Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Does .223 typically leave a blood trail?

That's no chit! i love that rifle!

Man the crap we've done together and actually lived to talk about! grins

Badger!

[bleep] Mike and the flashers on the truck.

The [bleep] boat ride and having it start right up back at the station!

Hey, there's the bear, you want to check the crab pots?

If shot through the lungs at under 100 yards with a 55 grain varmint bullet or a 64 grain PowerPoint, the whitetail does that I've shot with the 223 haven't gone more than 25+/- yards and most have fallen over within a few feet. The last deer that I shot with a 64 grain PP was in a snow covered corn field and you could see the spray of blood on the off-side snow where the bullet came out.

I'd check the zero on the rifle and then make sure the the hunter knows where to put the bullet. Regardless of the caliber rifle used, it really comes down to putting a properly constructed bullet into a vital organ or the CNS. There just isn't as much margin for error with the sub-6.5s, so bullet construction and placement become a little more important.

Jeff

Sam,
Last year my son shot his first buck with his .223. 65 gr Sierra's and 25 g of Varget. Nailed him at 75 yards through the ribs just behind the shoulder. Deer went 30 yards and piled. Bullet was in the off side (in pieces) no exit. Base and jacket was about half bullet and the rest of it was in pieces. No exit. No blood but the deer was dead.
Shot a doe last week with my 6 Ackley @ 200 yards through the ribs behind the shoulder half way up. 85 TSX/3375. Penciled through. Exit hole was barely the size of a dime. No blood. Deer went 100 yards.

Dave

To answer the original question.......no, the .223 typically does NOT leave a very good blood trail. That's the main drawback to it's use in areas of thick brush such as East Texas where a deer can run less than 50 yards and be lost easily.

While the .223 is very deadly......as others have said, a run of less than 100 yards is typical with a well placed bullet.....the tiny slugs don't always exit and when they do leave a very small wound to let blood out. There are of course exceptions where blood trails are very good.....but not typical. This same "failing" exists to a lesser extent with the .243 and .257 rounds.

That's the reason many prefer a bigger rifle for thick areas.....not because the lesser rounds won't kill.....but because a good blood trail can be critical when the animal gets out of sight. A big bore bullet that exits....every time....insures an easier tracking job when the deer runs (and they WILL run sometimes no matter how well placed the shot is.

On average, I agree with that statement as I still prefer the 7mm and 30cal rounds when a good blood trail is necessary. In spite of that, I've been having decent luck with .224, 6mm, 257, and 6.5mm bullets lately. The only times I haven't had decent blood has been on angling shots that absorbed softer bullets and did not get an exit. I'm now likely to run a stouter bullet in those particular chamberings.

Same happens with our .222. Deer is hit, runs, little or no blood trail. Deer dies within 50 yards. If not on the spot when bone is hit.

My .223 is deadly on hogs!

stumpy

it could be some more experience with the rifle is needed. Young fellow on our club this year burned one with a 30-30 at 20 yards, his uncle then made him shoot it at a paper plate a few times before he was allowed to go hunt again.

The two deer that have been killed with FIL's .223 both have died in short order. The first (8 pt), took two hops- turned around and fell down. He had ribbons of blood out of both sides that extended about 5-10 inches the length of his run. The second (doe), ran about 15-20 yards and fell over. Again, copious amounts of blood on both sides of the deer.

Both deer were shot low in the chest (heart on both), and lost a significant amount of blood prior to falling over.

.223 with 40g GS Custom HVs at 3800fps.

What portion of the body is one aiming at? I've found many adult hunters that could not tell me where they expect to find the hit. If shot low (heart/lung) then yes I'd expect some blood. If high in the lungs, then no, as there is lots of space inside the animal where blood can settle.

Personally, I'd not outfit a youngster with a 22 caliber deer rifle until he was extremely proficient with it from field positions.

Red Spiker 150 yards, .223 Rem 65 gn Sierra Game King. Dead within 10 yards. (Mind you, the boy can shoot). Placement was straight up the front leg, about a third of the way up the body. We have some 70 grain Speers to try out next.


Exit hole:

I don't know about the 223 specifically - but 53 grain .22 caliber TSX's out of my 22 CHeetah, have never failed to leave great blood-trails on deer - at least that is, for the deer that didn't drop in their tracks. None of about two dozen deer shot with that rifle, has ever made it more than about 50 yards - the other half, or so, dropped in their tracks.

Keith and Dave, it's amazing what a little bullet like a (fast)55 grain soft point is capable of doing.
Of course shot placement is key, too far back and things are not going to work out very well at all.

Take the kid out and shoot with him in field conditions and see how he shoots. Give him a critical lesson on anatomy while at it. Pick up a magazine and ask him where he would shoot the various deer in the magazine. Make this very clear to him. Kids always seem to shoot at the center of an animal, even though their mind is saying 'shoulder'. I worked with a guy I absolutely hated a couple of years ago. Every year he bragged about how many deer he shot with his .22-250, because he was such a good shot. In the three years I worked with him, he said he had shot over 20 deer. He had recovered NONE to my knowledge. Of course he blamed the caliber, not his shooting or the poor choice of bullets he was using. I am sure he never followed up on a hit animal either. If they didn't drop at the shot, "They would be okay, since it is such a small bullet." I had to seriously restrain myself when near him. Use good bullets and the .22's are he hammer of Thor. Use crappy bullets and shoot poorly and it doesn't matter what you shoot them with. Flinch

Flinch,

That is such a sad story. If I knew someone like that - I think I would have taunted him, until he committed an aggressive action - so that I could - legally - lay a beating on such a man. If not, I might find where he parked, while hunting - and flatten all four of his tires - and then leave a note - explaining why.

I too, often pick up a .22 to shoot deer with. My CHeetah Mark IV is just deadly - shooting Moly-coated 53 grain TSX's out of the long barrel at 4285 fps - but, then again, I would never take a bad shot.

This rifle and bullet combo will be the first rifle used on deer - for each of my three young daughters. It will be just fine - but I will teach them that a hunter has to know when to hold up - and when to shoot.

If I ever "had to" (now there is a contradiction in terms - at least - for a deer hunter!) take a less than optimum shot (perhaps a one-in-a-lifetime Boone & Crocket animal that was - far off - at a bad angle) I - MIGHT - want a different rifle.

But - other than pipe dreams - in REALITY - in the hands of a calm decent shot - a fast moving .22 - shooting premium bullets - should never let you down - on an animal built like a deer.

I think the .22's can make fine deer rifles for reasonable ranges where velocity is still decent. My eldest daughter and I took my 223AI to the woods this evening in search of a few does for the freezer. The 62TSX performed well on a neck shot, which isn't really saying much, but it also did well on a broadside lung shot. This was right at dark, almost too dark, but she was only 35yds out or so. The entrance was a clean .22cal hole and the exit was nickel-sized with a pretty good blood trail for the 30yd death run. No bloodshot on the shoulders and no bones hit other than ribs.

The girl will likely start off with a 223 of her own in 3-4 years, shooting good bullets.

Very cool, she's a cutie.

Where do you hunt in Canada with a .223??

http://www.whitetailadventures.com/territories/canadahunts/infopage/#firearmsleg

Check on Big Game Prohibitions.
Caliber must not be less than .23 ---1st line
I guess I could make a lot of money reporting you BCBrian.LOL