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

The .22LR is "adequate" under certain circumstances if you can hit where you aim. I proved that on the first deer I ever killed when I was 12 years old and several more thereafter.

What would some of those circumstances be ? What advantages does it offer if you don't have a shoulder as tender as that of a young, virgin maiden and can shoot something bigger just as well ?

You are making it into an argument about masculinity?

It ain't all about you and me.

Speaking of childishness...that's one of those circumstances: I don't demand my 11 year old, 70 lb daughter "be a man," and shoot 150gr bullets at 3 grand+ to kill 150lb meat buck at 80 yards. Or my rather skinny nephews, who don't shoot often and don't like recoil. Or my 10 year old son, when he was terrified of recoil. Drama-free, no flinch-building, no trauma. Just dead animals and everyone all smiles. The fuucking BEST.

Winning hearts and minds.
LOL

I believe I said if you don't have a tender shoulder dumb ass. Yes it will get the job done for someone who can't tolerate much recoil. For someone who can, I don't see it offering any advantage over something bigger.

That has never been of any concern to me.

Why?

Advantage? EVERYONE shoots a 223 better than they do a higher recoiling round.

Let's do a shoot-off at 250yards from field positions. You bring the biggest gun you shoot at deer, and I'll bring a 223.

I know I do. It requires far less focus, and it's just a less violent experience. I can shoot, shoot again, shoot again, with ease and precision. I can even see my impacts if I do focus.

I can shoot tighter groups with my 6.5 Creedmoor or my .243 than with my .223.

Pictures?

How many times do you need to shoot your deer ? I killed three this season and only shot three times. Didn't notice any recoil on any of them.

Advantage? EVERYONE shoots a 223 better than they do a higher recoiling round.[/quote]

Gotta raise the BS flag on that comment!

I shoot very well with cartridges up to 30-06/7MM remington mag. There is no reason not to be able to make good hits with a 7-08. I have shot many feral hogs with 223 rifles. A bunch of deer. The hogs, some got away or were allowed to expire wherever they fell. A lot died pretty quick because I often used the 55 gr. FMJ and went for solid spine, neck,head hits. Might sound crazy but the XM193 round was a pretty good general purpose round. That said my absolute favorite deer or hog guns are the 7x57 and 7-08. In some parts of Texas and a lot of wildlife management people use the AR15 for all the gun chores. For me to say no for the 223 as a deer gun I can't do it , just that I like just a little more gun. I consider the 243 a step up and much better for over 150 yard shooting.

No!

If that is all you can afford------STILL NO !

Hip

Depends on the deer, the range, the conditions, etc. Nearly always just once, but I'm not the one doing most of the shooting for most of the hunting I do anymore. Imagine that....it's not about me. I didn't even kill a deer this year. I got others on their deer.

Every deer that has been killed by 223 where I have been present has required one shot. And none made it out of sight before dropping. I don't even know how many now. At least in the 20's now. Most of those have been various kids. But I killed several with various bullets before I started advocating that the kids use them.

What an absurd discussion. I'm going to bring Bell into it, just to top it off. The reasons I advocate for using a 223 for animals up to 300 lbs and out to 300 yds are exactly the same reasons Bell advocated using small, light, handy, easy-recoiling, easy-to-shoot rifles at animals that weigh more than 50 deer each.