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

I know I can shoot 243 as accurately as I can 223

It's a well established fact that with rifles that are equally accurate, mortal people will shoot better with the milder recoiling rounds. Formidolosis runs thousands of shooters through his courses. He'll tell you the exact same thing.

Blackheart hasn’t killed anything besides newborn puppies and kittens. Don’t waste your time on him.

I don't much care what formidolosus says. I know what I can do with my rifles and where my recoil tolerance threshold is.

You don't know a goddam thing about me or much of anything else you worthless little pig fuggin pissant so why don't you do the world a favor and just STFU.

I’m really at a loss in understanding how any experienced hunter that’s killed enough animals, not fathoming the .223 being adequate to kill a whitetail.

Folks need to put grandpappy’s perspectives in the rear view mirror.

I have an idea. I'm gonna buy a baby sheep doll off Amazon and ship to you. You put a red push pin on the doll where you've been hurt. Return to sender and therapy will be on the way.

Shoot, where I grew up, the 222 and 222 Mag were big medicine. Still wouldn’t give it a thought if that’s what I had or wanted to use.

The .223 is my favorite deer, varmint, predator, target, and fun cartridge. There is no deer extant I would be afraid to take with the proper bullet out to 300 yards. Every deer here was killed with a single shot from a 223, 22-250 or .357 magnum. Their just deer!
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Great photos! Love looking at happy youngsters posing with their animals! Congratulations!

Thank You Sir!

for handloading a great projectile for the 222 all the way up to 220 swift is the WW power point sp. they have a thick jacket, and they will mushroom to perfection and kills deer very nicely. i know they may be impossible to come by now, but i have about 500 of them, one day i will put them to good use. for years in the 70s in a 22-250 i used a speer 70gr. semi pointed sp. they worked well, then i found out the Hornaday 60gr. flat base HP had a thick jacket and in there 1979 loading manual they even recommended it for deer out of a 22-250, i started using it and i killed a truck load of deer with that bullet,,,,,,,,,,,,

Exactly. Because it worked - and people did so by trial/experience, not opinion.

My state is filled with hunters that have never killed a deer with anything but their trusty 30.06 yet still have all kinds of opinions on what won't work for killing deer.

Deer hunting is steeped in tradition here (like many places around the country). It's also steeped in a lot of bullszchit that's been passed down over the years based on opinion rather than experience.

I’m sure it’s covered in the many pages, yes the 223 will kill deer.

Let’s say you have a 175 yard shot at that nice 10 pointer, not an ideal presentation. OBTW, the deer is 50 yards from the adjoining landowner’s line, who you don’t get along great with. I don’t think the 223 would be great in that scenario.

Another thing, say you book a hunt with a Kansas deer outfitter. When you talk guns you say you plan on bringing a 223. I’d think most would think of that as a little lite.

If you’re on the back 40 in the box blind, shooting semi-tame deer at 30-50 yards, yes the 223 is just fine. I agree it’s good for more than that, just saying, I think one can find instances where it comes up short.

One year we dealt with 5 deer that were dead or wounded from the neighbors hunting efforts. I realize on the forums everyone usually anchors their deer, one shot. Oh course none of the 5 deer mentioned were likely hit with a 223.

These are with my .340 Wby at 100 yds. I must be really super amazing with a .223, given the "well-established fact."

I have taken whitetail and antelope with a 223 but think there are better tools for the job

My daughter was extremely shy about rifles. We’d spent a bunch of time with 22’s and she was an excellent shot. When it came time to deer hunt I tried to get her to use a reduced load in a 243. It was no joy.

Luckily an old fella let us borrow a 222 Rem and I’d loaded up some 50 BTs that she loved to shoot. It worked fine for her. Different strokes for different folks. I like them all, as long as it is legal.

My younger son took his first deer 5 years ago with the .243 Hornady reduced-recoil loads, which have about the same energy as a .223. One shot at 130 yards, and it dropped in its tracks.

some say there are better choices than 223 and such, well, it is hard to argue with all the photos of dead deer! it don't get no better than dead,,,,,,,,,,,,,

One of my first hunts as a teenager was close to Uvalde Texas. While deer hunting a big 275 lb Russian boar came from my right to left offering a trotting 300 yd broadside shot. My dad taught me how to shoot and gave me plenty of opportunities to practice at a 300 yd rifle range close to home. I was carrying a model 70 30-06 with handloaded 200gr Sierra Gamekings. I'm glad my dad didn't stick a 223 in my hands prior to that hunt. Didn't see any deer that hunt, but I came home with bacon. For heavier game at longer range there's no way I'd choose to carry a varmint round.