fishinty

I have seen a lot of hunters kill deer with a 223 this is a good caliber only if you have the perfect shot placement.

BarnesX.308

It says that 223 ammo is cheaper and lighter than 308 ammo. That is why the military switched from 308 to 223.

It says that a dead man eliminates 1 man from battle where a wounded man eliminates 2 or 3.


David killed Goliath with a slingshot. If you asked David if we would have preferred something a little more stout, what do you think he would have said?

BillBrasky

Using anything less than .23 cal on deer in KS is illegal but David Petzal did an article on the subject earlier this year. From what I remember, he said that small-bore rifles can work on deer, given that you're not using varmint or FMJ loads and the shot is 200 yards or less. If I could, I'd like to try a .220 swift on a deer in my lifetime. At 200 yards they're still packing over 1000 pounds of energy, and the hydrostatic shock is supposed to be brutal.

marshyhope

I killed my first deer with one and my 15 year old daughter killed her first deer with the same rifle this year. My ex-husband started me out with the .223 and then eventually the .243. All shots were to the base of the head/neck. And yes, this is another argument among hunters. But........as others have said.....I shot this rifle enough to know it, the hand loads, and my accuracy at various distances, and blah, blah, blah. Now, "quite a few" years later, I only use MY .270 wsm. I only take shoulder/behind the shoulder shots. A few years ago, I shot 2 does in the neck. Each one was only paralyzed with a HUGE hole in their neck. Could have been the rounds I was using (bst's) or shot placement wasn't spot on, don't know. Had to slit each ones' throat. Vowed to never do that again. So now, for me, big gun....big target. To each, his own.

born2climb

I shot a deer with a .223 once. She was about 100 yards away, feeding, broadside, perfect conditions for using a .223. Perfect double-lung shot, thru-and-thru, about mid-ways up in the ribcage. She ran about 150 yards before expiring, while leaving very little blood. Her chest cavity was full of blood, but it did me no good as far as blood-trailing. Had she been shot with a larger caliber, I have no doubt the blood trail would have been much better. Under normal circumstances, I will never again use a .223 for deer.

halfbakedi420

my buddy shot his doe with a 30-06, she ran 120 yards before we saw the 1st drop..it can happen with any caliber.
btw ....100 yards is a very ethical kill time....(unless there are dramatic circumstances..i.g crawling there from a spine shot er something) like i said, same buddy shot a doe with a 30-06, went 120 yards b4 the 1st drop was spotted....she ran over 250 yards..with a 30-06.
so whether ya meant to or not, you are backing a 223.

Sheridan

"It says that a dead man eliminates 1 man from battle where a wounded man eliminates 2 or 3."


Dead VS Wounded

.308 VS .223


......you can kill them with a stick and string, but a broadhead makes for a BIG wound channel !

halfbakedi420

true that, but im takin home more meat, from our experience, with my buddies and their 30-06's. one of them is gettin a 223, but the other a 243 cause a 223 is too "small". im thinkin maybe he has peni' issues.

BarnesX.308

If you're shooting a 223, you are only taking perfect broadside shots at modest ranges. Sure, if you're hunting in a blind over a bait pile, you can wait for that.

What about that 300lb buck who's quartering-to? Is that little pip-squeak prarie dog bullet going to bust through his shoulder and get through the vitals? Probably not.
Probably end up wounding the deer. A 30-06 would break that deer down.

Yeah, if I'm hunting a bait pile from a blind and I can watch and wait for that picture-perfect shot, sure.

If you call an outfitter in Sascatchewan or Alberta and ask if you should bring the 223, I wonder what they would say.

BarnesX.308

I think you're dealing with shot placement issues there. The higher the velocity, the more bloodshot meat. A 223 is a high velocity round with light bullets. It's going to ruin meat if it's put in the shoulder. A larger, slower bullet will ruin less.

Geez, what happens to all the meat from deer shot with MLs and shotgun slugs?