Top shelf ammo for hunting deer with a bolt action .223
 

quite honestly, and NOT what I am sure you want to hear a .223 is a very POOR deer hunting caliber IMO
and yes many do use it , and some folks win the lottery too, a TON of deer have been killed with .22 rim fires 's too, but it doesn't make them GREAT deer calibers either!

BUT if you insist to use one, I would look for the heaviest grain bullets your gun can handle in a proven line of hunting bullet design and I would be VERY picky about shots and distance of them!

I agree with mrbb. Not what the caliber was designed for.

Ya there folks who say it is just as dead. Which is true, but might be another 100 yards. Then there are those who say, if you shoot in chest or heart doesnt matter. Which is true. But sometimes you don't see enough deer to pass until it in a field broadside.

I do realize with modern expansion, things have come along way. I was on another site, and they just went on and on, how all the kids were using it.

But unless physical reason, or all you own, I don't see why. If you like the AR platform get an AR10 in 308.

JOSSE, just use what you have but don't use a bullet designed for varmints .

The 223 is not a good caliber for big game no matter what the ammo used.

I have got to agree with everyone above, that the 223 is far from ideal,
but that being understood you might want to hand-load your ammo.

23.5 grains of varget powder to start, 24 grains in most rifles is accurate ,
and this hornady bullet in hand loads ,
have been used rather frequently on small florida deer successfully
stick to heart/lung shots at under 200 yards

https://www.hornady.com/bullets/rifle/22-cal-224-70-gr-gmx#!/

http://www.handloads.org/loaddata/default.asp?Caliber=223%20Remington&Weight=75&type =Rifle&Order=Powder&Source=

and yeah, if its the only rifle you have it works,if your rifles got a 1-in- 7 or 1- in- 8 twist rate.
check your state game laws it may not be legal, and thats important, to know, before use.
its legal here in FLA and theres a 5 cartridge mag capacity limit
http://myfwc.com/hunting/regulations/taking-game/
but seriously a more practical answer is get a real deer rifle like a 308 win, 25/06 7mm08, 257 roberts , or 6.5mm swedish mauser etc.
I think many of the guys Ive hunted with have tried using the AR15 rifles on hog and deer hunts,
theres no question they work in the hands of a decent shot with those hand-loads,
but as stated, get a real deer rifle.
Ive had excellent results with my 257 roberts and 100 grain speer bullets 38 grains of varget
https://www.speer-ammo.com/bullets/r...sptz-sp-bullet
the 100% copper expanding bullets in 70 grain weights will function, but theres obviously better options

What model the American or the Varmint? One has a 1 in 12 twist, the other a 1 in 9 twist.
The guys around here use .223 (or .222) on Roe Deer (small Deer), technically illegal, the minimum allowable size bullet is 6,5 mm (was also that way in some U.S. states).

Most use a 62 grain hunting bullet. The 70 grain had a tendency to expand slow (if at all) in the small Deer,

From what ive read they did use a .311 barrel so i would advise buying hunting ammo with the correct diameter bullets. I think Hornady offers some 123gr hunting ammo using .310 bullets. Sellier and Bellot has some cheaper too. It uses a .311 bullet and seem to get very good reviews. Worth a try for the price. Ive seen them for around $10/20 bullets.

yes the caliber is a jump up some but sorry to tell you again, its NOT a very good deer hunting caliber, its a military caliber and most ammo out there is NOT for hunting
I am NOT sure why these are the only calibers your getting to pick from, but if your looking for a deer hunting rifle, you should be BUYING a deer hunting caliber here, and saving yourself a lot of headache in the process of making Decent ammo so hard to find
YES you can MAKE it work, but again, WHY when there are literally tons of GREAT deer rifle calibers in countless types and models of rifles?
ANY dealer should be able to GET you abouyt any rifle you wish,
I WAS gun dealer so I KNOW I could have without much effort at all!

and NOT sure where you are hunting, but a VERY low power scope like you have is NOT actually the best potion there either, a more SIMPLE 3x9, or likes scope offers you a LOT more precision as ranges get farther than UP close and personal, which that scope is made more for!
NOT a bad scope or rifle, just in wrong caliber and size IMO

The .223 and X39 will both handle deer just fine with proper shot selection.

The 7.62X39 is a perfectly fine option for 100 yard shots. Use it like you would a .30-30 and you'll have no issues.

-Jake

Three thoughts here, simply based on 5 decades of hunting experience
(1) with proper shot placement and a knowledge of deer anatomy, either the 62-70 grain 223 or the 123-150 grain 7.62/ 39 will kill any deer in this country at typical 150 yard and under ranges.
(2) yes there are some other excellent cartridges designed for deer hunting like the 257 roberts,270 win and you could select hundreds of other options,
its not the cartridge case stamped designation, or within reasonable limits the bullet used, its the skill and persistence, of the hunter using it thats the most important factor.
(3) use of good optics , correctly mounted,and lots of practice , with whatever you choose to hunt with will greatly improve your odds of success.
thousands of deer have been killed with archery equipment and even a 22lr rim-fire,
its not the rifle its the guy and the skill and his proficiency using it that matters.

my brother-in-law has used a marlin 357 lever action carbine usually loaded with 158 grain ammo,
for 5 decades, hes always been successful, he simply waits until a reasonable opportunity, in a good hunting area presents itself.
persistence and knowledge of the game hunted and his skill are the keys to consistent , perpetual, and on-going success.

Late to the party and kind of a different response. I don't know which state you're in or where you're hunting so it's hard to give you specific advice although I would not select a 223 for deer hunting. In my state (CA), 22 caliber is not legal for deer hunting but I wouldn't use one by choice anyway. That's JMHO but you did ask for opinions. Perhaps more importantly (at least for me), black bear season starts with deer season so I always buy a bear tag as well as deer tags. In most seasons, maybe a 1/3 of the bears taken are taken while the hunter was deer hunting. Most deer seasons, I at least see a black bear although don't always have a shot. For that reason, I use a 270 Winchester which has worked fine on deer and black bear for me. I don't know if black bear is on the menu with deer hunting in your state or not but it's something to consider.

yes both the 223 and 7.62x39 CXAN kill deer, not saying they wouldn't
BUt you cannot say LIKE a 30-30, as the fact is FAR too much ammo for either a 223 / 7.62x39 is in the form of full metal jacketed ammo, NOT designed for hunting, so its a LOT harder to JUST go BUY good hunting ammo, and as stated before a LOT of ammo doesn;t shoot worth a crap out of rifles, that were designed for more military purpose, and in case anyone cares to know, the Military isn';t using HIGH expanding bullets as we HUNTERS prefer or NOT in MOST all shooting supplied ammo!

I am sure Vehicles have killed a LOT fo deer too LOL, but wou;dn;t recmmend using oen of them either to kill deer
and I DON"T mean to single anyone out here, or seem like I am bashing
MY pint only is there are MUCH better easier to find and buy GOOD deer hunting ammo for, than either of these two calibers
MOST shops up my way don;t carry ANY real hunting ammo for deer in either caliber, in factory ammo!

if you want LOW recoil there are a again a TON of low recoil BETTER deer hunting calibers than the two you have mentioned(THE OP HERE)
my point if why handi cap yourself BUYING a caliber that is NOT really a DEER hunting caliber, if your goal is to hunt deer??
it seems like poor decision making to me, and or lack of research BEFORE the buying of a gun! as AFTER is NOT the time to be learning WHAT you bought when you had a GOAL in mind before buying, DEER HUNTING< being the goal I gather here!
JUST offering info here NOT bashing so please DON"T get upset with what I am stating here!

Then don't buy military surplus.

I agree, I would not use these. Though 7.62 is a step up.

Though we do kill bears with bows. Myself, I like the versatility of not using a marginal round. I just don't see that many deer.

Mrbb,

The OP already stated what rifle he bought (it's a cz527 ) and it should be plenty accurate. If he was asking for advice BEFORE buying a rifle I'm sure we all would have suggested an 06, a.270, .30-30, etc. But he already bought the rifle.

The OP also began this post to ask what ammo would be best.

Your two primary concerns of innaccurate rifles(milsurp) and poor ammo selection were taken care of in the first post.

I could hunt whitetail the rest of my life with a 527 in either of those options and I would continue to kill deer every year.

There is always a "better" alternative available. But it's not necessary.

Know your equipment, know it's capabilities and it's limitations, then go kill deer.



-Jake

Lots of 223 ammo out there. It is a popular round for coyote and such. Hornady makes an interlock in 75g with a deer picture next to it in 5.56.

Not my choice, but if you make archery shots, lungs and hearts, and willing to look for it. It will kill deer.

I hunt heavy bush, where 100 yards feels like a 1000. But blow out lungs with big calibers can still let a deer run a 100 yards. Wide open country, where you can find it easy if it runs would proably be fine.

Then there is next shots.

Cz markets this rifle as a deer rifle as well.




-Jake

The OP didnt say which CZ 527 unless i missed it. The CZ 527 American is also offered in 6.5 Grendel. That would be a dandy little deer rifle.

just because something is marketed as something doesn't mean its any good at it?
wouldn;t be the fiorst time a marketing add ran something and ended up not being so great when it gets into folks hands
and as for you other post above
I never really stated either gun was inaccurate, I stated, MOST MILITARY AMMO is NOT and stand by this, I have sold a few MILLION rounds of it and shot hundreds of thousands of rounds of it over the yrs and NOT exaggerating these having

having had belt fed full autos, I ran thru a LOT of ammo, and that is what a LOT of Military surplus like ammo is, CHEAP AMMO< for shooting, NOT winning matches or being used for hunting

THE OP< yes bought the gun asked for ammo, and I GAVE honest advice
" STICK to GOOD heavy grain bullets designed for DEER in .223"
and see what one's your GUN likes!

THE OP< TOOK the GUN BACK to desaler too, and then SWAPPED It for a second gun
SO< the first advice on the gun NOT being that great a deer rifle caliber, said by about everyone
rang thru, and he THEN went and got a second SUB Caliber IMO for deer, again due to a, VERY Piss Poor selection of deer hunting ammo, VERY few stores will stock any and its been said and known (if one reads up) that most of it doesn;t work well in MOST 7.62x39 rifles, they just don't seem to group very well in most of them
SO< it ends up NOT being a great caliber in a deer rifle, due to life gets a LOT harder than needed to find ammo and then find ammo the gun will shoot well

I too can go the rests of my life killing most things with small caliber rifles or even hand guns, as I am a rather decent hunter and can get close to game and PICK my shots and I have a TON of above average training and shooting skills!

BUT this is NOT about me or you, and we BOTH have NO clue what the OP's shooting or hunting skills are!
SO< my advice here stands and it was never about bashing or hating on the OP< I was just saying IF he managed to take ONE gun back, maybe before he shoots this one TAKE it back as well and try for a more user friendly gun that will save him a lot of headache on TRYING to find ammo the gun likes and or just FINDING ammo at ANY local gun shop that is in a DEER hunting bullet for this NEW to him caliber!

ALL calibers pretty much CAN kill a deer, from BB guns up if things all go right, but that never makes them GREAT deer hunting calibers

as for the example of a BOW being used to kill bears(NOT by you but another poster here)
YES they sure can, and before we had bows I am sure they werer killed with other things too

BUT as time goes forward there are better tools to kill Bears with
those that hunt bears with a BOW< have a or SHOULD have a lot of practice and experience before doing so, and would KNOW more about what there doing, BEFORE DOING SO< and I doubt anyone that plans to hunt bears with a bow, asks questions AFTER Buying ANY BOW, say one in a low poundage, and than asked what head should I use ?? MOST bow hunters dig deeper into Before BUYING, due to the higher ricks of hunting bears with a bow
can it happen AFTER buying YES it sure can, but I will bet 9 out of 10 times a bow hunter know's more before buying and has a plan in place with what all is needed before they buy a bow to hunt bears with it!
archery is all about shot placement due to it doesn't have shock value as a bullet can have( bullets can some times only need to be NEAR vitals, Broad heads HAVE to HIT vitals's, that is the difference!

again to the OP< I am NOT bashing on you, just offering INFORMATION I know and from experiences I have had on BOTH the .223 and 7.62x39 calibers
buth CAN kill deer for sure, but there are a Lot of WAY better calibers for deer hunting, and if again, recoil is a issue, there are MANY great deer calibers that also have LOW recoil too!
if I was you I would be back at that dealer working out a different deal again!
there is no WIN to using these two calibers for deer hunting, as even GOOD ammo will cost a LOT more than many other calibers will, so its a added expense even down the road
unless you have a special desire to use these calibers, its just not good logic to use them IMO!
MY 2 cents and sorry if this offends you, I don;t mean it that way at all!'
NOR to anyone one else hetr!

I quite reading your post when you brought up military ammo again. Why?

I was in a heated debate on another forum, wth folks who felt 223 was the way to go. When I told them I know no one using it, and how 45-70 has made a big come back, they pooped themselves and called me every name in the book.

I do get lung hand heart shots will kill anything. Lots of premium 223 ammo these days that will expand past what people were using 30 years ago. But I hunt heavy bush, where it is can be hard to track, and limited shooting.

well real simple
there BOTH military calibers and MOST all ammo stocked in MOST gun stores is of the military type of ammo NOT hunting ammo, and IF hunting ammo, most of it in 223 is for varmints and NOT deer! and as stated also, and NOT just by me, lots of the 7.62x39 ammo even in deer calibers has NOT been proven to be that great in factory rifles
and don't believe the OP is into reloading, as if he was , odds are he might already know a lot of the things he is asking here and wouldn;t be asking about factory ammo at all.??
I am again ONLY providing information based on a LOT of yrs of experience in the shooting world!
NOT judging!
and just so YOU know, its been proven a many time over,
larger caliber bullets deflect just as much off BRUSH as smaller bullets, there is NO bullet /caliber MADE to shoot thru brush
clear sot are what ALL should be trying for period!

All im saying is the S&B 7.62x39 SP ammo is its cheap and tests ive seen show it performs as designed. Ballistics are pretty close to a 30-30Win and its reloadable brass with the correct .311 bullets. Thudy Thudy has killed a mountain of deer. If is was going to use a premium bullet it would probably be the Federal Fusion SP ammo. I think MidwayUSA had it on sale cheaper than even Rem or Win ammo. Reviews with chrono reading show its also some good stuff and it also uses the .311 bullets. ATK owns both Speer and Federal. Im pretty certain they are using the similar Hot-Cor and DeepCurl method of bullet construction.

Checkout the Fusion reviews
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/10...tzer-boat-tail

S&B
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/85...oint-box-of-20

I probably would not waste my $$ on stuff loaded with bullets like Barnes. Its super expensive and i dont see the performance gain IF ANY to be worth the extra cost. Maybe with another caliber but not in this situation. Its rather a shame you could not get the CZ 527 in the 6.5 Grendel. Its not that im a huge fan of the Grendel but i really like 6.5s and mini actions. The 2 would pair up very well and im sure you would love it for deer hunting.

I fully get what your saying and NOT debating it, never said either caliber couldn;t kill deer! they both can and do!

but the facts are, FEW gun shops or stores carry much SP 7.62x39 ammo, its mostly all stocked up in full metal jackets CHEAP ammo(same with and .223 in a DEER hunting bullet)
THIS is my point!, NOT a most user friendly DEER hunting caliber!

and again I doubt the OP reloads or plans to or this topic wouldn't be about bets FACTORY AMMO at all!
there are just TONS Of better options out there period!
Ill even add an example
say a .243, tons of guns made in caliber from cheap to$$ as high as you wish to go, tons of factory ammo f om cheaper than the hunting end of 7.62x39, and better ballistic''s to boot, and its a LOW recoil caliber too boot! and a LOT of deer have been killed with it as well as larger animals, and again ammo for HUNTING can be had in about ANY gun shop your at!
just ONE example here !
AND CZ does make them in .243!

He didn't ask about .243 ammo suggestions.

-Jake

NO he didn't and I didn;t GIVE any .243 ammo suggestion so?? what's yourt point?
and as a FACT he didn;t ask for any 7.62x39 ammo suggestions either, yet you gave a lot so??
LOL

Actually in a round about way he did ask. The topic started as 223 but then he took it back for a 7.62. They dont sell the same rifle in .243. No way in the world it will fit in a cz527 "mini Mauser" action. 223, 7.62x39 and 6.5 are the only options offered that are even remotely suitable for hunting deer. I cant find the 300 Blackout ive seen listed sooooo.
http://cz-usa.com/product/cz-527-american/
http://cz-usa.com/product/cz-527-carbine-223-rem/

I dont seem to have any problems finding 7.62x39 soft points. Even Cabelas stock them. https://www.cabelas.com/catalog/browse.cmd?N=1100190&CQ_ref=~caliber-7_p62x39mm&CQ_ztype=GNU

Your objections are rather moot at this point since that is the rifle he has. Debating it is no longer helping the OP its simply just arguing.

got to love this stuff!

well again, SO because YOU think he asked in a round about way, it makes it so? you can read into things but when others do it seems to ???
(and NOT meaning you specifically, just those that read INTO THINGS in general, over what the WORDS on the screen actually type out andsay!)

when someone calls me out stating the OP didn;t ask about"X" and they too added something that was NOT asked about just as well, seems silly!

making the original topic polluted with OFF topic information, s this one has been leaves the door OPEN IMO for other info!

SO< all I have done is add information,(from my first post here to now)
I have NEVER stated either caliber was NOT capable of killing deer, I have also NEVER said any ONLINE ammo store wouldn;t have ammo, I said GUN SHOP< as is your LOCAL gun shop!
NEXT I said CZ makes a .243, I did NOT specify a MODEL, NOR say the model he has comes in it!
NOTHING I have said is WRONG!
The OP already exchanged the gun ONCE< so never know if its possible to do so again??ALSO a point I made!, and heck, even at a slight loss now in $$ might pay off down the road with having a more USER FRIENDLY rifle to own i n the future, more wider selection of ammo to chose from and or easier to get PERIOD!
THIS is my point not sure why so many seem to struggle to under stand this and wish to debate GOOD honest information
keep trying to make me look bad here, if you feel the need, but Nothing I have said is wrong! or was meant as anything but honest help and good advice!
I never bashed the OP NOR the calibers period!
just stated facts about BOTH of them for hunting deer and being USER friendly to do so!
NOT everyone buys ammo ONLINE!


http://cz-usa.com/product/cz-557-sporter-short-action/

​​​​​​​

My local guns shops carry 7.62xx39 hunting ammo /shrug.

Im sorry yours dont but its very common around here. The S&B ammo is very popular in some calibers. As someone who has actually bought and used S&B i can say its good quality for the money. As someone who has shot lots of the Speer bullets i can say they are typically very good and perform as designed. The FACT is the OP bought a CZ model 527 but did not mention what model. The FACT is he now has one in 7.62x39 and i have offered good advice in that respect.

It simply does not matter now what is a better caliber or what other models CZ offers at this point.