Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Hunting Deer with the .223 Rem?

In all fairness you have a point...buttttt along with shooting the little fast gun comes limitations. It isn't meant to shoot through brush, therefore you just accept it, and don't do it. Yes..Ive passed up a number of shots because they were less than ideal. Simple as that. If you are hunting in an area where sightings are few and far between...its a consideration and you might stick with a cartridge that has, shall we say, more flexibility..... Been lucky here in Montana, opportunities are frequent, often times on a given day.
As for the other, Im not familiar with the 77tmk but the Amax is a match bullet, and Im not a fan of them for hunting. YMMV

I did that too, on a blesbok in South Africa with a 30-06AI and a "spartan" bullet, which is South Africa's version of a TSX.

Shot was maybe 60-70 yards. Aiming tight behind the shoulder, I hit a branch a few feet in front of him about the size of my thumb...maybe a little smaller than my wrist. Bullet tumbled, smacked the blesbok in the neck and broke it, but he was still breathing. I had to put my PH's 9mm to the back of its head to finish him off.

Anyone want to comment that a 30-06AI (basically a 300 mag of some sort) and a 180 mono isn't adequate for normal sized critters except under perfect conditions?

i generally prefer the .250 savage bc i like paying more to get less and also ping pong balls.

I sure wouldn't expect the 308/150 to do it either really for sure, I run 185s or better when I shoot 308 or a 168 mono.

But I pass on deer shots all the time. Its really easy too. If the shot isn't something I am 200% sure of, they walk.

I've seen the 223 shoot through a NUMBER of pigs before stopping with the 77 smks... IIRC it was stopped in the 5th one best we could tell.

About ten years ago , I had a shot at a doe at 45 yds.The deer was facing me. I was steady and aim for its throat. I could see a pecker pole branch maybe 3/4" in diameter near the bullets projected path but chose to shoot anyways. The branch was about maybe 10 feet in front of the deer. At the shot the deer jumped and trotted off, unscathed......
The gun, a .458 win with 500 gr Hornady's at 2100 fps. Branch was hit dead center, I honestly tried to miss it. Any bullet can be redirected when BRUSH hunting....
Ross Siegfried wrote up an excellent article on it years ago...

That is amazing,500 grain bullet to boot! For the 150 power point I shot, was aiming at the shoulder and it hit him 10 inches or so forward. Yes probably some luck, however I am going to continue to believe a 150 grain power point bullet would be luckier than a soft A-max or a tipped match king in the 70-80 grain realm encountering a 1" diameter sapling.

Not really amazing, the tests done show that teh faster the bullet the better the chances of continuing straight, which is in direct conflict to the old stories...

And yes you might be right on the soft bullets in a way, but the 150 power point ain't exactly a barnes either...

I fired a 77gr SMK .556 and a 178gr ELD-X into an 18" bale of water logged phone books from about 30 yds. The ELD-X made it about 14". The SMK exited and kicked up dirt beyond the bale. I was surprised with the outcome. Doesn't prove much, but I thought it was interesting.

I use a .222. The .223 is overkill.

Ok Einstein, Shoot through trees for the next dozen or so deer and get back.

The ever loving frigging point is that you can't count on that working EVERY TIME.

Would a 150gr Amax from a 308 do it?

nice!

But shooting through trees is not an option!
A mature red stag was on the other side of this. He got away scot free, not even tickled.
But this does not mean the 222 is less of a killer. Avoiding the trees will improve your hunting success. This advice is my gift to you. You are welcome.