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

[FB Trout]

That's interesting to compare what the 77TMK did at 2,070 to what the 75ELDM @ ~ 2,560 did on my moose. I'm sure that varies quite a bit for both of them but the 77TMK is an amazingly destructive little bullet.

Yes it is. It really alters the paradigm of what I was taught regarding bullet construction and performance.

 

[JGRaider]

Thank you, I continue to be amazed at how destructive that bullet is. I love it.

Seriously, what's to love about a bullet explosion like that? Other than killing the animal, I'd want no part of on game performance like that.

 

[Deere_Man]

Seriously, what's to love about a bullet explosion like that? Other than killing the animal, I'd want no part of on game performance like that.

It checks a lot of boxes. A proven track record for lethality, good penetration, available as a component and as factory ammo, fits in an AR magazine and by default an OEM Tikka T3 magazine, decent ballistic coefficient, and it holds together fairly well. Is it perfect? No, probably not. A 75gr ELDM may be somewhat better in some aspects. But that won’t fit in the magazine.

 

[JGRaider]

You call that "holding together fairly well"? Looks like an explosion from the pics.

 

[Deere_Man]

You call that "holding together fairly well"? Looks like an explosion from the pics.

The rear half seems to hold together and the jacket oftentimes stays tight to the lead core. But yes, it is an angry little thing.

 

[Thegman]

Seriously, what's to love about a bullet explosion like that? Other than killing the animal, I'd want no part of on game performance like that.

That's fair enough, not everyone wants the same thing from a bullet. The 77TMK in general really does leave a very large bloodshot area, but if one's preferred shot is through ribs/lungs-heart, it may look ugly, but it's not destroying much if any meat in the process.

Like @Formidilosus said some time ago, we've gone from the 223/77TMK isn't enough to the 223/77TMK is too much. I guess that's progress.

I did appreciate how, in my sample of one anyway, that the 75ELDM drove through really well, did more than enough terminal damage but not much bloodshot beyond its path. Probably not as lethal as a 77TMK, but seems lethal enough(??).

 

[FB Trout]

Seriously, what's to love about a bullet explosion like that? Other than killing the animal, I'd want no part of on game performance like that.

As noted above, it is a destructive bullet, but does hold together relatively well, with the back half driving through. Yes, there is bloodshot on both sides of the ribcage, but I have seen the same destruction from most cup and core bullets, regardless of caliber. It is readily available, easy to tune and shoot, and can be delivered in a package that is so very shootable and one that my sons and I had built great confidence around. I have used other .224 caliber bullets, including Fusions, 80 ELD-x/m and the 88 ELDm, as well as some .224 Nosler Partitions. They all work, and one just has to choose how much fragmentation and resulting wound cavity one is comfortable with. May not be the choice for everyone....

 

[FB Trout]

That's fair enough, not everyone wants the same thing from a bullet. The 77TMK in general really does leave a very large bloodshot area, but if one's preferred shot is through ribs/lungs-heart, it may look ugly, but it's not destroying much if any meat in the process.

Like @Formidilosus said some time ago, we've gone from the 223/77TMK isn't enough to the 223/77TMK is too much. I guess that's progress.

I did appreciate how, in my sample of one anyway, that the 75ELDM drove through really well, did more than enough terminal damage but not much bloodshot beyond its path. Probably not as lethal as a 77TMK, but seems lethal enough(??).

I haven't shot the 75 ELDm much, but have the 80 ELDm and 80 ELDx and have noticed the same thing, at least at .223 velocities, they are not quite as destructive as the 77 TMK.