5.56 nato
- Thread starter Canadan
- Start date
You're going to get nothing but conflicting advice here lol. Personally I have no issue using one with a good bullet like a TTSX at closer ranges. Proper shot placement is important of course, more so with marginal cartridges. Proper bullet, reasonable range and proper placement.
- Location
- WMU247 near Edmonton
yes (with the above caveats) but not legal in some provinces
Yes, it's legal. Not necessarily wise.
My feeling is that if you have to ask you're probably new and inexperienced with hunting or firearms or both, and you really should consider using more gun. If you've been around the block and have some experience you probably don't need to ask anybody else's advice.
My feeling is that if you have to ask you're probably new and inexperienced with hunting or firearms or both, and you really should consider using more gun. If you've been around the block and have some experience you probably don't need to ask anybody else's advice.
Midnight Rider
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- ......the Vanishing Point .
223/556 is not really a suitable deer round , but can certainly down a deer with proper shot placement . Lots of alternatives out there that will do a much better job . Personally , I would never hunt a deer with a 223/556 ; but like everything , others opinions will vary .
Is it legal to hunt deer with in Ontario ??
There's a reason why many jurisdictions in North America forbid this caliber for deer (or other big game).
Yes, it will kill a deer. Heck, a well-placed airgun shot would kill it.
Ask yourself, however, if it's humane, even where it's legal. My contention is that it's not. If we are taking a life, we owe it to the animal the quickest possible death. A 5.56mm will probably not give it a speedy demise, unless several other conditions are met (wind, your state of mind, your shooting abilities, temperature etc).
Yes, it will kill a deer. Heck, a well-placed airgun shot would kill it.
Ask yourself, however, if it's humane, even where it's legal. My contention is that it's not. If we are taking a life, we owe it to the animal the quickest possible death. A 5.56mm will probably not give it a speedy demise, unless several other conditions are met (wind, your state of mind, your shooting abilities, temperature etc).
Other considerations:
1) What if you want to hunt somewhere else (or something else), where/for which the 5.56 mm is not legal? Do you want to procure another gun/scope you're comfortable with, just to shoot (say) bear, or moose, or even deer in other provinces?
2) The recoil in better calibers, such as .243 Winchester, is nothing.
3) Your margin or error with more powerful calibers, like the .243 win, 7mm08, 7.62x39, .308, .270 win, 30-06 etc will be more lenient. So you can "mess up", so to speak, more than you can with a caliber with which you'll have almost no margin of error.
Etc etc etc
1) What if you want to hunt somewhere else (or something else), where/for which the 5.56 mm is not legal? Do you want to procure another gun/scope you're comfortable with, just to shoot (say) bear, or moose, or even deer in other provinces?
2) The recoil in better calibers, such as .243 Winchester, is nothing.
3) Your margin or error with more powerful calibers, like the .243 win, 7mm08, 7.62x39, .308, .270 win, 30-06 etc will be more lenient. So you can "mess up", so to speak, more than you can with a caliber with which you'll have almost no margin of error.
Etc etc etc
Lefties will revile you for hunting with the dangerous Assault-Style 5.56 round, because it's capable of vaporizing half of Bambi with each shot. Better you use something mild like .338 Lapua, because 338 is way less than 556 when you're a Liberal and know almost enough math to be dangerous!
Obviously you are meaning .223 and not 5.56 military round with an FMJ...correct?
Modern, heavy for caliber bullets coupled with fast twist barrels really change the game and can make .223 a viable round for medium game.
The thread I linked below has real info from the guys actually using it, along with all the folks parroting outdated info.
https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/223-for-bear-deer-elk-and-moose.130488/
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On a more serious note, 55-grain .223 in a slow-twist barrel should really be considered an entirely different caliber than 80-grain .223 in a fast-twist barrel, but they're officially the same thing. However, if you mismatch your ammo to your barrel twist they don't play very nicely together.
No!!! It is way too powerful!!!
To quote the Toronto Sun the .223 / 5.56 NATO will: "Fire bullets at such a high velocity that it can eviscerate multiple people in seconds. A single bullet lands with a shock wave intense enough to blow apart a skull and demolish vital organs." It will totally red-mist any deer you use it on.
https://torontosun.com/news/world/t...=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1680124608
To quote the Toronto Sun the .223 / 5.56 NATO will: "Fire bullets at such a high velocity that it can eviscerate multiple people in seconds. A single bullet lands with a shock wave intense enough to blow apart a skull and demolish vital organs." It will totally red-mist any deer you use it on.
https://torontosun.com/news/world/t...=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1680124608
Can you give us a little more info on your planned hunting scenario?
Are you going to spot and stalk? Sit in a tree stand or ground blind with bait 30 +/- 10 yards from you? Or shooting past 100 yards? With this info you provide we can give you a better answer.
Is 223/5.56 enough for deer? For me it is, why? We sit in a ground blind with apples at 20 yards away for bow season. Then come the first Monday in Nov we pull out the rifles. Head shot at 20 yard with a 223/5.56 SP or HP is enough.
For hunting scenario 75 yards and beyond we stick to the tried and true 308 SP.
There are better calibers out there.
There are better calibers for novice shooters .
The .223 can and will take game and far be it from me to criticize once choice regardless of what the experts offer.
The animal deserves respect from the time the trigger is pulled until it is put on the table for consumption.
I am sure I have left enough innuendo for all to critique.
In the end it is ones choice to decide what is best for them , no ?
Rob
Lots of good advice already. There are many "better" options.
But just like any other hunting cartridge, it will kill deer very effectively with the right type of ammunition, at the right distance, with correct shot placement.
Thanks for the input. Just getting into hunting and doing research so I am unsure my hunting scenario.
As a new hunter would you be more interested in hunting or tracking?? If you are more of the hunter and less of the tracker, there are way more suitable cartridges out there.
For a newbie my suggestion would be to get something bigger in the .243 to .308 range.
