Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Serious Deer Talk Forum .223 for deer hunting?

Anyone ever use a .223? I have a .308 that I almost exclusively use, but my .223 is smaller and lighter. All shots would be 100 yds or less and I know shot placement is the real key. Just curious if anyone has experience with that round for deer hunting?

I dropped a doe in her tracks with a 223, heart shot. I was using a hand load with a Barnes bullet

Yes it can be done.
Use something like Barnes TTSX or Golddot.

Oh ya, be prepared for a 12-page thread of ethics and morals.

Folks can say what they want about ethics but if you hit a deer in the heart with a hot loaded 223 TTSX the deer is going down. I wouldn’t take a questionable shot with a 223, 243, 308, 3006, ...

I’m in Mississippi hunting with a 223 right now...

Pass the popcorn .....




You can and all that. Kills a ton. No doubt.
But as a buddy of mine says, why would you use a skwerl gun?
.308, 30-06, .270 just knocks bigger hole and you’re more likely to have 2 holes, entry and exit.
Reason I got rid of the .243 was I always worried “What if Mr. Big steps out? Is it enough?”
Why worry?

LOL. I love popcorn

I've killed a bunch of deer with 22 short hollow points, thinking on having a custom bull bbl 22 short gun built for deer hunting. Ought to work fine......

Look at this thread: http://www.aldeer.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2676029&page=1

Hunter took a shot that would have been good with a heavier caliber and lost a nice buck. As you said- shot placement is key.

30 calibers give you more margin for error I think. Saying that I have total confidence in 270 and 7’mm mags also
Just my opinion but Alabama deer are some of the heartiest deer I’ve ever hunted. Even being smaller in size it takes more to anchor them to the ground. I’ve had 60 pound does splatter the ground then get back up and run 100 yards before dying. Some I even shot again just to try to keep them from getting away lol. Just my 2 cents

I get that this can be a controversial topic, and I know everyone likes to throw their 2 cents in, it’s human nature. What I’m specifically after with this thread is specific results from those that have shot deer with a .223 caliber round.

I agree with you, but would like to know the actual limitations of a smaller round.

whyinthecornbreadhell do you want to shoot a cartridge that you have to worry about its "limitations"????

limitation...it doesn't kill as well. Period. You have to take into consideration the size of the deer, angle of shot, distance, etc, etc. Shoot a deer rifle that will get the job done.

Yep. If lighter is the goal, sell it and get a lighter 308

Killed several deer with a .222 Savage.

I have never shot a deer with my 223 but my daughter is 2 for 2 and my son is 4 for 4 with it. I however have killed a truckload of of hogs from 10lbs to over 250lbs with it. Some were DRT and some ran a ways and died. My son now shoots my 6.8 or 6.5 Grendel. Next season my daughter will step up to the 6.8 or the 7.62x39 if she don't get a nice 243 bolt action for her birthday.

Well, it is limiting in angle, distance, etc. It doesn't kill as well if you try to shoot it like you're shooting a .308, .270, etc. However, if you know your limitations, I would disagree with it doesn't kill as well. Just like archery hunters know their limitations with an arrow, which obviously doesn't kill as well as a .308. They shoot at appropriate distances, etc. It comes down to the individual hunter's decision of knowing what is a high-success kill shot, and can it be made?

From what I've read:
1) It can fully stop oxygen production by taking out heart and lungs, which of course depends on shot placement, but that is important no matter the caliber.
2) Using the right grain bullet (>60 grain), at 100 yards or less, there is plenty of energy to accomplish the above.

So again, I am curious if anyone has actually killed deer with a .223 on here and what the result was? This is something I plan on learning way more about before I would every try it, but I am curious.

This is like the 100th time this has been discussed, bottom line shoot a good bullet and the 223 will kill deer. It’s not majic, just a deer.

Use the 223. CNC’s tracking thread has been slow this season.

222 Rem last year. Did the job nicely.