.223 enough for deer?
 

just wondering

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

With the Barnes X bullets and or the Nosler Partition, kept to 200 yards or less, its plenty of gun for avaerage size deer. Deer have been taken with standard bullets at ranges longer than 200 with the 223 but in respect for its performance, I would keep the shots to 200 yards or less. I shot quite a few deer with the 222 and never lost one.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

This may be one of the most debated questions out there but I will jump in the fire anyway with my personal and professional opinion.
- Personally I do not feel that it is an ideal caliber for average white tail sized game but it is capable of making a humane kill.
- Professionally speaking as a marksman and instructor I will say that almost ANY caliber weapon in the right hands above a BB gun is capable of making a humane kill. On the same note, a hunter who has not at least practiced the art of marksmanship can make a .50 BMG not enough for a a deer.

SHOT PLACEMENT gents, I would concern myself with that above all else. Get out of the ballistic charts and out to the range.A large powerful caliber is no replacement for poor marksmanship. Be fair to the game you are tracking and practice good marksmanship and judgement.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

Make sure that you are allowed to hunt dear with that small of a caliber. Here in Co, we have to use .24 or larger.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

USMC said it well. I have shot a few deer (does) with my 223 over the years. I took only good broadside shots, was using reloaded Nosler 60gr Partitions, and kept my shots under 250 yards. Out of the 3 or 4 does I shot with that load, none showed sign of being hit (all boiler room shots), they all ran anywhere from 50-100 yards and tipped over. If you live in an area that is heavily wooded I would not reccomend it. Where I live it is wide open an you can see them for a long ways after hit. There was a very little blood trail, I did get exits on all deer shot, wich amazed me because I was using my RRA with a 16" barrel.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

I would'nt take a chance on injuring a deer with a .22 cal. Stick with something bigger. You can also kill a deer with a knife, but that dont mean you'll want to jump out of a tree and stab it. We should just stick with more adequate rifles for deer.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

I killed one doe at 315 yards with a 45 gr. jhp usa brand 2 years ago from a bushmaster xm-15(ar-15 copy). It ran about ten yards and took a nose dive in the snow. When I opened it up it look like it was full of grape jelly, heart and lungs totally destroyed. The loads are said to be 3600 fps on the box. I get them at walmart. My friend shot one of the biggest bodied bucks where we hunt on a farm with his bushmaster. He shot it at about 50 yards in the shoulder and it penetrated out the other side and the deer only ran about 60 yards. I also saw him shoot a small doe during doe season in the shoulder at about 80 yards and it blew a hole about the size of a baseball going in. It took another shot to put it down because he hit it to far forward. He gave me the deer and during skinning I found the bullet and it had mushroomed perfectly and didnt explode like I thought it would. All shots were broadside but I couldnt believe when the one penetrated that large buck the way it did. The .223 will kill but use sound judgment in shot placement.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

There are better options, but I could see using one if I had no other choice.

I guess that's a whole new can of worms ethics question. You only have a .223 and can't afford another rifle. Don't deer hunt at all, or get really good with the .223?

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

Will it kill a deer? Yes, but there are better choices in caliber out there. Just my opinion.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

Upgrade to a 243. Not much difference in recoil or price if you shop wisely.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

I myself would stick with .243 or bigger. .223 is a varmint round. HCH

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

I wouldn't have any problems using my .223 for deer. I know the limits of both myself and my weapon. For me, it is enough for deer. Although if given the option, I would prefer to have my 25-06. But my general carry gun is the .223, so often times it is the gun I have when I run across deer.

For someone that does not have a lot of experience with a firearm, a .223 is not the correct choice for deer. People on here have asked before about their kids using them. Smaller margin of error and inexperienced shooters don't mix.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

I dont think it's a good deer round, just my opinion


-Travis-

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

I shoot deer w/ a .223 from a rest in a ground blind. I only take head shots at 200 yds or less, they drop in their tracks.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

you could think of it this way, the military uses the .223 to attempt to kill a +200lb man so why wouldn't it kill a 200lb deer?

on the Drury videos they have been shooting a T/C encore in .223 and have killed some bing deer with it on video.

if you put a hole in the heart i don't think it matters what size the bullet was.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

I always get a laugh out of these posts...And wonder how many that answer that it won't have tried???:)

Recently we had this asked at another hunting forum...Many said..Why???
Turns out the guys nephew had cancer...couldn't shoot anything bigger...

I have killed many with a 22-250....back in the '70s for population control...Back then, nobody had a "deer rifle"...They had been wiped out of NC years ago...This was way before we had bullets for a .22 caliber designed for deer...My niece killed two does last year on the same hunt. within 30 minutes of each other...Both dropped on the spot...Killed with a 22-250 and Federal Premium 60gr Nosler Partition...I cleaned both of them...Both were shot through the shoulder blade and had a hole on the offside an inch wide...Just as dead as if killed with a .270.
There are several local guys that like to target shoot, groundhog hunt etc. They have .223s, 22-250 and 220 Swifts....All handload, they can hit a dime at 100 yards...And kill deer...2-3 a year for the freezer...They aren't what we would consider "deer" hunters...They are more target shooters that might own 50-60 acres and kill a deer on the backside of their property...They can pick and choose their target...Don't have gut shots to contend with....

I wouldn't buy a .22 centerfire for deer...But if you are a good enough shot and can pick and choose your angle then yes the .22 centerfires have enough energy to cleanly kill a deer...

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

Worked just fine for me. I killed my first 8 deer with a 223 and never lost one. It's all about shot placement shot angle and keep em within 200yd with a premium bullet and u'll be eating backstrap every season.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

In most cases I'd say the .223 is barely enough to make a clean kill on an averageadultdeer.

However, I hunt with a guy who has taken half a dozen (andone lost) with his Mini-14 and SL8-1, most of which droppedin its tracks or took a dive a few dozen yards away just insidethe tree line. The issue, again, is shot placement. The .223 witha good HP/SP bullet can shred the lungs orheart if you hit them, but there is not muchmargin for error, in my opinion.

I'd rather have a little more power at my disposal (.30-06 or 12 ga. slug) just to be on the safe side, but I admit I can't help butthing about trying my BM M4A3 with its EOTech 511 and BUIS out for size. Maybe one dayif I'm after whitetail deeper south in a .223-legal hunting area.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

It don't take much to whack a deer; however....
The "just get by folks" will need topass onColorado as the 223 is not legal for deer here.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

good for yote though


-Travis-

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

I would recommend a larger caliber as well, However if a 223 is all I had and it was legal, I would pick my shots and use it without hesitation.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

I have no doubt that the .223 can harvest deer cleanly. However I do not think it is a caliber that should be used to hunt deer on a regular basis. There are so many calibers out there that are better on deer and can be found just as cheap and economical. Just my Opionion. which with 50 cents you can buy a cup of coffee.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

Can a .223 work on deer? Yes, it can and it has. More importantly, though; is it a good choice to use on deer? No. Not in my opinion. I realize plenty of people have used it and had success with it time and again. I still don't believe it's a good choice. Even stepping up to a .220 Swift or a 22-250 gives you a lot more powder behind that little pill.

I really didn't have much of an issue with it until last year when my buddy lost two really nice bucks in a span of two days with his 223. He was using 60gr Nosler Partitions and he's a good shot. He did everything by the book, too; broadside shots, standing still, under 150 yards. Zero blood trail. We looked for hours on both deer.With the first one,our group kind of wrote it off as possibly being a bad hit or just bad luck.But the 2nd one he tookhis time, made surehe was putting them inthe vitals.It wasn't a heavily wooded area, but there were plenty of trees and cover.

He could probably go out and get the next 10 deer in arow withhis .223 and have absolutely no problems. But is it worth the risk? Whychance it when there are so many better tools (calibers) out there? IMO, you owe it to the deer to use something better, just as you owe it to them to be proficient enough with whatever tool you're using to make a quick, clean kill.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

I've never been accused of being "politcally corect" so why start now? HELL NO!!!!!! Any 22 caliber isn't sufficient to hunt deer. Why do you think they are illegal in many states. A 6mm/243 caliber cartridge is the minimum. I don't believe any 22 can consistantly provide clean ethical kills.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

In FL .243 is minimum and no more than 5 rounds.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

It is possible to take down a deer with a .223 and it has been done.One fack is that not every time you are going to pull the trigger everything is going to go right and your bullet is going to hit where you whould like it too.If you dont hit the deer in a major kill spot (Loungs,Heart,Neck,Head)and hit a spot other than a major kill spotyou are 85% more likely to loose a deer than you would be shooting a .270+ caliber.Smaller calibers such as a .223 dont open up a big hole and it will leave you with a small wond and the anamal will not bleed right.So in the end yes you can use a .223 but I dont recomend it.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

That's another thing, the lack of a good blood trail left by a .22 cal. I'm 100% against a 22 for deer. Just my opinion. If thats all I had I'd sell it and get a 6mm at least. You can have the best of both worlds with that rifle: varmints and deer. I use a 30-06 or a 7mm, just me. I like to make sure I have a clean kill, no use in bragging about being the best shot around. I could kill a deer with a 22cal but who would want to?Taking a chance on wasting a god given gift is not on my "to do " list.:)

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

"- Personally I do not feel that it is an ideal caliber for average white tail sized game but it is capable of making a humane kill."

While far from ideal, the .223 is "adequate" for whitetail deer at limited ranges, provided you use the right bullets and place the bullet precisely in a vital area.

I once compared the wound channel in two whitetails of about the same weight, field dressed +- 150 pounds. One had been shot with a .223 with the Nosler Partition 60-grain bullet, and one with a 130-grain Nosler Partiton from a .270 Win. Both were broadside shots thru the ribs and both lungs, both exited the off side ribcage. Range under 100 yards for each animal.

From visual examoination, it seemed that the .270 had done about 4 times the amount of damage done bythe .223.

However, neither animal moved over 5' from where it had been standing whne shot. Hmmm......

BTW, the .22/250 (and .220 SWIFT) is an entirely different proposition. If used with controlled expansion bullets, its' much higher impact velocity does things to larger animals that the .223 is just too slow to duplicate!

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

AnthonyT - Good point on the lack of a blood trail!

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

Whether or not the .223 is an adequate calibre for deer, do not try it in California. Here it is illegal to use any calibre less than 6mm to hunt big game of any kind. As far as I know there is no maximum size. I use a .300 Weatherby Magnum for big game and have found it more than adequate.

Caldoc

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

.300 Weatherby Mag is adequate for white tail a mile away! :D

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

I have not hunted deer with a 223, don't currently own one, and would probably buy something a bit bigger.

I do think however that I would stay away from short barrels like the 16" somebody mentioned. You gotta get the bullet to the right spot, but it alsohas to be going fast enough to dogood damage. The shorter barrels hurt the velocity and energy on what is arguably a marginal cartridge for this task.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

ditto

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

Headshots?

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

When we doe hunt in South Dakota we only take head shots on does. That is just a little rule we made a few years ago to make doe hunting a little more challenging (not really). But why would you want a 223 and go buck hunting an take a head shot, don't make much sense to me.

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

Marginal at best! I don't understand the reasoning for wanting to use one, except maybe in an extremely isolated case!
If its just for the "challenge" try a good hunting handgun, or a bow!

RE: .223 enough for deer?
 

My cousin used a 223 for a while as his first deer rifle. He did kill deer with it but he lost some too. We took to calling it the rat gun. The deer he shot often rana long ways and left very little blood to follow. Maybe that's not a problem if you are hunting in Kansas but, speaking as someone who often helped him trail his wounded deer, here in the dense pine thickets of Alabama it sucked pretty hard.

We were all glad when hemoved up to a bigger caliber eventually.

Will it kill deer? Sure, but so will a 22 shortplaced in the right spot. I would not recommend either as a deer round however. Unless you are in a position of just absolutely having no other option, I say move up to at least a 243. I have 8 year old cousins who can comfortable shoot a 243 so I really don't see why anyone would need to use a less powerful round.