Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting What's the better .223 deer bullet

Pics or it didn't happen.

😄

Yep.

DF

It doesn't take much to get this Dumbo eared moron going.

Has anyone tried Nosler Bonded Solid Base , 64gr? They say they work great on deer. They're discontinued but still available with some looking.
I have a 22-250 12" twist. I'm wondering if these would stabilize.

I hate it when people ask a question with a question. However , don't any bullet companies make a .224 cal designed just for hunting? If they would advertise a bullet that is made just for pigs and deer, I think they would sell very well.

How does one ask a question without a question?

IIRC, ingwe has and he no likey.

I agree with that. Federal, Barnes and Nosler particularly, could market their Fushion/Gold Dot, Bear Claw, Partition and TTSX ammo as game loads. They act like their larger caliber bullets. It would simply come down to how large a game animal the hunter would be comfortable using them on.

I've been a very reluctant convert to the small caliber big game concept. I didn't even like the 6mm cartridges. My favorite caliber is still .35, but the more I use them the more confident in them I've become. I do know that if I go for pronghorn again, I'll take my Tikka .223 and 77gr. TMK loads.

All kinds of them marketed as hunting bullets.

Partition, TTSX, Gold DOT, Bear Claw, etc.

Federal Fusion, Winchester has a 64 grain Power Point in 223. I am sure there are other factory load options as well.

I’ve used them on several deer and pronghorns, no complaints. I’ve only caught one the rest have exited and all game was taken cleanly with a single shot. It should shoot fine in a 1-12”, 22-250. Here’s an old thread where I used them.

64 gr Nosler

thanks. I see that Shooters Pro Shop has some blems for about $35/100. I think I'll buy a box and give them a try.

Bought a bunch of them when they were less than half that price. I'd buy them for the current tithe with out any qualms. They stabilize just fine in a 1-12".

I've found them to be very accurate in my 12 twist .223 bolt rifle.

Dis be true. Couldnt get them to shoot under an inch ( which is actually fine...) but I tried them on a couple deer. If I were to complain about anything its that they were TOO destructive. Killed sho' nuff though!

I killed one deer with the Nosler, as said, it was most sincerely dead. Varget got them down to the "about 1 inch" mark for me, which was sufficient for my usual 200 yd or less OK deer. Bought some more from SPS recently, I'm determined to find a sub 1" group. Film at 11:00.

I’ve never used one of the 64’s but my brother and a couple of friends bought loaded ammo years ago. Small sample but I bet them and kids have shot 8-10 deer. Some pretty decent sized deer too. No drama and one shot kills the way I remember.

I don’t really have enough 1-12” twist experience to comment but I sure wouldn’t hesitate to use what has been recommended by the guys above.

In asking my question, i was probably making things more complicated. We've used Fusions, Bear Claws and Hornady 55s with no issues. As mentioned previously, I ordered the 55gr. Bear Claws.

They came in today along with some more 62s. Looking at them side by side, the length difference is obvious to the eye. Just for the heck of it, I measured them so that if anyone was wondering, you would have the info.

The 55s were .725, the 62s. .810.

I just got curious and measured the Hornady 55 w/can. Mine are older flat base, they're .705.

I scored a really nice older M70 223 (1-12 twist) so this is great info!

Back before I started hand loading I used both the Win Power Point 64gr and the 62gr Fusion out of a Model 70 Ranger (1-12) and had great results with both. I'm thinking about two little Cali blacktails per cartridge and they performed about the same. Only ever caught two of the Power Points on a buck at 260ish yards. Both perfectly mushroomed.

I'll eventually reload for this one too. Both of those you mentioned above, + the Hornady American Whitetail 60gr InterLock (but has apparently been discontinued?) have been popular around here.