.223 for bear, deer, elk and moose.

[AlpineCarpetbagger]

I'm confused, who necropsied the dead elk?

Was a green tip just magically laying on the surface?





Or is it just RS is so popular someone threw that idea out there and it caught on?

#bringenoughguntoassshoot
#breakemdown
#magnumismandatory
#energyreplacementforplacement

The pseudonymous OP and a Montana FWP biologist were cutting it up in the field and found an encysted polymer tip and bullet fragments that gave them the impression of being from a .224 caliber bullet. OP acknowledged that this was speculative and that a bigger gun wouldn't have helped this situation.

So:

Furious audience latches onto the speculative comment about caliber, and Rokslide gets a few mentions as bureau of misinformation. Occasional contrarian meets line-in-the-sand moral conviction about a few hundredths of an inch of bullet diameter. Why is this intensity of feeling reserved for the most trivial distinctions?

 

[xsn10s]

The pseudonymous OP and a Montana FWP biologist were cutting it up in the field and found an encysted polymer tip and bullet fragments that gave them the impression of being from a .224 caliber bullet. OP acknowledged that this was speculative and that a bigger gun wouldn't have helped this situation.

So:

Furious audience latches onto the speculative comment about caliber, and Rokslide gets a few mentions as bureau of misinformation. Occasional contrarian meets line-in-the-sand moral conviction about a few hundredths of an inch of bullet diameter. Why is this intensity of feeling reserved for the most trivial distinctions?

A link to the actual report would be helpful. I didn't see anything mentioning RS or a Montana FWP biologist in my google search.

 

[BjornF16]

Found this story today. Has the links to OP on the app formerly known as Twitter

Seeing I don’t have that app, I can’t see what the comments were.

Limping Bull Elk Mysteriously Dies, They Cut Open Lump in Its Thigh and Find a Telling Piece of Green Plastic

A wildlife aficionado on social media delivered a serious lesson that outdoors enthusiasts and hunters need to take to heart

ijr.com

 

[Gorp2007]

Found this story today. Has the links to OP on the app formerly known as Twitter

Seeing I don’t have that app, I can’t see what the comments were.

Limping Bull Elk Mysteriously Dies, They Cut Open Lump in Its Thigh and Find a Telling Piece of Green Plastic

A wildlife aficionado on social media delivered a serious lesson that outdoors enthusiasts and hunters need to take to heart

ijr.com

Everything is speculation at best, there are zero facts presented. Apparently the elk had been limping around for a few months, then suddenly dropped 400 pounds and collapsed out of the blue. According to the expert wildlife biologist Twitter user, the entire femur is gone but a green polymer tip and "bullet fragments of a 5.56 round" magically pop out of the middle of the mass. The article on ijr just references the exact same article on Western Journal, which is just a clickbait aggregation of Twitter posts from a single account. No links to anything from Montana FWP or any other corroborating evidence. The author (Warner Todd Huston) appears to be a semi-professional editorial writer from Chicago. Long on opinions, short on facts, but sensationalism sells and that "article" is currently the top story for Western Journal today.

 

[AlpineCarpetbagger]

Everything is speculation at best, there are zero facts presented. Apparently the elk had been limping around for a few months, then suddenly dropped 400 pounds and collapsed out of the blue. According to the expert wildlife biologist Twitter user, the entire femur is gone but a green polymer tip and "bullet fragments of a 5.56 round" magically pop out of the middle of the mass. The article on ijr just references the exact same article on Western Journal, which is just a clickbait aggregation of Twitter posts from a single account. No links to anything from Montana FWP or any other corroborating evidence. The author (Warner Todd Huston) appears to be a semi-professional editorial writer from Chicago. Long on opinions, short on facts, but sensationalism sells and that "article" is currently the top story for Western Journal today.

Thanks for looking elsewhere. Shame to see it get secondary distribution

 

[AlpineCarpetbagger]

A link to the actual report would be helpful. I didn't see anything mentioning RS or a Montana FWP biologist in my google search.

For all I know there could be an ongoing investigation and forthcoming report. If it reports that some .30 cal bullet was actually in there, the original poster might even update the thread with a correction. Kinda sucks though that any such correction's influence would amount to a rounding error compared to the original ~8 million views.

 

[Billy Goat]

Since Montana/Hunt Talk were featured, I take it as completely credible.

 

[william schmaltz]

Where are people getting loaded ammo from? Anything in AK? I’ll be headed to L48 in a couple weeks so I can ship to where I’m going and fly home with it too if anywhere has it ready to ship.

Headed out west wolf hunting in April on snow machine. Talked to my hunting buddy last night and he already saw bear tracks while flying this weekend. Don’t want to carry two rifles and plan to bring an AR w/ a 16” 1:8 for our primary target. If I can find some pills, I’ll test this theory on Brown Bears inside 300 yds if the opportunity arises. But I do not load and will be too busy to learn to load my own in the given time, so does anyone have an easy button?

 

[9.3koolaid]

Where are people getting loaded ammo from? Anything in AK? I’ll be headed to L48 in a couple weeks so I can ship to where I’m going and fly home with it too if anywhere has it ready to ship.

Headed out west wolf hunting in April on snow machine. Talked to my hunting buddy last night and he already saw bear tracks while flying this weekend. Don’t want to carry two rifles and plan to bring an AR w/ a 16” 1:8 for our primary target. If I can find some pills, I’ll test this theory on Brown Bears inside 300 yds if the opportunity arises. But I do not load and will be too busy to learn to load my own in the given time, so does anyone have an easy button?

Wasilla and Anchorage sportsmans often have the Hornady 73eldm load. Alaska Ammo hasn't had any in a while but may be worth a call.

 

[Luke S]

I haven't seen the 73 ELDM load. I am in a similar situation. I'd love to send some to family in the lower 48 and pick it up later.

I've seen open tipped Sierra loads but if I recall they are less consistent right?

 

[eric1115]

I haven't seen the 73 ELDM load. I am in a similar situation. I'd love to send some to family in the lower 48 and pick it up later.

I've seen open tipped Sierra loads but if I recall they are less consistent right?

Less consistent terminally yes. I've found them to be very un-finicky bullets in terms of consistently shooting well with a variety of powders, charges, rifles, etc.

 

[AlpineCarpetbagger]

Where are people getting loaded ammo from? Anything in AK? I’ll be headed to L48 in a couple weeks so I can ship to where I’m going and fly home with it too if anywhere has it ready to ship.

Headed out west wolf hunting in April on snow machine. Talked to my hunting buddy last night and he already saw bear tracks while flying this weekend. Don’t want to carry two rifles and plan to bring an AR w/ a 16” 1:8 for our primary target. If I can find some pills, I’ll test this theory on Brown Bears inside 300 yds if the opportunity arises. But I do not load and will be too busy to learn to load my own in the given time, so does anyone have an easy button?

aeammo dot com has 50 ct and larger boxes of Black Hills listed as in stock.

 

[MTN BUM]

aeammo dot com has 50 ct and larger boxes of Black Hills listed as in stock.

Edit, the google link I searched up took me to the hollow point, but if you change google search term to "Black Hills Ammunition 77 TMK" you will get the right link. $1.40 per round right now

 

[Odd1out]

Wondering what average velocities ppl get with a 22" tikka and the 77tmk? Which are closer to the 77tmk, the 73 or 75eldm?

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[wind gypsy]

Wondering what average velocities ppl get with a 22" tikka and the 77tmk? Which are closer to the 77tmk, the 73 or 75eldm?

2700-2900+ depending on powder and how hot you run it, seating length, etc.

73 ELDm is more comparable. Basically the same BC as a 77 TMK and is made to work at 223 SAAMI COAL to mag feed like the 77 tmk is. The 75 ELD needs extended magazines.

 

[Odd1out]

2700-2900+ depending on powder and how hot you run it, seating length, etc.

73 ELDm is more comparable. Basically the same BC as a 77 TMK and is made to work at 223 SAAMI COAL to mag feed like the 77 tmk is. The 75 ELD needs extended magazines.

Thx man

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[northernalpine]

Wondering what average velocities ppl get with a 22" tikka and the 77tmk? Which are closer to the 77tmk, the 73 or 75eldm?

Sent from my SM-G986W using Tapatalk

Running 77gr SMK Black Hills factory loads for practice and getting 2,882fps with factory 22” barrel, I imagine the Black Hills TMK load would have similar velocity.

 

[Elk botherer]

Wondering what average velocities ppl get with a 22" tikka and the 77tmk? Which are closer to the 77tmk, the 73 or 75eldm?

Sent from my SM-G986W using Tapatalk

I average 2,740 fps out of my 22” tikka with 24.0 gr of Tac. My 73 eldm load trajectories are very close to the 77 gr tmk.

Edit: for comparison the 77 tmk drop at 500 yards is 10.7 moa and the 73 eldm is 10.6 moa; pretty dang close

 

[Odd1out]

I just have varget to use. See where that goes. Looking for tac and xbr. Also wouldnt mind trying some staball match

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[bpctcb]

I absolutely love shooting an accurate and low recoiling .223 but I can’t ever see myself carrying one on a mule deer or elk hunt.
My kids and I have certainly killed several whitetail deer with a suppressed .223 off my back porch but our field of fire was limited to 220 yards.
No doubt a .223 with correct ammo is as lethal as anything when hitting the heart & lungs, but I would hate to be limited to 450 yard shots and these little bullets get blown around bad as distance increases on a windy day.
I am curious to know how many people use a .223 as their first choice for mule deer & elk rifle when a step up to a 6.5 w/140+ grain bullets would basically double their effective range.

BP