This nonsense has been discussed beyond reason. Most of the people that endorse the 223 and small calibers for game will be singing a different tune when you ask them about personal defense.
How is it that small calibers and cartridges are such great game killers, but you need a canon to kill a human in a self defense scenario?
In my experience - I usually hear the opposite.
"Why can I engage and kill terrorists who go 200lbs with a 223 but a 120-140 lb deer on the hoof is suddenly too much?" (disregard bullet construction differences in the 2 scenarios)
I don't know the answer- would I hesitate to shoot a deer if all I had in my hands was a 223 with proper bullets? Nope. Would I generally select a 223? Nope. For me there's a difference between "prefer" and "works".
The purpose for a cartridge in war is to wound, not kill. When you wound a soldier, you take 2 or 3 out of the battle as they attend to the wounded soldier. Kill one and you only lose one. It may not sound like good logic, but that is the theory of fighting a war. We are not fighting a war with deer.
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