[springfield1911loaded]

hello, i have a RRA .223 and i would be hunting with a EOTech holographic projection scope with no magnification. And was wondering if i could kill white tail deer with this .223 at ranges from 85 to 200 yards and one place is 600 yards. These bucks im guestimating weigh from 85-120 pounds. Ive killed them with .243 and .308 bolt actions. My current hunting gun is a remington model 700 .308 with a leopould vx 3 50mm 10 power scope. But ive just fell in love with my .223. Heck i just shot a hole clear through 1/4 inch steel plate. And i know a private contractor who has dropped iraqis from 600 meters with a EOTech, but deer are different, alot tougher than people.

[dispatch55126]

You could kill a deer with a .17 HMR if you shot it in the right place. The larger the caliber and greater the energy, the bigger the wound track which means larger margin for error and quicker kill.

A well placed .223 will drop it just fine but you should make the shot placement that much higher of a priority.

[Deer Hunter]

Yes you can. I've seen numerous deer dead to much less.

[caribou]

No problem, at all.

Caribou die quickly, with .223 in the right place.
Actually, it doesnt matter at all 'What" you shoot them with, it's "Where" EVERYTIME!

Just check you game laws, 'cause some states dont allow use of an efficiant cartridge such as .223.

[22-rimfire]

Personally I'd use the 308. But the .223 will work with proper bullets and shot placement. Many whitetails are killed every year with 22LR. Thing is they just run a ways unless they are head shot.

Check you state laws to confirm that the caliber and rifle set up is legal. I believe you will be limited in magazine size if nothing else.

[skinewmexico]

Please.....not again. The search function is your friend.

[Deer Hunter]

Never seen a deer run when shot with a .223. Seen them run if they were shot with a 7mm Mag, though. Ran a good long while.

It all comes down to placement.

[owen]

600 yds is pretty irresponsible with any rifle.

Under 200, .223, with the right bullet, and good placement will do the job.

[cliffy]

Most .223 Remington Ammunition is dedicated to Coyote-Sized quarry. Except for Speer BEAR CLAW ammunition, no other 55 grain bullet was designed for DEER-SIZED hunting! THE .223 Remington 60 grain Nosler Partition was DESIGNED specifically for Deer hunting! Don't short-change your efforts regarding sane results. Varmint bullets EXPLODE on contact and do not penetrate deeply. It's not nice to shoot a deer with a varmint bullet, since it will MOST-LIKELY wound it badly and not kill it for days. The correct bullet for the given quarry is GOLDEN. Using less than the best deer bullets is ludicrous and inhumane in most cases. A surface explosion of fur and flesh with little penetration is cruelty at its MAXIMUM. SAVE your varmint bullets for varmints of under 45 pounds. USE .22 Centerfire DEER-DEDICATED bullets for deer, of which there are few: 55 grain Speer Bear Claws; 60 grain Nosler Partitions; OR 60 Grain Hornady Soft-Points, which may suffice. There are NOT many proper .22 caliber DEER bullets available. cliffy

[moooose102]

considering that most poachers use 22lr's, your 223 should be no problem IF you can put the bullet EXACTLY where it needs to go and dont go crazy on the yardage. if you think you are just going to aim at the shoulder @ 150 yards, and drop the deer, you will be sadly mistaken. now, if you can place one good shot, in the neck or brain, @ less than say, 50 yards, you should have no problems. the more energy you have when the bullet hits the deer, the better your chances are that the deer will fold up like somebody pulled the earth out from under his feet, with a well placed shot.

[Floppy_D]

A good friend of mine took a big mule deer in Montana last year with a 223 60g Nosler Partition at 265yds, according to the range finder. He's an exceptional shot, which helped. His brother and cousin recanted the same story he told me... the deer was trotting down a ridge, looked at the group and froze, seconds elapsed, bang, and minutes later they're bringing the horses in to haul him out.

I was underconfident in 223 up until that... but the right shot will absolutely do the job.

[Art Eatman]

Taking a shot at a deer at 600 yards is the mark of somebody who is supremely skilled in the use of his equipment--or who is wildly and foolishly optimistic.

Your practical range limit is that distance at which you can reliably hit a target about the size of the end of a beer can, using a field position hasty rest. Hitting from a benchrest doesn't count at all.

[kmrcstintn]

keep your shots to 100 yards or under...

1) more retained kinetic energy on impact

2) shot placement is paramount (heart or double lung shot on broadside or head shot/high neck shot if close enough to place it)

3) use the heaviest softpoint load that will reliably group from your rifle

[wyocarp]

The first question to ask is, Is it legal? It would not be in Wyoming. It would not meet the minimum caliber requirements.

[The Janitor]

Taking a shot at a deer at 600 yards is the mark of somebody who is supremely skilled in the use of his equipment--or who is wildly and foolishly optimistic.

At that range, you typically have enough time to make a second shot. So even if the first one misses(which it probably will, if only by a narrow margin), you still have time to line back up and compensate for the bullet drop and windage.

[cat9x]

600 yards would be borderline unethical for most shooters.

223 works if it's legal in your state. Check your laws. A .17 Remington centerfire is legal in Texas for deer, doesn't make it ethical. I'm not saying a .223 isn't though, it's a good round but wouldn't be my first choice.

[B.D. Turner]

Has this topic been hashed enough yet?

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

You could kill a deer with a .17 HMR if you shot it in the right place.

And I have a friend (who is dead now) who a few years ago did just that, when the round first came out - he got a T/C encore bbl in .17 Hummer and dropped a doe in its tracks with a neck shot.

[ilike223s]

im going to try it this year, Im using a tikka 3,I loaded 60 gr,hornady,my shots will be under 100 yards,if i get anyshots

[cliffy]

.223 Remington is a LEGAL deer caliber in nearly forty states. Considering this scenario, where do we go from here? I propose using ADEQUATE bullets. A 55 grain Nosler Ballistic-Tip is not an adequate deer bullet, though it could kill a deer, a 60 grain Nosler Partition WILL kill a deer. We need to educate hunters as to what is PROPER ammo for the game sought. A .223 Remington bullet recoils so slightly, that flinching cannot possibly create an aiming problem. Yet, proper aim is EVERYTHING regarding results. Butt-shooting a deer with a bullet of any caliber is seldom efficient. Flinching at the moment of truth is what causes the most tracking problems. "BUCK FEVER" comes in ALL calibers. cliffy

[mgregg85]

Of course you can with the right ammo and good aim.

[langenc]

Keep the range to your minimum 85 yds or LESS w/ premium bullets. Get couple hundred rounds and go shooting before the law comes in on the deer.

[25wssmisgood]

Do the right thing. Use the .243 or 308. With proper ammunition.

[lastchance67]

A 223 will work. Again, the proper bullet and placement is a must. 600 yards is not realistic. Maybe on a prarie dog or someting else. Head shots work great in the under 300 yard range. That way if you miss, you miss. A well place shot with a quality bullet in the "kill zone" will take care of things in short order. I've done both. If you have ample time "open field shooting", during all of your shots, a 223 will work fine. If you shoot in "timbered" areas where shots are not always perfect and have to be done in short order, I'd move up to a larger caliber.

Just my 2 cent.


Thanks and good shooting.

[BigBuckMaster]

i took out a small buck with a .223 at 430 yds. shot him behind the ear (spine shot)

[Sinixstar]

Hunting is one of those areas where from time to time the question isn't "can I?" - but rather "should I?"

Yes, at the end of the day - we're killing wildlife - but I think we have a bit of a moral responsibility to do so humanely. In that light - I wouldn't choose a .223 for anything other than varmint.

Bullet energy at 100yds from a .223 (50gr at 3000 ft/sec) is roughly 909ft pounds.
Go out to 200, and you're only at about 674ft pounds. 300 it drops to under 500 ft pounds. The energy just isn't there for a reliably clean kill.

Now a lot of people ask "how can you really claim a 243 is so much better, when it's not much bigger" - again, look at the energy. (100gr @ 3100 ft/sec)
@ 100yds : 1788 ft lbs.
@ 200yds : 1486 ft lbs.
@ 300yds : 1228 ft lbs.
@ 400yds : 1009 ft lbs.

The difference in energy is pretty clear. You've got more energy from a .243 @ 400 yards, than you do from the .223 @ 100 yards. The .223 - while it *can* work with excellent shot placement, again just doesn't have the energy for a consistent reliable kill.

[Ankeny]

That way if you miss, you miss. Or shoot it in the snot locker, blow off a jaw, smack it in the wind pipe...

There is a reason the .223 is not legal in Wyoming...and the reason isn't ignorance on the part of the Game and Fish.

[ishredinmysleep]

with a good shot yes ive killed a deer with a .22 before lol

[d2wing]

On Nov 8, I shot a 240 lb buck with one shot to the lungs. Ammo .223 Black Hills pointed soft point.

[Grassman]

What about a 22-250? Much more energy there.

[Davek1977]

The .223 is far from an ideal deer round, but will certainly do the trick. That being said, with other, better, options, I don't understand why you'd want to use an "iffy" caliber. You named two other rifles you own that are both heads and tails above the .223 when it comes to performance on deer-sized game. Above all else, if you INSIST on using the .223, use quality bullets, and don't even DREAM of taking a 300 yrd plus shot with it, let alone a 600 yd one!!! Given the fact you have other rifles that are moire suitable though, I'd suggest using them rather than run the risk of losing/wounding an animal instead of making a clean kill. I doubt you'll find anyone who will tell you the .223 is BETTER on deer sized game than the .243 or the .308

[d2wing]

I'd say the .223 works pretty well. I have used several others from .243 to to 7mm. At reasonable range and shot placement it works and brought this big boy down as quick as any. Quicker than the .243 in my experience although I certainly did not expect that result.

[KINGMAX]

I do not recommend a .223, but yes it will. Keep shots at 100 yards or less, with a good head or neck shot. I have chosen a REMINGTON 700 ADL in .270 w a Remington EXPRESS CORE-LOKT cartridge w/150 gr bullet. I am not bragging, but since I have stuck with this set up, it has been one shot, one kill every time. Last year I took a nice 3x3 Whitetail at 177 paces using this same scenario. It was a clean spine shot, the deer feel over right where it was shot.

[d2wing]

I recommend lung or heart shots depending on angle. Neck and head shots
give you too much area that is not lethal. A high velocity .223 will do the job
but I avoid shooting the shoulder.

[jpatterson]

Not in Kansas.