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HuntingNet.com Forums (https://www.huntingnet.com/forum/)
-   Whitetail Deer Hunting (https://www.huntingnet.com/forum/whitetail-deer-hunting-4/)
-   -   Is a 223 to small for deer? (https://www.huntingnet.com/forum/whitetail-deer-hunting/226243-223-small-deer.html)

cjwink 01-10-2008 08:24 AM
RE: Is a 223 to small for deer?
 
ORIGINAL: ipscshooter

ORIGINAL: Rebel Hog

It's illegal to hunt with in FL, minimum .243.
.223 is legal in Texas, as is ANY centerfire rifle. .204, .17 Rem., .25-20, .30 Carbine... Lots of cartridges that are less appropriate than a .223. But, that's all irrelevant, since the guy asking the question is from Louisiana. What is legal in Louisiana?

ORIGINAL: Alsation

Yes, the .223 is too small for deer. There is no ethical range for shooting deer with the .223. The .223 is too small for deer. You asked; I'm tellin' you.
I agree that it is smaller than what I would use (I use a .243 Win., and there are fruit-loops out there who say it is too small as well), but, if state law says it's legal, then that state's Parks & Wildlife Service has made the decision on ethics. .223 is legal here in Texas. I subscribe to Texas Trophy Hunters Magazine, and EVERY month they publish photos of deer killed with various .22 caliber rifles. Of course, our deer are not nearly as heavy as the deer from other states, and in those states, the Parks & Wildlife Service has probably set a higher "minimum".

The "ethics" question does NOT apply to legal caliber/cartridge. Rather, it applies to things like choice of properly constructed bullet and limitations to range and shot selection that are within the caliber/cartridge's performance limitations.
Correctumundo..

ipscshooter 01-10-2008 08:32 AM
RE: Is a 223 to small for deer?
 
I checked the Louisiana regulations. Here is what they say:

It is illegal to hunt or shoot deer with firearms smaller than .22 caliber center-fire or a shotgun loaded with anything other than buckshot or rifled slug. Handguns may be used for hunting.

zrexpilot 01-10-2008 08:48 AM
RE: Is a 223 to small for deer?
 
So then any .22 centerfire is legal there ?

Splitear_Leland 01-10-2008 09:00 AM
RE: Is a 223 to small for deer?
 
I have really been wanting one, but I cannot afford it at the present time. They are red, right, if not, I'd like to find a red one. The biggest reason that I use the McDonald's straw is because it has been passed down from my great-great-great grandfather who bought it when he was 16. My family has hunted many years with that straw.
P.S., what calliber do you use in the Arby's straw?

IndyHunter83 01-10-2008 09:12 AM
RE: Is a 223 to small for deer?
 
Can a .223 kill a deer?
I've read all the post so far and I'll just repeat what has already been said. Any gun can kill a deer if bullet placement is right. A friend of mine swears to me that his .17 rem is the best deer gun he has ever had and he has kill quite afew deer, coyotes, and varmits with. Then again he is an ex-military man and has been trained and is a heck of a shot. So for him its ethical. Lets not forget that we are talking about deer. You don;t need a heck of a lot if the shot placement is right. My favorite deer centerfire cartridge is a .243 win. Alot of guys will go with the 30-30 or 30-06 because they have knock down power to bust through bones if shot placement is off. So it really depends on you.

ipscshooter 01-10-2008 09:26 AM
RE: Is a 223 to small for deer?
 
ORIGINAL: zrexpilot

So then any .22 centerfire is legal there ?
That's how the regulation reads. I cut and pasted it directly from their Parks and Wildlife regs. I find it interesting that it says handguns are legal, but, there doesn't appear to be ANY restriction on caliber/cartridge for handguns.

isatarak 01-10-2008 09:55 AM
RE: Is a 223 to small for deer?
 
It's a matter of choice. If you choose to use a larger caliber, then do it. If you say the .223 is small, then you are just wrong. If the shot is placed in the same killing zone you would shoot with any other caliber, it will kill the deer. Would I use it for long range shots? No. No more than I would a shotgun slug or even a .30-.30 . But up to 100 yards it is fine. Is it what I shoot? No. But I wouldn't be afraid to take it and keep my shots 100 yards or under. If you want a gun that you can take shots at 350 yards and make a bad shot and knock a leg off a deer it's not for you. I'm suspecting that's what we're dealing with here.

CommonSense 01-10-2008 12:12 PM
RE: Is a 223 to small for deer?
 
Geez, what is so wrong with using a .270 or 30-06 to hunt deer with? are people THAT recoil sensitive?

Pavomesa 01-10-2008 01:56 PM
RE: Is a 223 to small for deer?
 
ORIGINAL: CommonSense

Geez, what is so wrong with using a .270 or 30-06 to hunt deer with? are people THAT recoil sensitive?
It's got about as much to do with recoil as driving a green car instead of a white car has to do with one's taste in automobiles. I hunt with 270 and have used 30/06 for more years than I can remember. They work fine. But I've also uses 222, 223 and once a 222 Rem Mag. All three of them killed like the hammer of Thor. And we are talking NM mule deer, not their smaller cousins in Texas.

What these smaller rifles won't do is work on an ass end shot and they may get a bit "ify" beyond 200 yards on mule deer sized game. I've got a feeling that the folks criticizing the hotrod .224 caliber rifles have never hunted anything with them. Anyone who has knows for sure they work with deadly regularity on any properly hit deer.

Some of you "experts" might like to read P.O. Ackley's account on hunting Arizona mules with the .17 calibers before spouting off how a .223 won't work on deer. I've yet to see my first mule deer shot and lost by such a rifle.

MagnumMan375 01-10-2008 01:58 PM
RE: Is a 223 to small for deer?
 
ORIGINAL: Pavomesa

ORIGINAL: CommonSense

Geez, what is so wrong with using a .270 or 30-06 to hunt deer with? are people THAT recoil sensitive?
It's got about as much to do with recoil as driving a green car instead of a white car has to do with one's taste in automobiles. I hunt with 270 and have used 30/06 for more years than I can remember. They work fine. But I've also uses 222, 223 and once a 222 Rem Mag. All three of them killed like the hammer of Thor. And we are talking NM mule deer, not their smaller cousins in Texas.

What these smaller rifles won't do is work on an ass end shot and they may get a bit "ify" beyond 200 yards on mule deer sized game. I've got a feeling that the folks criticizing the hotrod .224 caliber rifles have never hunted anything with them. Anyone who has knows for sure they work with deadly regularity on any properly hit deer.

Some of you "experts" might like to read P.O. Ackley's account on hunting Arizona mules with the .17 calibers before spouting off how a .223 won't work on deer. I've yet to see my first mule deer shot and lost by such a rifle.
My my, wake up on the wrong side of the bed?


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