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

[Nomosendero]

From the sound and pictures, I think I'd like what the TMK does starting around 2600 fps or so much more where its less splashy.

If you are hunting in the woods or if you can choose the yardage where is animal is standing, yes.
I would rather load faster and go for the part of the vitals where "spashy" doesn't matter, I almost always can in the woods. Then at distance I will have the remaining velocity to get the job done!

 

[Igloo]

Yeah it fits your needs or it doesn't. At 300 yards its still doing fine if it starts at 2600 fps and thats several times farther out than woods range

Don't care beyond that at all. Someone else may.

Thats why I said for me, and didn't speak for everyone.

 

[Butcher8]

For a couple years I shot crop damage with a 223. Sierra gameking worked decent. As stated above vitals are very important. I did mainly head shots. Obviously not my first choice for hunting. My 308 is my go to

I also dropped a 225 lbs black bear with it. Head shot. From a blind over bait

That was a savage 12fvss with a 26” barrel

 

[Tahr]

Here's another perspective. 60 grn Hammer Hunter at 175 yards. This is purely collecting meat for a charity.
I have another .223 that is sighted in for the 77TMK.

Goat with same at 145 yards

 

[Igloo]

Almost like shooting things in the spine drops em right there or something

Nice shooting

 

[BLJ]

From the sound and pictures, I think I'd like what the TMK does starting around 2600 fps or so much more where its less splashy.

2562 FPS muzzle velocity. Impact about 65 yards and ran around 40 (or really close to that).

1) Heart and lungs.
2) Chest cavity
3) Entrance
4) Exit

I’m at 1800 around 415. It’s a very effective load for where I hunt.

Thought you might want some visuals from around that velocity.

 

[Igloo]

2562 FPS muzzle velocity. Impact about 65 yards and ran around 40 (or really close to that).

1) Heart and lungs.
2) Chest cavity
3) Exit
4) Entrance.

I’m at 1800 around 415. It’s a very effective load for where I hunt.

Thought you might want some visuals from around that velocity.

View attachment 717023View attachment 717024View attachment 717025View attachment 717026

Awesome, thank you I appreciate it!

 

[omicron1792]

@Formidilosus. Have you used any cutting edge raptors, Maximus, or any hammer bullets?

 

[mtnwrunner]

Out at our annual week long rockchuck safari. Confirmed shots so far from 230 to 516 yards.
The 77 tmks are wrecking havoc.......

Randy

 

[Nomosendero]

Sure looks like fun!
It is amazing that the 77TMK has great expansion for Varmints yet good penetration for Big Game, a do it all bullet!

 

[Unclecroc]

As well, you can certainly kill deer with 45-55gr varmint bullets. Put them in the ribs and they die without fuss.

I shoot a 53 vmax on groundhogs with my 22-250. Rarely do they exit 8-10 pound pigs under 250 yards with a muzzle velocity of 3650fps.
I’m not discrediting what youre saying but I would like to see pictures of carcasses and internals when hit with 45-55gr class varmint bullets in the ribs.
Does anyone here have on game experience with this?

 

[S-3 ranch]

I’m not gonna read the whole book here the post is just to long

But I would say that a Barnes 62 tsx would be better than a tmk
“
When everything goes right a 223 or a bow works. When things go wrong is where there problem comes in. Using a bullet that the manufacturer doesn't even recommend as a bullet to hunt with, well I think that just might be another thing that could go wrong. There are lots of bullets designed to hunt with, why depend on one that isn't.””

 

[ResearchinStuff]

No.

 

[eric1115]

I’m not gonna read the whole book here the post is just to long

But I would say that a Barnes 62 tsx would be better than a tmk
“
When everything goes right a 223 or a bow works. When things go wrong is where there problem comes in. Using a bullet that the manufacturer doesn't even recommend as a bullet to hunt with, well I think that just might be another thing that could go wrong. There are lots of bullets designed to hunt with, why depend on one that isn't.””

Because (and this is why everyone says to read the thread) it's been demonstrated over and over and over to produce consistently better wound channels than the .223 "hunting bullets"

 

[Axlrod]

I’m not gonna read the whole book here the post is just to long

But I would say that a Barnes 62 tsx would be better than a tmk
“
When everything goes right a 223 or a bow works. When things go wrong is where there problem comes in. Using a bullet that the manufacturer doesn't even recommend as a bullet to hunt with, well I think that just might be another thing that could go wrong. There are lots of bullets designed to hunt with, why depend on one that isn't.””

You are probably not serious, but I will humor you. The Barnes will work, but produce a much smaller wound cavity. Have you used both the 62 TSX and the 77 TMK on game? Why do you say the TSX is better?

The finest killing bullet I have ever seen is a Berger 215 Hybrid Target, that the manufacturer doesn't recommend for hunting.

How are bullets designed for hunting? Berger didn't "design" any hunting bullets. They took their target bullets and started putting them in boxes marked "hunting". This according to Berger, was from the many reports from hunters using their target bullets with great success hunting.

 

[ElPollo]

I’m not gonna read the whole book here the post is just to long

But I would say that a Barnes 62 tsx would be better than a tmk
“
When everything goes right a 223 or a bow works. When things go wrong is where there problem comes in. Using a bullet that the manufacturer doesn't even recommend as a bullet to hunt with, well I think that just might be another thing that could go wrong. There are lots of bullets designed to hunt with, why depend on one that isn't.””

At least you started out by stating that you were sharing an opinion without bothering to consult the information presented and were honest about thinking it wasn’t worth your time to do so. It seems there is a steady stream of people who express similar sentiments. Those who take some time to do some reading generally learn something and their opinions tend to change.

 

[S-3 ranch]

At least you started out by stating that you were sharing an opinion without bothering to consult the information presented and were honest about thinking it wasn’t worth your time to do so. It seems there is a steady stream of people who express similar sentiments. Those who take some time to do some reading generally learn something and their opinions tend to change.

No I have read various parts of the post , but the sheer volume makes it difficult to ring out useful information, it really doesn’t help that my .223 is a old
1:12 twist and can’t stabilize a oversized heavy for caliber bullets
But I have tried to glean from this one

 

[Shō[t]gun]

I’m not gonna read the whole book here the post is just to long

But I would say that a Barnes 62 tsx would be better than a tmk
“
When everything goes right a 223 or a bow works. When things go wrong is where there problem comes in. Using a bullet that the manufacturer doesn't even recommend as a bullet to hunt with, well I think that just might be another thing that could go wrong. There are lots of bullets designed to hunt with, why depend on one that isn't.””

And what about a bullet that loses effective velocity at 300y is better? (3k fps, 2k min expansion velocity, .223 rem)

 

[Thegman]

I’m not gonna read the whole book here the post is just to long

But I would say that a Barnes 62 tsx would be better than a tmk
“
When everything goes right a 223 or a bow works. When things go wrong is where there problem comes in. Using a bullet that the manufacturer doesn't even recommend as a bullet to hunt with, well I think that just might be another thing that could go wrong. There are lots of bullets designed to hunt with, why depend on one that isn't.””

 

[ElPollo]

No I have read various parts of the post , but the sheer volume makes it difficult to ring out useful information, it really doesn’t help that my .223 is a old
1:12 twist and can’t stabilize a oversized heavy for caliber bullets
But I have tried to glean from this one

Agree that this thread is prohibitively long. I’d suggest using the guide at the beginning and high grading. You would get most of what you need from reading the first few pages and then searching through and looking at the wound channel pics. The heavy TMKs and ELDMs out of a fast twist really are a different critter. You can get wound channels that are pint glass diameter or better that still have 12-18” of penetration. I’ve shot a lot of Barnes monos on game in much larger calibers and I never saw that kind of damage.