TMK for hunting?

[SchwarzStock]

I have shot a number of deer (Mule, whitetail, Roe) with 30 caliber SMKs and been more than contented, all exited. One night I shot a Roe with a 223 (long ago, can't remember the bullet) that did not exit. there was a foot of snow on the ground and no trail. Finally got a dog and found the animal less than 10m away in the dark forest. I prefer a lung/chest shot, CNS is too iffy for me. Live targets move, look what happened to Thomas Crooks.....

 

[Pharmseller]

less than 10m away

What the hell is an m?

Half a piece of candy?




P

 

[S-3 ranch]

Why don’t you take a CNS shot to prevent them from running if tracking is such an issue for you (I assume due to terrain)? Just wandering? Just for reference I shoot bergers so I’m not a fanboy picking on you cause you don’t like them. With a CNS shot bullets matter less as long as you put it where it’s supposed to go.

I really like a CNS shot and take them every chance I get, but they aren’t fool proof , two different times seen them fail , I shot a south Texas buck in the neck
With a .300wm and couldn’t find him , a week later I saw him and shot him again, the bullet had massive explosion and nearly blew 1/2 his neck off , but didn’t sever the CNS
Last Week my friend shot a buck in the neck with a 130gr TMK .270
He walked back to get his truck and on return, the buck jumped up and was staggering off, luckily he had a dog which chased it down ,
The massive explosion of a TMK isn’t a guarantee of a clean kill
And imo does have lots of meat damage on chest shots
I switched to 140gr TGK ( deer) and Norma oryox ( elk hunting)
For more reliable performance

See the shot placement and failure to kill on this buck

 

[Hnthrdr]

I have quite a few of the TGK bullets from Sierra.
Has anyone used the TMK for hunting and what were your thoughts on them?
I know Sierra says they do not recommend the Match bullets to be used for hunting.
But I know a lot here love the ELD-M for hunting.
Courious about the TMK.

Looking to maybe load some 175s for my 300 WSM

 

[JGRaider]

I just shot two more does this past wkd with 77gr TMK .223. Blew a cannon hole in both of them. lol

They are way too viscous

Exactly what I'd expect.

 

[Castle Rock]

I was being sarcastic

 

[SchwarzStock]

What the hell is an m?

Half a piece of candy?




P

Am old WKR like yourself ought to know....

 

[Hardly_Hangin]

I can’t help what others say that they like. There’s a bunch of reports in that thread with the same experience that I had, but they drew different conclusions than I.
I’ve shot two whitetails(doe and a buck).
Doesn’t matter what the internals look like, so I don’t pay any attention to it.
I recovered both, because they were shot with enough daylight that I was able to grid search to find them. If it had been dark when my tracking started, then I highly doubt either of them would have been found. They ran over 50 yards.
Handloads

Based off what I read in that thread, I was expecting this outcome. However, I was hoping to get some drts, but this was enough for me to quit using them for hunting.

Thanks for perspective

 

[EcoastDG]

My son shot his first buck with my suppressed 308 loaded with 175 TMKs. Shot was at about 80 yards broadside. Bullet destroyed the heart. A lot more destruction than the 7mm 08 partition bullet my wife shot her deer with, same shot same distance. Both deer were dead within 5 yards. I wouldn’t hesitate to use TMKs again. Time will tell.

 

[Hardly_Hangin]

My son shot his first buck with my suppressed 308 loaded with 175 TMKs. Shot was at about 80 yards broadside. Bullet destroyed the heart. A lot more destruction than the 7mm 08 partition bullet my wife shot her deer with, same shot same distance. Both deer were dead within 5 yards. I wouldn’t hesitate to use TMKs again. Time will tell.

Did you get a pass thru? If so how was blood trail?

 

[EcoastDG]

With the TMK fist size exit. Lots of blood. Heart was a mangled mess

 

[EcoastDG]

My experience with match bullets (5 animals various distances) has been that the entry wounds are tough to find but the exit wounds have been pretty impressive, especially at close range.

 

[EcoastDG]

I should mention that my 18 inch 308 is shooting 175 TMKs loaded with Varget at 2541 mv.

 

[Formidilosus]

I really like a CNS shot and take them every chance I get, but they aren’t fool proof , two different times seen them fail , I shot a south Texas buck in the neck
With a .300wm and couldn’t find him , a week later I saw him and shot him again, the bullet had massive explosion and nearly blew 1/2 his neck off , but didn’t sever the CNS
Last Week my friend shot a buck in the neck with a 130gr TMK .270
He walked back to get his truck and on return, the buck jumped up and was staggering off, luckily he had a dog which chased it down ,
The massive explosion of a TMK isn’t a guarantee of a clean kill
And imo does have lots of meat damage on chest shots
I switched to 140gr TGK ( deer) and Norma oryox ( elk hunting)
For more reliable performance

See the shot placement and failure to kill on this buckView attachment 800674

Where did “your friend” get these mythical 130gr .277 cal TMK’s?

 

[S-3 ranch]

Where did “your friend” get these mythical 130gr .277 cal TMK’s?

Don’t ask me, I shoot Norma oryox and Sierra gamechanger
I only helped him with the cleaning

 

[Formidilosus]

Don’t ask me, I shoot Norma oryox and Sierra gamechanger
I only helped him with the cleaning

Sierra doesn’t make a 130gr .277cal TMK- they don’t make a .277 TMK at all.

 

[Rams horns]

I've shot the 77tmk and 130tmk in 22cm and 65cm, both seemed to shoot pretty well 25-35k off touch. I have no experience with tgk. 130tmk is pretty short in a saami 65cm chamber. Not much bullet in the neck, it's more suited to 120fb chambers. These bullets are violent on game, put it behind the shoulder on vitals and stuff dies very quickly with massive wound channels. The 77s punch way a over their weight class when above 2200fps.

 

[Pharmseller]

Sierra doesn’t make a 130gr .277cal TMK- they don’t make a .277 TMK at all.

There you go again, messing up a perfectly good story with facts and stuff.

That’s why the girls won’t date you.




P

 

[dirtshooter]

You should try the new ELMK.

Or is it MKLD?

Isn't it MLKD? Lol

 

[RDF1]

Had a buddy come over this weekend to load him some 77 tmk and he was able to take his first ever whitetail today.
He was skeptical but he really didn't like shooting his light weight 300wm cause it was beating the mess out of him.
We did a quick n dirty ladder test at 300 yards and found a sweet spot. Loaded 50 at mag length and dialed it in at 100 yards with drop data at 200 300 and 350 yards.
He was telling me this evening that the guys standing around the skinning shed couldn't believe at the damage when they got the hide off. None of them believed him when he told them it was a little 223 that he used. Haha.