Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting why would anyone use a 223 for deer with all the other cartridges out there

Boggy,

You said it best: "No running deer, not Texas heart shots (this is a maybe but probably not wise), no just shooting a deer wherever it is biggest, no explosive varmint rounds." I believe those should be words to live by no matter WHAT round we use.

Somebody always brings up "the last day of an expensive hunt, and the trophy of a lifetime is going straight away at 379 yards, and...." Well, so? I probably wouldn't be carrying a .223 on an expensive trophy hunt anyway.

I have also killed quite a few big deer, all over North America, and oddly enough, darn few only presented the Texas heart shot. When they did I passed--though I did slip a TSX past a mule deer's left hip one time, up into the chest.

The truth is that 99.9% of deer hunting involves anything but trophy hunting. There are plenty of deer out there, so why take a chancy shot?

The centerfire .22's have proven themselves with good bullets on deer over and over again in the past decade or so. They not only work, they have advantages for some shooters. So aside from some ancient laws against them in some states, there is no reason not to use them.

Myself I don�t take off angled shot from the rear I don�t shoot up through the guts trying to hit vitals I don�t like the taste of guts, and I don�t shoot any thing in the ass as that�s were all the meat is. I wait for the shot I want or watch the deer walk off.

So the difference between a .223 and a 300 Wby is in the distance that I will take a shot at a deer. It all comes down to bullet placement and having enough control not to take stupid shots.

Now if I have a 300 and the deer is fairly close it limits my shots even more I usually have to wait for a lung shot as I won�t shoot it if its standing directly at me don�t want the bullet traveling in to the gut cavity I really don�t like guts on my meat so I will have to shoot it high in the neck.

What I understand the "finesse" thing to be is that it leaves little room for error. I don't know if the 30-06 leaves any more room for error. However, I would be thinking that things like bone might effect a 223 a bit more than a 308. I know from 30-30 on up doesn't mind a rib. I honestly don't know what happens when a 223 encounters a deer rib. All my experience with deer starts with .308 and goes up from there. I've just never had the need to experiment.

I doubt that someone is going to make a convincing argument to me that I should start trying either. I really don't have a firm line in the sand on what's acceptable any more. I just know what's in my safe, and I know I can set up my 223's for groundhog and coyote and my 30-cals for deer and be safe with both choices.

The topic for this thread was "why would anyone use a 223 for deer with all the other cartridges out there?" I think me and mine are a good example of that. If there is someone out there who thinks they have a good reason for why I should leave my top-performing 30-cals at home and pick up my Savage 340 in 223 Rem and go bag my next deer, I'm open to their pitch. However, you're talking to a guy who bags his deer in dense woods from an elevated stand. All my shots are inside 100 yards. I'm 6'4" and about 270. Tell me what significant gain I get from going to 223 Rem.

While you're at it, let's just say I'm starting from scratch. Please explain why I should go out and pick a 223 as my primary deer rifle over a 243 Win, or a 6MM. I'm not disputing that a 223 kills deer nice and dead. However, aren't there a lot of better choices out there?

I'm not trying to pick a fight with the 223 mavens. I'm sure it's quite sporting and all, but I just don't see the huge attraction. Maybe y'all can enlighten me.

"Yute?" I meant that as in "Deez tree yutes came at me wit a knife." If you had a New Yorker talking about our youth season in Kentucky, he would say "Dis is when d' yutes take der yute rifles out and blow aways da deer. Bada Bing! Bada Boom."

I had a 220 Roy rocket at one time and was gonna use it for deer.But sold it to a varmit hunter in Vancouver so never did try it.But have 100 per cent confidence it would do the job easily with a good shoot.

It was one loud mo-fo that rifle.

You use what you want,but to me a small caliber bullet,any 22 cal. is to small for deer hunting period. i have seen deer killed with them,but most weren't clean kills. show a little more respect for the animal and use somthing that will put him down fast ,instead of making him suffer. you can argue that they work fine all you want,its just not the thing to do and its never been legal where i hunt.

My Aunt Barbara killed a hog once with a corn cob. But I'm not gonna start hunting with one next year.

I have a buddy with a serious neck injury. He shoots a .223 because anymore recoil than that causes him discomfort.

For 2 years now he's 50/50 shot 6 and we recovered 3.

I've been hunting deer for 37 years and I have only lost one and it was a shotgun only area. I use .280, 30.06, 30.30 and 44 mag.

Shaman, my friend there is no good reason for you to abandon your chosen rounds and take up the 223. See, you have to want to do so, (you don't) you have to have complete confidence in the round and your ability with it. I do not doubt your ability but I doubt you have confidence in it (from what you wrote) and that is neither here nor there.

You can only know what a 223 with proper bullets is capable of by your own experience and you can only get experience by using one with complete confidence.

I can and I do. I do not use one all the time and for every deer hunt or every shot presented. But with in its limits I have complete confidence, from my own experience, that the 223 or any other solid center fire 22 cal will put deer down with no fuss or bother. Just the same as the stick and string boys have complete confidence that an arrow will bleed out a deer in short order.

I do not have that confidence in bownarrars nor do I have the requisite ability with one. So I don't fool with them.

BCR

I was attempting to take a bear wiht my 223 and 53gr TSX last spring..I was going to limit myself to 100 yard shots.

Always seemed to have my 7mmRM in my hand when I got within 100 yards, and had the 223 when they were 400 yards away!

I ended up shooting one at 30 yards with my 375 Ruger

Gate-I happen to know of 2 very big blackies taken out with 223's. One with 40 NBT's and one with plain Jane Ultramx 55's.

Dober

When I was living in GA I belonged to a hunting club that had one member who hunted with an AR 15. He was an older guy and didnt shoot wildly at deer. The cover was thick and shots almost never exceeded 100 yards. He was a good shot and killed deer without wounding and losing any. Under those conditions everything worked out OK shooting deer with a 223.

I dont condone the use of such light calibers on deer but for that guy it worked fine. I dont think any of the centerfire 22s should be legal for deer hunting myself.

Boggy, you are beginning to build my trust in the 223. I didn't say I was going to run out and shoot a deer with one just yet, but you are building my trust in it.

I should probably just go ahead and do it now, just to say I did. Maybe I'll have Angus try and take his first one with the Mini 14.

Again, please tell me that .019" will make a difference? Again, I'd trust a Barnes 62 or 70gr bullet from a 223 to eat more than what the 'average' joe uses from his 243, 257 Roberts, etc.

I can't even begin to guess how many rounds of 223AI I shoot in a year. It's no trick hitting a 12oz beer bottle at 500 yards, so finding the good stuff between the shoulders is simple.


AGAIN, deer die easy, all one needs do is drill the shoulders with a good bullet.

There is an old country song my dad use to sing that says you should never marry a pretty woman cuz there is always gonna be somebody try to take her away from you. Beautiful woman know they are and think you should too.

Wayne

I guess there is the flip side. It is better to marry an ugly woman instead of a pretty woman cuzz a pretty woman is more likely to leave you.

Of course an ugly woman might leave you also, but who cares.......

It's legal in MI. Only rimfires aren't. Hit-'em right and you're eatin' venison. My FIL uses a Ruger 22-250 and makes meat every year.

Two in the chest and one in the head and even the Jolly Green Giant will fall down dead.

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That right there's funny.

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That's the reason years ago in Washington State they outlawed them.

I know guys who have gone 50/50 with bows and 270's. You can't legislate stupid.

That's what I'm thinking.

Funny most Inuets believe the 223 to be good medicine for Walrus,Polar Bear and Seals~~~~