How is the 223 for deer hunting in AB doing?
- Thread starter tokguy
- Start date
Plain ol' Hornady #2265 55gr SP will kill them dead out to 200yds.
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I guess you do need an AR15 for deer. Hmm. - dan
fingers284
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Alberta Cowboy Ranges
A lot of folks in this thread drinking the gun writer/marketing cool-aid against the smaller slugs available without actually trying-testing them.
I built a bullet trap testing apparatus for specifically testing .223 varmint slugs against what are termed as hunting quality slugs. This trap used several layers of 2" thick plywood to replicate bone tissue with old crumpled rags between them as "soft tissue".
i used several manuf offerings of varmint slugs against on manuf hunting slug, all 40-52 gr varminters and the one hunter was 60 gr ( all testing at 100 yrds).
After also reading all the hype about the varminters 'exploding on impact, I was surprised to learn that every one of them I fired penetrated into the 5th layer of plywood and held together enough that I would be confident in using any of them on a deer. I will say that the "hunting slug did penetrate an inch deeper than the others and retained a very small amount more of bullet weight retention.
I will confidently use my .223 with "under 50 gr" slugs for my sausage deer this year.
I built a bullet trap testing apparatus for specifically testing .223 varmint slugs against what are termed as hunting quality slugs. This trap used several layers of 2" thick plywood to replicate bone tissue with old crumpled rags between them as "soft tissue".
i used several manuf offerings of varmint slugs against on manuf hunting slug, all 40-52 gr varminters and the one hunter was 60 gr ( all testing at 100 yrds).
After also reading all the hype about the varminters 'exploding on impact, I was surprised to learn that every one of them I fired penetrated into the 5th layer of plywood and held together enough that I would be confident in using any of them on a deer. I will say that the "hunting slug did penetrate an inch deeper than the others and retained a very small amount more of bullet weight retention.
I will confidently use my .223 with "under 50 gr" slugs for my sausage deer this year.
Twenty-odd years ago I was going to make a trip up to Inuvik, NWT and an Inuvialuit hunter friend from Tuktoyaktuk asked me to pick up some cheap soft point .223 ammo for him. I bought it at Walmart (which had the lowest price on such ammo here in Whitehorse, YT) and delivered it to him. I thought it was for seal hunting but he said, no, for caribou. On my next trip I asked him how he'd done. He'd killed several barren ground caribou, all with one shot each using that cheap ammo.
Neither I nor he had paid any attention to bullet weight or projectile configuration other than it had to be soft point.
Neither I nor he had paid any attention to bullet weight or projectile configuration other than it had to be soft point.
I haven't used 223 for deer, but planned to this year. As others have said, bullet construction, paired with twist rate and barrel length and there should be no problems at typical hunting distances. Pair the right factors up in any caliber and it will perform far beyond conventional wisdom.
I have not used my 223 for anything bigger than coyotes but it sure flattens them as far out as I can hit them, I have about 6 other rifles ranging from 6mm creedmoor up to 300 RUM all of which are better suited for the hunting I do, no need to even think about my 223 when it comes to big game.
Hand Skills
CGN Regular
- Location
- In the 'heartland', southern SK
Gryroscopic stability is function of twist rate and length of the bullet.
Mass is not a factor,
This is why a Flat Base Soft Point 60gr will stabilize out of a 1:12 twist, but a boat tail, polymer tip will not.
My 8 twist 223 shoots the 62 TTSX loaded over CFE223 with a CCI450 for about 3100 fps ! I think up to 300 yards would be OK too !
REMEMBER ! Shot placement is #1 - they never go far with lead or copper thru the lungs and or heart !
Yeah no one should be asking technical questions to their peers, how silly a concept!
I'm really starting to wonder what folks like you think should be discussed... on a discussion forum.
Also, "you're".
Depends on the bullet profile. Even a 1-14" twist can stabalize the old Speer 70 grain soft point bullet. Which works excellent on deer.
But a 1-12" twist will not stabalize a 64 grain sierra tipped game king.
General rule of thumb, it kind of holds true. But it's best to check a twist rate calculator, which again, doesn't truly mean it's stable on unstable in your rifle, but it's a bit closer.
