223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

From experience have any of you used a .223 for mule deer, and what were the results?

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

i dont hunt mule deer, but i'd think it might be a small round for em. idk, not really sure.

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

I would say that is too small, of coarse a well placed bullet in the boiler roomiswhat makes them drop to their knees!!

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

although they may have been killed with a .223. It is generally NOT enough for mule deer. They're generally more big bodied animals then whitetail ( .223 for whitetail is marginal at best under a range of circumstances). Plus you have to figure that there may be some distance on an average shot for mulies. After a couple hundred yards the .223 doens't have enough power to be adequate (unless you're a marine sniper).

6mm would be at the bottom for mulies, imo,but it would be adequate for shorter range stuff.

If the .223 is all you got, borrow from a friend. If you have a choice of guns then use something like .270, .25-06(at least).

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

i would agree with statements above, thinkn a .223 is lil small for mule deer. I shot a mulie out close to 300+ somethin with a .270 130grain and it still had enough to go completely through it.

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

Personally, I'd say the .22's are a little small, even for Whitetails! Much less Mulies!

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

Agreed .22's are to small for any deer IMHO. Will work if everything goes right but if things don't O BOY.

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

I know of mule deer that have been killed with .22 magnums. So it's not that the .223 won'tkill them, but if you've got access to something bigger, I'd suggest going with something bigger. A .25-06 or something similar would be a much better choice.

If for some reason you do use the .223, make sure you are using a premium game bullet and not a varmint bullet.

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

a bit small,unless you are using a 30 round clip and put all rounds in the head.that will stop it.In Texas semi autos are legal. I shot a whitetail with my mini 14 in the head with a burst of 30 rounds

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

I have killed 2 Mule Deer with .223 rifles. They work just fine.

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

.223 just seems too small for deer.

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

if u have access to something bigger i'd take it. But the 223 will kill em. Get yourself some premium bullets place it behind the shoulder and be ready 2 eat some tasty backstraps.

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

I have seen three mule deer shot with this caliber and one with a 222. All within a hundred yards and all hit through the ribs. Anything larger would be better than the 22 caliber rifles. The only exception to this would be a 220 Swift, kind of a super 22 caliber. But you rarely run into this gun anymore.

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

wow.......dude i think the .223 is too small for mulies. my first deer rifle was a mohawk 600 .222 and i killed several hill country whietails with it. But the hill country whitetails are only a hundred lbs........I agree with the above, I'd go .270 or bigger.

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

i think the .223 would prolly work but onl if you made a well placed shot. in my opinion though the .223 is barley big enough for whitail and mullies are larger than whitetails so i dont think it would be an adequate round. the smallest i would use is probably a .243 on mullies.

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

Dude, you're supposed to use the ;)symbol, so we know you are just joking around. If you're not joking, please explain how you run a "30 round burst" from a semi-automatic mini 14 into a target as small as a deer's head.

My opinion... .223 is too small for humane kills on a muley. They are quite a bit bigger than a whitetail, and, to me, a .223 is just marginal for whitetails. Theymayget the job done with proper bullet selection, at limited range, withperfect bullet placement, but, I'd prefer something a bit bigger. Personal preference... .243 minimum for whitetails, .25-06 minimum for muleys.

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

.223 is too small. Of course with a well placed shot itcould kill a deer. Shooting a deer with less than a .243 is against the law in Kansas, and I'm glad it is. Be 100% responsible and humaneto the deer. Take the right gun hunting. Just my 2 cents.

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

The first thing to look at is it legal??? i always thought .22 calibers were illegal. they are for sure in washington state and in new york state where i previously lived. what state are they legal in??
i agree that they are tooooo small, either way. too many variables for a sure quick humane kill, which is what we should all be looking for.

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

I don't know about WA but the .223 is certainly legal in NY. I believe all center fire rifles are legal in NY. I think you are confusing all 22 calibers with the 22 rimfire which of course is illegal for deer in NY.

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

I stand corrected on NY state. i made sure i wasn't screwed up in wa. too and we are required to shoot at least a .24 centerfire. sorry. still say it's too small though.

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

The minimum in the state of KY is .243. I personally would not feel comfortable attempting to take any deer with a .223.

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

Too small unless it's all you've got....it better be a near perfect shot though!!!

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

My minimum would be .243 and my next choices would be 6.5mmSwede or .260. In Fl as long as it is center fire, you can use the .17cal Rem. if you want to, but IMO, not a very wise choice.

RE: 223 Remington for Mule Deer?
 

illegal in most areas isn't it. .243 is the smallest usually allowed. Will the .223 work? Yes. They have killed many a man and they drop coyotes in their tracks. Much better options though.