Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Speer 70gr vs Horn 55gr SP for .223 Rem on Deer

Food for thought.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/14748142/1

Starts on page 2.

Certainly makes a strong case!

He has some posts showing damage on other threads too.

I have to say - after doing some reading & visiting this thread: (https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/223-for-bear-deer-elk-and-moose.130488/page-2), I think there is something unique about the 77gr TMK. I can see more clearly what Ndbowhunter meant - glad I kept an open mind!

A parallel that I draw from personal experience would be that the 77TMK seems to act like the 6mm Sierra 85gr HPBT in medium game that I’ve taken. Outsized performance that some have to see to believe.

Thanks Ndbowhunter & 10ga Mag - opened my eyes.

Thanks for posting the 223 thread - very interesting. I honestly had no idea...........

That makes two of us!

The so revered 77 gr. TMK is certainly not an eat up to the hole bullet.

Never was a question in my mind... If I was going to use a 22 caliber for deer, the answer was the 70 grain Speer....

Worked the first time and every other time after that I've ever used it...

Even with the Barnes X bullets, I tried that ONE time.. and it performed exactly like the Speer 70 SMP...

If I didn't have access to the Speer any time, the next bullet I'd use was the Sierra SMP 63 grain...

in a world with all these "wonderful new bullets"... I will still be using the Speer and Sierra SMP in 70 and 63 grain.

Because those two bullets have been doing it longer than ANY of these newer bullets...

as for placement.. put it where its suppose to go....either will do there job reliably....

if one doesn't know where that is... maybe you might brush up on deer anatomy a little....

Thanks Seafire! I’ve been happy with many other Speer bullets and was hoping someone would chime in with some positive news - I was beginning to wonder

My kind of killer!

i put bullets behind the crease. not too worried about a few spoiled ribs and organ meats.

Would you use the 77TMK if you couldn’t precisely pick your entry?

I would. They dig pretty well. Expect a mess though

I’m a big believer in the 70 Speer SP out of my 223 With 1/9 twist. I’m loading that bullet over H4895. It’s not as high BC as other stuff out there, but I’ve killed deer out to 200 yards with it and my experience with them on deer is the same from 50-200 yards; all bullets exit, stay together and expand to about 2X the original diameter based on exit holes. All of my shots have been broadside lung shots. The 223 in general is still is no match for larger cartridges and bullets at high velocity in regards to initial shock to the animal and blood trails. I do think shot placement becomes more important because you just don’t have the power of larger cartridges that might leave bigger blood trails or cause more tissue damage.

I have used both bullets and shot a number of roe bucks with them using a 5,6x50R a cartridge which, roughly throws them about 70-100 fps faster than a .223R

Both killed well but I prefered the Hornady 55gr over the 70gr Speer, which I found to be too soft for my taste, circumstance that would worsen at 22-250 velocities. The 55gr Hornady shot better, too.

So, between the two I would recommend the 55gr Hornady.

My very favourite in my 1:8" 22-250, though, is the 77gr TMK whose use I owe to Formidilosus who kindly shared his vast experience with it. It is a superb killer and has proved extremely accurate in my gun. It produces an amoiunt of damage and penetration that rationale can not explain.

Alvaro

I’ve shot a handful of deer with the 55hornady with 22-250. It worked very well. Never had one shoot clear through on broadside shot but the bullets are always on the skin on the off side. I shot a couple with the plain Jane hornady 60 grain bullet and they all shot completely through the deer. I’d like to try the 62TTSX and the Speer gold dots as well. I’m guessing they’d be great. But the hornady bullets are cheap and available and they’ve been working well for a long time. Good luck.

Ive used all that you mentioned. The 62TTSX is over the top unless you really want to kill something big.The 55 grain Gold dots are impressive.

Happy to help out....

I tend to use stuff that has worked for decades, instead of some of the new "greatest latest" bullets or powder....

sometimes I wonder If I am stuck on 1953 technology... but in 1953, I was 1 year old... so I hadn't quite started my hunting career yet...

I quit trying all the newest stuff, when I've seen results that didn't meet up with the broadcasted expectations by the manufacturers and others...


I got that bright idea of stuff that is proven and has worked for decades from Two women, overheard talking in a Forest Service Office that was an account of mine...

" So what is your husband getting you for Christmas??"

" Knowing him.... he'll be getting me a 400 Winchester Magnum, to replace the 300 Winchester magnum he got me for my birthday."

That was 25 years ago or more....

and yeah, Speer is behind the times.... they keep making old stuff until recently.. right up my alley...

I shoot a lot of Speer products.... they are cheaper than other companies stuff... yet they always worked for me....so why change?

I bought a box of the 70 grain Speers to try in my 1-12” twist 221 Fireball. The box says 1-10 “ twist or greater. Has anyone had problems stabilizing these bullets in a 1-12?

I'm wondering about the 12 twist also. I was going to buy some to try in a 12 twist 22-250 that shoots the 63 gr. Sierra SMP's well.
Does anyone know if the Speer 70 gr. is more or less fragile than the Sierra 63 gr.? There hasn't been much left of the Sierra 63 gr. bullets in the deer I have killed and none have exited, however the deer remained quite dead.