.223 Remington hunting loads for whitetail

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caramel said:
9 times out of 10 the 223 will kill a WT but is it worth to take a chance of loosing the 10th one to died in the forest and never to be retrived, very unethical in my book... JP.
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That speaks more to the carpenter than his tools. Employed within it's limitations a .223 will kill a deer 10/10 times. Bigger calibers won't make up for poor shot placement. With proper shot placement the .223 is entirely capable of killing deer size game out to 200 yards. Easily.

Seriously, do you have any actual experience shooting WT or similar sized animals with a .223?
 
I am probably going to use a Rem 7615 (.223rem) again this year for my deer hunt. I expect rain, a lot of walking and climbing...and probably no deer...so the 7615 is perfect. Despite my pessimism ...I am confident that the .223 will do fine if I come across a deer at the usual ranges my hunting area permits. Certainly my 243w has worked very well in the past (as has a 350rm and a 375h&h :) ) for me the big 'BUT' is that after firing I have to remind myself not to stop and admire my shooting..but to get another round in the chamber and back on target asap...ready to get another shot off quickly if necessary. Cause occasionally that first shot doesnt go where I intended (deflection, game movement, nerves, lousy shooting...you name it...) the point is neither a small nor alarge calibre firearm will ensure a proper hit...and you must be prepared (quickly!) for a follow up shot. ...just my 2cents. Maybe other guys never have this problem/experience...
 
park.city said:
sounds like some people are really talking bullet weight rather then caliber. i have a 1:8 twist barrel .223 and can shoot 90gn bullets.
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WRONG! ......... Proper bullets (read bullet construction) is what you are looking for, not weight.

I'd rather use a 52gr TSX than an heavy target bullet with thin jacket.
 
flashman2 said:
That speaks more to the carpenter than his tools. Employed within it's limitations a .223 will kill a deer 10/10 times. Bigger calibers won't make up for poor shot placement. With proper shot placement the .223 is entirely capable of killing deer size game out to 200 yards. Easily.

Seriously, do you have any actual experience shooting WT or similar sized animals with a .223?
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Agreed.
 
Anyway, if one hunter loose one deer shot by a 223, i dont think he will brag about it, all my life, i have hunted bears, mooses, deers and caribous with a 308 and never even came close to loose an animal with the 308, extra power is never a burden, i did lose a WT shot with a 32 SPL when i was a ladd...
 
caramel said:
Anyway, if one hunter loose one deer shot by a 223, i dont think he will brag about it, all my life, i have hunted bears, mooses, deers and caribous with a 308 and never even came close to loose an animal with the 308, extra power is never a burden, i did lose a WT shot with a 32 SPL when i was a ladd...
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So you have never missed? Because if you have you may have wounded and lost an animal.
 
flashman2 said:
That speaks more to the carpenter than his tools. Employed within it's limitations a .223 will kill a deer 10/10 times. Bigger calibers won't make up for poor shot placement. With proper shot placement the .223 is entirely capable of killing deer size game out to 200 yards. Easily.
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Been a while since I've seen a thread by someone asking if a 308 or 30/06 is adequate for deer.
 
If you've never shot a head of game with a .22 CF you shouldn't get to vote or have an opinion.You can explain child birth only if you've given birth.Same logic .This same BS comes up every fall and gets old fast...............Harold
 
mbogo3 said:
If you've never shot a head of game with a .22 CF you shouldn't get to vote or have an opinion.You can explain child birth only if you've given birth.Same logic .This same BS comes up every fall and gets old fast...............Harold
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I think everyone can have an opinion. But if you haven't shot a deer with a .223 using a bullet intended for deer hunting, your opinion is about as valuable as the opinion of a lawnmower mechanic on fixing 747's
 
TK-Hryciuk said:
I never asked if .223 was adequate. I asked what loads are optimal and what others have been successful with.
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I've shot three deer with a 223 and one with a 222. I don't recall the bullets, but they were probably 55gr. cup and core as this was a long time ago(span of 25-30 years ago or so). They were all broadside double lung shots and as I recall there was plenty of penetration, so it wasn't a question of bullets disintegrating. Distance ranged from about 100-175 yards. Two of the deer went 400-500 yards, the other two maybe half that distance, and I had a hard time finding them as there was little to no blood and no snow yet, as is often the case here during the first few days of opening week rifle deer. None were big deer, however all were males the largest being a 3 yr old 4x4, so probably 180-220 lbs live weight.

I've found the 223's and most 22 CF performance to be erratic on larger game, regardless of bullets used. That's why I don't use it anymore. It's a coyote gun. I don't like it for wolf either, same reasons.

And yes, larger cartridges do have advantages for poor shooting, which will happen. Some hunters seem to forget that shot placement isn't always going to be perfect. Those that say otherwise are lying or haven't hunted much.
 
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bearkilr said:
I've shot three deer with a 223 and one with a 222. I don't recall the bullets, but they were probably 55gr. cup and core as this was a long time ago(span of 25-30 years ago or so). They were all broadside double lung shots and as I recall there was plenty of penetration, so it wasn't a question of bullets disintegrating. Distance ranged from about 100-175 yards. Two of the deer went 400-500 yards, the other two maybe half that distance, and I had a hard time finding them as there was little to no blood and no snow yet, as is often the case here during the first few days of opening week rifle deer. None were big deer, however all were males the largest being a 3 yr old 4x4, so probably 180-220 lbs live weight.
.
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Using gopher grade bullets on deer is inadvisable.
 
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