Hunting w/ a .223

[JaxNovice]

What type of game can one ethically and humanely hunt with the .223? What also would be the distact limitations for said game?

Thanks!

[rcmodel]

Ethically and humanely?

IMO: Varmints up to the size of coyotes, out to 250 - 300 yards.

rcmodel

[skinewmexico]

Search this forum for 223, you'll find some big threads.

[cliffy]

I cannot honestly recommend .223s for Elephant shooting; however, they are great for Woodchuck (Marmot), ALL Coyotes, small gaters, whitetail deer, small (100 pound) Feral Pigs, small Wolves (Red and Timber), springbok, big snapping turtles, and the like, but ONLY with proper bullets! A 60 grain Nosler Partition bullet is quite POTENT within a proper handload. 3300 fps muzzle velocity with a 60 grain Partition bullet can do some amazing damage; however, for COYOTE damage, a 55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip @ 3500 fps is PLENTY plus extremely accurate to 300 yards. cliffy

[W.E.G.]

What also would be the distact limitations for said game?


:confused:

[yenchisks]

Dragons@600yrds;)

[Shawnee]

The .223 is like all other calibers in that its' effectiveness is determined mostly by the hunting and shooting skill of the user.

"RCModel's" post would be a good "rule of thumb" though I would encourage less experienced shooters to keep their shots at game within 250yds. until they have had a chance to practice longer range shooting at targets.

:cool:

[cliffy]

I'm sure he meant "distinct" limitations, or ultimate limitations. Three-hundred are the outward limitations of most shooters in .223 Remington limitations for distance. A 6-24x44mm high-quality scope would be most helpful along with a benchrest set-up or at least a good bi-pod. Practice would prove to be "king" at 300 yards range. Better to hit at 100 yards, than to scare at 300 yards. I hate "LIMITATIONS," but I adhere to MY limitations. cliffy

[caribou]

Limits? Get very close, as close as possible, and take away all doubt...

I would only think in terms of "Penatration" for "limits" on any bullet.

Fact is, most guys I know that hunt for a living,'round here, use the .223 exculsivly, on everything from Caribou to Wolves to BlackBears.
You might want a bit more for Brown Bear, Moose and Muskox, as they are a bit wider.
Gotta put it in the right spot is about all you have to do....., so know your animals, and know your gun...then make the "Connection" with them, and you will be happy!

[MCgunner]

Rats at the city dump.

[Loomis]

Depends on whether your rifle has 3 round burst capability.:)

[matrem]

"Rats at the city dump"? Have you ever shot at anything with one??

[MCgunner]

"Rats at the city dump"? Have you ever shot at anything with one??

:D That was just to irritate a few .223 deer hunters on this board. This is a rather old and re-occurring subject.

Have no use for .22 centerfires. Ain't no prairie dogs down here and I don't hunt coyotes, though I've shot a few with my deer rifles. If I did, I have a .257 Roberts that's work just fine or even my .22 mag if I was night hunting. If I had one, it'd be a range gun, wouldn't hunt with it. Some folks think they're the cat's meow for deer. Well, whatever. My .308 works well on deer or hogs. Hey, the recoil ain't that bad. Most can handle the .308 at least with a little practice. Of course, I know deer hunters whose practice consists of whatever it takes to sight in their rifle once in a while. :rolleyes: I know women that shoot belted magnums, after all, and are quite deadly with 'em. Why should I down size? You tell me.

There's a bazillion caliber choices out there. The .223 is just one of 'em. And, frankly, if I were into varmints at long range, I'd get a .22-250 or maybe a Swift. Might get a hornet barrel for my Contender sometime. I've always thought that'd be versatile, load up past .22 mag levels or down to LR levels with my own cast bullets. I could squirrel hunt with handloads using my own cast bullets. :D

But, yeah, do tell me about the great killing power of the .223, not that most on this board haven't already. I know all about the new bullets from Barnes, yadda, yadda, yadda. My son-in-law (two tours of Iraq) says it ain't worth a toot on "Hajis". ROFL! He was shooting a Mosin Nagant this weekend saying it was a lot better than the M4 he was issued. LOL Everyone has an opinion, it seems. Either it's the greatest elephant rifle caliber extant or it's a dump rat rifle caliber. Me, I tend more toward dump rats for it. YMMV

[matrem]

MCgunner, Got Ya & I do agree with a fair amount of your last post.

[JImbothefiveth]

And how accurate should YOU be with it before you hunt with it? I assume the normal "pie plate at 100 yards" won't cut it?

[MCgunner]

I'm sure it'll kill our little Texas deer just as well as a .308 out to a hundred or so yards. Hogs, well, you'd better be able to put one in his cranium from whatever range you're shooting. Big deer, western mulies, I don't have a lot of faith in .22s. Minimum, I want a 6mm. One good thing, I can't recall shooting a .22-250 or bolt .223 that wasn't a helluva tack driver. Would make head shots at 100 yards routine with a good rest. I'm keepin' my .308, though, thanks. :D

Stick around, though. Someone will break in here and tell you it's the cat's meow on elk to 300 yards or 350 lb boar with shoulder shots or whatever. Takes all kinds, I guess. My advice, anything beyond a 100 lb Texas whitetail or jackalope, plan on head shots.

[cliffy]

.223 Remington 60 grain Nosler Partition, cause there ain't no substitute to date. .243 Winchester 100 grain Speer Grand Slam, cause there isn't any substitute to date. Many people use the WRONG bullet in light calibers, then complain about the results. .223 Remington with 55 grain Nolser Ballistic Tip bullets were NOT meant for deer hunting! .243 Winchester 80 grain bullets are best used on coyote, not deer! Once one upgrades to .375 H&H Magnum usage, the bullet becomes less of an issue regarding deer. 270 grain bullets for deer are similar to dropping a bank vault safe on their heads. A miss, however, becomes more of an issue regarding recoil, flinch, and unzeroed scopes. When is enough, quite enough powerwise? Only range practice makes a true hunter. Going afield with little to no practice creates the wounders, regardless of caliber and perfection of bullet. Bullet aside, one needs to hit one's target. The very best bullet can cut a spectacular swatch through a few trees, if that's all one can hit. cliffy

[MCgunner]

.375 H&H? Whatever hangs your hooter. :D Where's Shawnee? I know he's going to love that one. ROFLMAO! Had a friend who took a couple with the .375. It'll certainly work and ain't no doubt it's enough gun. LOL

Sheesh, there's a happy medium in there, somewhere, LOL!

I've killed a hell of a lot of deer with a little 100 or 117 grain game king. .25 caliber don't need no magic bullets nor does anything bigger. I venture to say that .243 don't, either. 100 grain game kings in .243" have taken a helluva lot of deer around here. Hunting deer ain't rocket science and there's a book full of calibers that can do the job. I can think of only a handful of shots I've made over the years that couldn't have been made with a .30-30 flat nose and, actually, I've taken a few with THAT! :D I'm thinking of hunting more with my .357 Rossi M92. I notice Hornady has a "leverlution" round in the caliber now. Ah, I'll just use my own cast bullets as always, a 158 gas checked SWC. Has taken three in the past, two from a 6.5" revolver. Yeah, it ain't rocket science.

But, Cliffy is right, when you go .22, it becomes a bit rocket science and the proper bullet IS mandatory. I think if I was forced to use a .223 on deer, I'd look into Barnes. But, partitions are good.

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

I'd say .223 rem is good and ethical for game up to about 80-100 lbs, which includes small southern/eastern whitetails, blacktails, cous deer, large northern beavers, small hogs, and small antelope & mountain goats.

Once you step up to large deer, adult hogs, black bear, and elk, I'd want a minimum of .243 Win, though as caribou points out, you can't argue with success - .223 works for them up there on stuff like caribou and black bear.

.223 will good bullet choice beats a .243 with poor bullet choice, bigtime.

[Big Daddy Grim]

I have taken deer with 72gr. softpoints and never had a problems but I also have a really accurate gun a Rock River varmint AR15.
I have also taken an Pronghorn with it.