I plan on using my DPMS panther .223 on deer and hogs this fall but even though Ive got plenty of reloading experience with normal big game cartridges, im new to the smaller caliber loadings for deer size game. I understand that my shot distances are going to be quite limited because of the smaller caliber, especially on hogs due to them being tanks with legs. Where I hunt hogs at around here in south east tn is deep woods that hardly ever give a shot past 50-75yd in alot of places and in most cases shot disances are limited to 50yd if that.

The 2 bullets Im leaning towards for deer and hogs are 60gr nosler partitions or 55gr sierra gamekings but like I said, Im new to loading smaller calibers for deer size game. If anyone could recommend a load for me I'd greatly appreciate it.

If push comes to shove and I cant get a load figured out that the gun likes then Ive got a .45-70 sitting in the safe that will do the job just fine. Im just not too fond of carrying a 9lb rifle with a 32" barrel through mountains lol

I sure wouldn't use a gameking out of a 223. Very soft thin jacketed bullets even in a 308. I would use a partition or barnes even. They make a 223 tsx. Rip thru a hog easy.

60 grain Nosler Partition. With hogs I would aim for the head, not the body. Should do the trick.

The 70 grain Speer semi spitzer would do a hog.

I just finished loading up some Win 64g powerpoints for my deer hunt this fall after hearing some very good reviews on the bullet.
Going to the range next week to test the load out.

I've killed about 15 hogs using the 53 grain Triple Shock; all were one shot kills. No hog went over 40 yards after being hit and most bang flopped. Two of those hogs went over 225 pounds.

Falcon,where did you hit em?.Thats pretty empresive,thanks,pan man.

A hogs heart and lungs are lower and farther forward in the body than those of a deer. i shoot hogs standing broadside low and just behind the crook in the front leg-heart shot. Quartering away hogs are shot low behind the shoulder.

Hog anatomy:

62gr Barnes TSX bullet works nicely out of my 16" 1:9" twist AR-15. You can get limited reloading data off of the Barnes website for free. For me, TAC pushed it 2892fps & 1152 ft-lbs and that was a full grain under their published 5.56 Nato max. It was quite accurate too! The TSX bullets are a little bit tricky to seat though, you have to have good neck tension if you want to seat at the published OAL due to the case mouth being in one of the grooves (not a crimp groove), otherwise the bullet will flop back and forth in the width of the groove. Kind of have to see the bullet to understand what I am saying..


Another solid performer someone already mentioned is the Speer 70gr Semi-Soft Point. Varget & BLC-2 both worked very well with this bullet with published data (I've run these from 2700-2900 fps, settled on 2775 fps). It is much less costly than the Barnes, which is nice, so you can take your time and work up a nice load that is both accurate and meets your velocity expectations. These won't blow up and will provide the deep hard penetration needed for the hogs.

Safe reloading!

I have had good experience with the 60g Nosler Partition...but have never used them on deer...only 'yote's. It also depends on the rate of twist on your barrel, as 223's are notoriously picky to bullet weight, so a proper twist is important depending on weight...as someone else noted, a 1:9 twist should serve you well for the heavier weighted bullets...slower twists may prove more challenging when working up a load. Personally, I wouldn't hunt deer with a 223 though...to much opportunity for error...IMHO.