt (not counting the hike up the mountain) but its moose season too. If I have time we do a 10 day moose hunt in an area that often has grizzlies. If we don't have that much time we'll do weekend trips focused on spot and stack bears on berries. Its more of a black bear area but if there are grizzlies they tend to be doing the same thing (eating berries). We'd definitely chase a grizzly if we saw one.
So there is the plan if someone wants to loan us a rifle for a part of that period we'd do our best to bloody it with as many species as possible with a priority on a grizzly kill. I usually film our hunts so I could get the autopsy on video too.
A 16 inch barrel would be perfect because I'd probably stick a suppressor on it. As far as stocks I like the normal stock just fine. I'd actually prefer NOT to have a special ROkstock on it because its the part most likely to be damaged in shipping or broken if a boy takes a fall, steep places we hunt.
Actually if no one objected I might stick a compact stock on there for our smaller guys.
https://www.friendsofcto.org/state-giving/alaska
Last year the boys shot three black bears.
So if we see a bear there is a very high chance that I won't be the shooter. More then likely I'll have a 12-14 year old boy shooting first with me as backup. So to be honest, we'll try for a grizzly but if I have a 13 year old on his first hunt I'm not going to say "no" to a black bear that is right there to wait for a grizzly that might not show up.
Here is our basic plan for whole spring to fall hunting season
May - We put out bear baits in a couple locations (for later in June). Depending on snow levels we hope to backpack hunting in the mountains. This is fun hunting. The Kenia is one destination. I might or might not try a more remote hunt with another guy, probably an adult trip that would be a bit too crazy for kids.
June - I'll be sitting on bear baits with the CTO boys pretty much every weekend. Almost a sure thing we kill some black bears. Grizzlies tend to be less consistent but we might get a shot at one.
July - Sort of a slow month but we might go hiking in the mountains to explore for bears and scout new moose hunting areas.
August - Bears start eating berries in the mountains and they don't tend to roam as far. We almost had a grizzly this way last fall but he gave us the slip. We did get a black bear and two other friends of mine got bears.
September - This is more up in the air. Berry bears are still easy to hunt (not counting the hike up the mountain) but its moose season too. If I have time we do a 10 day moose hunt in an area that often has grizzlies. If we don't have that much time we'll do weekend trips focused on spot and stack bears on berries. Its more of a black bear area but if there are grizzlies they tend to be doing the same thing (eating berries). We'd definitely chase a grizzly if we saw one.
So there is the plan if someone wants to loan us a rifle for a part of that period we'd do our best to bloody it with as many species as possible with a priority on a grizzly kill. I usually film our hunts so I could get the autopsy on video too.
A 16 inch barrel would be perfect because I'd probably stick a suppressor on it. As far as stocks I like the normal stock just fine. I'd actually prefer NOT to have a special ROkstock on it because its the part most likely to be damaged in shipping or broken if a boy takes a fall, steep places we hunt.
Actually if no one objected I might stick a compact stock on there for our smaller guys.
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Good company. It's hard to ask for any more than that for something that wasn't their fault.
Correct me if i am wrong. But it looks like the consensus is a 77gr TMK is GTG on game. I know the TMK is a Sierra. But is there a particular brand or type of ammo you guys are using? Or as long as it is actual 77gr Sierra TMK in a quality load it is GTG?
I have a T3x in 6.5 Creedmoor that i am happy to use for longer range or larger game. But have a nice handy 16" Geissele AR that i would like to use for shorter range, faster fallow ups and when a short compact rifle is nice. Mostly thinking deer and hogs.
I was talking to a friend the other night and the possibility of going to a frinds ranch in Texas for hogs and axis deer came up. I was thinking a handy 16" AR would be nice if I can find the right ammo.
I have a T3x in 6.5 Creedmoor that i am happy to use for longer range or larger game. But have a nice handy 16" Geissele AR that i would like to use for shorter range, faster fallow ups and when a short compact rifle is nice. Mostly thinking deer and hogs.
I was talking to a friend the other night and the possibility of going to a frinds ranch in Texas for hogs and axis deer came up. I was thinking a handy 16" AR would be nice if I can find the right ammo.
Veloci_Wrench
Lil-Rokslider
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2022
Not to be mean, but if you have read enough of this thread, then your questions would already be answered.
It’s all about the projectile and the impact velocity. Your 16” AR with the 77 TMK is good out to 400 yards on all NA big game. Find a load that your gun shoots well, and buy a lot of it. You really only need your creedmoor if there are caliber restrictions in your state.
Sending a PM.
grappling_hook
WKR
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2019
- Location
- Alaska
I'm also down for coastal brown bear with the AR/77gr TMK this year. Didn't run across one deer hunting in brown bear country last fall, but I'll be poking around this spring for black and brown bears specifically. Maybe 2024 will bring a handful of brown/grizzly bears downed with the 77 TMK to this thread.
zdc1775
FNG
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2023
Awesome that you've found a rifle to take hunting for bear this year.
However I would advise against the ultra-ultralight AR. I run tactical rifle and pistol courses as my side-gig and I have seen way too many reliability issues with the super ultra rifle that have came to the classes. Some of those have been minor, like failure to feed or light strikes, but quite a few have been major, like BCG's bulging or cracking and gas blocks blowing out.
But don't let that complete dissuade you, you can easily build a reliable AR that falls right around 5ish pounds.
wind gypsy
WKR
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2014
Stand 1, Black hills, and AAC all load the 77 TMK in factory ammunition.
PM sent on this.
Hope you and the boys can come across some brownies. I have a M77 in .223 that I might take when we hit the beaches this spring. I just need to get ahold of some loaded TMK's first. I have a few hundred TMK bullets and powders out the wazoo but havent actually jumped into reloading yet with 2 kids in diapers... time is limited.
I looked into the youth program you attached a link for pretty cool stuff
Don’t know if you’ve looked into it, but to my knowledge some of the older 77’s had a slower twist.Hope you and the boys can come across some brownies. I have a M77 in .223 that I might take when we hit the beaches this spring. I just need to get ahold of some loaded TMK's first. I have a few hundred TMK bullets and powders out the wazoo but havent actually jumped into reloading yet with 2 kids in diapers... time is limited.
I looked into the youth program you attached a link for pretty cool stuff
From your post it’s not clear whether you were intending to use the 77’s or 69’s.
Maybe difficult to stabilize the 77’ in anything other than 1/8 twist.
Something to consider.
sierracharlie338
WKR
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2023
- Location
- Houston (adjacent) TX
Good point I honestly havent touched that gun in at least 5 years. I have several ARs that are 1/8 and 1/7 that could do the trick. There is also a Sprtsmans close that has a T3X in stock too.
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