.223 Deer

[NYBuckHunter27]

Did anyone try out a .223 on a deer this season? If so, what bullet and grain?

[chrisw]

Not this season but a few years ago I did. Bullet was a Hornady 75gr. Match hollow point. Shot a doe at 20 yds. She went 30 yds and died. Bullet never exited and no blood in snow whatsoever, even where she lay dead. It worked but I'll probably never use it again. If it had been a less than perfect hit and no snow I doubt I'd have ever found it.

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[Lawdwaz]

Not this season but a few years ago I did. Bullet was a Hornady 75gr. Match hollow point. Shot a doe at 20 yds. She went 30 yds and died. Bullet never exited and no blood in snow whatsoever, even where she lay dead. It worked but I'll probably never use it again. If it had been a less than perfect hit and no snow I doubt I'd have ever found it.

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Probably not the best choice in bullets for any chambering.  Why not a Partition or Barnes TSX?

[chrisw]

Probably not the best choice in bullets for any chambering. Why not a Partition or Barnes TSX?

Because at the time I didn't have them and you won't find them on any shelves around here. I agree a Barnes would've been ideal, if I were to ever give it another go I would certainly choose a heavily constructed bullet. Just too many better options in calibers for me to go back to a marginal one...

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[fasteddie]

Here we go again with the small caliber bow cartridges . Next is the head shots and exact placement ending in I have killed several deer with a 223 or my buddy did . Why not use a caliber that is going to knock the snot out of a deer ! 

[ants]

The farmer, who owns the place I hunt in Allegheny Co. uses a single shot .223 for deer. He kills deer every year with it .  A nice 8 pt. this year. He is an excellent, very patient shot though. He waits for a good shot  and drills them through the ribs. If he can't get a good shot, he has no problem letting the biggest buck walk. When he does connect they don't go far at all. Im not sure what load he uses, but knowing him he uses what ever he has on hand. Probably FMJ's

[Mr VJP]

A .223 will do the job.  I wouldn't opt to use it if a more appropriate rifle was available though.  But if I had to use it, I'd be sure it had a proper deer killing bullet in it, and I'd keep the shots within it's limited range of energy.

 

[ATbuckhunter]

Should do the job if you use a bullet that will stay together like a Barnes bullet. Shot placement would also be more critical than with bigger calibers. But it'll get the job done if that's all you have on you.

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[Buckmaster7600]

I killed a couple deer in NC with one of my AR's and it worked. I also pulled my boat with my wifes car once and I got to fish. In both cases there are much better tools for the job!

[Tio1]

I was once killed one with perfect shot using BB gun.

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[HuntOrBeHunted]

Would a 223 kill a deer. Of course. Would I use one to hunt with. Of course not lol.

 

Why. Because there are plenty of way better cailbers to choose from that will do the job more effectively.

[fasteddie]

223 ? Why go so big !  Why not use a .17 HMR rifle ! 

[Lawdwaz]

223 ? Why go so big !  Why not use a .17 HMR rifle ! 

 

Rimfire cartridges aren't legal, only centerfire.

 

 

For now........................

[fasteddie]

I know they are. ...

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[BBDEric]

True story good friend. Airline lost his gun on a moose hunt. Shot his moose with the camp 223. Went 40 yards. The moose was 30 yards away. I know it not a legal cal but the guy was going hunt after the $$$ was spent. He hoped his rifle came or someone in camo tagged out. But he did shoot a moose

[LET EM GROW]

I was always against small caliber rifles in the deer hunting woods, until this year. A man i work with, his son picked up a 22-250 for coyotes, few years back, this year they decided to hunt with it for deer. between the man and his 2 sons, they killed 9 deer with that rifle. all but 1 dropped in there tracks from double lung shots. (the 1 deer only went 30 yrds) One buck was a 200lb 8 pt @ 275 yrds!... dropped him in his tracks.

 

the energy from the 60 gr soft point just exploded the lungs on each deer... not saying i'm going to run out and buy one for deer hunting but,... a well placed shot is what matters most 

[WNYBuckHunter]

True story good friend. Airline lost his gun on a moose hunt. Shot his moose with the camp 223. Went 40 yards. The moose was 30 yards away. I know it not a legal cal but the guy was going hunt after the $$$ was spent. He hoped his rifle came or someone in camo tagged out. But he did shoot a moose

 

So he illegally shot a moose?

[Doc]

I don't understand what the thrill is to be trying to kill game with the least effective equipment, but there seems to be some reason why people want to try it. The .22 hornet is a legal deer caliber in areas of NYS where rifles are legal. I'm waiting for someone to try to rationalize using it for deer hunting. Of course, given perfect circumstances, the hornet will kill a deer, but what would even make anyone try?

 

[Pygmy]

I don't understand it either, Doc, but the phenomenon is far from new.

Just like wanting to kill very large, dangerous game like brown and polar bears and Cape Buffalo with bows and arrows. Many of those dudes would be stomped into dust if they did not have a professional hunter with a very large rifle standing next to them to kill the animals when it charges. I read that Fred bear shot 6 polar bears with his bow before he could enter one in the record books, because he kept shooting them and then they would charge and the guide would have to kill the bear with a rifle to rescue his silly, scrawny ass.

I remember reading an article in a gun magazine back in the 1960s. The author and his buddy were hunting black bears with revolvers chambered in .22 Remington Jet, which is a .357 mag necked down to .22 and is about the same power level as a .22 Hornet.

[thphtm]

At one time on Long Island they were jacking deer with .22's with the mufflers from VW Beatles as silencers attached to the front of them at night time,Most of the time it were bucks with a nice rack that they would sell. I guess a deer standing there eating would be an easy target and you could get a good shot placement.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Rimfire cartridges aren't legal, only centerfire.

 

 

For now........................

they do have a couple .17's that are center fire don't they?

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I own a .223 and have owned a 22-250. They are very good rounds but I don't think they fit the bill for deer sized game for me. I want a round that I can put through they shoulder on a quartering to shot and not have to worry about it. 

[ants]

they do have a couple .17's that are center fire don't they?

17 Hornet and 17 Fireball…may be 1 or 2 others.

Edited December 28, 2015 by ants

[nobody]

This caliber will kill deer if you place the hit to destroy the heart ect.. The thing is, the caliber is so light for deer, the animal might run off

and die where recovery could a big problem in finding the hit deer.

 Please considered useing the proper size calibers recommended for deer hunting. Put this varmint gun back in your gun rack.

[fasteddie]

In the wrong hands , it is a terrible cartridge !