Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Your choice of dedicated deer/antelope rifle in .223?

I used a 55 grain Sierra game king powered by Varget out of a Zastava mini mauser on a Wyoming antelope buck this last fall. Worked fine on the 200 yd shot.

Shhhhhhh...I thought Wyoming had a 60 gr. minimum...

I would use my Rock River AR if I had to use a 223 on deer.

They do! Kinda like the poster who had a 22-06 he liked to tout using on pronghorn in WY before .22 was made legal. Think he lived in Pinedale part time...

Snaggletooth would say that sounds logical, but we don't need killing power to match the game. We need a rifle that has the maximum range and accuracy, with tolerable recoil, and still only weighs 10 pounds or less.

This equation is what drives the rifle choice. [despite millions words rationalizing] The best elk gun and the best antelope gun both start to look like a 7mmRemMag.
What is wrong with the 223? Great weight. Great low recoil...
But the not great range and and not great side wind immunity.

Yes, and if you can put salt on a bird's tail, you can catch it.

by all means get a good 223 , I have a stainless ruger 77 I like and it is as tuff as an anvil

but I would say go with a 6 or 6.5 creedmoor with moderate loads for your deer killing

Winner winner for the chicken dinner. got it right on both accounts. Why use something to hunt deer with that is minimal anyway you look at it. Let the flame ignite, 6-6.5 way better choice. MB

Right now I'm just looking for something fun that costs little to shoot, is accurate and has almost zero effect on my shoulder while it is healing up. And if it is useful for deer and antelope in the meantime, so much the better! [/quote]

It's not something I've seen anyone mention, but something that would meet all your criteria (other than bolt action) is a Henry Long Ranger in .223 / 5.56. I bought one this past year and it is fun, accurate and has very little recoil. It's well built and good looking. It is a bit on the heavy side as it is the same gun as their .243 and .308, just with a smaller hole in the barrel, but your shoulder won't feel a thing. It has 1 in 8 twist so will handle somewhat heavier bullets, but still shoots 50's and 55's great. Mine doesn't like 80's. It get some serious looks at the range when I bring it out, especially from the AR guys. I've got a 4x-12x Vortex scope on it and it will hang in with the best of them. I plan to take it deer hunting next fall.

I like the Kimber rifles, but that's personal choice. As for the .223 on deer, MANY years ago I was forced to shoot low recoil rifles due to an eye surgery. I borrowed an 722 Remington in .222 with an old 2x or 5x Weaver variable from a friend. I was careful of the shots (actually, shot) I took, nothing marginal. I got my deer that year, dead right there. I don't think the .222 or .223 are ideal deer cartridges, but they will do the trick if you choose your shots and use the right bullets. And sometimes physical limits arise with regard to recoil. IF the original poster's shoulder can handle the recoil, a .250 Savage or one of the smaller 6mm cartridge might be perfect.