I have read you posts before and know your affinity and skill for extreme long range shooting. I have no doubt that a shooter of your caliber can weild a 223 like a death ray when it comes to harvesting deer. Hunters with your marksmanship skills are rarer then few and far between. To impart your marksmanship skills and ability on the hunting population that as a whole group is marginal at best when it comes to marksmanship and think they can accomplish the same feats you can is overreaching plain and simple.
The standard of 1000ft/lbs is the rule I use and will always use when it comes to harvesting a deer. The average 55 grain 223 has about 1100 ft/lbs at the muzzle and drops below the 1000 threshold relatively soon after leaving the barrel. I have a 9 year old daughter that would love to harvest a deer. But she is not of the stature to handle a gun that fires ammo that produces the energy requirements I set forth. Untill she can, no deer hunting.
I am not bending my own rules just to get her in the feild to harvest a deer with marginal killing equipment.
I am curious to how all the pro 223 posters feel about using a 223 on something like an elk. The bull or cow will fall to a well placed broadside shot into the lungs (the argument used to justify using it on deer). I imagine none of you would even consider it as a viable elk round though.