Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 223rem deer projectiles

Interested in what folks have found works well on deer sized game. Im specifically interested in any terminal results with 60gr nos partition, 62gr swift scirocco, and the 50gr plus 55gr barnes tipped tsx....
thanks....

Only used the 60gr partitions out of a 22-250. Quite terminal. Deer have no chance with a decent shot.

Also hear very of good results with the TSX but no personal experience. I would try the 50gr, as high velocity makes this bullet what it is.

I've used 75gr Swift, 64gr Power Points, 62gr TSX and 70gr TSX. I've seen 53gr Barnes in action too.

62gr Barnes are my favorite, though I do like the 75gr Swift quite a bit.

Used the 60gr PT and knocks the snot out of deer out of a .223

Have you shot any with the 75 Amax?

64 grain nosler bonded do this.

Does your ruger America 223 like the 75 amax? Mine has not shown favor with them. Kinda thinking a preorder on a benchmark replacement they are making drop in replacements for the RAR.

Have any more details on Benchmark prefits for the RAR? I only see mention of RPR dropins coming soon on their site.

I've shot a few whitetails with the 60 grain Partition and 64 grain PP, all one shot kills and DRT. I did find that the 60 grain Partition was a bullet that was more difficult than most to find an accurate load.

The only 22cal projectile I've killed whitetails with is the 55gr Hornady SP and it was at 22-250/220Swift speeds. A buddy of mine has used the same bullet with much success from a 223Rem he purchased for his nephew. He had to try it out and convince himself it was capable of taking deer before putting it in the youngster's hands. He has also used the 64 Nosler BSB but said it was much more destructive than the 55 SP. He went back to the Hornady since it kills just as well with less meat loss, and it's cheaper. Cheaper leads to more shooting practice.

I have a buddy that has used 55 grn Hornady and Sierra's for 18+ years in his 22-250. I have used Win 55grn factory loads to kill deer, and the farmers teenage daughter also has used the win 55grn for 14+ deer including a north MO 10pt 200+lb dressed buck.

That said I have my dedicated .223 deer loads with Sierra 65grn right now, and have a 75grn Amax load that shoots well also.

Did you see it in the list?

I've had good luck with 64 grain power points out of my 223 wssm on antelope and whitetail but this year I'll be trying handloaded 65 grain Sierra Gamekings.

Have had good luck with a number of them. Cant find anyone who has used the 62 gr. Scirocco .
My experience mirrors a lot of the guys here:
60 Gr NPT- hard to get to shoot well, works well when it lands on something.
The 50 and 55 Gr. TTSX Barnes are far and away my favorites.....excellent accuracy and superb terminal performance. The 55 is best used in a 9 twist or tighter.

I thought you weren't a fan - small hole in, small hole out.

Nope! I love the TTSX 55 grainers!


Anything in a .22 gives a small hole out.....



The latest 55 gr TTSX victim...doesnt matter what size the exit hole is when you hit them so you don't have to track them

Nice! Carnage...I love it

Actually it should say, CNS carnage...I love it!

Hey Ingwe: just curious: what is the barrel length and muzzle diameter on that rifle?

Coulda swore you shot a bunch with the Amax. Musta been the Swift.

Mike, barrel length is 22 inches, muzzle diameter is mag contour, so .665

Its a .223AI and using TAC it spits the 55 TTSX out at 3500 fps.

Ingwe,,,,,Hey thanks for the terminal info on the ttsx. Are pretty keen on these. Rifle is a 1 in 8 twist and I have abox of 50gr ttsx plus a few 55gr ttsx on hand.

Just out of interest did you have any difficulty finding an accurate load with these,, I ask as with my rifle to feed from magazine they require quite a bit of jump??

When the 64pp first came out I sectioned one and the jacket is very thick. It's designed like a big game bullet and is tough so it holds together, but that was before barnes bullets were available.

Good questions.

No trouble finding an accurate load.....I found a good load with a handful of different powders...IMR4064, IMR4895, H335, and TAC. TAC offers the most in speed and temperature insensitivity. IMR4895 is a pretty close second.
First: the TTSX will usually require a bit of a jump. Barnes recommends .050 but mine often run a tad more.
Found out the 1 in 8 twist is the way to go.....I have a 1 in 12 that LOVES them at my present altitude of 3800 feet,HATED them at 600 feet in Texas. The 1 in 8 shoots good everywhere.
I actually got more speed out of the 55 TTSX over the 50 grainer ( Less bearing surface =less pressure=less velocity on the 50 grainer)
Ive used them, plus the 50 grainers, plus the 53 gr TSX extensively on deer sized game and recovered exactly one bullet...a 53 gr TSX.
Was just exchanging ideas with an Aussie on this forum about this and its use on Red Deer and Sambar. I wouldn't hesitate if you are confident on your shot placement....

Have you shot any deer with this bullet? I really like the way it shoots and have been loading it for an all-around bullet in my AR, but haven't shot any deer with it yet. Sure kills water jugs pretty dead though!

I wanted to like the 62gr TSX, read a lot of good reviews about it, but had trouble finding an accurate load with it in my 1:8 223 Wylde chambered AR that I wanted to use it in. Being limited to mag length at 2.260" and the long throat in the Wylde chamber, jump is around .100" or more. Any tips are welcome for making that work; best I could do was about a 3 moa load.

I shot one deer with the 65 Sierra and was not impressed. It was a broadside double lung shot. Bullet hit a rib going in and that was enough to break it up, as I had three small exits on the far side as well as lead and jacket fragments lodged in the far chest wall. Despite the fact that it came unglued, it still did FAR LESS damage to the lungs than I repeatedly get with 55 grain Hornady sp's.

That made me laugh.

I've never stayed at a Holiday Inn Express, but I have used the 75 amax a bit on critters. Not a lot of variation on terminal results, everything died in short order. Mind you, I fling them out of a Montana 223AI, so that makes every bullet way more uber.

I've smacked more than a few coyotes with it, and have yet to see them do anything other than fold up in a ball. Usually with a significant exit wound....

Have shot/seen shot several whitetails with it, from 12 yards (pretty big buck that heard me walking through a patch of brush and ran right up to me as I was trying to push him out for the neighbors kid) which got shot in the chest. Bullet made it into stomach, and at 25 degrees below freezing I wasn't going digging for it. Buddy of mine shot a big whitetail in my field at 319 yards, which was his first 22cf deer. "Where do you want me to shoot this thing???" "Bust shoulders. Trust me."
Bang flopped so quick that he lost track of it in the scope. Dug the bullet out of the bone on the inside of the offside shoulder, weighed 39 grains and change IIRC.

Been a few others, and a couple/few black bears. One was pretty big (fall bear) that a girlfriends dogs put up in my yard, that took exception to me being there.
Probably one of the ONLY times I was out on my place without a rifle. Run back to the house, and that one was closest to the door, so that was the one that went back out.

That was the only shot I've taken that I *think* might have ended quicker had I been carrying a heavy rifle (like a 243AI / 105 Amax). That one, the shot presented was a hole through the trees at maybe 75 yards, where I could see his head, and when he turned it square broadside to me I shot him very carefully at the butt of his ear. Not exactly sure how, but I dropped that shot low and left by a couple of inches and didn't put it through his brain. I DID however put it through the bones in the top of his mouth and blow his teeth out on the top. It did hit him hard enough to crack his skull, but not hard enough to scramble his eggs. Bang flopped him, but he was still almost able to move when I walked up. I tend to think that a 105 Amax would have killed him with the same placement, but that's just a guess.
The second one at 15-ish yards went in behind the close shoulder, and OUT in the back of the offside one, but I don't think any bone was hit.
Incidentally, I found the first bullet stuck in an aspen tree behind where he was standing (after seeing the exit, I started looking), and it weighed about 35 grains.

Son and I have used 75 TAP and 55 TSX in .223 under 100 yards. But a couple he took at near 200 w 55 CL .22/250 just collapsed.

Any .233 load deemed legal in your state should work great if properly directed. Premiums always better through shoulders.

Interesting, thanks for the feedback.

I have 500 pulled 62 gr TBBC that I plan to use on deer, hogs and dogs (coyotes) this fall. They should work great for all three if I can develop a good load. But I don’t expect to use them all this year!

The 50 gn GMX works well.

I have killed deer with 45 gr barnes X's up to Federal bonded 62 gr LE loads. All have killed without issue. What makes the 223 so lethal is it is easy to get in a well placed shot. I have probably killed more deer with a 55gr Vmax than anything though. Yep, it's a full fledged vermin bullet but kills deer fairly quick for me.

Any bullet placed thus

Ingwe......Thanks for that info on the 50/55gr ttsx. Have taken on board what you said about the speed differences between the two. Will definitely be checking out the 55grs....

If I had to use one of mine for that service, I'd grab the Hornady 60 grain SP and load a case up with either 25 grains of IMR 4895, AR Comp or H322

10-4

I'll let you know in October.





P

I used the 55 gr TTSX last year on a white tail pushed to just over 3300 fps in an 8 twist 223 Tikka. Shot was about 100 yds. Though it's a small sample I was very pleased with the results. I'll be useing it again this year.

The 55 ttsx in my rifle is very accurate.







Shod

Dat should be a dandy combo!

This. I have killed several deer and some big-ass hogs with the 62 grain TSX at about 3,050 fps from an LWRC AR-15. They didn't stand a chance.

The pic is from my first range session with the TTSX. The rifle was sighted in for the 50 gr BT Varmint using Benchmark. Comparable accuracy, right at 3400 fps mv.




P