TCU caliber? 223 Bolt rifle conversion too??

[haeffnkr]

Hi,
I have a 223 Tikka that I want to rebarrel.
I have read a lot about how accurate the TCU calibers are. I was going to go with the 7 TCU but I think I want to make light weight deer rifle to be used in a woods... up to 400 yards over a field. Most of the 7mm TCU bullets are running light to mid weight bullets.

So I am thinking running a 6 TCU and using 115 or 105 Berger VLD bullets. Light recoil, Super accurate I assume. So I need like a 7 likely or 8 twist maybe barrel to shoot those long heavy VLD bullets.

Tell me what you would do to rebarrel the 223 into a deer rifle that is accurate. My goal is the most accurate caliber I can get on this 223 and beer a mid caliber deer rifle.


thanks Kevin

 

[Twdmar]

Have you looked at the 24 nosler, 6-204 or maybe 6x47? I think that's all that comes close. 6x45 sounds like a fun cartridge but doesn't push a very big bullet very fast.
I would be very hesitant to take a poke at a deer with anything using a 223 case head out to 400 yds. The margin of error gets pretty slim in my opinion.
A 223 will work a ways out too. Have you considered another rifle for deer? I know it's not what you asked but a 6 creed/308 etc will kill a deer with a lot more certainty.

 

[boltfluter]

I would personally trade your. 223 bolt for a .308 bolt and build whatever you want. Cannot really think of a .223 based cartridge that will do what you want. Especially at 400 yds.

Paul

 

[mtnman31]

I've owned both 6.5 and 7 TCU Encore barrels. I have no personal experience with the 6mm TCU. TCU's have the potential to be very accurate cartridges. As the previous replys stated, at 400 those would be marginal for clean kills. Take 6.5 TCU for example; if using a 120gr hunting bullet, you could get around 2200fps out of a rifle. At 400yds you're looking at 1400fps and almost 60" of drop. I really enjoy the 6.5 TCU but would be cautious about using it to hunt larger deer at more than 2-300 yds.

 

[AWS]

Like others, 400 yards is a long way to ask a 223 head cartridge to kill deer. I shoot a 25-204(257 Kimber clone-no fireforming) that will match original factory ballistics of the 250-3000 and 257 Roberts, 100gr Partitions at 2800fpsout of a 21" barrel.

 

[CJ6]

6.5 x 222 mag. I have 1 on an XP and use 120-129 class weights. 400 is pushing it IMHO At 200-250 yds. the softpoints I use expand nicely.

 

[dhagerty40]

I have owned all the TCU calibers and 400 yards is pushing it for hunting deer (would be better for varmints). all of mine are super accurate and are very easy to load for though

 

[haeffnkr]

OK... thanks for the input. I hear you!
Not sure why I added the 400 yards part. I was not thinking clearly late last night ... I have a 280AI and a 7 SAUM in the works for long range action and have no issues taking deer from 300 to 400 with that/those rifles in my field stand.

So back to the TCU and hunting in the woods and short ranges. 100 yards or less.
I want an accurate round that will drop deer at 100 yards or less that is 223 based and not kick like a 280AI or 7 SAUM.

What TCU caliber should I get or what other cartridge should I get, 223 bolt based, that will be the most accurate at 100 yards and drop a deer?

thanks haeffnkr

 

[Walt Krafft]

223 with an 8 twist barrel shooting heavy (75-80 grain) bullets should work fine for what you want to do. Shot placement is important reguardless of the caliber.

 

[haeffnkr]

223 with an 8 twist barrel shooting heavy (75-80 grain) bullets should work fine for what you want to do. Shot placement is important reguardless of the caliber.

thanks for that idea, but the tikka 223 has 1/10 twist so I am rebarreling it regardless.

 

[CJ6]

OK... thanks for the input. I hear you!
Not sure why I added the 400 yards part. I was not thinking clearly late last night ... I have a 280AI and a 7 SAUM in the works for long range action and have no issues taking deer from 300 to 400 with that/those rifles in my field stand.

So back to the TCU and hunting in the woods and short ranges. 100 yards or less.
I want an accurate round that will drop deer at 100 yards or less that is 223 based and not kick like a 280AI or 7 SAUM.

What TCU caliber should I get or what other cartridge should I get, 223 bolt based, that will be the most accurate at 100 yards and drop a deer?

thanks haeffnkr

IMHO 6.5

 

[haeffnkr]

IMHO 6.5

What accuracy do you have in your gun in 6.5?

 

[rockhound78]

For shooting deer @100yds, any of the TCU's should work. If I was building a rifle for that, I would try something different and go with either a 6-204, or a 7-204.

 

[SBS]

6.5 or 7 TCU will work fine at close range. You don't have to use light bullets with the either one, since drop at 100 will be minimal. LR Pistol silhouette shooters used heavy bullets up to 175 gr. in the 7 TCU with good results to 200M. The 6.5 will easily handle 140 gr. bullets with the proper twist. These larger bullets make a larger permanent wound channel and have the sectional density to penetrate, even at slower speeds than larger calibers. Both will give you far better accuracy than is necessary at your stated hunting distance of 100 and will also do well @200.

 

[mtnman31]

My preference would be for 6.5 TCU, just for practical reasons. I have other firearms in 6.5 and have a variety of bullets on hand to feed it. I no longer own anything in 7mm or 6mm. Right now, I'm shooting 6.5mm TCU in an Encore pistol (Bullberry barrel). From the bench, I can shoot 85gr Sierras (discontinued varmint bullet) into just under an inch groups all day. Best I've done so far with 120gr SMKs is just over an inch. I tried 130 and 140gr bullets but couldn't get them to work as well for me. Eventually, I'd like to try 6.5 TCU in a rifle length barrel.

The 7mm TCU I used to own did an honest inch at 100yds with very little work up or experimenting. I'm sure you'd be happy with whichever you choose.

 

[jbmarshtx]

FYI from a metallic silhouette forum, re 6.5 TCU:

http://steelchickens.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=105277&hilit=tcu#p105277

 

[CJ6]

What accuracy do you have in your gun in 6.5?

5/8" at 100

 

[Oso]

6TCU and 6x454AI (223AI necked up to 6mm) and 6-204 are all very close to each other. I think if you adjust your bullet selection to the 80gr-90gr class of bullets (all of the proven 6mm bullets traditionally used in .243Win) then you will have a suitable cartridge capability with whatever base case you want to use. You’ll need a 1:9 twist barrel for 70gr-90gr bullets or 1:8 twist barrel for +90gr bullets.

If you are wanting to use ultra heavy 6mm (100gr-115gr) then you’ll want/need larger cartridge of which the smallest is a 6mmGrendel/6ARC. You can have a gunsmith open the bolt face for the Grendel cartridge base. 6BR is another nice cartridge

 

[AWS]

Have you looked at the 25-45, 257 on the 223 case. In this day and foreseeable future I wouldn't build anything that requires fire-forming and using components to make cases. Things like the 6x45mm, 25-223, 6.5-223, 6mm-204, 25-204 all are straight run them through a FL sizer, load and shoot. The bigger you go the faster bullets are designed for and getting the up to reliably performing speed in the smaller cases can be a problem. 7mm-204 would be a crapshoot as far as forming cases as the necks will be quite thin and I think you would have losses expanding them that far, 6.5-204 might be workable as it is only .007 larger than the 25-204 and I lose about 4-6/100 when opening the 204 to .257. If you wanted to go to 7mm I'd think about a 7mm-222 Rem Mag.

Personally, with todays market I'd sell the Tikka in 223 and look for a mini action in 6.5 Grendel it will hit all your wants, a 100gr Nosler either NBT or Partition will go 2800fps and be deadly on deer. Mini Howas, CZ's and I believe Ruger makes a bolt 6.5G.

I have a Mini Howa and it is a dandy little rig once you bob the mag.

 

[haeffnkr]

Have you looked at the 25-45, 257 on the 223 case. In this day and foreseeable future I wouldn't build anything that requires fire-forming and using components to make cases. Things like the 6x45mm, 25-223, 6.5-223, 6mm-204, 25-204 all are straight run them through a FL sizer, load and shoot. The bigger you go the faster bullets are designed for and getting the up to reliably performing speed in the smaller cases can be a problem. 7mm-204 would be a crapshoot as far as forming cases as the necks will be quite thin and I think you would have losses expanding them that far, 6.5-204 might be workable as it is only .007 larger than the 25-204 and I lose about 4-6/100 when opening the 204 to .257. If you wanted to go to 7mm I'd think about a 7mm-222 Rem Mag.

Personally, with todays market I'd sell the Tikka in 223 and look for a mini action in 6.5 Grendel it will hit all your wants, a 100gr Nosler either NBT or Partition will go 2800fps and be deadly on deer. Mini Howas, CZ's and I believe Ruger makes a bolt 6.5G.

I have a Mini Howa and it is a dandy little rig once you bob the mag.

That makes sense. While totally changing my plans... I sort of like the idea of a grendel. oh holy hell!