Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Have you used the .223 for deer/antelope?

I've had good luck with 62 TSXs in my Hawkeye. We have summer crop damage permits, and it's nice to watch the deer drop in the scope.

The three I shot this year dropped right on the spot. At 200 yards or so it will punch through both shoulders

Speaking solely for myself I dont alter the shot placement with either monos or Bonded bullets...have not found a need. If a weird angle or shot presents itself and no other is available, I'll take it...just as I would with any other larger centerfire...though I must admit that rarely happens ( cant remember when it did....)

On those occasions when Ive used conventional cup and core bullets...I have been really picky about my shots, but still go for the heart/lungs....

Is this the right place to ask for deer load recommendations for my hornet ? Haha

I shoot them in the same place I do with any other bullet, the front half. I have shot shoulders and shot behind shoulders and had dead stuff result either way so I don’t worry too much about it regardless of bullet or cartridge.

What's the bbl twist rate?

I was half assed joking , but 1:16

I wish they’d make a 20gr ttsx in 17cal. I’d whack a deer with one out of my 17Rem in a heartbeat.

I know kids around here that have killed a bunch with the .17 HMR. Course they're shooting heads.

I’m thinking the new 70 grain Accubond might be a good choice.




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I personally do. With monos I want bone to help with opening. The more bone they hit, the better they preform and the wounds are small enough that a lot of meat isn’t lost even if popping shoulders. With bullets like the 77gr TMK and 75gr Gold Dot it depends. Bucks get broke shoulders, meat gets rib shots. These bullets cause enough damage that if they hit bone, you’ll lose most or all of that quarter. Booners I’m not to concerned with that, but on meat I am.









Lots. Partitions are probably the most consistent bullets made from a terminal perspective. Matter of fact, thinking about it- they might be the only bullets I’ve never seen anything weird with. Accuracy hasn’t ever been great in the .22’s, though good enough for most uses. Above that Partitions have been great.







The 64gr BSB is a monster of a bullet. It was engineered to do exactly that- put big holes deep into tissue. As you said though.... stay away from bone.

I dig the monos. Don’t want anyone to think otherwise. I’ve killed a lot with 70gr TSX’s, as well as the lighter versions. They work well, but do have a relatively narrow and deep wound channel. Not a problem as long as a person understands that. I treat monos like an arrow that goes through bone.

It will be. However, with bonded bullets one has to be aware that weight retention isn’t always your friend for penetration. A really wide mushroom can and will result in less penetration than if the front collapses or fragments off. That is to say the 70gr Accubond is going to be found under the offside skin quite a bit.

Yes, I killed the deer, but with my knife, not the rifle. Basically all the shot did was stun it enough for me to close the distance on foot. Was not what I planned, but it's what it was. It would have escaped .. probably would have died, can't imagine how it wouldn't have, but not for some time and distance.

We gutted it on the spot, then took it 15-20 minutes home to skin. The bullet hole was right where I meant to hit it. The bullet had traversed some tendon, muscle, blood vessels, etc for about 8 before it hit the spine and stopped.

I didn't keep the bullet, but as I remember, it was in decent shape, guessing 65-70% weight retention. I think it performed ok, just wasn't a good choice for the day's job. I think it would have worked very well quartering into the chest cavity from behind.

Yeah, I bet it would have done good on a lung shot. They always did for me. I don't recall ever shooting one in the neck with a .223 myself. Did shoot one in the head. Killed the deer alright but was a PITA patching the skull cap back together with Bondo.

Interesting discussion. I'll put my $.02 in based on my experience.....

I've killed several deer with the 62TTXS and I can't force myself not to shoot shoulders with them. In wooded areas (or field edges where they may hit the woods) the thought of the lack of/smaller blood trail with the mono's keep me shooting for shoulders. They've worked well there.

I've used the 62 grain Fusion factory load on a few deer, mainly through lungs and it's worked well. Have done the same with the speer 70 grain semi-spitzer (I like this one on lungs a shorter range). I didn't see as much damage as Form has shown in his pictures but nothing was hit but ribs/lungs (223/223AI speeds at 100 yards or less).

I've yet to get the courage to try a 75 Amax on deer. I had a bad experience with them on a coyote that I can't get around. ~125 yard shot on coyote in an open field. Load was a 223AI fireform load so it wasn't pushing a high velocity. Aim for shoulder, shoot, yote hits the ground and starts screaming and going crazy on the ground. It's open ground between us so I try to put another into it's chest (from the underside) as it's lying on it's side. Still going crazy after the shot. Hustle over and put one through the ribs at close range to end it. First shot blew up on the shoulder, massive entry but very little penetration. Second shot blew up on the underside of the chest but this one hit a leg on the way to it....looked like little to no penetration. I've used the 75 amax on enough coyote's before and after that episode that I know it was a fluke....but it still happened. I know enough people have used them that they will work on deer but in this case, if it couldn't completely penetrate a 4" wide coyote I'd hate to think about the rodeo that would have occurred if it had been a deer. I know it was a fluke.....I keep telling myself it will be ok, give it a shot, but I just can't do it.

Seems we beat this dead horse about every year at this time. Really rather boring, the cartridge has its followers and its detractors much like the old .270 vs. .30-06 debate.

Don’t judge a bullet for deer fully on what happens with smaller animals. Coyotes especially. They have a tendency to do exactly that with a lot of bullets- have seen it with Accubonds for instance.

Paul shot this one a little far back with a 62gr TSX. I'd might have clipped part of rib, but you could easily drive a golf ball through it.

45gr x

This will sound impossible and I'm hesitant to share it but I've had the same thing happen on a Buck that I had down and facing me at 20 yards. He needed a finisher from my 45-70 with 405 grain Remington factory loads so I shot him in the throat. That 405 grain slug did not exit but had flattened against the spine. I was shocked.

I've never had a good old 70 grain SMP Speer fail me on deer, either out of the 223 or the 22.250...
and that bullet has been around forever....and like all Speer bullets, their price is pretty cheap anymore, compared to all of the competitors out there.