hardcastonly

curious, how many of you have used a 223 rem on deer & hogs ?
now I have several hunting buddies that have both bolt action rifles and AR15 clones of various types here in Florida,
and admittedly Florida deer tend to be smaller than most,
Ive even hand loaded for several of these guys, and I see more and more guys using ,
ar 15 style rifles on the local hogs with good results.
currently, the preferred load most I reload for are requesting and using,
http://www.grumpysperformance.com/ju...m%20barnes.png
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010401268?pid=292014

THE HAND LOADS USED BARNES TSX BULLETS OVER 25 GRAINS OF VARGET POWDER,
AND WINCHESTER SMALL RIFLE MAGNUM PRIMERS

I'm perfectly happy using my marlin 44 mag lever action or my browning BLR in 358 win,
perhaps I'm old school and just don't trust a 22 caliber centerfire rifle
but I've seen the trend (and yes the 223 caliber rifles so loaded does work)
guys fill freezers regularly
the fact is that a well placed shot from most ar 15 rifles are, if placed well, very lethal, regardless of the case head stamp,
and most deer and hogs in the areas we hunt are shot at well under 200 yards.
no matter what your thoughts are on the matter, you can't ignore results and a good shot can kill a deer with a single 223 expanding bullet.
now I'm certain that some people who are dead set against allowing the use of semi-auto military looking rifles for hunting,
but from what I've seen there's no (SPRAY AND PRAY) shooting incidents and here in Fla your limited to a 5 cartridge capacity magazine.
yes I'm fully aware many people think a 243 win is marginal , so a 223 rem is absurdly under powered, in many peoples opinion
..you'll have a hard time convincing the deer and hogs of that from the results I see!
and NO I'm certainly not one of the guys thats about to abandon my 358 WIN BLR for a 223,
but I would certainly not feel I was hopelessly under armed if I carried one either.
magazines must be physically able to hold only 5 cartridges


https://gunmagwarehouse.com/asc-223-...-magazine.html

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010401268?pid=292014
these bullets over 25 grains of varget powder have proven effective if you can shoot accurately

https://wildernessmastery.com/223-fo...ng-ammunition/

https://www.fieldandstream.com/story/guns/the-best-223-loads-for-deer/#:~:text=Yes, the .223 Remington is a suitable deer,is up to the job of deer hunting.

https://quickhunting.com/is-it-legal...er-with-a-223/

http://www.sharetheoutdoors.com/2015/12/23/521/

https://gundigest.com/gear-ammo/ammu...remington-deer

https://www.gunmann.com/223-rifles/
you can easily modify a standard 20 shot magazine, to only hold 5 cartridges by,
removing the floor plate on the 20 shot magazine and inserting a internal to the magazine spring,
support column,
thats 1.25" wide, 3.375" tall and a bit less than 1/2" thick.
Id suggest something thats plastic or aluminum to limit magazine capacity,
as wood absorbs moisture over time, and that may damage the internal spring.

Nomercy448

I’ve killed hundreds of hogs with 223rem and 22-250. Most of them with 50 vmax’s. The TTSX is an expensive option which works very well, but I prefer the 60 grain Nosler Partition for deer and hogs - a bit more versatility and flexibility in point of aim and shot opportunity.

In general, I consider that if I’m doing something with 223/5.56 which isn’t well solved by Varget, I’m probably doing something foolish. The only reason I use anything other than Varget for 223/5.56 is to preserve my Varget inventory for my Dasher.

Ridge Runner

60 gr. partitions, or the win. 64 gr power point work very well.

robattony

i think 223

elkman30

What aiming point are you guys using?

Nomercy448

Stick it behind their ear.

MudderChuck

My philosophy is by using too small of a bullet you are limiting your shots. Sure if you can catch one feeding a side of the head shot is practical. But many/most of my shots are passing shots and a headshot may be doable but IMO unreliable. Body shots on a moving Hog are hard enough.
Germans have been hunting Hogs for centuries (more like Millenium) and their philosophy is bigger is better. A Hogs skin closes quick after being punctured, which makes sense, much of their life is spent running through thickets at night, punctures are common. If a Hog doesn't fall quickly, the blood trail is likely to disappear quickly. The German philosophy is the bigger the hole, the more likely you are to recover the Hog.

Nomercy448

I think that the “I don’t want to limit my shots” perspective is relatively common, but honestly, I think it’s largely based on the “hogs are pests, not game” mentality, just like folks being willing to shoot at coyotes farther than they would a deer. Coyotes are smaller targets, but guys don’t worry about wounding coyotes as much as they do deer. I don’t tend to shoot “at a hog,” I shoot “at the spot behind the hogs ear.” If your margin for error is more generous, then sure, more cartridge might do more damage to help make up for less judicious shot placement... a little...

I can’t think of the last time - as in over a decade and 25-40 deer ago - since I last took anything but a broadside heart shot on a whitetail. Just about the same standard for impact forgiveness as I hold for hogs shot behind the ear - impact groups as big as my fist will mean quick death.

We didn’t go after pigs this spring, but last spring, I did take my 6.8 SPC, and since we were driving and ambushing in the swamp, I would have taken running shots, which isn’t uncommon for us - so shooting had to be closer than when we stalk or shoot pigs under feeders, but instead of shooting at a fist sized POA behind the shoulder, we shoot at a fist sized POA behind the head/ear.

CalHunter

I would think it depends on the terrain and setup where you're hunting. If pigs are feeding close enough for behind the ear shots, you may want an AR platform so you can shoot more before they run away. I've seen some Youtube videos where they're hunting with ARs, thermal scopes and suppressors. It was easy to see why they were using ARs. Cause they worked and offered way more shot opportunities.

MudderChuck

You are right about a different mentality here, there is no law against selling the meat, and wholesale it is around $2 a pound on the hoof, retail double or triple that, and in demand. If you see a sounder you pick your shot 18 month to two-year-old sow. Most of the Hogs feed in agricultural areas and eat better than most humans, the meat is good. The only reason the traditional meat harvest has gotten out of control is the influence of the balance of nature dreamers and animal rights fanatics. They are now a pest here also, the farmers and agricultural department want a 70% reduction. They are still hunted as a harvest and not wholesale slaughter, but that may change.
I can see the logic of a semi-auto rifle for numerous reasons. But a larger caliber IMO is both more efficient and reasonable. Hogs whether a pest or not are still game animals and worth something more than fertilizer.