Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles .223 bullet for deer (yes, I know...)

200yds. is my personal "comfort Zone" YMMV...

At 200 yds you can still 'thread the needle' and the bullet still has enough oomph ( technical gun gack term) to keep me happy.

If you're trying to keep you impact velocties above 2700fps, I would say that is some good advice. However, the deer I have shot with Sierras have not complained. Then again, 2700 fps is more in line with the muzzle velocities in my rifles, rather than impact.

I haven't pushed the envelope at all...yet...but I am getting right around 2850 with 60 gr. Hornady's out of the 20" barrel of my Vanguard Carbine.

60 Partition is a great bullet. The Spire points work too.

Pastor,
Remington 55gr PSP work well for lung shots under 150yds and 53 TSX handloads for everything else under 200yds. Just from what I've seen in the past few years.

Have fun, Tom

Is there an advantage to shooting the 70 grain tsx over the 50 grainers?

Nope..unless you like stuff to go slower...and speed is your freind with a TSX...

Thanks

I like the good old been around forever, Speer 70 grain SMP, running at about 3000 fps MV....out of a 223, or 3350 or so out of a 22/250...

Watched my pard shoot a deer angling away with the 70gr TSX, deer was slightly down hill also. Went in behind the shoulder, went into the neck and followed the spin up and exited may 1/4" from being dead center between the eyes.

Needless to say, it died.

But goodness knows those 60gr NPs are finicky, at least for me out of the swift, 22-250AI and the .223 I've tried them in. To my mind, they seem perfect at .223 speeds, if only my LTR would shoot them.

I believe my 60's are clocking 3,100fps out of a 16" Howa carbine.

I have always been impressed with them on piggies. Good luck.


Travis

Front shoulder?

Have you used the 55gr TTSX?



Travis

The only 223-killed Deer (3) that I have shot were killed with 55 grain SP ammo from Black Hills in a Mini-14. One died immediately, one went maybe 5 yards and the one Buck went maybe 200 yards. These were shot at 100 yards and less, bullet tucked behind the shoulder. One shot each.

You can't beat a Partition --- I dislike tiny, monolithic bullets.

The one deer I killed with a 223 was done in by a 60gr Nosler solid base. Broke the opposite shoulder as it exited.

I'm playing around with that bullet and the 63gr sierra Semi-point in my AR and so far the velocities are around 2800fps and groups are not too bad at all. 1.5-2" at 100yds

My daughter tagged her first doe last year with my cheap *and* ugly Steven's and a 69gr Sierra HPBT. I guess the range was about 50 yards.

I got a fistfull of doe tags and Im seriously contemplating using scenarshooter's old bullet in my .22-250 for one of them....a 55 gr. Hornady...

A few years ago a friend informed me he was going to set up his son with a .223 for his first deer rifle. I told him it was not a good idea.

Then when he had the rifle and was deciding which factory ammo to use, I strongly advised him to look for the heaviest bullets available, and preferably some premium bullet like a Partition or TSX. And for Pete's sake avoid the shoulder bone...shoot 'em through the lungs.

The kid proceeded to stack up several deer every year shooting plain-jane Remington 55grain PSP's, not even a core-locked bullet. And most were shot right through the shoulder. All but one a one shot kill, and many/most DRT.

I still think I was right, though...

They work fine. I put one through both shoulders of a 140 lb. doe last season. Bang-Flop.

Dang guys, you are going to de-value all of our 270's, 7mm-08's, 308's, and 30-06's! I just purchased a Stevens M200 in 223 1-9 twist and have some Speer 70 grain semi-spitzers and 60 grain Nosler Partitions to try out on deer this fall. I just mounted a scope on it but haven't made it to the range yet. Hope that it shoots well and get to try it out on some coyotes while I'm scouting deer and maybe shoot a deer or two when bambi season opens.