Good grief, I don't believe I have anyone try so hard to prove he was right in recommending a marginal rifle for deer, and marginal it is no doubt. A bullet in order to be effective on big game needs both mass and speed, the .223 is missing one of those things and because of not enough mass, the speed drops off at distance. Can it kill a deer, yep, but I can kill deer with a .22 rim fire or a .17 rim fire but I wouldn't do it. Ruark said it a long time ago and it still holds true today, "use enough gun". It is ill advised to recommend a marginal forearm to a new hunter, especially since he indicated his wallet is fat enough to go way better than marginal!