Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Why do you think a 223 works better than larger bores on deer

Speed ?

engery dispersion ?

Ease of shooting ?

I don't think anyone has preached it works "better". It works "just as well".

someone has to believe it's better, I've killed deer with pointy sticks so thinking a 223 couldn't kill a deer is just foolish.

I'm interested in the view though

Shot Placement?

LOL !!!!

The "logic" goes something like this:

I own a .223, so it HAS to be the best deer rifle since I am a "master" deer hunter.

Also I have shot three (count 'em....3) deer with my .223....hit the spine each time... and all were DRT. The other 6 deer I shot at that ran away....must have been clean misses.

The one deer my friend shot with his .30-06 ran away and we never found it. It WAS gut shot, but that shouldn't make a difference, so obviously the .223 is far superior to the .30-06 for deer.

I don't!!!

[quote=cole_k]I don't!!! [/quote

Must be the 30 rd mag that makes the difference. Magnum Man

A 223 is better than a larger bore? For deer? Better than a 270 Win? 308? 30-06? Really?

I would take my open sighted 32 Special Model 94 over any 223 on the market. But I hunt larger bodied Northern Whitetail subspecies. Perhaps the Brock deer...

Don't know for sure who originally coined this phrase "You can kill a dink with a stick"..JM maybe, but still funny and so true!! Deer aren't hard to kill with anything !!! And yes I have never heard anyone say a 223 works Better than larger bores..just that it works period..

I don't know too much about the 223, since I've only shot a few sub-150 lbs. whitetails with them, but a quick(er) twist 22-250 paired with either the 60 grain Partition or 64 grain PP sure is easy to shoot, no meaningful recoil, and the deer go down, just like they do with any well placed shot and a proper bullet.

JEff

It works....not better, or just as well...just works.

The .223? Never my choice, I have far better.

Pretty much my thoughts as well.

I killed a few with a 222 Rem Mag (same thing basically).

Kill them? Sure did.

"Better" than my 7mm-08? Hardly.

Will I use it again, by choice? Doubtful.

Just me...

Killing deer is easy, no real magic to it. I do know I've seen more deer drop within a few stops when plunked with a little slug going out of a 223AI than I have seen when shot with a 30/06. Everything has died, just that 223AI has dropped them quicker.

The above is written by a guy that only owned/hunted a 30/06 for a dozen years or so and thought you needed a big caliber for deer.


Deer seem far more impressed with velocity.


PS: This ain't a Brock deer....

Almost a Brock deer and this one went the furthest of any deer I've shoot. Of course it was shot with a 35 Whelen.




Yes, I believe the 223AI works mo better than the slower/big bore rounds on deer.

It's no wonder it ran, look how far off the shot placement was........

That's it.....

Is that an 8 year-old, from the swamp?

Maybe that had something to do with it.

Roe deer from the Highlands...

Since I have zero experience with the game killing ability of the 223, my opinion is only theory. Bullet construction and shot placement puts it in the ranks of a "deer" cartridge. I am old and set in my ways though and feel that all things being equal, bigger is better. As some on this board have stated many times, shoot the most powerful cartridge that you can shoot well. Or, don't send a boy to do a man's job! grin!