My opinion is that $1500 is a lot for 125 yards.

I mean if you have it why not get high quality I guess but just throwing out there that you could go a lot cheaper and be fine.

I personally like the 243 and 270 but there are obviously lots of options that work well.

You can get the savage model 11 with a Nikon scope for $650 it is a camo synthetic though. I like the wood better myself but Ive learned to be ok with synthetic since my guns do get heavy use.

what are you afraid of ? the poster gave his yardage at shoots flat out to 125 yards and wants it for deer and varmits the .223 is perfect for that! that is why i said the .223 i'm sure everybody is aware that if you want to shoot varmits and save the pelts to sell you want to keep the damage to a minimum wouldn't you ? i knew this would start a crap storm but i said .223 based on everything the poster had in his criteria and i stick to my statement. i have listened to everybody's posts and have not criticised anybody for there comments on caliber or guns and i'm not going to. everybody's answers are correct in one way or another the guy can make up his own mind on what he wants after reading all the information he reads here and everywhere else he attains it.

Nobody is afraid of anything, but please give it a rest! You keep saying you knew you would cause a stir with your comments and you have because you are essentially wrong when recommending a minimal caliber like you have, especially to a new hunter. You're the only one on this thread espousing the .223 for deer and still have maintained it's good at 300 yards when the ft./lbs out at that distance is barely half of what most experts say a deer should be hit with at POI. You keep touting a caliber that is very marginal for what you keep saying it's good for and that even applies to a 125 yard distance when you have so many more calibers that can be loaded for deer with a big game bullet and a lighter one for varmints. As super hunt54 and I have mentioned, the .223 with a good bullet placed properly will kill a deer, but be a little off and hit bone and chances are you have a lost animal or a mess on your hands finding it because the bullet can't do the job properly unless placed perfectly. In many hunting circumstances we all know that the perfect shot doesn't happen that often and why we are all telling the OP to stay away from a small caliber like the .223 and go with one that is designed for big game, which the .223 was not.

.223 isn't legal for deer everywhere. Many states, particularly in the Rocky Mountain region require at lest .24 caliber. You have to factor in legality before you pronounce something "perfect."

Good grief, I don't believe I have anyone try so hard to prove he was right in recommending a marginal rifle for deer, and marginal it is no doubt. A bullet in order to be effective on big game needs both mass and speed, the .223 is missing one of those things and because of not enough mass, the speed drops off at distance. Can it kill a deer, yep, but I can kill deer with a .22 rim fire or a .17 rim fire but I wouldn't do it. Ruark said it a long time ago and it still holds true today, "use enough gun". It is ill advised to recommend a marginal forearm to a new hunter, especially since he indicated his wallet is fat enough to go way better than marginal!

I do hunt coyotes with a .223 so I am not here to debate the .223 ability to kill varmits. Killing whitetail deer out to 300 yards is the part of your post that I am having problems with. .223 isn't legal everywhere plus the bullets are pretty light therefore will not have much energy at long range. You need to separate the parts of your posts that I disagree with. You can do whatever you want but giving that kind of advice to new hunters is worth challenging.

To all new hunters there is plenty of caliber offerings in the AR platform better suited to hunt medium to large sized game. As far as being afraid I am not afraid but too smart to push a caliber behind its limits, like a .223 out to 300 yards on medium sized game.

the poster did not ask what calibers were legal in his state so i did not address that aspect that is for him to find out as he should know the laws in his state. i haven't seen one post showing me that a .223 bullet is not able to kill a deer at 300 yards just peoples opinion that it's a marginal cartridge. there are plenty of heavy .223 bullets nowadays if that's what you think it takes for the .223 to be effective? i have shot three deer with my .223 with a 55 gr barnes x bullet and guess what they all died with one shot all lung shots but hitting rib bone and had great expansion and did a lot of damage to the lungs and vital areas.

i'm sure you will all be happy to hear this is my last post on this matter but here are some facts some are not aware of ? nosler reloading guide states that the .223 will perform on par with any 30/30 at a 100 yards the poster said he needs 125 yard performance i think that's close enough.berger states that the .223 is totally capable of taking deer at close to moderate ranges i think 125 yards is very moderate. they both also state that the .223 is a great choice for varmits as well which by the way he also wanted was a caliber for both deer and varmits it also states that it's a better choice for cost reasons compared to the .243 and other cartridges. i haven't seen one post that states any professional or scientific finding to contradict what i have stated but all a bunch of people who have there own opinions which by the way have no bases for there claims that it's a minimal cartridge! maybe there is a bunch of hunters here that can't shoot very well so they want a bigger cartridge just in case!?

It is not opinion that a .223 is a marginal round for deer, it is fact and anyone who would shoot at a deer at 300 yards with a .223 does not know how far 300 yards is or they are a fool! I lean towards the later.

223's will kill deer, at 300 yards they, with the right bullet will deliver 564 ft/lbs of energy, many, many of the common whitetail rounds deliver less considering what they use after exiting, I've taken large whitetail bucks to 440 yards with the 223, just be prepared to track them 100 yards or so, not the best but will work, end of story.
RR