.223 on deer

6.5x55swm

6.5x55swm

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Does anybody here uses a .223 for deer, if so what ammo and bullet do you use? I can get a stevens 200 in .223 pretty cheap.
 
It's not the best deer cartridge in the world (lacks "smack"), but if you're selective in the shots you take -- ie: that classic broadside heart/lungs, or (maybe) a neck/head at close enough range to cleanly make a neck/head shot -- it'll git er done. Pick up the heaviest Barnes TSX's that'll stabilize in your twist rate, load it to the gills, and go git er dun.

But all that said -- if you haven't got a gun yet -- and you're wanting a deer hunting gun -- do yourself a favour and buy something in the 308 Winchester/30-06/280 Rem/etc,etc,etc class of cartridge. The first time you accidentally (or on purpose) hammer a deer in the thick part of a leg-bone and it still bang-flops instead of running off, you'll be glad you did.
 
I've seen about 50 threads on this exact subject. 223 vs deer and 243 vs deer. Answer is:

Is it ideal? No. Will it kill deer? Yes. Shot placement is everything. Use soft points 55 -62 grains.
 
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Right now money is very tight and when that happens my guns are usually the first to go
Here in NB if you want to hunt coyotes you can only 22 center fire or smaller cal. so I'm limited to one gun for deer and coyotes. And I tried search on this topic and found nothing
 
Well, like the others have said, load em right, place em right, and you are good to go. There is a nice 78 Gr bullet I have used, not sure the maker and it worked well.
 
Get a switch barrel rifle. One barrel in .223 and another in something serious for deer. I know it's pricey, but a good TC with 2 barrels would do both jobs for years.
 
6.5x55swm said:
I have about $400 to play with and that would include a scope.
Click to expand...

Err, it's not going to happen. Period. You're looking at closer to $600 or $700, as you'd need to include the rifle, scope, mount, and rings. Even a Stevens 200 with the works will run you that much.

If you're on a really tight budget like that I'd seriously suggest looking at a military surplus rifle. A mosin nagant or a SMLE will run $200 or so (depending on the rifle), and leave you with plenty of spare money for ammo. The irons are crude but you put enough rounds at an aimed target, you'll figure out pretty quick how that rifle behaves.

OR use the money you saved to buy a Lee challenger reloading kit and a pace setter die set in 7.62x54R (or .303 british if you get the SMLE), which would run you $200 but let's you save a lot on ammo if you shoot more then 20 rounds a year. Plus you produce higher quality bullets then your typical factory loadings.
 
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