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

I've been using the 73s for prs thinking the 75s wouldn't work due the 9 twist barrel but after a few tries they seem to do okay. 1moa at 200 going 2850 means I have my pick now of those 2 and the tmk. Still haven't tested the 77 or 69tmk for accuracy yet
 
Mideerhunter said:
Hey guys, do you see any difference between 73 and 75 eld-m other than a 2 grain difference?
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In my opinion the 75 is better suited to a rifle with a longer throat and longer mag length. I used them seated long in a wylde chamber with modified Aics mags and they shot great, that particular barrel hated 77tmks so I tried the 75eldm. In my factory tikka barrels I prefer the 73s if using eldms, but if using Aics mags then the 75s still seem to work ok. I can’t comment about any differences on game so far.
 
Took this bruiser with an 18” AR-15 hand loaded with 77 tmk @ 2750fps. Shot was @ 250yds broadside with a tree branch across vitals so I went with a neck/shoulder junction shot. He was a very big bodied buck. He face planted on the shot and tried to get back up from what little I could see. He was in/behind a small pocket of small pines on the edge of a burn. We gave him some time before we headed over while I tried to talk my daughter into taking the small fork that kept hanging around but she was holding out for bigger. She almost got a nice big 3x3 next day with the same .223 but took a little too long to find him in her scope(accidentally had power cranked too high) but wound up taking a slightly bigger fork with her 6.5 Grendel loaded with 130 tmk a week later. Both that guy and her cow elk killed with the same bullet were 1 shot and traveled less then 40yds each. .223 is not legal for elk here and she just prefers her Grendel. Turned out my buck killed with the 77 tmk dropped and kicked a little but basically died in his tracks. No tracking job and no entrance or exit wound that we could find but you could feel the jelly under the hide. Somehow still took out the front of the lungs with the shot being that far forward. These bullets really are magic I guess! Impact should have been just under 2300. My biggest buck to date @ 26” wide.

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Jesseb said:
Took this bruiser with an 18” AR-15 hand loaded with 77 tmk @ 2750fps. Shot was @ 250yds broadside with a tree branch across vitals so I went with a neck/shoulder junction shot. He was a very big bodied buck. He face planted on the shot and tried to get back up from what little I could see. He was in/behind a small pocket of small pines on the edge of a burn. We gave him some time before we headed over while I tried to talk my daughter into taking the small fork that kept hanging around but she was holding out for bigger. She almost got a nice big 3x3 next day with the same .223 but took a little too long to find him in her scope(accidentally had power cranked too high) but wound up taking a slightly bigger fork with her 6.5 Grendel loaded with 130 tmk a week later. Both that guy and her cow elk killed with the same bullet were 1 shot and traveled less then 40yds each. .223 is not legal for elk here and she just prefers her Grendel. Turned out my buck killed with the 77 tmk dropped and kicked a little but basically died in his tracks. No tracking job and no entrance or exit wound that we could find but you could feel the jelly under the hide. Somehow still took out the front of the lungs with the shot being that far forward. These bullets really are magic I guess! Impact should have been just under 2300. My biggest buck to date @ 26” wide.

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Wow father of the year award right there!
 
Brontosaurus said:
Wow father of the year award right there!
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Ya, except the part where I stole that buck from the younger one on the right! She was first up using my tag on Oregons mentored youth program. I glassed him and a couple other bucks a little over a mile up the ridge. We were planning to head up after them for the evening but a little before noon they got bumped by a couple other guys and came barreling down the ridge right to us. They stopped @ 148yds and he and another big 3x4 locked antlers while I was trying to get her on the gun on the shooting sticks. She buck fevered really bad! Knees shaking and fumbling with the gun real bad. I was trying to calm her down and finally they looked up at us and bolted. They ran down into the creek bottom below then headed up the next hill side and started turning back. I knew it was too far to let them shoot standing off sticks and I couldn’t let him get away so I took him. At least they got to be there for it and help with the pack out. The younger one decided right then and there she don’t like back country hunting!! That was her first hunt and she says her last! My older daughter is 13 and has taken 2 elk and a buck and is addicted!
 
BLJ said:
I would greatly appreciate your opinion on the Field Stock. Especially forearm flex. You can PM if you prefer. Thanks.
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I like the MDT stock overall, very comfortable and natural fitting and easy to adjust to fit. forearm flax isn't too bad it will flex a bit just torquing with my hand but the barrel has plenty of room to not contact. using a bipod is no issue and it plenty rigid for shooting from field positions.
 
Levi300wm said:
I like the MDT stock overall, very comfortable and natural fitting and easy to adjust to fit. forearm flax isn't too bad it will flex a bit just torquing with my hand but the barrel has plenty of room to not contact. using a bipod is no issue and it plenty rigid for shooting from field positions.
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No issue with a bipod and field positions is what I wanted to hear. Thanks
 
Is there any significant drawback to the 73g ELD-M? I was planning on using it for a mule deer hunt. Reviewing this and a couple other threads, I’ve seen a lot of people say it works well and it seems to be most popular with whitetail hunters, but it’s also viewed as a step below the 77 TMK. Is this just because the 73g ELD-M exits less frequently? Are folks using it on larger game successfully?

I normally use a .308, but I’ve gotten really into shooting my .223. It’s a little more accurate from the bench, lighter and I shoot it better. Just want to make sure I’m not making a poor bullet choice with it.
 
rdp123 said:
Is there any significant drawback to the 73g ELD-M? I was planning on using it for a mule deer hunt. Reviewing this and a couple other threads, I’ve seen a lot of people say it works well and it seems to be most popular with whitetail hunters, but it’s also viewed as a step below the 77 TMK. Is this just because the 73g ELD-M exits less frequently? Are folks using it on larger game successfully?

I normally use a .308, but I’ve gotten really into shooting my .223. It’s a little more accurate from the bench, lighter and I shoot it better. Just want to make sure I’m not making a poor bullet choice with it.
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I believe the general consensus is that it works great just not as much penetration as the 77tmk. I also believe there is someone on this thread that used the 73gr for moose so you should be good to go for Mule deer
 
rdp123 said:
Is there any significant drawback to the 73g ELD-M? I was planning on using it for a mule deer hunt. Reviewing this and a couple other threads, I’ve seen a lot of people say it works well and it seems to be most popular with whitetail hunters, but it’s also viewed as a step below the 77 TMK. Is this just because the 73g ELD-M exits less frequently? Are folks using it on larger game successfully?

I normally use a .308, but I’ve gotten really into shooting my .223. It’s a little more accurate from the bench, lighter and I shoot it better. Just want to make sure I’m not making a poor bullet choice with it.
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Not at all, they are readily available and very accurate. If you are loading at AR mag length they are a good pick, I would never feel handicapped using a 73eldm. I would buy the 77tmk if they were available if not I would load 73s and go hunting.
 
After spending time with some influential individuals over the past year, I drank the rokslide Kool aid, built a .223 rokslide special and it quickly became my favorite rifle to shoot. I found some 77 TMK's, developed a load, and got it ready for hunting this fall.

Picture below shows an antelope shot at 210 yards (2400 fps). The lungs were soup and it was a gamechanger to watch the shot impact with a minimal recoil of a suppressed 223. It walked 30 yards and dropped without any drama. Similar damage if not more than a 175gr ABLR at 400 yards from a 7 mag (2260 fps) on a bull elk two weeks later (no pics, it was late while quartering it and this is a .223 thread after all).

I'll definitely be hunting more with this combination in the future, thanks to everyone who's contributing in this thread.
 

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Kids filled their MT antelope tags opening weekend. Tikka T3X .223 Black Hills factory TMK 77gr. Maven RS 1.2 with SilencerCo Scythe Ti can. 12 year old sons shot was 390 yards off tripod kneeling. One shot high shoulder and it did the death jump and piled up. 15 year old daughters shot was the next day. 340 yards, same rifle off bipod prone. One shot into vitals and it was done. So far we have 2 whitetail does and two pronghorn bucks all one shot kills with the TMK 77 gr. It has become all of our favorite rifle combo to shoot.

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Dust Rider said:
Kids filled their MT antelope tags opening weekend. Tikka T3X .223 Black Hills factory TMK 77gr. Maven RS 1.2 with SilencerCo Scythe Ti can. 12 year old sons shot was 390 yards off tripod kneeling. One shot high shoulder and it did the death jump and piled up. 15 year old daughters shot was the next day. 340 yards, same rifle off bipod prone. One shot into vitals and it was done. So far we have 2 whitetail does and two pronghorn bucks all one shot kills with the TMK 77 gr. It has become all of our favorite rifle combo to shoot.

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WELL done!
 
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