Am I over thinking this?

[kooch]

I'll admit, some of this is simply a reason to change for the fun of it.

 

[elkguide]

I'll admit, some of this is simply a reason to change for the fun of it.

"How many more guns do you need?"
The answer is very simple....... "Just ONE more!"

 

[RockAndSage]

I'll have to look at this cartridge some more. The Fudd in me is skeptical of the 22s, despite the proof on that thread and what I've seen them do to a man. Old ways and "what dad taught me" are tough to overcome.

For sure. The issue for me when I first got on here and saw all of this, was what the limitations were with these small cartridges. I've seen .220 Swift and .22-250 smoke big game animals since I was a little kid, but when I got on here and saw people doing .223 it caused some hesitations. I knew the round could do it "just fine"...but how far out? On just how big of an animal?

Dig into that post, and you'll see an elk killed at something like 740 yards with a .223. That put the issue to rest for me, especially given that the wound photos are in there too - with witnesses to the shot. Because that's also 2x my ethical distances as a competent shooter - it'll kill anything I'd hunt, at distances 2x I'll take a shot at. Also, IIRC, there's at least one polar bear and/or a brown bear killed with .223 in that thread. And moose.

Bullet selection matters a lot, and the tipped match bullets seem to do the best. Especially Sierra's Tipped Match King bullets. But at least one of those bears was killed with an FMJ.

Something to keep in mind with all this, is that there's a virtuous cycle that happens with the smaller cartridges, esp .223: less recoil means you shoot it better in general (less recoil, less muzzle blast, less flinch/anticipation), and it means you shoot more per session comfortably. It also means you can shoot it in odd field-realistic positions easier. The more you shoot per session, the better you get, and faster - and that makes you want to shoot it more. Cheap ammo makes you want to shoot it more too. So you shoot it more often, and more per session. And you're challenging yourself even more, with smaller targets, field-expedient positions, faster shot times, etc. Next thing you know, you can thread a needle with that gun in ways you just couldn't with a heavier-recoiling gun, and are just far better as a shooter.

All of that tends to get lost in the discussion - the virtuous cycle, and its compounding effects.

 

[BCDJR]

Thanks again guys. I'm going to hunt with the .270 this Fall and get going on this rifle after I unload a few safe queens to make space and raise some funds!

If it all works out I'll pick up a twin rifle for the Mrs once the new rifle is sorted, probably in a different color so we can tell them apart.

You can have a muzzle break put on your .270 and try it.

 

[kooch]

Pencil thin barrel so it'd require some sort of adapter.

 

[TaperPin]

In your shoes I wouldn’t hesitate to get a 243 and call it good.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

Here you go OP, $630 minus a $75 rebate. 243 1:8 twist.

https://www.eurooptic.com/jrtxe315-tikka-tikka-t3x-lite-243-win-syn-224--barrel-mpn-jr

 

[kooch]

Here you go OP, $630 minus a $75 rebate. 243 1:8 twist.

https://www.eurooptic.com/jrtxe315-tikka-tikka-t3x-lite-243-win-syn-224--barrel-mpn-jr

Too soon!!! Thanks though. I'm not broke, but I need to thin the herd some before I get a new pet. I'm going to get rid of a couple that I just don't use. At that price, I could get a .223 AND a .243.

 

[MolokoMan]

Go for a 6 creedmoor. I would look into the Seekins PH3 personally. What a great brand and gun. They are a little pricey around $1.8k I think. Worth it in my opinion.

 

[CMF]

I ended up going 6.5cm for my last kid gun purchase mainly cause the ammo availablity.
Hornady used to make a lite recoil for 270 but I haven't seen it in a few years.
Barnes does have a reduced recoil for the 270, though. Might make this season better for ya.
If you can't add a brake to your current gun, couldn't you have a brake drilled into it?

 

[slm9s]

A suppressor will make your 270 much more tolerable. Any good gunsmith can make your thin barrel work.

But if you just want a new toy, get a 6cm and then put a suppressor on it.

 

[kooch]

A suppressor will make your 270 much more tolerable. Any good gunsmith can make your thin barrel work.

But if you just want a new toy, get a 6cm and then put a suppressor on it.

Thank you for being the voice of reason.

 

[kooch]

I'm pretty fickle. If money were no concern I'd just get one of each, shoot them all and give the losers away. The latest thought is to keep the .270 as my backup plan, dump my safe queens I don't like to shoot, and building a rokslide special and seeing how it goes with the TMKs. Or simply re-scoping my Ruger Ranch 5.56 with something that'll work better for me at distance and giving the TMKs a shot with that little guy. Is 16.5" too short for this idea? If re-scoping the Ruger doesn't work out for me at least I'll have a new scope to put on whatever I get in the future.... So many options.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

A 16.5” .223 will do just fine. My 16.1” Tikka got 2706 FPS with the AAC 77-grain OTMs. And is getting 2780 with my preferred ADI 69-grain load.

 

[wind gypsy]

I'm pretty fickle. If money were no concern I'd just get one of each, shoot them all and give the losers away. The latest thought is to keep the .270 as my backup plan, dump my safe queens I don't like to shoot, and building a rokslide special and seeing how it goes with the TMKs. Or simply re-scoping my Ruger Ranch 5.56 with something that'll work better for me at distance and giving the TMKs a shot with that little guy. Is 16.5" too short for this idea? If re-scoping the Ruger doesn't work out for me at least I'll have a new scope to put on whatever I get in the future.... So many options.

Welcome to the 'Slide Kooch!

If your ruger shoots well enough, no reason to not try some of the 77 TMK factory options or the Hornady 73 ELDm and start there.

If not buying now and tikka comes out with a 6cm option, that's what i'd do. 243 should do well though also.

 

[kooch]

I’m shooting right now with the Ruger and vortex 62 gr tsx. I have no chrono.

But I shot this group 6 clicks up from my my 100 yard group. The sticker was a 2” circle.

So far so good.

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[kooch]

I’ll add, this is from sandbags and a sturdy bench. Not field positions by any means.

1.5-5 power Leupold VX 3 and the duplex reticle sure covers a lot of target at 300.

300 yards. Wind picked up some. I’ll dial another inch. Can’t complain.

2” sticky orange circle


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[kooch]

Final groups.

3 shot 300 yards. The orange sticky blew off so I stopped at 3. The wind took a break.

Then reset the dial and shot a quicky from 100 to confirm dial reset.

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[Burnsie]

Unless your looking for an excuse for a new toy - I think you are good to go.

 

[kooch]

Unless your looking for an excuse for a new toy - I think you are good to go.

Yep. I'll hunt with the ugly duckling Ruger this year. Seems like I can make it shoot. Maybe I'll invest in a Tikka in the Spring. It sure is a pleasure shooting a 5.56/223 compared to basically everything else. I can see the challenge might be shot distance restraint. I just never thought about stretching this rifle out much. It works.