My niece got her first deer with a 223. I sighted in my neighbors 223 so his nephew could shoot a deer on his farm and he got one. It works, and obviously very well from all of these posts. It's always been a varmint/fur cartridge in my hands. My dad's favorite cartridge for deer is the 22-250 Rem. It's ok as long as the proper bullets are used. I wouldn't use fragmenting bullets as intended for varmints on anything that would be eaten. Only once have I bit down on a chunk of lead in a perfectly good venison roast. After that I've been very particular about what bullets get used for deer. The newer/better bullets have changed the game and the 223 of the 80s and 90s isn't the same as what's available today.
