Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting .223 for whitetail - yes or no?

Bumping this thread up to the top as it is deer season in full swing….

Anyone having any luck with their 223’s on deer???

Doesn’t work and a terrible idea. Prove me wrong. I won’t believe it unless I see video preferably using. 88gr eld…like anyone would use match bullets on big and bigger game.

Why not, “Karamajo” Bell killed 800 elephants with a 7X57, that means anyone can kill anything with small calibers and fast twist…

SchitSmell REALLY "knows" her stuff. Hint.



I've often wondered about .224" merits,so please expound. Hint.................(grin)

You are probably right. Match bullets on bigger game probably isn’t something anyone would do.

*Although*, I did watch this video several times that would indicate otherwise.

Awesome! I can’t log into the other site for some reason to comment. I have a montana and a 1-7” lilja in California right now. Might even have some 88’s. My 88’s are seconds though so I may have to stick to deers. Well that and we don’t have as many moose down south as you might think…haha. Cool video thanks for posting.

I was fairly surprised to see that bear out on the field to be honest, but after the moose the day before I was pretty confident of the outcome….

My Montana will be getting a 1:7 for 88’s after seeing what this one does on meat. Spun that quick they just bore holes like a buzzsaw.

I’ve a pair of Montana’s getting the same treatment- CA, Lilja 1-7, 88s.

I’ve a feeling I’ll want the other montana to go in too after getting this one back. I’m glad he’s getting to go a run of them…haha. Maybe that makes it a little bit easier for him.

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Rifles Inc Strata, .223 vanilla, 75 gr Gold Dot, about 100 yards bang flop. I have no idea how many deer, hogs and pronghorns my boys and I have taken with the .223.

my opinion it will work just fine in the hands of an experienced Hunter and shooter when loaded with proper bullet selection. most generic off the wall factory ammo really isn't suitable. and so many in this chambering get given to people without the experience and shooting skill levels to make a good judgment when to shoot and where to shoot let alone have the ability to hit the spot they need to shoot..

He'll no some can't kill deer with a .243.

Na, a .223 is plenty. Use the right bullet and shoot straight. These does were taken with a single shot each this morning. My son used a 64 gr Gold Dot and I used a 75 gr Gold Dot, both deer were heart lung shots and both ran about 30 yards after the shot.

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Bump

I was spreading manure on the back pasture and spotted a doe in the timber. She was broadside at first but pivoted around to quartering hard towards me. I decided to take a neck shot. I didn't have a 223 on me but did have a 22-250 slinging 55 grain psp's from Big Green.




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my dad used to kill deer with a 22 hornet, at moderate ranges. it worked just fine. hit in the lungs they never ran more than and other thing they were hit with. over the years i have killed too many to remember with 223, 22-250 and 220 swift. i have never lost a deer from one of those rounds and i have killed many! most people that say no have no experience at all shooting deer with a hot 22 high power rifle. a couple of years ago i was overrun with does, they had to be thinned out. i have a friend who has a 17 Remington, i told him i wanted to do an experiment with it. he brought it and we went hunting. he shot a 100LB doe at a measured 100yds behind the shoulder. she bounced off 40yds or so and fell dead. the bullet was a hand loaded 25gr. Hornaday HP. it took out 3 ribs going in, it made liquid out of both lungs. i am not saying a 17 rem. is a deer round, but it didn't bounce off either. this is what it done,,,,,,,,,,,

A friend of mine used to thin the herd on some kind of permit. He used a Rem 700 in 22-250 in a Sendero type configuration, and I think he was using 50 grain Ballistic Tips for rib cage shots. The typical reaction was them tipping over and twitching a bit.

I can't believe the number of self proclaimed experts who say the 223 is anything but fine for deer.
Look on paper, it shoots flat, fast and has enough energy. What trait doesn't kill deer?

And those who are trying to virtue signal by saying "yeah it'll work but there's so many better options out there" are even worse! Grow a pair and make a stand on what you think, even if it is wrong. Don't try to shield it with statements like above, sheesh.

A 223 is just fine for deer, which is why we recommend it to kids and small framed people to use if they are recoil shy. 1. There's usually a 223 available to borrow and 2. They flat work and 3. it will be a positive experience.

well i have used many calibers over the decades. and a deer hit with a 22-250, 223, 9 times out of 10 it is like a light switch being turned off! it is the hyper velocity and shock. i shoot a 6mm rem. a good bit, with a 85gr. Sierra gameking BTHP, and it will almost duplicate a 22-250 when it contacts a deer, instant death!

My uncle did some of this with Wildlife and Fisheries when they needed some test samples. He took his 22-250 and stuck to lung shots on deer out in the open. He said the effects were typically about what you mention, and the lungs looked like you'd put a small grenade in there.