can you use a .223 to hunt deer.
- Thread starter Kyler
- Start date
Is it legal? yes (in BC anyway)
Would it kill a deer? yes (assuming you make a good shot).
Is it a good choice for deer? Considering the alternatives, not really, no.
A 243 with 100 grain bullets would be significantly better.
A 308 (or 30-06 or 270 or 7mag, or anything of that ilk) would be best.
Would it kill a deer? yes (assuming you make a good shot).
Is it a good choice for deer? Considering the alternatives, not really, no.
A 243 with 100 grain bullets would be significantly better.
A 308 (or 30-06 or 270 or 7mag, or anything of that ilk) would be best.
- Location
- Winnipeg,Man.
Any caliber can kill....the shot placement is the important thing. Any centre fire cartridge (except FMJ) can be used in Manitoba to hunt big game but the .22 caliber or smaller is not recommended. The 243 is a good caliber and my buddy has used it for the last 25 years we have hunted together. First day.... one shot ...deer down. A lot depends on distance shot also. If it was my choice, I would go bigger bore than the 243, but I have turned to open sight, lever action hunting and will use my 38-55 or 45-70 this fall.
Not in Saskatchewan. A .243 or 6mm is probably the most popular deer cartridge in north america. I wouldn't want to risk the trophy of a lifetime by using a cartridge that was more suited for varmints. I am not saying it can't be done but the risk of a wounded deer isn't worth the chance...ST...
.243
agreed, i would also stick with a bigger calibre, i have a browning lever action .243 and i have started many friends etc on this gun for deer hunting, but after a year always move them up to a bigger calibre because they are more versitile, .243 is a great gun for starting though.
agreed, i would also stick with a bigger calibre, i have a browning lever action .243 and i have started many friends etc on this gun for deer hunting, but after a year always move them up to a bigger calibre because they are more versitile, .243 is a great gun for starting though.
- Location
- Yellowknife, NWT
They are legal here in Ontario as well. Not in Alberta. When it comes to .22 centrefires as deer rifles, I think of them as equivalent to using a .410 shotgun on ducks. Some people think they're good guns for beginners because of the low recoil. I tend to think of them more as guns best left to experienced hunters.....they are very limited in margin of error as to shot placement.
Farlsincharge
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Saskatchewan
Will it kill a deer? YES
Would I use it to kill a deer? If it was the biggest caliber I owned, YES
Would I use it in my province? No, it is not a legal caliber
Not sure where you live, but check your local laws first
Would I use it to kill a deer? If it was the biggest caliber I owned, YES
Would I use it in my province? No, it is not a legal caliber
Not sure where you live, but check your local laws first
Yes but the idea is not to KILL people but to incapacitate them so 2 or more other soldiers are required to care for the one wounded.
I have killed 5 deer with a .223 using the old military .69gn?? Hard Ball ammo. It had a tendency to tumble on impact & actually did more damage than what many would believe, that said I would not use one again there are MANY better choices!
the questions isn't WHETHER it will kill a deer or not ,its WHEN it will kill the deer-a week later isn't acceptable.I knew an old guy on Saltspring who refused to allow anybody to hunt on his farm with SSG-even though it was a ''shot guns with shot only''area-he found too many dead deer hit in the guts.The same rule applies in all cases-it comes down to knowing the limitations of your choice of weapon and hunter ethics-which means passing up a shot if you aren't sure of a clean kill.However-I would feel quite comfortable shooting a deer from a stand with a scoped 223 ,a good rest and a close head/neck shot on a stationary animal,but nobody these days needs the meat that badly to take marginal shots and risk not recovering an animal.The other consideration about using a 223 instead of a more suitable cartridge would what would you rather have if you were confronted by a bear?
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You're not the first person to ask this question. Lots of good threads on it. Its legal in some places, its done by few hunters, it leaves little margin for error and increases the risk of lost or wounded game. I'm not really sure why anyone does it, given the multitude of more suitable larger calibers. The 243 would be better, and the decision to use a fmj projectile for hunting deer is illegal everywhere I know.
223 Will it Kill a Deer and is it Legal for Hunting
The 223 will kill a deer no problem just have to hit it in the right spot. It's legal to hunt deer in NB with a 223. I used to hunt deer with my AR 15 SP-1 (when it was legal)
and my friend hunted with his Mini 14 no problem killing deer with either.
The 223 will kill a deer no problem just have to hit it in the right spot. It's legal to hunt deer in NB with a 223. I used to hunt deer with my AR 15 SP-1 (when it was legal)
and my friend hunted with his Mini 14 no problem killing deer with either.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
I think the .223 is lacking as a big game round, but that doesn't seem to prevent lots of people from harvesting big game with them.
IMHO, for a cartridge to be considered for big game it must have a resonable expectation of killing the game animal with a single shot from any angle within the range limitation of the cartridge. If you have to make excuses like, "it must be a broadside shot," or "you must surgically place the bullet," or if you assume you must fire multiple shots to bring the animal down, then I believe that either the bullet or the cartridge is is unsuitable.
Barnes now makes a .224" TSX, so once again the rules of ballistic performance will change thanks to Randy Brooks. He keeps this up and I'll have to swap my .375 Ultra for a Mini-14. Even so, again IMHO, big game cartridges start at 6.5.
IMHO, for a cartridge to be considered for big game it must have a resonable expectation of killing the game animal with a single shot from any angle within the range limitation of the cartridge. If you have to make excuses like, "it must be a broadside shot," or "you must surgically place the bullet," or if you assume you must fire multiple shots to bring the animal down, then I believe that either the bullet or the cartridge is is unsuitable.
Barnes now makes a .224" TSX, so once again the rules of ballistic performance will change thanks to Randy Brooks. He keeps this up and I'll have to swap my .375 Ultra for a Mini-14. Even so, again IMHO, big game cartridges start at 6.5.
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In Alberta .24 is the minimum for deer. I live in BC now and assumed that the rules were similar. I was not aware that .22's are legal for deer or other big game. Lots of people I know have hunted deer with some variation of .22, whether it is .220 Swift, .22-250 or whatever. I PERSONALLY think that .22's are too light. They can do the job, but a larger calibre is more suitable in my opinion. Remember, opinions are like #######s, everyone has one.
The .223 as a deer round has been proven time and again. I know we have some CGNr's in the great white north zapping larger animals with that round
- good on 'em!
If given the option, I would favor .243. Leave the .223 for yoodle dogs and sod rats.
- good on 'em!
If given the option, I would favor .243. Leave the .223 for yoodle dogs and sod rats.
