RE: For All you 223 Fans
My 7.62x39 kills deer more efficiently than my 30-06. Why? I’m pretty sure that this is due to the 30-06 being too powerful. Too powerful? Yes; when you shoot an animal with an overly powered firearm, you simply waste energy in whatever is behind or beyond the animal.
Example given; if you were to shoot a groundhog with a rifle loaded for elephant, you’d do a lot less damage to the ground hog than if you’d have shot him with a .22 short. All the energy of the .22 will be delivered into the animal. The projectile of the big game rifle (say 375 H&H) will not even begin to expand inside of a ground hog. So really all you’ve done to the ground hog is push the equivalent of a .375 practice tip arrow through him.
I’ve shot quite a few deer with both the 30-06 and the 7.62x39 and conclude that the ballistics associated with the 7.62 are better suited for deer hunting than the 30-06. Don’t get me wrong, I love the 30-06, but this isn’t about opinions or favorite rounds, is it?
That said, (and I’ve got numbers to back this) the 7.62x39 and the .223 are very similar. The 7.62 is a little heavier and slower, the .223 a little lighter and faster. This translates to the 7.62 having a little more energy at closer ranges, and the .223 having a little more energy at further distances.
I’ve never shot a deer with a .223 but after reading this thread, referencing “shoot better II” ballistic tables, and comparing what I read with what I know, I’m pretty sure that the .223 is a fine weapon for deer hunting.
How much energy does a bow have again? Maybe you guys should go see what kind of deer the bow hunters are taking every year. Yeah, it’s all about how it (the energy) is delivered. Caliber, distance, bullet weight, sectional density, projectile materials and shot placement.