Thread: 223 on deer

I hope you pulled the sako ammo and reloaded it..MAYBE the primers were deeply seated..havent struck it in centrefire but have done with .410 ammunition... short fireing pin and deep seating doesnt work. did have some issues years back with my zastava and it put me off ccci primers for a bit UNTIL a mate showed me how to release bolt tension/spring tension for storage....leaving your BLR with lever open would in effect leave spring compressed...MIGHT have contributed to your issue.

Nah I returned the ammo. Must have been that batch. The latest is working well. All part of figuring out which ammo works best. Been fun

Sorry if mentioned already in this long thread, anyone else use speer 70gr semi-spitzer sp? I'm flinging them at 2850fps and my Howa with a 1/8" twist absolutely loves them, It really lives up to the "eyeball gun" nickname at 100 yards. Recently shot my biggest fallow buck at 65 yards and it was 1 shot kill, he stumbled about 20 metres before dropping. No blood trail which did concern me a bit.
I should've taken autopsy photos, I hit the shoulder bone a tad high but it penetrated through and mushroomed through both lungs before stopping just shy of the skin on opposite side. Good balance of penetration and expansion I reckon, but it's sort-of an old school looking blunt projectile.

Ive used the sierra 63grn semi blunt ones a couple of times with good results.... they will work in a 1;14 so good to have a few on hand.

Piggybacking on this thread, has anyone tried the H&F 55gn SP? Pretty cheap, but don't know whether to invest in 50 if it's crappy.
Good thread, cheers - just got a new .223 as well and this was helpful.

55 gr Hornady. Dropped on the spot with a neck shot.

55 gr Hornady. Dropped on the spot with a neck shot.

@Mwilson32. H&F branded ammo that I’ve used, about 1000 rounds, has all appeared to be loaded by ODL/Belmont. All been adequate ammo for goat culling and the odd deer/pig. A few years ago local dealer reckoned he’d heard of a fewcase head separations but I never had any problems. Don’t know what current price is if it’s available but used to be about $1 a round retail.

It's currently $1.30 per round which isn't too bad, so might give it a crack, but will check out the Belmont price too. Cheers for the info - fingers crossed the Howa likes it.

Good luck finding Belmont. They haven’t loaded any for months and won’t be until powder arrives from their supplier, latest indication is July according to Brett.

Originally Posted by Tahr

It seems though that if the ELDM hit solid bone they do seperate (as per one of gimp's Tahr). Over all though the ELDM do seem to hold together better than the Sierra Tipped MK.

Ive just had 2 of the "Waters" 6 shot 2.6" (66mm) Tikka mags arrive so that I can try the 80ELDM, and seat the 77TMK I'm using a bit further out. I don't though expect to see a big advantage with the ELDM on deer.

I’ve just ordered a Waters 6 shot 66mm mag for my Tikka .
Im interested in hearing how you got on with yours , do they feed well and how did they go in combination with the 77gr TMK .
Did you use the available length that they provide to your advantage with 2206H and the 77 TMK ?

Originally Posted by Ground Control

I’ve just ordered a Waters 6 shot 66mm mag for my Tikka .
Im interested in hearing how you got on with yours , do they feed well and how did they go in combination with the 77gr TMK .
Did you use the available length that they provide to your advantage with 2206H and the 77 TMK ?

77 STM stayed at 2.3” cos no benefit from being longer. Couldn’t get 80 eldm to shoot out near the lands so didn’t persist. Extended mag ideal for 74 and 80 grain Targex and both shot well at fullish length. Mag feeds well regardless of bullet length. I have to watch for the bottom plate dipping and jamming when loading the mag though.

Originally Posted by Tahr

77 STM stayed at 2.3” cos no benefit from being longer. Couldn’t get 80 eldm to shoot out near the lands so didn’t persist. Extended mag ideal for 74 and 80 grain Targex and both shot well at fullish length. Mag feeds well regardless of bullet length. I have to watch for the bottom plate dipping and jamming when loading the mag though.

That’s good information
Interesting that you couldn’t get the 80 eldm to work .
To be honest that is half of the reason why I’ve fronted up for the Waters mag , I want to give them a run after seeing the results achieved by gimp and his “ wonder beast “ of a .223

Where abouts did you order your Waters mag?

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Go direct to Waters themselves. It’s an easy process, Dave is great to deal with. Not cheap though…. Best to buy more than one mag.