These posts always crack me up when the “you’ll wish for a bigger gun” or “ you can’t take a quartering shot with a 223” guys pipe up.
With a 53gr TSX or even a plain old 55gr Hornady sp or Nosler ballistic tip you can break BOTH shoulders on deer.
I have killed a small boxcar full of deer, turkey, coyotes, pigs, crows, and various other critters in the last 2 years with a 16” barreled AR. I’ve broke shoulders, hips and pelvis Texas heart shooting pigs, through both sides of deer and pig skulls, killed stuff from all angles. 53gr TSX is hard to keep inside even 250+ pound pigs. Shot one 150-175lb sow with a 55gr hornady in the tail as she ran straight away, when I peeled the loins out of her the last three vertebrae were smashed to pieces.
Pretty fun getting to watch the impact through the scope too.
I’d be completely comfortable taking any shot I’d normally take on any deer with a 223 and a decent bullet.
