TMK's on Prairie Dogs?

[1mil]

Maybe this has been discussed but does anyone have real experience shooting P dogs with Sierra 60grn tipped match kings or any other tmk eight in 22cal?
I shoot 60 v max now at 3500fps and they are v explosive....do the tmk's come apart as well?
Thanks

 

[RegionRat]

I have used the 77 TMK but ............

Let me start with a warning that using any bullet other than a varmint bullet for colony rodents comes with some caveats. These do not disintegrate the way something like a 60 gr V-Max does when it touches terrain.

These can and do ricochet like crazy after passing through and can harm livestock or worse and if there is anything nearby I would not recommend it.

I have burned off odds and ends leftover 77 TMK match ammo using a Sendero style long barrel with 7 twist, but I am shooting into a mountain or hillside for a background. No livestock, buildings, roads, etc., for more than 10 miles away.

They do not pop like varmint bullets at long shot velocity, but they do expand and kill well enough out to about 700 yards. Beyond this, they tend to impact like an FMJ.

Good for coyotes and badgers within range, but I don't recommend them for prairie dogs unless you have the right setting.

 

[Twdmar]

Maybe this has been discussed but does anyone have real experience shooting P dogs with Sierra 60grn tipped match kings or any other tmk eight in 22cal?
I shoot 60 v max now at 3500fps and they are v explosive....do the tmk's come apart as well?
Thanks

I have not shot them at anything but paper, but there is talk on the national match forum of guys overspinning them and blowing them up. 3500fps is probably a bit fast, if barrel twist is a 1/7 or 1/8

 

[pdhntr]

Maybe this has been discussed but does anyone have real experience shooting P dogs with Sierra 60grn tipped match kings or any other tmk eight in 22cal?
I shoot 60 v max now at 3500fps and they are v explosive....do the tmk's come apart as well?
Thanks

I have shot enough to know the bullet very well. I really like them. They would be my 2nd choice over the 53 gr. V-max. I am shooting them in a 12 twist 22-250. They really excel at distance in the wind.

This summer a rancher and I shot prairie dogs for an entire day with him using the 60 TMK in his 22-250. I was able to observe as I have only shot them alone. They will open up on a prairie dog and can create vertical lift and horizontal distance that my 53 V-Max couldn't. There was some incredible acrobatics.

I use them in my 223 for coyotes also. They will usually go through on side shots, but leave smaller holes and tend not to explode.

Jim

 

[searcher]

I have shot enough to know the bullet very well. I really like them. They would be my 2nd choice over the 53 gr. V-max. I am shooting them in a 12 twist. They really excel at distance in the wind.

This summer a rancher and I shot prairie dogs for an entire day with him using the 60 TMK in his 22-250. I was able to observe as I have only shot them alone. They will open up on a prairie dog and can create vertical lift and horizontal distance that my 53 V-Max couldn't. There was some incredible acrobatics.

I use them in my 223 for coyotes also. They will usually go through on side shots, but leave smaller holes and tend not to explode.

Jim

Out of curiosity - can you tell me how far away most of the prairie dogs were shot? I know hydrostatic shock will throw critters quite a way without the bullet even opening up (like when using FMJ's at close range). I'd be inclined to think the thicker jackets of the TMJ's would not open much when out there aways - at least relative to the V-Max. Maybe you can shed some light.

 

[boatammo]

According to the Sierra tech I talked to {the most explosive bullet we make}.

 

[drags]

I use the 69 gr TMK in a 8 twist 223 on groundhogs at about 3000 FPS and they work very well. I shot a small groundhog about the size of a large prairie dog at about 150 yards and it nearly blue it in half and they are good killers on bigger groundhogs.
Drags

 

[pdhntr]

Out of curiosity - can you tell me how far away most of the prairie dogs were shot?

Most were shot between approximately 125 and 300 yards. The closer ones occasionally produced the most acrobatics.

I know hydrostatic shock will throw critters quite a way without the bullet even opening up (like when using FMJ's at close range).

Interesting. I have never observed that. All of the FMJs I have used have penciled through without moving the animal much at all.

I wanted to use up some 30-06 military ball FMJ many years ago, so I shot them through my garand, admittedly not the best prairie dog gun, but when hit side on they all pretty much made it back to the hole.

I'd be inclined to think the thicker jackets of the TMJ's would not open much when out there aways - at least relative to the V-Max. Maybe you can shed some light.

Not sure what you mean by TMJs, but I have shot the 60 TMK out to 500 yards or so, with my 22-250s, and the ones I hit, I can assure you the bullet opened up. Beyond 600 yards, I have not tested.

When Sierra came out with these, I had a preconceived notion that they would pencil through. So I was pleasantly surprised when I found they were incredibly accurate and would open up on prairie dogs. Since then I have shot well over a thousand of them through my 22-250s at prairie dogs and the 223 at coyotes.

I am not an expert on the jacket thickness of the TMK vs the V-max, however, my opinion from observation is the jacket is very slightly heavier than the 55 gr. BK or the 53 V-Max. I arrived at that from noticing they will (1) tend to hold together better than the V-Max or BK going through coyotes. (2) They CAN produce some spectacular acrobatics, however, I can't prove that the jacket thickness, weight, or which of any number of factors has anything to do with it. (3) I will occasionally get a ricochet with the TMK where I don't with the 53 V-max, although they are rare.

Jim

 

[moorepower]

According to the Sierra tech I talked to {the most explosive bullet we make}.

I was told by a tech not to use the tipped Match King for Pdogs, as it would not expand on them, by a Sierra tech. I bought a bunch on sale, but have yet to find a load that works.

 

[B23]

The MK's have a fairly thick jacket and though the tip may help accelerate expansion on the TMK's they're never going to perform like a Vmax.

 

[urbanrifleman]

I have shot enough to know the bullet very well. I really like them. They would be my 2nd choice over the 53 gr. V-max. I am shooting them in a 12 twist. They really excel at distance in the wind.

This summer a rancher and I shot prairie dogs for an entire day with him using the 60 TMK in his 22-250. I was able to observe as I have only shot them alone. They will open up on a prairie dog and can create vertical lift and horizontal distance that my 53 V-Max couldn't. There was some incredible acrobatics.

I use them in my 223 for coyotes also. They will usually go through on side shots, but leave smaller holes and tend not to explode.

Jim

60 tmk?

 

[Gary in MD]

According to the Sierra tech I talked to {the most explosive bullet we make}.

Do you mean the TMK was the most explosive or maybe he meant the Blitz Kings?

 

[boatammo]

No we were talking about the 6mm 95 gr.

 

[pdhntr]

60 tmk?

Yes, the Sierra 60 grain Tipped Match King.

Jim

 

[searcher]

Most were shot between approximately 125 and 300 yards. The closer ones occasionally produced the most acrobatics.

Interesting. I have never observed that. All of the FMJs I have used have penciled through without moving the animal much at all.

I wanted to use up some 30-06 military ball FMJ many years ago, so I shot them through my garand, admittedly not the best prairie dog gun, but when hit side on they all pretty much made it back to the hole.

Not sure what you mean by TMJs, but I have shot the 60 TMK out to 500 yards or so, with my 22-250s, and the ones I hit, I can assure you the bullet opened up. Beyond 600 yards, I have not tested.

When Sierra came out with these, I had a preconceived notion that they would pencil through. So I was pleasantly surprised when I found they were incredibly accurate and would open up on prairie dogs. Since then I have shot well over a thousand of them through my 22-250s at prairie dogs and the 223 at coyotes.

I am not an expert on the jacket thickness of the TMK vs the V-max, however, my opinion from observation is the jacket is very slightly heavier than the 55 gr. BK or the 53 V-Max. I arrived at that from noticing they will (1) tend to hold together better than the V-Max or BK going through coyotes. (2) They CAN produce some spectacular acrobatics, however, I can't prove that the jacket thickness, weight, or which of any number of factors has anything to do with it. (3) I will occasionally get a ricochet with the TMK where I don't with the 53 V-max, although they are rare.

Jim

Thanks for your input. I can assure you - if you run .22 caliber FMJ's at high velocity - small critters do get sucked inside-out, body parts flying, etc. - as long as the bullets are moving fast. Velocity is the key with them. Once the bullets slow down - punching holes is all they do. I can say I've never shot .30 caliber JMJ's at small critters, but I'd guess they weren't fast enough to start with? Again - good to know those TMK's open up, as I'm looking for other bullets to experiment in my .22 Nosler.

 

[moorepower]

Thanks for your input. I can assure you - if you run .22 caliber FMJ's at high velocity - small critters do get sucked inside-out, body parts flying, etc. - as long as the bullets are moving fast. Velocity is the key with them. Once the bullets slow down - punching holes is all they do. I can say I've never shot .30 caliber JMJ's at small critters, but I'd guess they weren't fast enough to start with? Again - good to know those TMK's open up, as I'm looking for other bullets to experiment in my .22 Nosler.

Call Sierra and talk with them. When I talked with them, I got the impression that they were closer to a hunting bullet than a varmint bullet. I also never tried them on varmints, so.....

 

[Pheasanthunter]

Maybe this has been discussed but does anyone have real experience shooting P dogs with Sierra 60grn tipped match kings or any other tmk eight in 22cal?
I shoot 60 v max now at 3500fps and they are v explosive....do the tmk's come apart as well?
Thanks

I agree with RegionRat on the 77gr. Tmk
Most accurate bullet I found in my 22-6AI at 3489 fps 1-8tw.. the lay of the land dictates when I shoot them. Not real explosive but do the job. The eldm’s have better splat factor but vmax are really hard to beat.