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

Levi300wm

FNG
Joined
Sep 20, 2023
Messages
6
Pressure signs on an AR will manifest very much like overgassing, i.e. brass ejecting at 12-3 o'clock, the bolt cycling "too fast" and not picking up a round or locking back on the last round.
As for crimping, I don't crimp any of my AR loads. If you plan on mag feeding and not shooting a bunch of times, maybe put a light crimp on it, but if you are shooting, a crimp isn't necessary, IMO.
Final thing about running heavies in ARs. Look at windowing a couple of your magazines. It will allow you to load longer and get the most performance out of those heavy bullets and your AR.
can you explain what you mean by "mag feeding" and "if im shooting no crimp necessary"? these will be shot only for hunting and anything else will be just "plinking ammo" so i have no issues modifying my hunting magazine
 

FCCDerek

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 15, 2020
Messages
170
Location
North Idaho
Anyone have experience with 88s at 16" 223 type velocities, whatever those might be?

I've only tried a couple of loads with 2000MR and velocity was only 2,450ish. I would think it could do somewhat better than that, but maybe not much at 2.318", which is long as I can go without windowing my AR mags.
Thats moving for an 88 in a 223 with that short of a barrel. They would work just fine so long as your barrel is fast enough to stabilize them at that speed and you kept the impact inside its velocity window.
 
Joined
Jan 27, 2022
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1,263
can you explain what you mean by "mag feeding" and "if im shooting no crimp necessary"? these will be shot only for hunting and anything else will be just "plinking ammo" so i have no issues modifying my hunting magazine

What I meant by that is chambering a round from the magazine, but not actually shooting it. Such as is done with a lot of hunting ARs. Load the first round from the mag into the chamber, don't see anything, so you don't shoot it. At the end of the day you remove the round from the chamber, load it back into the top of the magazine and then repeat the next day.
Cycling ammo that way may cause the bullet to get pushed deeper into the case, or have it slide out into the lands, either of which may cause pressure issues. Crimping can prevent that. Since I don't crimp, the way that I avoid this when hunting with my ARs is to not put that round back into the mag if it was chambered.
If you are loading ammo that will get loaded into a magazine and then shot right away, no need to crimp.
 

Thegman

WKR
Joined
Nov 21, 2015
Messages
702
What I meant by that is chambering a round from the magazine, but not actually shooting it. Such as is done with a lot of hunting ARs. Load the first round from the mag into the chamber, don't see anything, so you don't shoot it. At the end of the day you remove the round from the chamber, load it back into the top of the magazine and then repeat the next day.
Cycling ammo that way may cause the bullet to get pushed deeper into the case, or have it slide out into the lands, either of which may cause pressure issues. Crimping can prevent that. Since I don't crimp, the way that I avoid this when hunting with my ARs is to not put that round back into the mag if it was chambered.
If you are loading ammo that will get loaded into a magazine and then shot right away, no need to crimp.
When hunting with a gasser, I chamber the top round by hand for the same reason. They can get pretty beat up cycling them multiple times from the magazine without being fired.
 

The Guide

WKR
Joined
Aug 20, 2023
Messages
899
Location
Montana
Has anyone used 77gr TMK's in the 22 creed?
That question might be better asked in this thread.

Jay


 

Poe

FNG
Joined
Aug 20, 2024
Messages
43
Something’s should remain quiet.
I have been reading through this thread but it’s going to take awhile before I get all the way. It seems you have a lot of experience with both 22 cal and 6mm’s. I currently have rifles chambered for both but I’m looking at picking up another one with a faster twist to shoot heavier for cal bullets. In your opinion would I be better off going with a .223 or going with a fast twist .243 or 6 creed. It will be an everyday truck gun and get used for everything from varmints to coyotes and shooting steel. I may do some deer hunting with it also.
 

atmat

WKR
Joined
Jun 10, 2022
Messages
3,192
Location
Colorado
I have been reading through this thread but it’s going to take awhile before I get all the way. It seems you have a lot of experience with both 22 cal and 6mm’s. I currently have rifles chambered for both but I’m looking at picking up another one with a faster twist to shoot heavier for cal bullets. In your opinion would I be better off going with a .223 or going with a fast twist .243 or 6 creed. It will be an everyday truck gun and get used for everything from varmints to coyotes and shooting steel. I may do some deer hunting with it also.
Do you, or will you, hunt in a caliber-restricted state?
 

Formidilosus

Super Moderator
Shoot2HuntU
Joined
Oct 22, 2014
Messages
10,065
I have been reading through this thread but it’s going to take awhile before I get all the way. It seems you have a lot of experience with both 22 cal and 6mm’s. I currently have rifles chambered for both but I’m looking at picking up another one with a faster twist to shoot heavier for cal bullets. In your opinion would I be better off going with a .223 or going with a fast twist .243 or 6 creed. It will be an everyday truck gun and get used for everything from varmints to coyotes and shooting steel. I may do some deer hunting with it also.

A fast twist 223.
 

3one5

FNG
Joined
Aug 3, 2024
Messages
13
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 plan to hunt with mine in November, I'll let you know ;)
 

Camv

FNG
Joined
Aug 27, 2024
Messages
10
New guy here,
I read the entire 415 pages :)
I was taking notes but don't have anything written down about a 75 eldm recipe?
Unfortunately in northern bc the only heavy grain bullet available around is the 75gr eldm. The tmk is unobtainable

Is anyone willing to share a recipe?
I'd like to pm pharmseller but am not able.
 

ztc92

WKR
Joined
May 8, 2022
Messages
352
New guy here,
I read the entire 415 pages :)
I was taking notes but don't have anything written down about a 75 eldm recipe?
Unfortunately in northern bc the only heavy grain bullet available around is the 75gr eldm. The tmk is unobtainable

Is anyone willing to share a recipe?
I'd like to pm pharmseller but am not able.

No personal experience with the 75 ELDM (yet) but I did get curious after you mentioned it and found a few other threads that may help…



 
OP
P

PNWGATOR

WKR
Shoot2HuntU
Joined
Oct 14, 2014
Messages
2,743
Location
USA
New guy here,
I read the entire 415 pages :)
I was taking notes but don't have anything written down about a 75 eldm recipe?
Unfortunately in northern bc the only heavy grain bullet available around is the 75gr eldm. The tmk is unobtainable

Is anyone willing to share a recipe?
I'd like to pm pharmseller but am not able.
TMKs are available.

Don’t give up!
 
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