Smith for a rechamber in the Willamette Valley?

[Koda]

Yep, I'm aware of that. I was very very skeptical about it at first, but there's a thread over on Rokslide that has quite a bit of discussion on that bullet in particular. I did some testing on some discarded livestock carcasses when I was living in New Mexico and it was fairly impressive in tissue. Performed about as well as the 123gr SSTs I was using in a 6.5 Grendel, so I gave it a shot and it's been acceptable so far.

@orygun might be worth looking into as well if you're on the fence.

.223 for bear, deer, elk and moose.

DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ 176 PAGES? HERE'S THE CHEAT SHEET. “Bullets matter more than headstamps.” “Spent primers offer the supreme tutorial”. I’ve read it here and elsewhere online. It got my attention. I started digging and asking questions and listened. The 77gr TMK delivered by a .223...

rokslide.com

too funny, I was just lurking on that thread yesterday.
My take, I would not recommend 223 on elk or moose, its fine for deer and under with the right bullet.
I do appreciate your attention to detail and testing, maybe consider doing a Paul Harrel "meat target" test at 200yds to confirm your TMK results? I'm skeptical of a match/target bullet for big game hunting but thats me. There are better choices than the TMKs that will deliver plenty of accuracy for hunting out to 223 ranges. Accuracy isn't an issue with hunting bullets so I dont see a need to take that chance hunting is difficult enough to risk losing one on a long shot thats might be your only chance.

 

[meta_gabbro]

I do appreciate your attention to detail and testing, maybe consider doing a Paul Harrel "meat target" test at 200yds to confirm your TMK results?

Agreed on elk and moose - that's a bit much haha. I don't even take deer with it unless I'm presented a broadside or quartering-to shot. I'm disinclined to do any further testing - the carcasses I used in NM were freshly dispatched mules and cattle, so I think those were good enough analogues to actual game. I tested out to 400yd, and decided on a self imposed limit of 300yd since I saw declining wound channels at 350yd.

 

[Koda]

Agreed on elk and moose - that's a bit much haha. I don't even take deer with it unless I'm presented a broadside or quartering-to shot. I'm disinclined to do any further testing - the carcasses I used in NM were freshly dispatched mules and cattle, so I think those were good enough analogues to actual game. I tested out to 400yd, and decided on a self imposed limit of 300yd since I saw declining wound channels at 350yd.

Still not my thing but you've put more thought and testing into it I'll end my criticism here.
When I did my 223 handload for deer my ballistic estimates put the max range out at about 350yds to stay at or above terminal velocity. You might get 400 with the AI chamber. Sierra doesn't list terminal velocity for those but id say 2000fps is a good general rule when not specified.

 

[meta_gabbro]

Still not my thing but you've put more thought and testing into it I'll end my criticism here.
When I did my 223 handload for deer my ballistic estimates put the max range out at about 350yds to stay at or above terminal velocity. You might get 400 with the AI chamber. Sierra doesn't list terminal velocity for those but id say 2000fps is a good general rule when not specified.

Even after I AI it, I doubt I'll increase the distance I'm willing to take game at. The bump in energy will be nice though, since I do recognize that it's a marginal cartridge and some more giddyup can't hurt.

 

[Koda]

Even after I AI it, I doubt I'll increase the distance I'm willing to take game at. The bump in energy will be nice though, since I do recognize that it's a marginal cartridge and some more giddyup can't hurt.

the thing to know here is varmint bullets on big game need less velocity.

Not my thing or anything one can read in a textbook but one can learn from experienced hunters. I had a good thread on here on shot placement where a very experienced forum member suggested the performance of 223 varmint bullets on deer size game. I trust this guys experiences...
check it out, queued up to the subject for ya. (the whole thread is chock full of good info...)

Effective game killing, shot placement and more...

Factory Remington green/ white box HP was plain decapitation of the shoulder. isnt that stuff designed for target projectiles?

www.northwestfirearms.com

 

[P7M13]

I absolutely expect this to be cheaper than buying a new custom since 1) I'm providing the part so there's no cost for materials and 2) work only needs to be done on the chamber and face; no rifling, crowning, or threading like I'd need to be done with a custom. Why should I expect something with substantially fewer machine-hours to cost the same as a custom?

The last four barrels I had done, the barrels themselves were $250-$450 each, and the smith work on each was $275 - $350 apiece.
He is cheaper than I've been quoted by shops now closed, and his turn around was two weeks.
I'm well aware of the Ackley mods to a chamber, have a few custom myself. It's quibbling, but when you say "shorten four thou..", I understand that to be in addition to the chamber.
FYI, in stating "4 mils", mils comes from the Latin prefix milli, meaning one one-thousandth.

 

[meta_gabbro]

My bad, I explained the 4 thou shortening just to explain why I don't consider hand reaming to be viable. It's not something that people who suggest hand reaming improved chambers for rimless cartridges usually know, and something I try to discourage seeing as it inherently creates excessive headspace.

My bad for the thou correction too, I was schooled against that nomenclature in college to prevent confusion between systems, especially in cases where systems get mixed.

$275 is much closer to what I'm looking for, and seems like a much more reasonable price. In fact, it seems like Oregunsmithing in Pendleton will do this service for $220, which even with the cost of shipping is more than worth it over the local smith.

 

[P7M13]

My bad, I explained the 4 thou shortening just to explain why I don't consider hand reaming to be viable. It's not something that people who suggest hand reaming improved chambers for rimless cartridges usually know, and something I try to discourage seeing as it inherently creates excessive headspace.

My bad for the thou correction too, I was schooled against that nomenclature in college to prevent confusion between systems, especially in cases where systems get mixed.

$275 is much closer to what I'm looking for, and seems like a much more reasonable price. In fact, it seems like Oregunsmithing in Pendleton will do this service for $220, which even with the cost of shipping is more than worth it over the local smith.

That's a nice price. Let us know how it goes -- folk here are always looking for gunsmiths.