Thread: 77gr tmk load

Anyone here reload 77gr tmk in 5.56?? Don't reload yet but could be interested if it's worth it for 5.56 not sure of the price point between reloads and factory ammo in 22 cal.

off top of my head around 24gr BM2 was good for 77tmks and 75 bthps

I'm using ADI 2206h, but the loads to fit in the AR mags only have 22.4gn of powder in, so are slowwwwwwwwwwwwww.

To fit in my Sako 75, much better seated out, 23.5gn of powder.

If its hunting loads I use a metal mag and you can load length out that wee bit longer than polymer.

Yes, but not 5.56.
It's an expensive projectile, wouldn't be my first choice. I am guessing you are loading for an AR, where mag length comes into play.
Your nearly at 80gr. You could try 80 targex, cheaper, and still fairly short for what it is.

If it is for AR and it is for hunting then good luck finding all your brass in the grass. The cost of the replacement brass alone would make re-loading uneconomical, unless of course you’re sitting on several hundred or more once fired cases. Assuming also that you have a 1:8” twist rifle or else you are going to struggle to shoot these bullets.

If however it is for a bolt gun and as per comments above your mag allows you to maximise the COAL, then the 77gr TMK is a fantastic little hunting bullet despite what Sierra say about its intended use. They perform very similar to the A-MAX, super accurate, frangible but not too explosive. Not long after they came out I spotted for one of our guys using them in a 1:7” twist Savage varmint rifle, on goats and fallow. They were as effective as my .243 shooting Sierra 85gr HPBTs at the same kind of range.

Since then I’ve wanted to build a fast twist .223 varmint rifle...

It would be for an ar, mostly targets for now. I've got both a 14.5" and a 20" ar both in 1:7.
But sounds like I might be better sticking to the 63gr geko I've been using

It's pretty easy to work out the cost of reloading 223.
Get the price of:
100 primers
100 projectiles
100 pieces of brass
1 kg of powder (there are 15432 grains of powder per 1kg)

Assume 8-10 reloads per brass, assume 25gr of powder per reload.

Work out the cost per 100 reloads vs buying 100 rounds of factory ammo.
Using an expensive bullet like the TMK or a Berger VLD is probably going to mean reloading is no cheaper than buying factory.

The main advantage in reloading comes from fine tuning to load to your rifle for maximum accuracy and having the ability to choose the projectile you want.
When it comes to Match ammo, it usually will be cheaper to reload, but bulk ammo typically it's cheaper/easier to just buy factory.
I reload match ammo for my .260 and around $1 per round (had lots of free brass), I'm not sure match factory ammo even exists for 260 in NZ, but if it did it'd be closer to $3 per round.
But my 223 I just buy factory ammo as my rifle shoots cheap bulk stuff good enough for me.

For my Stag Model 4 rifle (ie a service grade 20inch barrel) the 77gr TMK was comfortably under 3/4inch at around max load and is the most accurate load I have developed so far. Once above max load I was getting some vertical stinging of about 25mm but horizontally 10~12mm I assume as my barrel isnt FF. I have tried some retail ammo incl 77gr and that didnt shine at all, seemed too slow to do well. Except for the ADI 69gr SMK that was the second best ammo at about 3/4moa but its expensive.. The disadvantage of the SMK/TMK certainly is the cost v say ADI FMJs which only do 1 1/4moa but are about 20cents or so each.

the tipped tmk's are great in my colt comp AR15. 18" 1:8 twist barrel

69g with 24.5g BM2 gives 2860 fps
77g with 22.8g BM2 gives 2670 fps

run the ballistics and the 77 just wins for drift.

both shoot around 1.5" at 300m and <4" at 500m

69's are great on bunnies. Havnt tried the 77 as plan to stick with 69's for now

Did try the 77 in my 22BR. My accurate load with 75AM is around 3100fps and I didnt think hte 77 TMK's were worth trying as they arnt eally a vld so have lower BC, But now I've re-visiste them and realise hte BC isn ot that diff. 0.435 for the AM, 0.42 for the TMK.

But the TMK's shoot well around 0.3" at 100m at over 3300 fps so make up for lower BC so next time out will try them on bunnies