Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting .223 for a dedicated deer rifle

I have killed bunches of hogs with the 62 TTSX in my AR. If you keep your shots close, it will work, but there are much better calibers for deer hunting. The smallest I would use is a 243.

If I got a 223 dedicated deer rifle------What am I suppose to do with my 30/06 dedicated everything rifle?

Barnes TSX/TTSX’s are good bullets, but they need velocity. Lots of people think that they need to go to “tough” bullets when the go to .22’s and even 24’s, which is exactly opposite if you want dramatic kills. The 77gr TMK does more damage than a 150gr NBT from a 308, while penetrating 18+ inches.







As above- change projectiles from light varmint bullets and tough monos, to bullets such as the 75 and 88gr ELD-M’s, 77gr TMK and it’s a whole different animal.









You want more damage than this?-


110 yards






303 yards.












Just under 300 yards

65 yards-



Around 100 yards-


Just over 100-

Just under 200-




280’ish



190’ish I believe.



30’ish yards

I've shot 1 whitetail doe with a 64 grain PP 223 WSSM factory load and several more whitetail does with 60 grain Partitions and 64 grain PPs fired from 1-9" and 1-10" ROT 22-250s. I didn't see that much damage with the 60 grain Partitions on deer shot at between 80 and 250 yards. The doe that I shot with the 223 WSSM wasn't that far away and showed a lot of tissue damage, but it was a through and through lung shot, so no meat was damaged.

I whacked this pronghorn at 558 yards with my .223 Rem and the 62 TSX. He took 3-4 steps and fell over dead. Shot a fair number more between 2-300 yards with the same setup. Not much drama.



I had some poor luck at first with monos, especially when not at warp speed but I got over it after a few more kills. Sometimes they drop right there, sometimes they run 50 yards, but they always die and leave plenty of blood if that's important to you. Really no different than most cup and cores, other than the TSXs tending to kill a bit slower than the more violently expanding bullets IME.

Well as a dedicated deer rifle for easy shots the 223 will work ok. Last deer I took with one I used the Hornady 75 gr. BTHP and though penetration was 100% I wasn't all that impressed with wound channel. The deer was though, she ran 30 yards or so and was done. Before twist mania happened I shot deer with several different bullets and had decided I liked the 60 grain Hornady HP and SP bullets better than most with the 70 gr. Speer also good. I keep my shots under 150 yards and in the ribs making an effort not to hit the shoulder or in the neck just in front of the shoulder. I really don't have a problem using a 257 Roberts, 7x57, 308 or 7-08 for any and all deer hunting and would pick one of them for a "dedicated" deer rifle.

I’m thinking about it. 2935 FPS or so at the muzzle, IIRC.




P

Them 223's suck, you need a 22/250

Excellent pictures of pretty much exactly what I DON'T want my venison to look like. Dead is the goal. DRT is great, detonated wastes too much.

Give me a break.

Dang Formidilosus! That is some nasty wound cavities and bloodshot! My goal was always to have "much less damage", ha. I wonder if our Troops get that kind of damage on Jihadis with the 77gr OTM Hornady from their M4s? Can you imagine if the y pulled out a knife and did the same kind of pics as you have? ha

That was the point. Why would I shoot a 243/308/270/30-06/300WM when I’m already getting more damage than I want?

The vast majority of those deer the bullet exited. 223 can’t be “marginal” and at the same time “cause too much damage”. One or the other.

If the 77gr TMK is too much, then it is a simple matter to change bullets and go down in damage to suit tastes.






No one is using 77gr Hornady’s anymore- MK262 is the 77gr Sierra Matchking. In any case- no, neither bullet does what the 77gr TMK does. That bullet is in a whole other class.

Actually with the right bullets placed in the right places meat damage can be pretty minor with most cartridges. Even the round shown. Great pictures, thanks for going to the trouble.

Gee.....I just don't know....

Sig has a 77 grain HP load, has anyone used them on deer or hogs.

I noticed the Sierra doesn't recommend the 77 grain TMK for shooting anything larger than varmints.

"MatchKing rifle bullets are super-accurate bullets with very thin jackets and are held to exacting tolerances in diameter and weight. Their accuracy has been acclaimed worldwide and they have been used to win more target competitions than all target bullets from other manufacturers combined. Weight retention is held to within +/- 0.3 grain. Sierra has enhanced a segment of the MatchKing line by adding the acetal resin tip, thus crowning the Tipped MatchKing (TMK) bullet line. The major advantage of adding a tip to the bullet is the reduction of drag, producing a more favorable ballistic coefficient. The Tipped MatchKing (TMK) bullet is an excellent choice for Palma and F-Class (FTR / F Open) matches, as well as 3-Gun and various other competitions. Another benefit is reliable feeding in magazine fed firearms.

Although the MatchKing line is recognized around the world for record setting accuracy, like their untipped counterparts, Tipped MatchKing (TMK) bullets are not recommended for hunting anything larger than varmints. Having heavier jackets than the Hornet or Blitz line of bullets, these bullets will not provide the same explosive expansion on small varmints. This is not loaded ammunition."

Explosive wounds like those in your pictures is one of the reasons that I stopped using the 0.243" 85 grain and 0.257" 90 grain BTHP GKs. Even though those two GKs are advertised as being suitable for hunting medium game, they seem a little more fragile than I prefer. Still, if you shoot 'em behind the shoulders and though the lungs you won't lose any meat as long as your shot doesn't go high and damage the tenderloin. I don't have enough confidence in 0.224" bore rifles for hunting when/where there is the potential to tag a trophy buck, so I have only used them for hunting during antlerless-only whitetail seasons.

Thanks pard, I didn't know the MK262 was a Sierra. I have family that used it back in 2004 in the Sandbox. Marine SIL, said they had no problems with them! ha I used the 68gr Hornady OTM in a 22-250 Ackley 9" twist on coyotes and prairie dogs. It seemed to hold together very well on coyote. it made PDs go five ft high in the air, spinning to the right! ha. I wonder what that 68 Hornady would do in a fast twist 223? I had an old friend who used the Hornady 60gr SP in a 220 Swift (the same rifle I used later, I bought it from him) for depredation hunts on mule deer. It was wicked and yet held together pretty well, but that was not a fast twist either.

Jeebus! That's pretty brutal. I don't think I'll talk badly of the 5.56 anymore.