Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 55 to 60 grain 223 Rem bullet for deer /bear

I have had major surgery rendering my shoulder very weak with very little muscle/skin/ or padding. I had to give up the 30-06 and anything that kicks. I am relegated to the 223 Rem. I have an older S&W (Howa) 1500 with 12 twist. My friend used 60 grain Nosler Partitions in it successfully. They are pretty hard to find.

Most of the 223 Rem bullets in 55 grain are Varmint. I need a sturdy bullet for PA Whitetals and possibly PA Black Bears. What are some good ones. I do reload. I am mainly looking for bullets not loaded ammunition.

63 sierra smp works great for both in a 12 twist.

60 grain partition is a tough one to beat if you can find them.

Lots of folks will recommend the 50 and 55 grain tsx, which will penetrate well but I'd definitely catch shoulder bones as they just don't do as much tissue destruction as other bullets without catching some bone.

I'd not be afraid of 55 or 60 grain Hornady soft points for the deer but I've never shot a bear with one.

55 grain gold dot by speer is another good one. Loaded ammo is avaliable with it as well.

Good luck!

Barnes shows their 50 grain TTSX flat base as OK with a 12" twist. I'd use the TTSX over the TSX.


In your position I'd strongly consider a rebarrel to 8" or even 7" twist and open a few bullet doors.

The Dude hit the nail on the head! If you have trouble finding some of these choices, the Hornadys at least are readily available and work just fine...

62 gr Barnes TSX

MM

62 TTSX or 62 grain Bear Claw. 60 grain partitions too

Buy a 223 with a 1 in 8 twist

In a 12" twist?

How about the 55gr Sierra Gamekings? They're a little soft point boattail bullet. I could round up some newspaper and test them in wet print

Shoot with the other shoulder

Dober really dots on the 63 grain Sierra and 60 grain Hornadys. Haven't used them, but I think he'd place his hand on the Bible to their effectiveness and between him and you I probably should give them a shot!

We have used them successfully on pigs here in Australia. Great little bullet and super accurate. Would love to see your results in the wet print if you have the time and inclination.

My 12 twist 223 likes the 50gr TTSX and the 63gr SMP. Oddly enough, I couldn't get it to shoot the 55gr Hornady SP, my go-to 22cal bullet. The TTSX has worked fine for me on whitetails, haven't gotten to shoot anything with the 63 SMP.

I've used the 55gr Hornady on several deer from a 22-250 and 220Swift with outstanding results. If your rifle will shoot it, you can't go wrong with that one.

I’ve killed a bunch of doe antelope with those out of a 12 twist 223.

If your rifle shoots the 60 Partition, buy a half dozen of the Federal Premium factory loads. They sell on GB for about $25 per box. For under $200 your hunting ammo problem will be over for many years. I don’t know if you need a faster twist barrel for those or not. You can alway buy another rifle if necessary. They make new ones every day.

Edited to add: I just bought some of the cheap 62gr Trophy Bonded pulled bullets off GB. They might fill a niche for me.

Ahh, you're right...........I missed that.

MM

no one mentioned one of my other favorite bullets for this application.. right along with the Sierra 63 SMP...

The good old Speer 70 SMP...Load is 28.5 gr of H 380...

Forget about the 223 and get a 6.5 Grendel or a 243. Heavier bullets, better performance especially if a bear is being targeted, and recoil is of no concern.

Yup - Dober's posts convinced me to try 'em. He said they accounted for his biggest bear, and they accounted for my biggest hog (crowding 300#).

FC

Joe, that 63 SMP accounted for my largest hog as well...I think you were there .