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

[LimeSpoon]

All good to use CCI magnum primers, for cup strength, if running this through ARs?

CCI450s have worked fine for me with 5.56 62 gr using CFE223. If I wanted the best 77 gr TMK handloads possible I’d personally pay the fee for 41s but 450s seem to be adequate for function in reasonably fast loadings.

 

[BOLIO]

More data. Tikka 1in8 22-250 with 77 TMK. Caught it a couple of inches below and rear of the ear. Shot was a little less than 100 yards. She just laid down.

No exit but the soup it made between her ears was effective.

I am happy I found this thread. I am researching a 16” 223/5.56 bolt. My AR15 does not like the 77 for some reason.

 

[77TMK]

I gonna make a wild claim here. The 77 TMK also kills coyotes pretty well lol

Been my experience too but I wouldn’t do it if saving pelts. Front shoulder oblique to me and exited rear side rather dramatically. Was throwing head around so it got one in the chest after it had spun around. Another one the new calves don’t have to deal with.

 

[Schmo]

I want to experiment with the 75 ELD. A fair BC gain over the TMK, and faster velocity because of less bearing surface.

 

[6creed]

View attachment 959556My tikka likes 53 vmax just as much as 73 grain eld-m. 10 shot group in the middle. Top left is factory nosler lead free.

What power are you using for the 53 vmax? I tried that bullet with the XBR and it was 2moa plus. Thanks

 

[Formidilosus]

All good to use CCI magnum primers, for cup strength, if running this through ARs?

I believe it would be fine.

 

[Gstew1930]

Been my experience too but I wouldn’t do it if saving pelts. Front shoulder oblique to me and exited rear side rather dramatically. Was throwing head around so it got one in the chest after it had spun around. Another one the new calves don’t have to deal with.
View attachment 959590

Pelt seems fine. Just a couple of stitches lol

 

[SloppyJ]

Mature doe taken by my son yesterday with his 16" Tikka. 223 shooting 77tmks. She was quartering to us and he made a great shot at 80yds (he's 8yo). Absolutely no blood and she ran about 50yds. No exit. This was behind the shoulder he shot through.

 

[Hardly_Hangin]

4th 223 data point for me, whitetail buck i shot last night with speer gold dots. Im 4 for 4 on kills, 2 for 4 on exit holes. Kind of a mystery what exactly happened but i got stupid lucky and found him.

First shot was at last light ~15 yards away. He was on a scrape and i had to shoot through some leaves and must have hit a limb and my bullet deflected way back just in front of the ham (luckily no meat damage). He was sligtly quartered away but this is a crazy poa vs poi shift. Gun is zeroed and the second shot went where it was suppose to. Who knows. Guts were exploded big time and super ripe after sitting all night but i just had to look in his chest to investigate the second hole. You people have turned me into a forensics freak.

He ran about 40 yards and wheeled right. I managed to stop him with a wistle and had a narrow window to put another one in him (big woohoo for quick follow up shots!) steeply quartered away. I have no idea how, but it looks like the bullet entered the hide and zipped up towards the shoulder while fragmenting, then tucked behind shoulder and barely punched into the rib cage and had a few fragments get into the lungs. Bullet was recovered and is shown below. Wild. I cant understand how that big ole chunk of retained mass got caught but them little bitty fragments made it through.



No blood last night, so i came back this morning. No idea total distance or time on his feet but he must have circled back during the night after I left. I guess the good Lord let him die about 10 yards behind my stand just so i could find him Cant believe the coyotes or bears didnt get him.

 

[RockAndSage]

View attachment 959902

Man, this thing petaled out like a pistol round, and still held to together like that? Pretty impressive, especially at 15 or 40yds.