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

Swfa 6x
1x PPU brass
24.0 of TAC
CCI small rifle
Book COAL

I’m a lazy loader, and subscribe to the concept that either the gun shoots or it doesnt

Had ~1.5”results with factory black hills and bone frog TMK’s, and some hand loaded 55gr soft points.
400 or 450 primers?
 
Forgive me for probably asking a question that was covered here, I've tried searching this thread for impact velocity and shot placement on deer. Just a lot of bloodshot and crazy tissue damage so I'm hoping by running the 77 TMK at a milder velocity for the relatively close distance shots I encounter, that it will tune down the grenade effect.

1. Is the 77tmk @ impact velocity btwn 2400-2150fps going to be too destructive if I aim high shoulder? Or should I just stick with a double lung type of shot? I want a DRT shot, hunting in thick brush and heavily wooded area with a couple of clear cuts that go out to 600yds.

So far, I've killed half a dozen whitetail with a 150gr SST from a 308 and with a 123gr SST from a 6.5 Grendel. Frankly, the 6.5 Grendel was more impressive from a wounding perspective. And I had a better idea of what happened after I pulled the trigger. So that opened my eyes on my misconception that 30 cal or bigger made things extra dead. Looking forward to bringing my mk12 wannabe to deer camp this year :)
 
1. Is the 77tmk @ impact velocity btwn 2400-2150fps going to be too destructive if I aim high shoulder? Or should I just stick with a double lung type of shot? I want a DRT shot, hunting in thick brush and heavily wooded area with a couple of clear cuts that go out to 600yds.
If you want DRT then high shoulder is a better bet than double lung regardless of bullet.
 
Forgive me for probably asking a question that was covered here, I've tried searching this thread for impact velocity and shot placement on deer. Just a lot of bloodshot and crazy tissue damage so I'm hoping by running the 77 TMK at a milder velocity for the relatively close distance shots I encounter, that it will tune down the grenade effect.

1. Is the 77tmk @ impact velocity btwn 2400-2150fps going to be too destructive if I aim high shoulder? Or should I just stick with a double lung type of shot? I want a DRT shot, hunting in thick brush and heavily wooded area with a couple of clear cuts that go out to 600yds.

So far, I've killed half a dozen whitetail with a 150gr SST from a 308 and with a 123gr SST from a 6.5 Grendel. Frankly, the 6.5 Grendel was more impressive from a wounding perspective. And I had a better idea of what happened after I pulled the trigger. So that opened my eyes on my misconception that 30 cal or bigger made things extra dead. Looking forward to bringing my mk12 wannabe to deer camp this year :)
It’s been posted before, but here’s the high shoulder vs Hilum/hilar shot placement. Both great for what you are asking for.

The graphic came straight from my daughters hunters ed course last summer:
IMG_0575.jpeg
 
1. Is the 77tmk @ impact velocity btwn 2400-2150fps going to be too destructive if I aim high shoulder? Or should I just stick with a double lung type of shot? I want a DRT shot, hunting in thick brush and heavily wooded area with a couple of clear cuts that go out to 600yds.

I don’t think they are too destructive at that range. Using a 16” barrel will slow them down a bit.
 
It’s been posted before, but here’s the high shoulder vs Hilum/hilar shot placement. Both great for what you are asking for.

The graphic came straight from my daughters hunters ed course last summer:
View attachment 1067151
The bottom x in this pic is the off switch for sure. Stone dead with any round.
 
Thanks gents. Didn’t need the daughters hunter Ed’s course reference, haha. I might be a Marine, but we’re not all Neanderthals. ;)

I’ve made both shots and prefer high shoulder. I don’t doubt the bullet will punch through, just wasn’t sure if it would fragment too much if it encounters more bone vs just lung tissue. I guess I gotta stop thinking this is a big vmax bullet.
 
Thanks gents. Didn’t need the daughters hunter Ed’s course reference, haha. I might be a Marine, but we’re not all Neanderthals. ;)

I’ve made both shots and prefer high shoulder. I don’t doubt the bullet will punch through, just wasn’t sure if it would fragment too much if it encounters more bone vs just lung tissue. I guess I gotta stop thinking this is a big vmax bullet.
All to the good my man.
No insult intended.
I just like pictures that make complicated stuff easy to understand.
 
I guess I gotta stop thinking this is a big vmax bullet.

Definitely not! Best description I’ve heard is to imagine taking a coke can and pushing it through the animal from entrance to exit wound. Penetration is usually 15+ inches if memory serves from prior posts, which is like having 3 coke cans stacked the long way as your wound channel.

If you hit bone, things may be much more dramatic but still just as deadly!
 
Intesting discussion (i did not read all) but nobody ever mentions that the whole point is to use ar 15 with several shots
If you got them, then use them. It's not needed everytime but given the option, more holes be more betta; regardless of cartridge. unless the animal drops immediately, im going to assume i made a bad shot. Shit happens. Backup shot increases my odds of recovery.
 
Intesting discussion (i did not read all) but nobody ever mentions that the whole point is to use ar 15 with several shots
Living North of the border, I didn’t get much time to kill stuff with an AR15 “variant” (IYKYK), but the stuff I did kill with mag fed 77 TMK’s didn’t give me enough time to shoot “several shots” before it was done and dead on the ground.


Although, I guess I could have shot them when they were laying there so that I got the full 223 AR experience…..
 
Living North of the border, I didn’t get much time to kill stuff with an AR15 “variant” (IYKYK), but the stuff I did kill with mag fed 77 TMK’s didn’t give me enough time to shoot “several shots” before it was done and dead on the ground.


Although, I guess I could have shot them when they were laying there so that I got the full 223 AR experience…..

In 1994 I shot a big 5x5 bull while he was on the ground. I thought he was gonna get up.
 
In today's day and age, if you don't have an AR of some sort, you're just blind to what all is going on. From rock chucks to apparently elk... Every man should have at least 1 accurate .223 AR in their arsenal. I hate the question if you could only have one... but one bullet, one cartridge and one rifle... I can't think of a better option for me.
 
In today's day and age, if you don't have an AR of some sort, you're just blind to what all is going on. From rock chucks to apparently elk... Every man should have at least 1 accurate .223 AR in their arsenal. I hate the question if you could only have one... but one bullet, one cartridge and one rifle... I can't think of a better option for me.

The AR-15 is over rated. Everyone knows if you can only have one, a Tikka T3X 223 1:8 is basically the only way to fly….that is, if you don’t already have a Ruger American in 5.56!
 
Back
Top