.223 (or the 5.56 mm) has a lot of energy, and has killed a lot of people in wars who were mostly men weighing upwards of 150 pounds. I don't see any reason why it would not be sufficient to kill small to medium deer. Most of the common deer killed in the US are below 150 pounds. I think if you are using a 223 for big deer in the 150 and up class, then you would be coming in a little on the light side for a quick clean knock down and be generally better off with a little more weight and energy. Placement is still the primary issue, but loads with greater diameter and weight will give you a little more collateral trauma which is an advantage that you need when talking about larger deer, but I think the 223 is good enough for the small and medium deer. JMO.
PS: Personaly my minimum choice for deer is a .243, but not given the choice I think a .223 could do the job.

Who goes out in search of small to medium deer? We all want to get the big one.

I tip my hat to you because any deer to me between 100 and 150 is fine, but yes I agree that the the bigger calibers have a clear advantage. The question was can it do the job. You can tow a 3500 pound speed boat with a 4 or 6 cylinder, but it's clearly not the best tow vehicle. On the other hand if a guy only needs that small engine to launch the boat in the spring and pull it out in the fall and lives within short distance to the lake, then yeah it's good enough and may not be worth replacing the vehicle or getting another just for that purpose, but given the choice I agree that bigger is better. I answered the OP thinking that the someone might be looking to just get by without getting another gun for an occasional hunt where smaller deer are the norm. If he said he was hunting big mulies in Wyoming, I'd say he's way under gunned for that purpose. If he's in Florida and usually takes a small doe then I'd say he could get by.

Hey leave my antlered greyhounds outta this....... :)

That's funny becuase here in NJ I've taken a lot of small deer myself, and my friend and I jokingly call them dog deer. But a dog deer is better in my book than no deer and I'm not including fawns.

Hell Id hunt Key deer if theyd let me. Huntings hunting and the dinks are usually tender.

I always liked hunting with a .243 when I lived in pa. It will get the job done if you place your shot correctly and it dont have much if any kick to it. my friends are always talkin bout this gun kicks like a mule like they are happy about it. I personally dont like a gun that knocks the **** out of my shoulder. I dont understand the need for it. it really confuses me when people are buying young hunters these guns that kick the **** out of their shoulders. what a great way to mess up their shooting abilities by making them cringe everytime they shoot. if you really enjoy the kick, more power to you but me personally, i like to draw the line at a 12 gauge. more than that and im not enjoying that gun. a friend of mine was having trouble with his shooting once and it was because it gun slammed the hell out of his shoulder. I told him to grab his .22 and start shooting with that for a while. after a while his shot come back to him cause he wasn't waiting for that slam on his shoulder.he could start focusing on his fundamentals instead. I do think a .223 is not enough for a deer but if it is kick you are concerned with, I believe a 243 would suit you just fine. and a smaller caliber dont make you less of a man. just my 2 cents

If the pond has 50 sunfish that average about 6 inches a piece and about 5 bass that are from 12-15 pounds, I would probably get by on most days with my cane pole and 2lb test.

But every day that I fished there, I have a chance to hook the 15lb bass, even though I will be hooking mostly sunnies.

If I hook the 15 pound bass on the cane pole, I'm SOL. If I hook the sunny on the baitcaster with 15lb test, I can still put him on the dock.

The 30-06 is fine for the 120lb doe who is broadside at 50 yards. The 223 is not fine for the 300lb buck who presents a quartering-to shot.

And no, the buck of a lifetime is not going to give you an hour and every possible shot opportunity. Maybe the doe in the food plot or at the feeder will. But the buck that will be your crown achievement will only give you a fleeting glimpse and you better be ready and prepared.

I see your point. I guess it all comes down to preference. I wouldn't use a .223 either. I just thought it might work out for some people but it's not my cup of tea. I guess you wouldn't think that it's very wise to hunt Kodiak Bear with a standard 30.06. Well in any case, I knew an old timer from Wyoming who used to go to Kodiak Island and killed many Kodiak Bears with his standard 30.06. He's one of the guys that taught me that: " it's not the arrow, but rather the indian that makes a good hunter" In this case I took that more as the hunter rather than the gun, and while I agree that it makes sense to always have an appropriate caliber for the task, it still really is more about shot placement.

True. And I know lots of guys who made it home when the gas guage was on "E". But I'd feel a lot better if I had a full tank :D Especially if I end up sitting in traffic. :eek: