Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Longest 223 kills on medium game

Interesting! Dealing with infected wounds on cattle is always a good time.
Just a tad larger than southern whitetail, indeed!

A few years ago I had a couple pronghorn doe tags in Wyoming. I came across a group of several does and took two from the same group. Distances were 308 and 292, both does fell in their tracks drt. I used a .223 NULA shooting 63 gr Sierras. My son also took a buck and doe antelope on this hunt at 168 and 275 yard respectively, using a 223 and 63 gr Sierras.

320ish with a 77TMK from an 18” AR. Exited and sprayed blood. Doe went less than 40 yards and tipped over.

I have read hundreds of " .223 Rem./ 22 cal. " for deer threads. There are 3 different types of people that comment.. 1 , I would NEVER use something so small for deer and the deer deserves better...... 2, " sure it will work but why , when there are so many better rounds"... 3 .. " have shot many deer and hogs with the 22 cal. and they are devastating to the organs... I have come to realize , it is not the size of the case or bullet. The reason for the " Use a min. of 25-06 ," is cause it is engrained in peoples minds that you need a .270 , or 30-06... In a sporting goods store once. A young buck turned down a dandy rifle cause it he wanted a 30-06 , but it was a .270 Win... cause he wanted something a little bigger than .270 Win... I used a .270 Win. for 40 yrs. but went to a .243 WIn. and I am very impressed with it.. It smashes the organs , and a 22 cal. will do the same.. I even think a 22 or 24 cal. will kill even faster than my .270 WIn. It has to be in the bullet than does something like take the energy and separate the blood vessels from the organs.. I had my very worst shot in my life on a deer this year . It was way back , and just below the tenderloins and dropped it right there. It had to go into shock and killed it. It didnt die right away , but it never moved. It may have hit the liver but not sure. A bullet that is going 3,000 fps is going 2,000 mph.. If the bullet does it's job , its all over.

Years ago, I was hesitant to use a .223 on deer. At the time my wife had been using my old 30-06 and hated it. I talked to an acquaintance who had killed numerous deer with a .223 and convinced me to give it a try. We got some 55 gr SP and took it out she shot this muley doe at 300 (single lung and liver) and it ran up the hill. She the followed it up with a heart shot at 360yds. That evening she dropped this whitetail doe with one shot at 200yds. I believe to this day the 360yd shot was the longest we took with a .223.


About 3 years ago I switched to using a 22-250 with 60 grain Noslers (Can't find them anymore unfortunately). Unreal how killing of a round that is. The farthest we have used that was again my wife, who shot a buck on the last day of the 22' season at 500 yds. He jumped up, spun around, and fell over dead. We have probably shot 50+ deer with that 22-250 now, little does to big bucks, and I am always impressed at the killing power of such a small bullet. It feels like shooting a pellet gun, but hits like a lightning bolt!

I’ve shot lots of hogs with one out to about 250 yards I guess (never ranged them).

The Rokslide .223 77 TMK thread is an eye opener. I shot two NC deer with the 77 grain TMk this fall via an 18” AR. . Internal trauma was unbelievable. If I do it again I’d put them in the shoulder.

That thread is long and lengthy but it’s educational for sure.

This. Whitetails. 75 amax at the time on that shot because I had firm zeros on the iron sights on the AR.

Lots more 500 and under with various bullets.

People just seem to not realize a decent bullet and correct placement is all it takes.

Very interesting thread considering another thread in same forum section has people who question using a 150 grain bullet out of a 300WBY for moose.

Different strokes for different folks. I agree proper bullet and good placement is the best recipe for a full freezer.

Clifford

Bagged a bull moose with a 22 in 1981 or 82. First saw it at 500 yards. It moved into the thick stuff as I approached. All at once it ran out in front of me and I killed it. That Cavalier's 2.2 engine never ran again, nor did the car😉

.223 with a 60 grain partion, 200 yards doe pronghorn DRT. Rifle was a AR with a Varmint weight barrel.
A friend told me about using a 17 cal on a small game safari. He was collecting animals for a museum. He shot a zebra in the neck, said the whole neck was like jelly.

You need to tell us the speed and weight of the car on impact so we know the ft. lbs . it took to kill it.

I've killed 1 doe at 320 yards with a 63 smp. She ran maybe 15 yards after the shot. The bullet exited.

Killed a doe at 380 yards with a 75 amax out of a 223 ai. No issue. Quite a few with that same rifle and load between 250 and 300 yards.

Shot few hogs around 300yards. Took a perfect head shot on a 6pt walking away at 200yrds.
All using 55gr psp coreloks.


Here is a old video of a hog I shot at 236yrds.

Did you use the "Grease Pencil" crosshair or calibrated eyeball.

Oh wait, I just realized you may have carried that ammo on the AH1!

Come out front door, spot coyote loping across fresh combined bean field at about 325 yds. Run in and grab rifle (Rock River Varmint, 20" bull barrel, 1:8 twist, Hornady Varmint Express 55gr.) and back out onto porch. Coyote now loping at about 500 yds, first shot missed low, coyote breaks into run, second shot at about 520 yds, elevation good, but hits behind, coyote turns on afterburners, third shot at about 550 to 560 yds, graze bottom of spine at last rib, coyote flops around a few seconds, and expires. Big exit wound.

Farthest deer kill with a 223 was probably 275-280 yards. Sierra 1365. Killed 80-90 give or take with 22-250’s. Mostly 1365 sierras. A few 55&60 hornady sp mixed in. Farthest was 538 yards. Bang flop from a 1365. The most damage I’ve ever seen to a deers heart was from a 55 horn sp from my 22-250… it was literally just gone. After reading all the positive remarks on the ELD’s and TMK’s I might have to build a fast twist 22BR.

First off this is a longest shot question, not sporting shots question. I have two buddies that have a combined 90 deer per annum predation permit from the state of Florida on 4,000 acres of peanut fields.They surveyed and laser ranged the fields, set stakes with placards every 50 yards out both sides and set survey tape streamers in the trees, built picnic benches with sand bags on two hills.

They use custom built AR-15 platform rifles with fast twist 20" match barreled guns and 80 grain SMKs. Both shooters are team member on the USAF rifle team. Longest one shot kills on a WT deer is 800 yards. I asked about penetration and was tod the 80 will penetrate a WT deer need to end on a facing shot.

Again, this is not sport shooting, it is predation or eradication of problem animals over planted crop fields, shot with match rifles off sandbag rests and fully measured for range and wind. Just a what can the 223 actually do question.

Just over 550 out the window of a truck with an AR15 and 75amax bullets. It worked just fine

How’d you get 75gr a max into the magazine? Single shot sledding?

2.39 is ogive at the case mouth if memory serves

Shot a pile of animals at 500 with a 223..

Does good work.

75gr eld-m work well. So does factory 77gr tmk from black hills ammo.