The 22 creedmoor thread

[NoDakhunter]

Only 2 big game kills out of a .223...

One at 2,520ish FPS impact speed, plus a second shot at nearly the same impact speed. The deer acted not hit on first shot and dropped in place at second shot. First shot was lethal but narrow (found out after necropsy, bullet split the 3rd and 4th ribs cleanly) and deer could have ran off and died in the swamp, 2nd shot was to shoulder/spine junction which paralyzed the animal.

Another one at 2,100ish FPS impact, deer ran 60 yards to edge of woods and died.

Lots of shots and kills in gel, coyotes, rabbits, squirrels, P dogs, etc. They seem to behave like 80 M's.

I’ve had great luck on coyotes with mine in 22cm. Hoping they work well on caribou in August

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

I’ve had great luck on coyotes with mine in 22cm. Hoping they work well on caribou in August

Keep us posted please! Where you hunting caribou?

 

[NoDakhunter]

Keep us posted please! Where you hunting caribou?

Will do. NBR, AK

 

[StopMakingSense]

What you may "gain" in better BC with the 80 ELDMs can be lost with generally narrower wounds out of both the 80 and 88 M's. This is not to say that the 80 and 88 M's don't kill and perform well, it's just that in what I've seen, and what others have also observed, the 77 TMK's and 80 ELDX's are THE consistent .224 killing bullets.

If your 22 Creed shoots the 77 TMK's accurately I'd keep rolling with them. If you want the BC "edge" while still maintaining very consistent killing wounds then go to the 80 X's. As an example, even in 10+ MPH cross/shifting winds, there has been no observed increase in "hit rate" out to 1,200 yards when comparing the 80 X's to the more ballistically dominant 88 M's. At the ranges and wind speeds where it "may matter" you aren't shooting the difference in a hunting gun from a hunting shot position.

For practice, shooting the cheaper 80 M's and then moving to 80 X's is what I'd recommend. I have 3 Tikka 22 Creedmoors currently and switch between 80 M's, 88 M's, 77 TMK's, and 80 ELDX's throughout the year shooting. When it comes time to hunt big game, either 77 TMK's or 80 ELDXs will be in the mags.

Thanks for the advice, I'm convinced to grab the 80gr X's to hunt with and use the 80/88 M for practice. The price difference between the two up north is nuts.

 

[StopMakingSense]

@mxgsfmdpx or anyone else, could you give me the bullet ogive measurement for an 80 ELDX and an 88 ELDM please?

 

[mighteywhitehunter]

Placed an order for a 20" Remage 1/7 twist a few weeks ago with NSS. Hopefully it shoots! I plan to shoot 80gn ELDX and 77gn LRX out of it. Maybe some 88s or Hammer HBCs also.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

@mxgsfmdpx or anyone else, could you give me the bullet ogive measurement for an 80 ELDX and an 88 ELDM please?

Sorry all of my reloading shit is up in Wyoming and I'm at our AZ place. I tried to dig for a caliper set for a measurement for @huntnful the other day and struck out.

 

[Miflatlander91]

I can get you a measurement this weekend


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ajsomp]

For those of you who shoot factory ammo- I’ve seen a couple times in this thread the 80 eldx has better terminal results than the eldm. Is that a fair assessment?

For 18-20” barrels, I assume using factory ammo and a 1in 7.5 or 1in 8 twist would be fine to keep the rpm around 300. Currently have 6.5 PRC and 223 tikkas and it’s between this and a 6 creedmoor. More familiar with 6 creed configurations but this thread has me leaning at 22 creed instead. Even out west I’m limiting shots under 700 in best case scenarios.

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

For those of you who shoot factory ammo- I’ve seen a couple times in this thread the 80 eldx has better terminal results than the eldm. Is that a fair assessment?

For 18-20” barrels, I assume using factory ammo and a 1in 7.5 or 1in 8 twist would be fine to keep the rpm around 300. Currently have 6.5 PRC and 223 tikkas and it’s between this and a 6 creedmoor. More familiar with 6 creed configurations but this thread has me leaning at 22 creed instead. Even out west I’m limiting shots under 700 in best case scenarios.

If you search “80 ELD-X” and include @mxgsfmdpx or @Formidilosus in the search results, they’ve gone into depth on this. Personally I’ve decided to go forward using the 80 X vs the 88 M for my Alaska hunts.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

For those of you who shoot factory ammo- I’ve seen a couple times in this thread the 80 eldx has better terminal results than the eldm. Is that a fair assessment?

Again, it's not all to say that I wouldn't kill with the 80 or 88 M's (I have done it and they work fine). It's just in what I've seen in kills with the 77 TMK's and 80 ELDX's, they seem to be better/more consistent. This is the case with any 6mm or .224 M versus X as well.

For 18-20” barrels, I assume using factory ammo and a 1in 7.5 or 1in 8 twist would be fine to keep the rpm around 300.

Factory 80 ELDX's can be picky lot to lot in which guns shoot them. Some guns/barrels are 1.25ish MOA while others I have not been able to get them to shoot better than 2 MOA. Hand loads help bring this in to acceptable numbers in most cases. While there is no factory option for them, the 77 TMK's and 88 M's have averaged the best average MOA in 3 different guns and 4 different barrels (all 8 twist barrels).

Currently have 6.5 PRC and 223 tikkas and it’s between this and a 6 creedmoor. More familiar with 6 creed configurations but this thread has me leaning at 22 creed instead. Even out west I’m limiting shots under 700 in best case scenarios.

700 yards is no issue for 22 Creed. My 80 ELDX 22 Creeds actually outperform my 103 ELDX 6 creed and 243 at longer ranges (most think it's the other way around).

 

[ChrisAU]

For the short rangers reading, I had great terminal performance with 75gr ELDM this past season, but I did not shoot past 300 yards. 1 Muley buck, 4 whitetail bucks, a dozen or so does. Few hogs and a coyotes. Enamored with its performance. Neck, high shoulder, shoulder, behind shoulder. It didn’t matter. Longest recovery of all was about 20 yards. Shot ranges were from 20 yards to 300. I plan to keep a 500 yard max, but that’s on my skill level not the rifle. I would have taken 300-500 yard shots if presented but they weren’t necessary this season. So gratifying to hear the whisper of the DD Wolfhunter and see the impact in the scope.

 

[StopMakingSense]

Are folks using the 80M CDM in AB for for the 80X? G7 I get is .255 for the 80M

I put in a request to AB to add this one to their library. I’m guessing the more requests the better.

 

[Stocky]

Couple 10 rounds groups with the 80 eld x.
H4350 (top) the 2 "fliers" the are likely the can coming loose which i noticed after the last shot.
RL23 Top Left
RL16 Top Right
Varget Bottom Centre
All loads 3000-3100fps in an 18 inch 1 in 7 barreled Kimber Hunter

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

To follow along with @Stocky ’s post with another 80 ELD-X datapoint,
here is my recent load of choice with the new Tikka 22 CM.

Tikka action. Ace 18” 1:7.5 .120 barrel.
80 ELD-X
40.0 H4350
3170 fps.
200 rounds on the barrel.

The lower two targets are from the 18” Tikka 223 with the 77 TMK’s & 80 ELDM.
N150 powder.
New 1:7, .100 PVA Barrel.

 

[Stocky]

To follow along with @Stocky ’s post with another 80 ELD-X datapoint,
here is my recent load of choice with the new Tikka 22 CM.

Tikka action. Ace 18” 1:7.5 .120 barrel.
80 ELD-X
40.0 H4350
3170 fps.
200 rounds on the barrel.

The lower two targets are from the 18” Tikka 223 with the 77 TMK’s & 80 ELDM.
N150 powder.
New 1:7, .100 PVA Barrel.
View attachment 868786

You find your barrel sped up? Your using 2 grains less H4350 than me. But I'm loaded very long.

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

You find your barrel sped up? Your using 2 grains less H4350 than me. But I'm loaded very long.

Yeah it definitely sped up. Around 80 fps.
I’d have to look tomorrow to see what my coal is. Throat is around .120 on the barrel, but Unknown chambered it optimally for 80 & 88’s and not to an exact number. You must be long to be running 42g. I was definitely getting heavier bolt lift and pressure signs at 41.

 

[Stocky]

Yeah it definitely sped up. Around 80 fps.
I’d have to look tomorrow to see what my coal is. Throat is around .120 on the barrel, but Unknown chambered it optimally for 80 & 88’s and not to an exact number. You must be long to be running 42g. I was definitely getting heavier bolt lift and pressure signs at 41.

2.73 Coal. 88s are at the Lands at 2.8". What brass are you running? I've got Alpha SRP as its what was available here. I may order an Ace Blank Im interested how yours shoots.

I haven't had any pressure signs at all except knowing where velocity is probably indicating I'm at 62-63kpsi. The RL26 load had 80 x's at 3160 with 47 grains and 88s at 3060 with 46 grains. Neither have even flattened primers or marked brass. (It is in a kimber though). I stopped as I knew Hornady load data and assuming 25fps per inch gave me approximately those numbers at max. Its plenty enough to be fair.

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

2.73 Coal. 88s are at the Lands at 2.8". What brass are you running? I've got Alpha SRP as its what was available here. I may order an Ace Blank Im interested how yours shoots.

I haven't had any pressure signs at all except knowing where velocity is probably indicating I'm at 62-63kpsi. The RL26 load had 80 x's at 3160 with 47 grains and 88s at 3060 with 46 grains. Neither have even flattened primers or marked brass. (It is in a kimber though). I stopped as I knew Hornady load data and assuming 25fps per inch gave me approximately those numbers at max. Its plenty enough to be fair.

My 80 ELD-X loads are 2.7 OAL and using Alpha LRP brass.

 

[waspocrew]

Took 5 min and swapped barrels on my Zeus QC. Previous 18” 6 CM to a 20” 22 CM. Might sneak to the range after dinner to get some quick rounds down range with it. Planning to load 69 TMKs for varmints this spring/summer. My other 22 CM pushes the 62 gr ELDVT to 3650, so hoping to keep the 69 TMK around 3500 + with a 2” shorter barrel.