What bullet would you guys pick? Basically the plan is to take a couple small does from the property. Looks like partitions are unavailable right now...my rifle is an 8 twist 5.56 chamber.

Also need a way to get the scope mounted up high to avoid the front sight and keep the cheek weld.

What's everyone using?

Last one was shot with a 55 gr Hornsby sp at 80 yards. Double lung. Died, recovered off side. Plane Jane 6920 with a Trijicon

6920?? High class schit there. I got PSA parts, and the colors don't even match. Lol

May upgrade the BGC eventually. Maybe not. Not exactly running three gun comps here.

I do have a boatload of Hornady 55s...how does the bullet know when to splinter on a groundhog and expand on a deer lol

I've killed them with 65 gr Sierra Game King and 64 gr Nosler BSB. Everyone here raves about 77 Sierra TMK, I'm gonna try them this fall.

The 77TMK is my favorite, it’s an incredible performer but I don’t know where you’d find any right now.

The 55gr Hornady sp is a great little bullet too. I’ve killed literally tons of stuff with it from prairie dogs to elk with no disappointments.

I scored a bunch of 60gr Hornady seconds last week from midway for $10 a hundred. I haven’t used any but I bet they’ll be just as good as the 55s if not a hair better.

Here’s some good info to chew on if you’d like. https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt.../1/official-22-caliber-dead-stuff-thread

Ever caught one in a groundhog? Neither have I. Works fine on everything I’ve shot. That last deer I shot I recovered on the offside hide and it was far from splintered.

62 Barnes or 62 grain Bear Claw

A relative used one of the Colt ARs for everything
at one point during the 1980's
He would pop em in the back of the head as they
walked beneath his tree stand or tripod, whichever
he was using that particular day. One shot- one deer.
Never lost one that I'm aware of.
I doubt that he used anything but the cheapest
ammo he could find

Hornady 55 grain boat tail soft point has killed dozens of hogs and dozens of deer over the years for me and my father in law.

I have a lifetime supply and my Ruger SR shoots tiny groups with them. If I didn’t, I’d try the Barnes TTSX 53 grain as I’ve seen it perform extremely well for others.

If (when) I go .223 deer hunting, I’ll probably try the Nosler 64gr Bonded. Bought a couple hundred rounds of the factory ammo for $1 a pop and also have a box of the bullets. The factory stuff isn’t the fastest, and most won’t chamber in my Hawkeye it seems. When I get my new carbon Howa I’ll see how it likes them. The Mini-14 gobbles them right up, like everything else.

For what you’re doing, I wouldn’t overthink it, just place your shots properly with a decent softpoint and have a sharp knife handy.

I've mostly used the 64 grain WIN. PP as I got a bunch of them many years ago. I have also used the 55 and 60 grain Horns, and the 63 Sierra SMP. The 60 Partition is never a bad choice. All of these have worked well. I'd love to try the 77 TMK but they are unobtainium right now.

I'm not as worried as some about accuracy but all of the bullets that I mentioned I have used on game would group 1-3/4" or less in my AR's

60gr Hornady sp is my favorite

Depends on what the rifle shoots sub MOA...

Y'all got really tiny deer?

62gr Barnes.

Hornady 55 gr sp. Large doe double lung 80 yards

Nice!

I found this one right against the hide after it broke a rib on each side and scrambled the lungs of a cow elk.

The little 55 spire point is a mighty bullet.

Can't have happened. The guys in the elk forum say you have to have a 338 mag. Lol

70 Speer Semi-Spitzer. Killed deer with it to 200 yards and a really big pig last year at 270. Haven’t caught a bullet yet, but all the exits are nice and round, and show signs or good expansion. I have about a thousand of them for my 223 Montana.

Seeing your front sight post won't be an issue if you are above 3x or 4x. Don't worry about it.

I agree with The Kid, a 77 tmk is the best I've used in a 223. If someone told me to shoot everything I hunt with a 55grain hornady SP I wouldn't feel too handicapped. It's a great bullet.

I feel like a lot of people go the wrong way with the 223 on big game. They want to shoot really tough bullets to insure penetration
That comes at the cost of way less tissue damage though. If you want to not worry about some bone and quartering shots then the gold dots or fusions are a nice compromise

Funny thing but like you say, some of the slowest killing 223 bullets I’ve used are 53gr TSX. They just do not make a very wide wound channel and it takes a while for stuff to tip over.

My late friend used regular Hornady 55gr SPs loaded by my late brother in his .22/250 with excellent results. At least one went stem to stern on a nice PA doe. Gotta think it would work as well at the slower speed of a .223.

Seems the non-cannelured ones are the popular choice, perhaps because they hold together better?

In the current spotty availability situation, one needs options…..

was forced by Utah Fish&Game to use mono bullets to save the fhuqking Condors a few years ago, With much testing I ended up with 62gr Barnes TSX from my AR-15...Deer DRT

I’ve used a lot of bullets in the 223 for deer, my favorite is the 75 gr Speer Gold Dot.

65 Sierra BTSP has worked well for me on deer and plenty of pigs.

I would go with the 64 gr nosler bonded or the 64 gr power point if either of them shot well. The gold dots/fusions would be good if you could get them. Monos seem a little tough for my liking in the 243 and below.

My son has flattened both WT and MD does with both the 62TSX and the 60 Hornady SP. Last one was a skosh over 220, DRT. It was a bolt gun but still a .223

The last couple I killed with an AR was using 68 or 69 gr Sierra HPBT match bullets. Never had one run further than 10-20 yards.

+1 on the Barnes for .224.

Deer are easy to kill.. The few deer I have killed with .223 were with a factory winchester 55gr sp. I hate reloading and I am a cheap azz. Stocked up on a pile of 62 gr sp seconds a while back. I would go mass production with those and have a round that I can plink with as well as hunt with.


As to your front sight and the scope. Dont over think it. Grab whatever offset scope mount is on sale, bolt it up, and run it. You wont notice the front sight

Deer are easy to kill and so is most everything else when shot through the lower half of both lungs. I like blood trails that Helen Keller could track but haven’t seen a bullet that always does it. Sometimes they have similar would channels but one leaves a huge blood trail and another leaves hardly any.

Tracking deer in or around swamp edges that were shot at last light and having to be to work in the morning is no fun even if they only ran 50 yards back into a cedar swamp. A bullet that can punch through meat and bones and put them DRT comes in handy. Hunting conditions matter IMO. If selectively shooting a doe at first light on a bluebird day while it’s standing in a hayfield the bullet doesn’t matter much. At last light and deer coming out of a swamp with heavy rain in the forecast it definitely can.

Have used the 65 gameking, 69 matchking, 73 ELD, 75 bthp, and 77 matchking.
All have worked well with no edge noted to any one over any of the others.

The 65 grain SGK is my go-to deer bullet in .223.

I learned long ago that it doesn’t take much to kill a deer if you shoot them properly. I killed my second ever deer in 1967 with a Norma 50 grain .222 factory load from my 788. 200 yards, DRT. In the intervening years I’ve used a lot of other stuff because I like guns and messing around with them. I’ve also read and listened to a lot of opinions on what you “need “ to kill a deer with, at times, a measure of amusement.

It’s all good.

50-64 gr softpoints of every flavor have worked for me for 12 years. It just has not mattered to me at less than 250 yards or so. Killed a bunch of snooters with regular ball ammo in the head/neck.

For game I would use heavy CnC sp hunting design, but preferably bonded or mono hunting designs. Heavy Gold Dots look attractive if you can get them to group.

My deer gun is AR w/ white oak armament stainless 18” and shoot hornady 75/77gr, BTHP, the 2 deer i shot ar 40yards were DRT, great round that did the job, with 223 id say shot placement is key.

My daughter will be 12 this November. I'm thinking of taking her deer hunting with my PSA AR15 because it's low-recoiling and with the stock fully collapsed it fits her well. I was thinking about trying to work up a 60 gr Partition ahead of a charge of Benchmark, but it sounds like I might not be able to find any. I appreciate the reports here of what else works in .223 on deer, my other option is to handload something mild for her in my 6.5x55SE, but that rifle is a CZ 550 American and I think the LOP is too long for her right now.

Try these 62 grain bullets.


https://www.midsouthshooterssupply....4-diameter-62-grain-soft-point-500-count

65 grain Gamekings get high praise.

About any 55 grain soft points will work fine too.

I bought a few hundred plane Jane 60gr hornady SP at midwayusa a few weeks ago specifically for shooting deer out of my AR. Never used them from an AR but they turn a deer’s lights out in a hurry out of a 22-250. Hornady 55 are deadly too. 60’s seem to penetrate a bit better as would be expected. I’ve killed quite a few deer with Sierra 1365’s out of a 223 also. They worked great but it was a 12” twist gun. Not sure if the faster twist of an AR would change much but of those three I’d go with the 60gr hornady and go forth and kill deer!

Fixed it for you.

This year my AR deer is going to be shot with a 350 legend due to straight sided cartridge rule. They only allow 4 different cartridges, 45-70, 444 Marlin, 450 Bushmaster and 350 Legend. Going with the 180 gr. Hornady XTP pushed to 2100 fps with 1680.

I've only shot 1 game animal with a .22 cal. That was an antelope with a 22-250 and a 55 gr Sierra Game King. It laid that boy low. It took out both lungs and the heart and I found it in the far shoulder, nicely mushroomed.

223, Deer,, Elk, Axis, Aoudad, Coyotes, Bobcat, a few semi loads of pigs, and misc, other critters, 52 gr. SP works for me. Rio7

If you are talking the 55gr interlock, that is a tough little bullet. It has the interlock ring to help the bullet hold together during impact on larger game. It really isn't a varmint bullet. If you are talking the 55gr Vmax, that is a varmint bullet. There's more than just 1 "55" Hornady..

I'll be taking my Granddaughter deer hunting to hopefully shoot her first deer this season. She is 10 years old and shooting my AR15 well. I plan on using 64gr sp. She can put 5 of them in less than an inch at 50 yds. That will be the approx. feeder distance where she will hunt. My question is, what is the best shot placement for her. Double lung shot just behind the shoulder? Or right on the point of the shoulder to brake some bone or high shoulder (cns)

I would like for her to have a DRT experience for her first one

Probably going to take a high shoulder or neck shot to drop one. Study anatomy charts with her and coach her to take the high shoulder shot.

This for a DRT. Or about 4" lower & a few inches back with that bullet. It will work. May make a few tracks but generally drop in sight.



Be ready for a follow up. If hit too high they will drop instantly. If no kicking then be ready, may not be dead, a little kicking is the norm.

10ga. Thanks for the Pic. That's exactly what I was looking for.

Killed my biggest buck, 240 lbs, with my .223 when he didnt want to come in bow range. Neck shot pulled the carpet out from under him.

Nice. Hopefully we will get it done. I think I'm more excited than she is.

my AR is in 300 BO, or 25 WSSM

yep works fine.

Barnes 55 grn ttsx works fine for deer and hogs in my experience

Virginia law requires .23 caliber or larger.

I use 6x45 and other calibers accordingly.