.223 for bear, deer, elk and moose.

[Hthunter]

75 ELD M. I've killed a few deer with the 73 ELD M and it is a phenomenal little bullet.

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Awesome. Thanks for your response. That’s what I was leaning towards but had seen several good reports on both.

 

[Formidilosus]

I have 62 gr federal fusions and 75gr eldm. I plan on using these on SE whitetail and range practice. Which would be better for Whitetail deer hunting?

Either will work fine, however like PathFinder I would choose the 75gr ELD-M.

 

[270quest]

So my very recoil sensitive daughter who just turned 10, drew an antelope tag here in Idaho and feels way more comfortable with the 18” AR then the 243 we built for her. She is really just learning to shoot and I haven’t had time to create reduced practice loads for her….

So I acquired some black hills 77TMK factory ammo and sighted it in and shot it over the chronograph. 10 rounds averaged 2720 FPS from the little 18” barrel.

She is able to consistently hit an 8” gong out to about 200 yards with this little rifle - I think if she does her job - she will kill an antelope next month.

 

[woods89]

I'd greatly appreciate sources for this.

Jim Heffelfinger has in interesting article in Deer&Deer hunting (last November, I think?) on this subject. Don't ask me to link it as I'm not sure how, lol! Search "Jim Heffelfinger lead bullet" and it should pop up.

I haven't seen anything about jacketed lead bullets that scares me. I'm much more bothered by Doritos and soda. To each his own, though.

 

[Fartrell Cluggins]

Sorry to divert away from lead acetate/chemistry/copper/etc . But I have 62 gr federal fusions and 75gr eldm. I plan on using these on SE whitetail and range practice. Which would be better for Whitetail deer hunting? I know 77 TMKs would be better but that’s not an option for me at the moment.

I can't speak for the match bullet, but the Fusion is a decidedly good killer. Expect pass throughs on broadside shots. Wrecked innards. Tough enough to bust bone and make it to vitals.

 

[TxxAgg]

Jim Heffelfinger has in interesting article in Deer&Deer hunting (last November, I think?) on this subject. Don't ask me to link it as I'm not sure how, lol! Search "Jim Heffelfinger lead bullet" and it should pop up.

I haven't seen anything about jacketed lead bullets that scares me. I'm much more bothered by Doritos and soda. To each his own, though.

Here you go:

Health Risks of Lead in Venison: Gray Toxin or Red Herring? | Deer & Deer Hunting

Find out if bird biologists' concerns about the effects of lead in venison on human health are legitimate or just an effort to save birds.

www.deeranddeerhunting.com

 

[ElPollo]

Great article. Jim did an excellent job of presenting the facts and the context. Can’t believe I missed this one when it came out last year. Thanks.

 

[Hthunter]

I can't speak for the match bullet, but the Fusion is a decidedly good killer. Expect pass throughs on broadside shots. Wrecked innards. Tough enough to bust bone and make it to vitals.

Thanks. I’ve used fusions bf in 300 wsm and it was pretty devastating. I figure I’ll try both and test results on a couple does first.

 

[260madman]

As far as ingesting lead I wouldn’t worry about it. I have a .177 pointed pellet in my hand for the last 33 years and have no issues. Dumb stuff as kids. Docs wouldn’t operate on it to get it out. Surgeon said just leave it like they did in the Civil War. So they did. The weight of that pellet is probably more than the weight of lead an average Hunter would ingest over a lifetime.

 

[Tod osier]

As far as ingesting lead I wouldn’t worry about it. I have a .177 pointed pellet in my hand for the last 33 years and have no issues. Dumb stuff as kids. Docs wouldn’t operate on it to get it out. Surgeon said just leave it like they did in the Civil War. So they did. The weight of that pellet is probably more than the weight of lead an average Hunter would ingest over a lifetime.

It is a common medical practice to leave bullets in place, the thought is that removal can be more damaging than leaving it there. It also depends on the tissue the bullet is buried in. A bullet within muscle is considered low risk because there are not appropriate conditions for dissolving the lead (unlike the acidic conditions in a mammal digestive system or with the mechanical grinding within a bird gizzard).

People carrying retained bullets absolutely can have elevated blood levels due to retained bullets and there are extensive studies documenting that. If you don't have one done every few years, think about a blood test at some point.

 

[Fartrell Cluggins]

As of right now, Midway has TMK 77s in stock.

 

[260madman]

I ordered from Midsouth last week and Midway last night. Let’s see which one gets here first. I’m betting Midway delivers first.

 

[Nomosendero]

I would say that's a very safe bet!

 

[Lawnboi]

I ordered from Midsouth last week and Midway last night. Let’s see which one gets here first. I’m betting Midway delivers first.

What’s worth more, waiting an extra few days or picking every bullet out of a bubble mailer cause the box broke?

Joking aside seems like mid south packages things halfway decent. Midway depends highly on the bubble envelopes

 

[260madman]

What’s worth more, waiting an extra few days or picking every bullet out of a bubble mailer cause the box broke?

Joking aside seems like mid south packages things halfway decent. Midway depends highly on the bubble envelopes

Haven’t had an issue with either in the past. I haven’t ordered bullets from midway in quite a while though so we will see.

Oh, what’s in my inbox? UPS notification it has shipped from Midway and will be here Thursday. Evidently they weren’t hit with Rice Rabies like Midsouth was. At least I’ll have them and can load some up Thursday night/Friday morning and get some trigger time this weekend. I want my daughter to use these for youth season. Things are “interesting” for deer in the fields right now.

 

[260madman]

Aaaand Midsouth sent shipping notification late last night. Will be here Friday. UPS vs FedEx, who will deliver with the least amount of damage? I might lose sleep over this. No, no I won’t.

 

[awildswanger]

Either will work fine, however like PathFinder I would choose the 75gr ELD-M.

Would there be much difference in terminal performance 77gr TMK vs stand matchking?

 

[Formidilosus]

Would there be much difference in terminal performance 77gr TMK vs stand matchking?

Yes, very much so. It has been discussed a couple of times in this thread.

 

[awildswanger]

Yes, very much so. It has been discussed a couple of times in this thread.

10/4, must’ve missed it

 

[260madman]

I plopped my butt in my old camp chair that I use in my blind and shot a 1.5” group at 126 yards. Used Form’s XBR load in a 18” AR (first upper I ever put together). I should use a bench but they aren’t available in the field. Butts and elbows for the win.



Field bench rest.

Target is still out in the field because my daughter may want to go back and hit some steel a little farther out.