When I was a kid I had a cousin that used a .223 as his first rifle for deer. He did kill deer with it but he also lost deer too. Many that he did recover required second and third shots to finish. Sometimes they dropped at the shot and sometimes they ran. When they ran it was always a problem. That little .223 almost never exited the deer so blood trails were virtually non-existent. When you are in the pine and briar thicket country of south Alabama a deer that runs just a 100 yards without leaving a good blood trail can seem to disappear. It's that thick in places. We took to calling his rifle the rat gun because thats all we thought it was good for. Thank God he only used it a couple of years.

Not trying to sound like a condescending Know it all but I see absolutely no reason to hunt deer with a .223. And I am not some magnum lover who uses a .416 rigby to shoot deer. In fact I have been a staunch defender of the .243 for deer but I firmly believe that it is the minimum caliber for deer. Compared to a .223 the .243 is a powerhouse and yet there are people who consider the .243 too light. The .223 is light recoiling if thats a worry but if my 9 year old cousin can comfortably shoot a .243 then any grown man should be able to. The effective killing range of a .223 sucks. Inside a 100 yards its still not great on deer but over 100 yards it really becomes a crap shoot.

Tiny bullets like those designed for the .223 do strange things when you accelerate them to very high speeds. Strange things like blowing up on a rib cage instead of penetrating into both lungs. If there is even a chance that a caliber will fail to kill an animal with a well placed shot then why use it? And I am telling you that if you keep using a .223 on deer it's going to wind up breaking your heart. Perhaps on the buck of a lifetime.

Man, this one is getting pretty lively - I thought the .243/6mm controversy was something but this one on the .22s has got it beat hands down!! Maybe we could start one over this - which is better for 'big bodied deer', the .338 wm, 375H&H, or the 45-70, say out to 150 to 200 yards max. Any takers.

The 223 is NOT ideal for deer, nor is ANY 22 cal. But they will work, if you know your limits. If you use it then you have to realize that you WILL be forced to pass up some shots that would be doable w/ a larger caliber. So if your patient and willing to pass on shots, then you can use the 223. Down the line a ways after you've used it for awhile evaluate how well it works for YOU, if you lose deer w/ it quit, if you are finding nearly all the deer you shoot then continue.

To NVMIKE: Listenup dude! I didn't say anything about me using 22s on deer or anything else - I was simply commenting on the controversy itself and how I thought it was out of place to begin with - when talking about hunting deer! Personally, I wouldn't hunt deer with anything under a .257 Roberts or 25-06 - I hope you got that!

First and foremost, check your state regs, most states either have a minimum power factor or a minimum caliber that prohibit the .223rem from being used on deer...I won't say it isn't done, but it's not legal in most states, before you unknowingly go poaching, check the books.

As for my opinion, the .223 works for deer, I've used a .22-250 on deer in TX to fine results. Granted the .22-250 tends to handle heavier bullets a little better than the .223 (depends on your gun honestly), but the results were such that I never felt undergunned. I ended up using the .22-250 to start with after getting a bizarre chance to take a hunt all expenses paid while varmint hunting in north texas one year, it was the only rifle I had with me, so I used it, and it worked for two deer, a 8pt buck and a good sized doe.

My aunt that I was staying with at the time ONLY uses a .223 for deer, she's taken 9 or 10 in the last 4yrs since she started hunting.

Most people think the 22cal centerfires are all under powered because they've never used them on deer, maybe a few people have heard bad experiences, but they've never taken one out day in and day out for years and actually seen what it does. I still won't say that I'm "experienced" at hunting with a .22-250, but I'm pretty commonly found hunting with "under powered" cartridges, and I've yet to have one "get away" from a "weak" cartridge, while my .30-06 in fact HAS had one get away after a sure hit (broadside, she rolled over, layed a second, jumped up and RAN, no blood trail, 4people in my party looking for over an hour!)

I'll also say this before I close, I would never recommend anyone buy a .223 as their starter deer rifle, because it is NOT a beginners deer rifle, nor should it be your ONLY deer rifle, however, if you're an avid varminter and you've got one, or you're simply an avid hunter who's wants to try out something different than the ol' 06, then it's a viable choice. I give the opinion I give on this board because most of the people here aren't your average, "yeah I've got a hunting rifle" hunters, and most of us can understand the difference between going afield with a gun to shoot a deer and going deer hunting.

For example, I have an uncle who's often known for claiming he's been hunting out of the same 2 boxes of .30-30 rounds he bought when he bought his rifle for the last 20yrs. Although it's admirable that he makes good use of his shots, taking less than 40shots in 20yrs isn't something to brag about!!! He's not one I'd trust to take a .223 hunting.

The 223 is legal in Our state and many ranchers use the 223 and 22-250 for cyotes and occasional deer. I used to use a 222 single shot with good success. I did however limit my range and the type of shots I would take. I never lost a deer while using it. The 223 has been used by poachers for game in Africa inckluding Elephants. This don't make it good for such game but it shows that its possible.

I live in northern Minnesota. Several years ago I was returning from a trip from out of state and happened upon a huge buck standing along the driveway. The most convienient gun was a Mini-14 .223. This deer was no more than 40 yards away and for whatever reason it just stood and looked at me. Unbelievable, here was a huge buck, during season, still daytime, and yes... broadside. Gun was equipped with a Simmons 3x9, I regularly shoot prairie dogs and I have shot hundreds of whitetails. I hit this deer with a soft point in the front shoulder at 40 yards. It knocked this deer completely of it's feet. As I was only 1/4 mile from home, I went home to change and get a four wheeler. At least one hour later I went to collect the buck. It had crawled in the snow for 50 yards and I mean crawled. It then stood up and stumbled away. I left it overnight. It staggered for 1 mile before stopping where I tracked it too the next day. It ran and I let it go until afternoon. Three days later I quit. I also quit shooting deer with a .223 and never will again. It is too small period! The only thing I can figure is the bullet did not make it through the shoulder bone. It was an easy shot, I had a rest, but I did not have enough gun.

Or as many has posted, maybe the bullet used had alot to do with it. Also not waiting for a shot and shooting in the shoulder. Just a thought.

A quick tally 10-yes 9-will do but... 25-to smalls.

Oh man. Where not getting into this one again are we? I thought it was dead. Let's just call it safe and everybody go buy a .458, then we won't be shooting nothing too small for anything except gophers!