Is a .223 enough for deer???

Hell I killed a black bear with a 53grTSX from my .223 at close to 200 yards, and I watched Bartell smoke a mule deer doe with a .221 Fireball and a 45gr TSX, so I would say-

Good bullet + not too far + good shot placement = dead deer
 
ben hunchak said:
I've learned alot here, like; only a barnes bullet will kill a deer with a .223....and big calibers and wide, heavy bullets aren't relevant anymore.....My experience has been that wide, heavy, bullets kill best of all, and alot of folks are drinking the advertisers' Koolaid!
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Wide heavy bullets kill, but they are not the only bullet that kills. Stop drinking the old school Koolaid and open your mind a bit, and you will find that there is more than one way to get form A to B.

Keep your mind closed and you will never learn anything new. It's up to you.
 
Ypou know what is funny?

Every now and then somebody will post about how they took a weak old blackpwder lever action gun hunting, stalked in and killed a deer, and everyone will go "oh, ah"

They will think it is wonderful and cool.

But suggest someone use a 223 and a modern bullet, people will cry ethics.

Funny thing is, the 223 and a TSX will kill just as good or better than most of the old blackpowder pistol guns...
 
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The Fudd is strong with this group.
OP, good luck trying to put down a deer with the advice you get from these "pro hunters" Go ahead and use your Stevens .223 (the same rifle in .308 only costs $375)
More than likely you will be looking at a white tail trailing in the distance.
I can tell you with all honesty that I am no pro.
I've only ever took the guidance of my predecessors and hunted with an adequate round. .223 was NOT among those for deer.
 
evilhaze said:
It would be cruel to shoot at any deer with less than 120 grain bullet.
You can't guarantee a kill even with a perfectly placed shot. Deer are pretty tough buggers.
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What have you used in the past to shoot deer with?

Please share with us the cartridges used, bullet weights and number of deer shot.

.
 
I"ve never had a failure with a .223 or .222 for that matter on deer.All one shot kills bang flops or the 20 yard dash into the dirt. Blond,brunette or redhead ,they all work if you know what you're doing.Trying to convince someone who seems to have their mind made up[with no actual experience] is like pushing a chain.Many times these posts come up only to bait others into an argument...................Harold
 
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Ask yourself the following questions:

Am I disciplined enough to pass on marginal shots?
Am I familiar enough with my rifle to place a shot reliably under stress e.g. buck fever?)
Is the bullet I'm using sufficient to penetrate the animal from the angle and distance I'm shooting?
Can I stalk an animal to under 200 yards if required?
Am I prepared to track down a wounded animal for as long as it takes to find it?

Under optimum conditions with a disciplined, experienced hunter who can shoot and a broadside presentation within 200 yards using a properly constructed bullet then the .223 will be "enough." It's not a round for a newbie or some dufus who prattles on about "head shots."
 
I have no experience shooting a deer with a 223. However stories passed down of hunting for sustenance with .22's would suggest that it certainly can kill a deer. Others here have had success with it as well. It is also legal where you are.

Although it can be used I personally wouldn't. I'm not sure how .223 bullets hold up to bone (even ribs). I defer to people with experience shooting big game with small bullets on that one.

I don't like the idea of selling the gun either though so if its your only option then go ahead. Is it possible to get the young guy out and shooting a few different rifles? Are there any family/friends into hunting who would have a loaner available? Also as some have mentioned check out tradex and the ee for something like a 243, 6.5 swede, 257 bob or 7-08. It would be unfortunate if a bad experience hunting for his first time turned the young guy off hunting. Not that a 243 or bigger guarantees his shots will be bang flops preventing tracking a wounded animal, but I feel it tips the odds in your favour!
 
P8050271.jpg

Try this I'm sure it will work!
 
The Answer is NO
For any shooter.
It would be cruel to shoot at any deer with less than 120 grain bullet.
You can't guarantee a kill even with a perfectly placed shot. Deer are pretty tough buggers.
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:onCrack:

I personally wouldn't use a 223rem myself, but I have killed a couple of dozen whitetails, and mule deer with 100gr bullets.
 
it's a M249 SAW just got back from Vegas and did a full auto shoot at their range 12 machine guns in all......... 40rds into a tennis ball with no fliers on full auto love that weapon........Harold
 
H4831 said:
We sure have had a lot of threads on, "Is a 37 Nightingale good enough for deer and moose?"
It sort of started with a 30-30, worked down, with no end of postings, good and bad, on the 243, now to the 223.
This is just to let you know that when it gets down to, "Is a 22 rimfire, using shorts, enough for deer," I have some pertinent information to add.
Answer. It will kill a large whittail buck, but you have to be careful where you hit him.
Question. Will the large deer suffer?
Answer. I know one that didn't. He kept on eating alfalfa, while he was being shot in the ribs with the 22 rimfire shorts. He slightly flinched when a bullet hit him, like he would flinch from a fly bite. Then, his legs wobbled and he fell over, dead.
Butchering him showed that if the tiny bullet hit a rib on the way in, it didn't get any further. But if it went between the ribs, it went through the lungs and in at least one case, broke a rib on the other side.
But damn, I forgot. This was in sustanance hunting and animals didn't know any better than to just die when hit. The present variety of animals come with armour plate hides, that require a huge rifle and bullets with names that one never heard of and can't even pronounce, before the experts on here agree the rifle is satisfactory for hunting.
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Don't giggle too much guys, but back in '68 when I was 13, I took 2 deer
in the front yard flowerbed with my Cooey Model 39. Not at the same time
though. They were a couple of months apart. The ammo I used was Imperial
.22 short high speed w/copper-washed bullets.

In each case I put the little pill at the base of the skull at the neck junction.
The critters dropped like a sack-o-crap, twitched a bit and were done.
The shooting distance was not more than 20 ft. as I was shooting from
my parents bedroom window when the bugers were head-down, feeding
in said flowerbed. They dressed out around 80 lb. or so. Not real large,
but really tasty.

I still have the Cooey ,still shoots as good as ever, and NO, it ain't fer sale.

Here it be.
watermark.php


To answer my fellow Islander's question, the .223 would be adequate for
a seasoned hunter and consistently good shot, but if said hunter gets
"buck fever"and is an averge shot, then a bigass ol' magnum or similar rifle
won't help. Usually it makes this things worse if the shooter is not
accustomed to the blast and recoil of the rifle, and gets induced flinch.

The .223 is great for training youngin's to shoot a more powerful rifle than
a .22 rimfire though, but I tend to lean towards the larger calibers just
cause they're fun to load for and excellent killers on Island game. I use
no load which pushes the lead bullet past 2000 fps. and they are of
sufficient mass to do the job cleanly.
Another thing to consider are bears which are all over our neck of the
woods and are getting big. I've seen a few 400+ pounders around here
lately and I'll never trust a bear to behave.

It's all up to personal taste, but it pays to remember;
Get used to what you got,
Don't load the gun too hot,
Then put the bullet on the spot.
 
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