Cleaned the tip with a small jewelers drill bit and the results. 223 w/77 gr SMK at 2780 fps, tagged out with a 234 yard shot & 20 yard recovery. jacket was in the offside hide. 
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Appreciate it. Crease of the shoulder about 1/3 up from his brisket, broadside.
Nice buck! I had similar success last year shooting 77gr TMKs out of my AR. A big doe and nice 6 point, at 157 and 70 yards. One DRT the other a 20 yard death dash. I was impressed with it.
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Impossible. 300 Win Mag is minimum for anything bigger than coyotes.
And, I'll say it.... Match bullets are not meant to be used as hunting bullets....
The 77 TMK works for elk too (this is one of several I’ve taken with SBRs).
I thought SMK’s meant Sierra’s Mega Kill’s. I just figured out they meant Sierra match kings. Damn I really missed that one
I have 500 on order that should be here any day. If they shoot anywhere as accurate as my smk loads I’ll be checking out what all the fuss is about. Nice hunt!
I’d be interested in exactly what you did to the SMK to open up the nose.
Oh yeah right! Nice photoshops! Everyone knows you can't kill a deer with a 5.56. Even more than everyone knows you can't kill critters with match bullets. You got a lot of gull trying to pull off this charade! 
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They do get more deader with 300WM...
You don’t really have to do anything, they open up just fine on everything I’ve poked them with.
I used this. Found the bit that just wouldn’t fit in the tip, used it to clean it, then went up one size to open it slightly. This wasn’t my idea I read it where guys that hunt hardcore with their smk match loads started doing it and having consistent results long range on game. I always used Amax rounds and didn’t have that problem in the past but this rifle doesn’t really like the new 73 gr ELD-M so here I am. I am going to try the 77 TMK’s soon though.
Some Match bullets are the worst….. at killing shitOh yeah right! Nice photoshops! Everyone knows you can't kill a deer with a 5.56. Even more than everyone knows you can't kill critters with match bullets. You got a lot of gull trying to pull off this charade!
The TMKs can be finicky finding a load, but worth it. Here’s a heart punch on a doe at 275 yards out of my mk12.
Thanks. I was just wondering how that was done. Yea I have been shooting the TMK’s and you’ll likely find they perform like your Sierra Mega Kills
. Again super nice deer you started this thread with. That’s offensive sir, you destroyed some of the best meat on her….
Looking forward to trying them out.
Just use TMKs. They are by far the deadliest 223 bullet I’ve used. Below smk out the water
It’s not like your killing 500-1000 a year
It’s not like your killing 500-1000 a year
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Ive killed antelope at 650yds with 175gr smk, hogs on the run at 463yds same bullet, elk, deer, coyote and bovine. They’ve worked fine for me. It destroyed the pig and went through the armor like it wasn’t there. Destroyed the speed goat too. And they were with a 308win. But to reach their own.
Op, nice hunting
Have 500 being delivered tomorrow. If the accuracy is there I’ll be switching over. But I wouldn’t hesitate with the 77 smk with the tips cleaned, the results are very pleasing.
I think he was being sarcastic in his statement about them. Nice hearing those results from the 3 slow 8. My preferred bullet was the 178 amax (I have about 150 left
) it was like the bullet was made for that caliber to hunt and my rifle would shoot literal bug holes with it. Blood trails left were better than any large magnums I’ve used. And thanksI think he was being sarcastic in his statement about them. Nice hearing those results from the 3 slow 8. My preferred bullet was the 178 amax (I have about 150 left
Thank you.
I run the M118 LRs through a Giraud meplat cutter. Suppressed 16 and 22 inch gas guns, never had a hog run off with boiler room shots. No exit holes.
@OP what are the deets on the rifle?
I guess the sarcasm was lost on me. My badI think he was being sarcastic in his statement about them. Nice hearing those results from the 3 slow 8. My preferred bullet was the 178 amax (I have about 150 left
Impressive takedown! May I ask where your precise aiming point was during that skillful shot?
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I wouldn’t say I’m skillful, but I do my best. Lol. Crease of the shoulder, broadsided. It’s what me and my old man call a pocket shot.
Hit them above the shoulder for bang flops!
This topic has been beaten to death, while some people get lucky sometimes with SMK’s, their terminal performance for the most part sucks. I’ve shot animals with 77gr SMK’s and 168 and 175 out of 308’s and the majority of the time they just pencil through.
I really don’t get why people use them when far better options exist.
I really don’t get why people use them when far better options exist.
So the 77tmk bullets kill like the devil. Here's a thread, it's forever long, but lots of elk, Moose, bear, deer, you name it killed with majority 223rem/77tmk combo. Results are undeniable, it kills very well down to about 1600fps. Heavy for cal eldm do the same, 75-88gr.
rokslide.com
.223 for bear, deer, elk and moose.
DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ 176 PAGES? HERE'S THE CHEAT SHEET. “Bullets matter more than headstamps.” “Spent primers offer the supreme tutorial”. I’ve read it here and elsewhere online. It got my attention. I started digging and asking questions and listened. The 77gr TMK delivered by a .223...
rokslide.com 
Any asshole shooting at Elk, Moose or a decent size bear with a .223 deserves to be beaten to with hammers. There are proven, cheap bonded bullets for those that want to hunt deer with .223.So the 77tmk bullets kill like the devil. Here's a thread, it's forever long, but lots of elk, Moose, bear, deer, you name it killed with majority 223rem/77tmk combo. Results are undeniable, it kills very well down to about 1600fps. Heavy for cal eldm do the same, 75-88gr.
.223 for bear, deer, elk and moose.
DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ 176 PAGES? HERE'S THE CHEAT SHEET. “Bullets matter more than headstamps.” “Spent primers offer the supreme tutorial”. I’ve read it here and elsewhere online. It got my attention. I started digging and asking questions and listened. The 77gr TMK delivered by a .223...
Nice Buck OP, good looking animal there.
I don’t disagree and won’t argue with anyone doing it as I did. But I found out I ruined meat and if you shot a shade high you hit a void with no vitals that can lead to a long tracking job that may or may not recover your game without a dog.
Tell me you still hunt with grandpa’s old 30-06 because it’s the most bone crushing cartridge on earth without telling me
You obviously didn’t read the thread above or you’d realize that the 77tmk is proven in spades.
You also obviously have no experience placing a 77tmk in the vitals of a big game animal.
For anecdotal fun…
My first elk was wounded by another hunter with a big strong manly 7mm Remington Mag and was getting away. I dropped it with a 223 v-max from over 500 yards (this was long before TMKs existed). Dropped in its tracks.
If you can hit the vitals, almost anything works, but TMKs are incredible.
Would I want to hunt elk with a .223/ 5.56 using a 77 TMK? Probably not. But I've been impressed with the terminal performance pictures and accounts of the 77 TMK and other bullets. congrats to the OP. Nice buck and awesome rig! I clear the tips for the Barnes Match Burners, SMK's, and Berger I use. I generally use a 0.021-0.025" bit.
I agree, I wouldn’t want to kill an elk with 556, but deer, antelope, hogs sure.
You did nothing wrong at all. Things that breathe air need lungs. Take away the lungs and...lol. I've had to dump critters so they wouldn't hop onto gov ground and asshole adjacent property owners ground. Hitting high shoulder sends the temporary cavity bubble through the spine. CNS disruption of course. I'd rather damage some shoulder meat, than have no meat at all.
ETA: Ok, I will take back the high shoulder suggestion. I totally glossed over the cartridge at topic here. I have only used 7mm to 50cal muzzleloaders bullets to DRT bang flop like I suggested. The temporary cavity must be much greater than the .223 because there is no worry about a void or any such problems with the larger cartridges. So, yes. Stick to lungs on the .223.
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Tell me you still hunt with grandpa’s old 30-06 because it’s the most bone crushing cartridge on earth without telling me
You obviously didn’t read the thread above or you’d realize that the 77tmk is proven in spades.
You also obviously have no experience placing a 77tmk in the vitals of a big game animal.
For anecdotal fun…
My first elk was wounded by another hunter with a big strong manly 7mm Remington Mag and was getting away. I dropped it with a 223 v-max from over 500 yards (this was long before TMKs existed). Dropped in its tracks.
If you can hit the vitals, almost anything works, but TMKs are incredible.
Again, Only an asshole shoots a 500lb+ game animal with a .223. This is not survival hunting. Dickheads who do dumb shit like that just give liberals and anti gunners more ammo to use against them. Wounding an animal and not being able to atleast harvest it is an asshole move. Having enough respect for the animal to kill it cleanly is expected, but some of you have zero.
The TMK is no different than the AMAX that was used for decades on deer. For DEER, its a great bullet. Deer are small, easy to kill and can be dropped clean with a .223.
Some asshole who cant shoot a gun, does not justify anything. Would you rather him have the same miss with a 223 as the 7mm?
Life is unpredictable and if every shot was a perfect shot into the heart/lungs, it wouldn't be called hunting, it would be called farming. The margins are there for a reason. Even the very best hunter makes a bad shot, has a bullet failure, bad wind call ect. My buddy who has probably killed more Elk than anyone on this site, had to put 5 shots into a monster bull last year with his 6.5 creed. 550 yards and every shot was into the vitals, but the animal wouldn't go down. He is a phenomenal hunter and a good shooter (fellow PRS guy) understands his equipment. He is going back to his 7 mag this season. Lossing that 360+ class bull would have sucked.
I am not trying to get into an ethical hunting debate but for anyone with an IQ above 70, this shouldn't have to be explained.
Show of hands who'd try a buck with .223/ 5.56. Or a bow for that matter. https://gifdb.com/gif/gumby-me-raise-hand-waving-53roi904clo7cnhi.html
Wouldn't have a problem shooting a 160-180# deer or slightly bigger animal within like 200 yards with a 77 grain as long as its an easy broadside or maybe neck shot. Seen many deer fall over dead from broadside shots with 55gr 243 varmit loads. Angled shots or long range i'd want a 300 or 338. Weird shit can happen with any round.
Let's break this down. 234 yard shot which is more than reasonable distance for any marksman. 20 yard recovery so pretty close to bang flop. Seems more than adequate by any traditional hunting standard.
Destroyed the heart which is one of my favorite cuts. Looks like pretty good terminal performance to me.
Like I said .223/ 5.56 wouldn't be my first choice. But this isn't the first elk I've seen taken with the 77 TMK. Makes me take notice especially from the terminal performance pictures I've seen from the elk's vital. Nice job!
Well, it doesn’t behave like AMAX. Nor does it behave like the 73gr ELD or other mag-length match loads. Sierra just happened upon a great combination of jacket thickness and overall design that seems to reliably work very well out of either shorter barrels or at farther distances out the of longer barrels. Close range out of a 20” barrel, it definitely does not perform as well.
As for bullet failures, the TMK is extremely reliable. And pretty much any bullet that fails will act like an FMJ, even high power cartridges. For bad wind calls, I’d actually say the TMK is better than an expanding solid or soft point. With those, you are still relying on crush damage to reach a vital. If you miss the vitals, there isn’t a whole lot of damage. Whereas with TMK, the fragmentation turns temporary cavity into permanent cavity by reducing the elastic limit of the tissue. There’s a good chance of bleeding out with the TMK even if it doesn’t hit a vital, because the wound can’t constrict and close up.
There’s really nothing wrong with using 77gr TMK on Elk within the reliable fragmentation range of the 77 TMK… for a broad side shot. If one wants to risk it and limit themselves to broad side shots, I don’t think that’s unethical. But that’s a big gamble after getting a tag and taking the time to go on a hunt.
I’d agree that it is irresponsible to use it for quartering shots and the like. Just not enough penetration. So, I don’t think it’s unethical to bring a 223 with 77 TMK on an elk hunt, but I do think it’s a very risky because of the odds of getting a chance at an Elk in a position where the bullet does start to lack the necessary penetration.
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Now it’s becoming clear that you aren’t even a hunter (at least not an experienced one).
1. Nobody said anything about wounding and not recovering the animal. I get an elk almost every year (with an SBR 5.5677TMK). The furthest any elk (or deer) has made it is 21 yards from where it was shot.
2. If you had ANY hunting experience, you’d know that the vast majority of hunters are fudd idiots who consider minute of cardboard box acceptable. You’d know these fudds wank rounds at anything regardless of the stability of their shooting position, unknown range, etc. They do this with 300 win mags and that doesn’t make them any more ethical.
Should THEY use a 5.56? NO. But they shouldn’t be in the woods to begin with.
Bullet selection is WAY more important than caliber selection, and both are a distant second to shot placement.
61 ft. To be exact by laser
. That is 4 does last year and 1 Buck this season all broadside pocket shot. Closest 154 yards farthest 270ish (can’t remember exact number) two bang flops, three runners farthest 70 yards. Last years hunts were with 65gr SGK’s though.Only recovered bullet
Perfect mushroom. I won't argue with the results. Nice job!61 ft. To be exact by laser
Only recovered bulletView attachment 8262947View attachment 8262948
Well, better get your hammer out and come up to Idaho this year and find me, @DeathBeforeDismountingDick, cause I plan to be shooting any target of opportunity, up to and including a nice 600 lb bull with my 75 BTHP 223 rounds.
They kill quite nicely, but then again, a mid 300's PRS ranked shooter such as yourself would likely not have enough real world experience to know that, given all the time you spend playing a game to achieve that PRS score.
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