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

[FB Trout]

Has anyone worked up a load for the 80 grain ELDX and planning to use them this year?

I have a load worked up with a Tikka .223 18.5" barrel with the 80 ELDX,
Starline brass, CCI 450 primer, 24.5 gr Varget and COAL ~2.42" (that's off the top of my head on the COAL, may be a bit longer, but I am using Ascension Industries mags that allow loading out to that length). The load is crunchy. I have the same load worked up for 80 ELDM as well, and they shoot to a very similar POA. I am planning on using them on elk and deer this year.

 

[AKPH]

guys.... if the TMK is a discreet killer !

A mature bull Elk is kind of out of his league under perfect conditions.... or no other rifle around.... then its not even legal !!!!

 

[sierracharlie338]

 

[DB29]

I have a load worked up with a Tikka .223 18.5" barrel with the 80 ELDX,
Starline brass, CCI 450 primer, 24.5 gr Varget and COAL ~2.42" (that's off the top of my head on the COAL, may be a bit longer, but I am using Ascension Industries mags that allow loading out to that length). The load is crunchy. I have the same load worked up for 80 ELDM as well, and they shoot to a very similar POA. I am planning on using them on elk and deer this year.

At what COAL do you get into the lands? Mine seems to max out at 2.41”.

 

[tedmroyer]

I have always wondered about this.

Decades ago, I had a rifle scope fail when checking zero as soon as we got to the hunt. We were all shooting 30-06s and 300 win mags but another hunter lent me his backup 222 and said is would work fine if I shoot well placed shots. With this beautiful but puny little rifle, I shot a walking deer through the lungs and he ran about 50 yards and fell over dead. No exit wound, no bullet or bullet pieces found, but lungs on this animal were vaporized. But whenever I have told this story, I have been immeditately told it was an unethical shot and that I was just very lucky.

I have a 6.5 Grendel in the Howa mini action that loves the 123 gr ELD-M Hornady BLACK. So now the question: Within the range that is above say 1900 ft per second impact velocity, do you guys think I can ethically use (assuming of course, well placed shots) with this on Elk?

I apologize for asking this after 400 pages of this forum, but I don't shoot a lot of big animals.

 

[atmat]

I have always wondered about this.

Decades ago, I had a rifle scope fail when checking zero as soon as we got to the hunt. We were all shooting 30-06s and 300 win mags but another hunter lent me his backup 222 and said is would work fine if I shoot well placed shots. With this beautiful but puny little rifle, I shot a walking deer through the lungs and he ran about 50 yards and fell over dead. No exit wound, no bullet or bullet pieces found, but lungs on this animal were vaporized. But whenever I have told this story, I have been immeditately told it was an unethical shot and that I was just very lucky.

I have a 6.5 Grendel in the Howa mini action that loves the 123 gr ELD-M Hornady BLACK. So now the question: Within the range that is above say 1900 ft per second impact velocity, do you guys think I can ethically use (assuming of course, well placed shots) with this on Elk?

I apologize for asking this after 400 pages of this forum, but I don't shoot a lot of big animals.

Yes.

 

[Ozarkansas]

I have always wondered about this.

Decades ago, I had a rifle scope fail when checking zero as soon as we got to the hunt. We were all shooting 30-06s and 300 win mags but another hunter lent me his backup 222 and said is would work fine if I shoot well placed shots. With this beautiful but puny little rifle, I shot a walking deer through the lungs and he ran about 50 yards and fell over dead. No exit wound, no bullet or bullet pieces found, but lungs on this animal were vaporized. But whenever I have told this story, I have been immeditately told it was an unethical shot and that I was just very lucky.

I have a 6.5 Grendel in the Howa mini action that loves the 123 gr ELD-M Hornady BLACK. So now the question: Within the range that is above say 1900 ft per second impact velocity, do you guys think I can ethically use (assuming of course, well placed shots) with this on Elk?

I apologize for asking this after 400 pages of this forum, but I don't shoot a lot of big animals.

I have no firsthand experience on elk but quite a few guys on the 65grendel forum have used it on elk. Having seen what it will do to deer I’d have no concerns shooting an elk with one within appropriate range

 

[HandgunHTR]

I have a 6.5 Grendel in the Howa mini action that loves the 123 gr ELD-M Hornady BLACK. So now the question: Within the range that is above say 1900 ft per second impact velocity, do you guys think I can ethically use (assuming of course, well placed shots) with this on Elk?

I have taken multiple Axis deer and watched an Eland fall to the Grendel. Yes it will kill an elk.

 

[FB Trout]

At what COAL do you get into the lands? Mine seems to max out at 2.41”.

I actually just checked the COAL and they are at 2.44”, and I’m still around 0.010-0.020” off the lands. This barrel has 2-3k rounds though it, so it may have a bit of throat erosion, allowing the longer COAL.

 

[FB Trout]

I have always wondered about this.

Decades ago, I had a rifle scope fail when checking zero as soon as we got to the hunt. We were all shooting 30-06s and 300 win mags but another hunter lent me his backup 222 and said is would work fine if I shoot well placed shots. With this beautiful but puny little rifle, I shot a walking deer through the lungs and he ran about 50 yards and fell over dead. No exit wound, no bullet or bullet pieces found, but lungs on this animal were vaporized. But whenever I have told this story, I have been immeditately told it was an unethical shot and that I was just very lucky.

I have a 6.5 Grendel in the Howa mini action that loves the 123 gr ELD-M Hornady BLACK. So now the question: Within the range that is above say 1900 ft per second impact velocity, do you guys think I can ethically use (assuming of course, well placed shots) with this on Elk?

I apologize for asking this after 400 pages of this forum, but I don't shoot a lot of big animals.

Yes, it will hammer elk.

 

[Thegman]

you guys are going to love this

“”
PROPOSAL 11
5 AAC 92.085. Unlawful methods of taking big game; exceptions.
Establish a minimum caliber rifle to be used to harvest moose in Unit 18 as follows:
Restrict the use of centerfire and rimfire rifles .224 caliber and smaller and require a minimum of
.243 or 6 mm caliber centerfire rifles for the harvest of moose in Unit 18.
What is the issue you would like the board to address and why? Many moose are killed every
year and not harvested as a result of a lack of regulation requiring a minimum caliber rifle to be
allowed for harvest of moose in Unit 18. Moose and the number of moose killed need to be
accurately communicated, especially in areas that close upon a predetermined quota.
Unfortunately, moose are shot with rifles and ammo that are inadequate to kill them.
Moose are one of the largest North American big game species. A common rifle to hunt moose in
Unit 18 is the .223 Remington. It is true that centerfire 22 caliber rifles like the .223 and even
smaller can effectively kill moose depending on shot placement. Unfortunately, with the high
number of variables, perfect shot placement is not a guarantee every time a trigger is pulled, and
often can end in a dead and unharvested moose. Because of this, the true number of moose killed
is higher than what is reported at harvest, thus negatively impacting the number of moose that can
be harvested for subsistence purposes. In addition, this is an ethical problem too. Many times, if a
moose is shot with a .223 or smaller rifle, the moose will not fall where it was shot, but rather run
off. It is not unusual to harvest moose that have been previously shot with .223 caliber rifles. These
moose often cannot be harvested, since large portions are infected and abscessed. Another common
situation is moose shot in the jaw by hunters attempting head shots with .223. Moose hit in the jaw
by smaller caliber centerfire rifles can appear unharmed leaving the hunter to think they simply
missed, when in reality, the moose travels a great distance shot in the jaw, left to starve, unable to
chew its food. Finally, one of the most common uses of the .223 and other centerfire 22 caliber
rifles and smaller in North America is predator/varmint hunting. As a result, a majority of the
ammo loaded commercially for .223 and sold in Unit 18 use hollow point or other fragmenting
ballistic tip bullets, none of which are made for the deep bone breaking penetration needed to
effectively kill moose. Rather, ballistic tip and hollow point bullets so commonly loaded for the
.223 are designed to penetrate and explode inside the body of the coyote, fox or other
predator/varmint targeted. Frequently, when these types of bullets are used for big game, especially
moose, the targeted animal is maimed by a bullet that comes apart before getting adequate
penetration to effectively kill the moose.


Did this pass or get postponed?

Is this GMU 18 Alaska?

 

[mt100gr.]

guys.... if the TMK is a discreet killer !

A mature bull Elk is kind of out of his league under perfect conditions.... or no other rifle around.... then its not even legal !!!!

The bull elk is out of his own league?? And it isn't carrying a rifle?? And it's mature, but under the legal age?? For drinking or driving?? Sorry, your post leaves me wondering a lot....

 

[grappling_hook]

Is this GMU 18 Alaska?

Yes.
But it's an older proposal. https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/regulations/regprocess/gameboard/pdfs/2019-2020/proposals/11.pdf

 

[E.Shell]

Well, now I've done it...ordered 500 77 TMKs from Brownells this morning per this thread:

https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/77tmk-in-stock.371417/#post-3771383

 

[Billogna]

Well, now I've done it...ordered 500 77 TMKs from Brownells this morning per this thread:

https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/77tmk-in-stock.371417/#post-3771383

Welcome to the Dark Slide!!!

 

[bhylton]

This was all balled up under the hide on the off side of my deer from this weekend. 88 Grain ELDM at 63 yd starting out at 3250 from a 22 Creed. Wasn't as impressed from the first shot. Right behind the shoulder I would have thought it took out heart and lungs. Definitely would have been fatal. deer went maybe 40 yards and bedded down. Talked with @Formidilosus and we concluded that when he bedded it sealed the chest cavity enough to let him keep breathing. He would have died pretty quickly but within a few minutes I got to where I could see him again and put another one in him. That's the one we're looking at in this picture.
View attachment 752304

This shows the entry from the first shot. Didn't open up the chest cavity to see what it looked like.

View attachment 752313

Was that exit picture from the first shot? I would have expected an 88 impacting over 3k would have been a pure blood bath. Certainly would not think bedding down could close up the kind of wound I would expect. How are you feeling about the 88 now?

 

[ra3043]

FYI just saw 77 tmk in stock at midway!!

Sierra Tipped MatchKing 22 Cal (224 Diameter) Bullets 77 Grain Polymer

MatchKing rifle bullets are super-accurate bullets with very thin jackets and are held to exacting tolerances in diameter and weight. Their accuracy has...

www.midwayusa.com

 

[Old Dog]

guys.... if the TMK is a discreet killer !

A mature bull Elk is kind of out of his league under perfect conditions.... or no other rifle around.... then its not even legal !!!!

Are you high? This makes no sense.

 

[fwafwow]

Are you high? This makes no sense.

I think he's here for the classifieds

 

[PsRpOiGrRiAtM]

FYI just saw 77 tmk in stock at midway!!

Sierra Tipped MatchKing 22 Cal (224 Diameter) Bullets 77 Grain Polymer

MatchKing rifle bullets are super-accurate bullets with very thin jackets and are held to exacting tolerances in diameter and weight. Their accuracy has...

www.midwayusa.com

They got me for 200. MUSA0824 gets you 20% off, FYI