.223+70 grn Bergers=back straps

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Xs24-7

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So I ended up buying a new deer rifle(it should be here later this week).and due to my wife's rule of one in, one out, my .257 weatherby had to go...of course as luck would have it, I sold it 3 days before General deer season. This left me with just my .223 SPS tactical. I had it sighted in with 70 grain Berger VLDs. Not being one to take odd angles/long shots, I knew if I was disciplined I would be ok. Today was opening day, and after spending the day calling coyotes, we setup on a field edge for the last couple hours. The long and short of it is that with 1/2 hour of light left, a decent size doe ended up in my scope. I shot her tight to the onside shoulder, just over her heart. She ran about 80 yards and fell over. Upon cleaning her up, I was impressed by the performance of the little gun. Typical Berger performance, small entry, exploded through the lungs, then blew the off side shoulder to pieces. I was a bit worried before I went out with this light combo, but I came away impressed.
 
Nicely done.

I finished off a nice buck last Tuesday using a 60gr Nosler Partition out of my Swiss Arms. Went clean through, taking out the bottom of the heart. Hunting deer with .223 is definitely doable, just choose your shots and keep the ranges reasonable.
 
Ar180shooter said:
Nicely done.

I finished off a nice buck last Tuesday using a 60gr Nosler Partition out of my Swiss Arms. Went clean through, taking out the bottom of the heart. Hunting deer with .223 is definitely doable, just choose your shots and keep the ranges reasonable.
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i heard about your good luck, congrats
 
Xs24-7 said:
So I ended up buying a new deer rifle(it should be here later this week).and due to my wife's rule of one in, one out, my .257 weatherby had to go...of course as luck would have it, I sold it 3 days before General deer season. This left me with just my .223 SPS tactical. I had it sighted in with 70 grain Berger VLDs. Not being one to take odd angles/long shots, I knew if I was disciplined I would be ok. Today was opening day, and after spending the day calling coyotes, we setup on a field edge for the last couple hours. The long and short of it is that with 1/2 hour of light left, a decent size doe ended up in my scope. I shot her tight to the onside shoulder, just over her heart. She ran about 80 yards and fell over. Upon cleaning her up, I was impressed by the performance of the little gun. Typical Berger performance, small entry, exploded through the lungs, then blew the off side shoulder to pieces. I was a bit worried before I went out with this light combo, but I came away impressed.
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You must be mistaken. Everyone knows 223 is too small for big game and the Bergers are only for paper as they are not hunting bullets, despite what clever marketing may tell you.
 
kman300 said:
You must be mistaken. Everyone knows 223 is too small for big game and the Bergers are only for paper as they are not hunting bullets, despite what clever marketing may tell you.
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Yup, I'm so glad this doe bought into the hype too. If she hadnt,
I'd still be tracking her. Next year I'll be sure to use a 300 ultra just to be safe! ;-)
 
I was thinking of using my Benelli MR1 for deer hunting this year but was uncertain how well it would perform. Bought some 62gr fusion for the job but never tried them for hunting. Took my son's 243 as my backup this year but after carring it in the bush was worried that the lite bullets could get deflected easily off a branch. Got a nice 2 point with my 30-06. Probably a good thing I carried the bigger gun that day I had to shoot through some brush to get it. Maybe I will try it next year.
 
I have taken deer with the 52g Barnes Tsx in 223. With good shots they died just like they were shot with larger guns. But I also missed out on the only opportunity to shoot the big buck I was watching all year because it wouldn't offer a clear enough shot for me. Had I not loaned my .308 to the new guy, I would have likely had that deer hanging on the wall in my rec room.
 
Ishodu said:
I have taken deer with the 52g Barnes Tsx in 223. With good shots they died just like they were shot with larger guns. But I also missed out on the only opportunity to shoot the big buck I was watching all year because it wouldn't offer a clear enough shot for me. Had I not loaned my .308 to the new guy, I would have likely had that deer hanging on the wall in my rec room.
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An obstucted shot with a 223 is still an obstructed shot with a 308.
 
Would love to hunt deer with my 223. Sadly out here its .23 caliber or larger. I would have no problems with a 223 as my shots are 50 yards and with the 30-06 it sure shows you they are dead.
 
At one time I wasn't in favor of centerfire .22's for anything bigger than a coyote, but with todays bullets I'd use my M700 .223 and the right handloads for deer size critters with no hesitation.
 
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