.223 for hunting deer?
- Thread starter sweet09
- Start date
TheCoachZed
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Go to 24hrcampfire's forum. Lots of guys there shooting deer with .223. It's not exactly common here in NB, but plenty of guys are using them and the .22-250. If it wasn't for moose hunting, I'd say a .223 would be plenty of rifle for here in NB.
Lots of guys slag them, but to me, I'd rather practice and be able to put a 60-grain bullet in the right place, than not practice with my .300 win mag due to recoil and expense, and put my bullet in the wrong place.
I know everyone will beat their chest and talk about ethics, but the fact is, locally, most of the gun hunters I know sight in before deer season, and that's it. I know I personally don't get the range time I need. So, I have been known to pack my .223 in deer season, because I'm confident in its accuracy, and my accuracy with it - much more so than my .30-30. I'd rather hit a deer in the lungs with a small bullet, than in the rear end with a big one.
Go to 24hrcampfire, and you'll see post-mortem shots of .223 damage on deer. They are impressive - lung soup.
Having said that, I've shot all my deer/bear with .30-30, buckshot, or slugs. Haven't ever had a clear chance for a shot with the .223.
Lots of guys slag them, but to me, I'd rather practice and be able to put a 60-grain bullet in the right place, than not practice with my .300 win mag due to recoil and expense, and put my bullet in the wrong place.
I know everyone will beat their chest and talk about ethics, but the fact is, locally, most of the gun hunters I know sight in before deer season, and that's it. I know I personally don't get the range time I need. So, I have been known to pack my .223 in deer season, because I'm confident in its accuracy, and my accuracy with it - much more so than my .30-30. I'd rather hit a deer in the lungs with a small bullet, than in the rear end with a big one.
Go to 24hrcampfire, and you'll see post-mortem shots of .223 damage on deer. They are impressive - lung soup.
Having said that, I've shot all my deer/bear with .30-30, buckshot, or slugs. Haven't ever had a clear chance for a shot with the .223.
It's not for me. If you insist on using it, shot placement and the correct ammunition will be key. I would avoid a varmint bullet because it may not penetrate sufficiently, esp if it strikes a bone on the way in. I've only seen it done twice, and the results were poor, where a 30 cal would have done much better. One, the deer simply ran off and the guy never found it, the other was a neck shot where the bullet hit the spine but didn't do enough damage and the deer kept trying to get up for a long time, and I ended up finishing it off for the guy. I suspect the spine shot deer was shot using a varmint bullet, because it did so little damage despite being right on the spine. A more conventional centre fire like a 308 would have blown clean through.
PROPER BULLETS are hardly ever mentioned in these threads. This point is just as important as shot placement.
For example .... Nosler Partitions, Barnes TSX, Win 60gr PP, and Speer 70 SPs are a few examples.
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- Location
- Yellowknife, NWT
X2.
I think the .223 is a fine deer rifle in the hands of a skilled hunter and shooter who knows what load to use, what shots to take and what the maximum range is.
Unfortunately, because of the low recoil, they are sometimes used as beginners' rifles. Not always a great choice.
TheCoachZed
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Winchester supposedly makes a Power Point round in .223 that's good for deer. I load up on Federal Fusion when I take mine out. It's pretty cheap, and it's designed for deer...
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
A bad shot with a 375 will get the same results as a bad shot with a .223.
Say what you want , the cartridge is used in many parts of the U.S. and Canada with excellent results, just maybe not where you live because it is illegal as it is in my Province.
Where it is legal people have no problem with it.
Cat
and here we go again....
Yes it works. It has limits just like a 25-35 or 30-30.
Use good bullets and hit them through the lung/heart.
Be prepared to feel the wrath of the uneducated ethics police claiming that you are a Poacher! or a Sadist! or a NDP'r!
The last is less likely..............
Yes it works. It has limits just like a 25-35 or 30-30.
Use good bullets and hit them through the lung/heart.
Be prepared to feel the wrath of the uneducated ethics police claiming that you are a Poacher! or a Sadist! or a NDP'r!
The last is less likely..............
I remember reading a story by Jim Carmichell at that time shooting editor Outdoor Life.
He was returning form a hunt in Africa and stopped off in Scotland to visit a friend. The fellow had lined up a hunt on a hunting lodge to cull several dry does from the fallow deer herd. Carmichell was offered a loaner gun from the clubs weapons. There was a 300 win. mag and a .222. He thought the .300 mag was way too much gun for the little deer and so took the .222 out on the range. It shot very tight little groups so with permission of the lodge game manager he used it to shoot a couple of does that were pointed out to him by the manager.
All shots were through the rib-cage and all produced fast kills.
This does not say a .222 or .223 are "recommended" for deer but if used properly it can do the job.
If it were legal and that was all I had I would not say "no I can't go on a deer hunt because I do not have a proper deer gun." But if I had access to a .260rem. or a .243 win., I would choose one of those.
Cat
A bad shot with a 375 will get the same results as a bad shot with a .223.
I hear that said a lot and I do not believe it is totally true. Would you say a shot on the shoulder blade of a moose with a .223 would give the same results as a shot in the same place with a .375 ?
I once hit a white-tail buck high on one leg and the bullet from my .35 whelen destroyed that leg and a good deal of brisket. The deer was not able to make good use of the far leg for locomotion. I followed up and finished him off. If I had been using a .243 I'm not sure that "poop hit" would have ended as well.
He was returning form a hunt in Africa and stopped off in Scotland to visit a friend. The fellow had lined up a hunt on a hunting lodge to cull several dry does from the fallow deer herd. Carmichell was offered a loaner gun from the clubs weapons. There was a 300 win. mag and a .222. He thought the .300 mag was way too much gun for the little deer and so took the .222 out on the range. It shot very tight little groups so with permission of the lodge game manager he used it to shoot a couple of does that were pointed out to him by the manager.
All shots were through the rib-cage and all produced fast kills.
This does not say a .222 or .223 are "recommended" for deer but if used properly it can do the job.
If it were legal and that was all I had I would not say "no I can't go on a deer hunt because I do not have a proper deer gun." But if I had access to a .260rem. or a .243 win., I would choose one of those.
Cat
A bad shot with a 375 will get the same results as a bad shot with a .223.
I hear that said a lot and I do not believe it is totally true. Would you say a shot on the shoulder blade of a moose with a .223 would give the same results as a shot in the same place with a .375 ?
I once hit a white-tail buck high on one leg and the bullet from my .35 whelen destroyed that leg and a good deal of brisket. The deer was not able to make good use of the far leg for locomotion. I followed up and finished him off. If I had been using a .243 I'm not sure that "poop hit" would have ended as well.
Well it appears that your not a veteran nor a novice hunter from your question. I suggest to utilize the 223 for varmint hunting or just plain old target shooting on paper or tin cans. However, start off with at least a 243 winchester for deer hunting (depending where you live and hunting method utilized) or a good old 30-30 or 308 winchester.
Interesting....
