Can you hunt deer with a .223? Legally?

Can you hunt with deer with a .223? Legally?
or is the lowest caliber a .243?

if you can hunt with a .223 can you use a restricted firearm like a ar-15 or sig516?

You could hunt deer with a 9mm if you wanted to, it's just a matter of your province having certain rules.
 
My father in law used to hunt Blacktail deer on the Queen Charlotte islands in BC with a 222 Rem. Back then there was an open season and no limit, either ### too. He shot about 2 of those little deer a month with that 222. Mind you they are a pretty small deer, and with all that lush jungle like vegetation, shots were pretty close.
 
My father in law new a guy once who said his grandfather killed a Grizzly bear on Vancouver Island with a 22 hornet. It's true I tell yeah. And now for something completely different:
RWSB-Dparty01.jpg
 
deer calibre

Nasty thread.

I think I am more dissapointed with the eager bashing and internet bullying than some of the ridiculous answers posted.

As for the ballistic performance query originally posted.
Read your LOCAL regs closely. A wide myriad of rules regarding hunting as well as of course all the federal firearms circus. Careful not to confuse the two sets of regs as each applies independantly with the federal firearm regs always the underlying constant.

I've personally never shot deer with a 223. Muzzle loader,shotgun,3030,308,243,270,44mag,357mag.....yes. All of these calibres killed deer cleanly with accurate shots within the ranges of their limitations.

I have unfortunately seen 1st hand human wound ballistics from a variety of weapons including 223. I can assure you the 223 carries enough energy and produces significant, often dramatic, wound channels on 250lb plus fit/switched on men actively engaged in fight/flight activity. Pretty confident this round would drop a feeding, stalked deer in it's tracks.
 
The .223 Rem is more than enough gun for deer or any other big game in North America. Bullet construction, shot placement and distance are the answer...not caliber size!!! Only an uneducated fool would suggest otherwise!

For the minimum legal caliber...check your provincial regulations.

Restricted firearms can only be discharged at an approved range for target shooting. However, I don't think the laws have a definition for the word "target". So, if your range is in the country, outside of municipal or city limits...that target could be a deer crossing the shooting lanes at 200yds!
 
223

The .223 Rem is more than enough gun for deer or any other big game in North America. Bullet construction, shot placement and distance are the answer...not caliber size!!! Only an uneducated fool would suggest otherwise!

For the minimum legal caliber...check your provincial regulations.

Restricted firearms can only be discharged at an approved range for target shooting. !

+1

I absolutely AGREE 100%!!!
 
Nasty thread.

I think I am more dissapointed with the eager bashing and internet bullying than some of the ridiculous answers posted.

You haven't been around long enough to see the dozens of other threads about the exact same subject. The OP's question was answered. Lets let the thread die before we get into another ethics, shot placement yada yada yada for twenty pages thread.
 
My father in law new a guy once who said his grandfather killed a Grizzly bear on Vancouver Island with a 22 hornet. It's true I tell yeah. And now for something completely different:

Nah you got it all wrong.... it was a polar bear in Calgary with a 17 rem.
I saw thw pictures!!!
 
Can't wait to see how long it takes for this thread to deteriate.

It already did. The original question was whether it was legal or not. It denigrated soon after to whether a .223 was suitable and then to the various "expert" opinions on the subject.

From my perspective, if it is legal in your Province. Use a .223 or whatever is legal. It does not matter a damn as to what caliber you use, if you don't get the perfect shot or don't get the perfect instant kill shot, it's your problem and your worry. I could really care less. As long as it is legal (ethical is a very broad and subjective point) and you are not breaking the law, hunt with whatever you choose to.
 
It already did. The original question was whether it was legal or not. It denigrated soon after to whether a .223 was suitable and then to the various "expert" opinions on the subject.

From my perspective, if it is legal in your Province. Use a .223 or whatever is legal. It does not matter a damn as to what caliber you use, if you don't get the perfect shot or don't get the perfect instant kill shot, it's your problem and your worry. I could really care less. As long as it is legal (ethical is a very broad and subjective point) and you are not breaking the law, hunt with whatever you choose to.
See, now that's the kind of reason that should prevail throughout these threads. Whether or not you have an OPINION about a subject is no reason to change the answer to the OP's question.
The actual answer should have been...
"Please check your provincial regulations for that information. Restricted firearms use falls under the Firearms Act. That, too, can be checked online."
I find that people too often just come on here looking for the easy answer to their questions. Do a little homework first, then ask if the answer is still not clear to you.
 
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