is a .223 enough for a deer?
- Thread starter Kyler
- Start date
You need to use a proper bullet to have a decent chance. Varmint bullets do not penetrate well and should not be used. So given a properly placed shot and the right 223 projectile, it is adequate. But not necessarily desirable.
Not legal in Alberta, but there's a guy that posts in here from Nunavut that hunts musk ox, caribou, deer and even polar bear with .223 apparently! Can't remember his name though...
I don't think I would try it with anything other than a 75 grain bullet loaded hot and a neck shot personally.
I don't think I would try it with anything other than a 75 grain bullet loaded hot and a neck shot personally.
- Location
- big sky country
Yes a .223 will physically take down a deer.
BUT....just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
There are better calibre choices for deer.
308, 243, 270 and 25-06 immediatly spring to mind when I think of deer hunting.
BUT....just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
There are better calibre choices for deer.
308, 243, 270 and 25-06 immediatly spring to mind when I think of deer hunting.
- Location
- British Canuckistan
according to the Firearm Supplemental in the CORE manual, deer hunting starts at the .243 Win with at least a 100 grain bullet. 
It's legal in Ontario as is any centrefire. Whether it's advisable is another matter.
A heavier soft-point or premium bullet that will penetrate sufficiently if placed correctly should drop a deer. But unless you have the discipline to pass on marginal shots or lack the experience to place your shot correctly then it's not a round I'd recommend.
A heavier soft-point or premium bullet that will penetrate sufficiently if placed correctly should drop a deer. But unless you have the discipline to pass on marginal shots or lack the experience to place your shot correctly then it's not a round I'd recommend.
It wasn't in the late 90's when I lived there, minimum calibre was .24
My buddy is insisting he is going to take a bear with a .223 single shot. I have tried numerous times to convince him otherwise. He is also a firm believer in head shots!!! So I hate to see an animal suffer but I hope he makes a mistake soon so he will finally learn!
- Location
- Lakes District BC
I would think in the neck at 100 yards will slow him down.You still have 9 shots to the head left you can take if he moves
now theres some sound advice
I would think in the neck at 100 yards will slow him down.You still have 9 shots to the head left you can take if he moves
You haven't shot a lot of deer, have you?
I agree on the side of 30 cal big game hunting. I don't even like shooting gophers with .22LR because often it takes two or three to really put them out of their misery. It's not enough in my opinion to just mortally wound, you need bang flops, and that's why I usually opt for my .223 when gopher eradication is my mission. They are no doubters (read gophers look like they stepped on a landmine!)... but then again we're talking deer here.
I think Alberta has the right idea about .243 or bigger.
Let's all be humane, right?
I think Alberta has the right idea about .243 or bigger.
Let's all be humane, right?
Greenfields
CGN Regular
- Location
- Lower mainland BC
It really depends on where he is located and the regs he will have to hunt under. A good rifleman can and do take animals using 223, advisable? In my personal opinion no.
Cheers
Cheers
