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

[C_chats_choots]

That's absolutely smoking. Long barrel and some magic pixie dust(rl26)?

Yeah that was talking about post count like someone else said. If I was getting 3700fps, I’d be selling them things at a very high premium .


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[C_chats_choots]

That makes two of us. Bought a 22 creed earlier this year and absolutely love shooting it!

I have a 7prc that I am seriously considering selling and then getting a 6 creed. It’s a lightweight rifle and that 7 just bucks so much it’s not much fun to shoot more than about 10-20 rounds.


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The two things stopping me is that I just need to see the effectiveness of the 77gr TMK for myself first, and the money I’d get from selling the win mag I have won’t go that far for the bougie gun I want to build. Might as well keep the dang thing lol.


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[Thegman]

The two things stopping me is that I just need to see the effectiveness of the 77gr TMK for myself first, and the money I’d get from selling the win mag I have won’t go that far for the bougie gun I want to build. Might as well keep the dang thing lol.


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That's probably a good idea. Your 300 seems to work well for you.

Better to keep it around at least until you mess with the 223 for awhile. The 77TMK will definitely kill well, but so does your 300 WM.

 

[Broomd]

I’m not a big magnum guy, but the odds I took a .223 elk hunting (even with say 88grainers) is about zero percent...I elk hunt big roadless broken wilderness...have no interest in watching a big bull take its death run down to the bottom of a hell hole if a larger cartridge would improve my odds of putting him down right there.

Still the best response here after all of this .......

 

[Deere_Man]

Still the best response here after all of this .......

I’m not sure if I would use a 223 for elk either. But for deer and black bear it seems to work well. Some pretty experienced hunters who post on here have had good elk outcomes with 223, 22-250, 22 ARC, and 22 Creedmoor.

 

[_MountainBum]

Still the best response here after all of this .......

 

[C_chats_choots]

That's probably a good idea. Your 300 seems to work well for you.

Better to keep it around at least until you mess with the 223 for awhile. The 77TMK will definitely kill well, but so does your 300 WM.

The 300 Win Mag will probably stay around, but be limited use. I got a few more things I’d like to do to it to make it more shootable. It’s a CZ550, so it’s a nice factory rifle, but not necessarily worth enough to fund another setup.


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[77TMK]

Like walking into a restaurant and going around telling people who are eating that you just don’t want to eat there, then walking out like that’s normal behavior.

 

[fauxarms]

First post for me I do believe. I have been in and out of this thread for the last few years but have not read all 500+ pages. For the last three years I have been using .223/5.56 on depredation hunts and have seen all sorts of damage on dozens of whitetail. I run either a 14.5" or 18" gas gun and ranges are usually within 250 at night with the longest 350 or so during the day. Almost never are they within 100 yards. I have been using the 70 grain Barnes TSX almost exclusively as of late. Especially at night I can't afford to have the deer run any distance across property lines nor do I want to track something thru soybeans or a neighbors yard. Most of the time I will have someone with me and their shot placement is often so-so.

Rear ham was a doe at about 20 yards who stepped out and was quartering to while we were walking a woodbine. Buddy took the shot and it was effective, but eye-opening at this close range. Bullet traveled back about 10" and then grenades the rear ham.

Front shoulder is more typical and why I try to hit closer to the neck junction if I can to save meat. Rarely will I have an exit wound regardless with this round. Usually the other shoulder will be fine.

 

[fauxarms]

Here is a typical front shoulder hit, just ahead of scapula. Entrance wound is small and there will be immediate damage as the round hits bone/whatever.

 

[Thegman]

First post for me I do believe. I have been in and out of this thread for the last few years but have not read all 500+ pages. For the last three years I have been using .223/5.56 on depredation hunts and have seen all sorts of damage on dozens of whitetail. I run either a 14.5" or 18" gas gun and ranges are usually within 250 at night with the longest 350 or so during the day. Almost never are they within 100 yards. I have been using the 70 grain Barnes TSX almost exclusively as of late. Especially at night I can't afford to have the deer run any distance across property lines nor do I want to track something thru soybeans or a neighbors yard. Most of the time I will have someone with me and their shot placement is often so-so.

Rear ham was a doe at about 20 yards who stepped out and was quartering to while we were walking a woodbine. Buddy took the shot and it was effective, but eye-opening at this close range. Bullet traveled back about 10" and then grenades the rear ham.

Front shoulder is more typical and why I try to hit closer to the neck junction if I can to save meat. Rarely will I have an exit wound regardless with this round. Usually the other shoulder will be fine.

Surprising to me that a 70 TSX doesn't generally exit.

 

[Broomd]

I’m not sure if I would use a 223 for elk either. But for deer and black bear it seems to work well. Some pretty experienced hunters who post on here have had good elk outcomes with 223, 22-250, 22 ARC, and 22 Creedmoor.

Good for them, and the inexperienced elk hunters might fare better with a round a bit more worthy of that body mass and toughness. Just because one can doesn't mean one should. There is a reason it isn't legal in some places.
And btw, we agree, a proper .223 round on many deer and black bears would be one and done. But an early evening shot around here that doesn't anchor an animal means lost meat to thickly wooded country full of coyotes.

 

[mt terry d]

There is a reason it isn't legal in some places.

What exactly is that reason?

 

[Thegman]

What exactly is that reason?

And, what's the reason it is legal in other areas?

 

[ericmcd]

What exactly is that reason?

And, what's the reason it is legal in other areas?

Well the places you can't use em are thick so you need "knock down power" of course. /s

 

[Big_wals]

But an early evening shot around here that doesn't anchor an animal means lost meat to thickly wooded country full of coyotes.

By “anchor”, I assume you mean dropped in its tracks upon impact. What cartridge and bullet combo are you using that will “anchor” an animal 100% of the time? Obviously not counting spine/head shots, as even a .22 lr will drop an elk with a headshot.

 

[wind gypsy]

All you folks must not be hunting where there is thick cover and coyotes. Can't believe i didn't consider that.

 

[huntsd]

View attachment 946697My new 1:8” tikka shoots AAC like this. I don’t think it’s a stabilization issue because some handloaded UM 77 tore a ragged hole there on the left. These are all 20 shot groups. Probably 90 plus degrees and high humidity in central/coastal Texas

whats a UM 77?

 

[Formidilosus]

Surprising to me that a 70 TSX doesn't generally exit.

The 70gr TSX is relatively unique in the mono world. It was not designed for max penetration. Very common to catch them on the offside.

 

[43.6N]

I finally get to contribute to this groundbreaking thread! Or rather, my daughter gets to contribute.

Tikka t3x 223 with an LS wild 18” 223 wylde barrel.
KRG Bravo.
AB a10 556 can.
Swfa 3-9

Shooting 80gr eldm over 24.5gr Varget. Lapua brass. 2750fps.

My 11 year old daughter’s first deer hunt with her own tag. I was just praying for her to have a good experience….
Rain started at midnight.
We woke up and glassed a small herd of does 800yds from camp. They were in a spot where we would need to loop around a small hilltop to get into position. It would require bushwhacking through soaking wet alders.

We started hiking, got into the spot we had planned after about an hour.

Saw the group feeding at 300yds. Worked to a small crest and set up the shot. Dialed 0.6mil elevation. She had her scope set to 6x. She picked out the doe she wanted and waited until she turned broadside.

I’m on the binoculars ready to help if she needs it.
She Fired a single shot. She has a suppressor, so I hear the hiss from the suppressor, and then a spit second later the thwack of the bullet hitting the doe.
Doe drops, then cartwheels, and dies 10yds from where my daughter shot her. Less then 30 seconds from start to finish. The rest of the herd just stands around on alert, but not sure what to make of the commotion.

My girl stayed locked in on the deer through the scope while the gun recoiled. No flinch at all.
Then she coolly racked the bolt and was ready for a follow up shot, that was never needed. All that practice payed off.

Final distance ended up about 230-240yds. The heart and lungs were jelly. Lung tissue poking out. Impact velocity about 2300. When I pulled the shoulder off, there was about 2” hole in the onside rib cage. Mult broken ribs.
Offside rib cage also had 2” hole.

No pictures of the wounds since we were literally butchering the deer in a mountaintop hurricane. Snow came in during the pack out.

My 11year old daughter was feeling wet and getting down on herself. But she dug deep, persevered, had success, and is now so proud of what she accomplished! She was all smiles on the drive back.