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

[mt terry d]

https://www.harborfreight.com/sanding-drum-kit-20-piece-60741.html

 

[dreamingWest]

I really can't say enough about the .223 with 77 TMK. I'm sure it's already been covered and a pretty obvious choice, but add Mountain Lion to the thread title.

My hunt got a little exciting when the lion decided to jump out of the tree when the humans arrived. I was using my Rokslide Special with a Trijicon Accupoint 1-6 Green Triangle. I got the lion in my scope (3X) as it started to jump, but too late for an ethical shot. After screaming right through us, it headed for the rock cliffs where it may have had a chance. The dogs gave chase and we scrambled to keep up.

We spotted the lion again on the run and my guide yelled "you have two seconds to shoot!". Referring to a) the amount of time he predicted before the dogs were too close, or b) the amount of time the lion would make it to a possible escape point. Luckily for me, there just happened to be a perfectly placed tree stump that even had a v-notch for my rifle. I shot the lion at about 120 yards. It rolled forward, DRT. A very exciting and unexpected ending to my first mountain lion hunt. I love having a such an effective and shootable platform for big game hunting!

 

[The Harbor Master]

I really can't say enough about the .223 with 77 TMK. I'm sure it's already been covered and a pretty obvious choice, but add Mountain Lion to the thread title.

My hunt got a little exciting when the lion decided to jump out of the tree when the humans arrived. I was using my Rokslide Special with a Trijicon Accupoint 1-6 Green Triangle. I got the lion in my scope (3X) as it started to jump, but too late for an ethical shot. After screaming right through us, it headed for the rock cliffs where it may have had a chance. The dogs gave chase and we scrambled to keep up.

We spotted the lion again on the run and my guide yelled "you have two seconds to shoot!". Referring to a) the amount of time he predicted before the dogs were too close, or b) the amount of time the lion would make it to a possible escape point. Luckily for me, there just happened to be a perfectly placed tree stump that even had a v-notch for my rifle. I shot the lion at about 120 yards. It rolled forward, DRT. A very exciting and unexpected ending to my first mountain lion hunt. I love having a such an effective and shootable platform for big game hunting!

Whoa, that's awesome! Congrats on the cat.

 

[The Harbor Master]

My first time shooting a TMK today, from Bone Frog... these shoot even better in my Tikka than the 73gr ELDm does (which usually groups 1" to 1.2" for 10rds). Very pleased, and the zero is very close to the frontier 75 BTHP (which shot 1.3" for 10rds) so I can practice without burning up my TMK supply.

No chrono yet, looking at published numbers I'd guess getting about 2500-2550fps from 18"BBL.

 

[omicron1792]

My first time shooting a TMK today, from Bone Frog... these shoot even better in my Tikka than the 73gr ELDm does (which usually groups 1" to 1.2" for 10rds). Very pleased, and the zero is very close to the frontier 75 BTHP (which shot 1.3" for 10rds) so I can practice without burning up my TMK supply.

No chrono yet, looking at published numbers I'd guess getting about 2500-2550fps from 18"BBL.

Great shooting. You might be getting a smidge faster than that.

 

[ks.snow]

Posting this here as my separate threads getting berried and I may have better luck.

Looking at getting some training ammo for my tikka .223 when it comes in. Since I’m in Canada some of the other options for bulk ammo listed on the forum aren’t available to me. Looking for opinions on what you would start with - i will likely try my best to grab a box of each to see what works best out of my tikka, but would like some insights if anyone has used the ammo or options others are using.

PMC X-Tac - 5.56 62 Gr LAP Green-Tip - 3100 FPS - $.65/rd
PMC X-Tac - .223 77 Gr OTM (match) - 2790 FPS - $1.50/rd
Federal Tactical - .223 64gr Hi-Shok SP - 3050 FPS - $.97/rd
PPU - .223 62 hr FMJBT - 3042 FPS - $1.1/rd
PPU Match - .223 69 Gr HPBT - 2854 FPS - $1.3/rd
Sekkuer & Bellot - .223 69 Gr HPBT - 3300 FPS - $1.34/rd

There are other options around 55gr, but mostly same ammo brand, although a hornady custom FMJBT for $1.1/rd - i tried to stay close to 69 Gr given that’s what they recommend for the S2H course (not registered for any currently, just using that info as a basis).

Preference would be to use the X-Tac 5.56 at $.65/rd, but if it would be detrimental to shooting development, then i would go for something else.

 

[The Harbor Master]

Posting this here as my separate threads getting berried and I may have better luck.

Looking at getting some training ammo for my tikka .223 when it comes in. Since I’m in Canada some of the other options for bulk ammo listed on the forum aren’t available to me. Looking for opinions on what you would start with - i will likely try my best to grab a box of each to see what works best out of my tikka, but would like some insights if anyone has used the ammo or options others are using.

PMC X-Tac - 5.56 62 Gr LAP Green-Tip - 3100 FPS - $.65/rd
PMC X-Tac - .223 77 Gr OTM (match) - 2790 FPS - $1.50/rd
Federal Tactical - .223 64gr Hi-Shok SP - 3050 FPS - $.97/rd
PPU - .223 62 hr FMJBT - 3042 FPS - $1.1/rd
PPU Match - .223 69 Gr HPBT - 2854 FPS - $1.3/rd
Sekkuer & Bellot - .223 69 Gr HPBT - 3300 FPS - $1.34/rd

There are other options around 55gr, but mostly same ammo brand, although a hornady custom FMJBT for $1.1/rd - i tried to stay close to 69 Gr given that’s what they recommend for the S2H course (not registered for any currently, just using that info as a basis).

Preference would be to use the X-Tac 5.56 at $.65/rd, but if it would be detrimental to shooting development, then i would go for something else.

It's far from the best, but the cheapest around me is PMC Bronze 55gr, which shoots about 2.5 to 3 inch groups... but it can be had locally for $7.99 (USD).

A lot of guys recommend the ADI Blitzking stuff, I have not tried them myself but if you can track those down it sounds like it's worth trying.